Are we the next stage in evolution?

Hi,

A few people over the years here have claimed that Asperger's could potentially be the next stage in human evolution. Well, I was recently talking to a guy in a different forum and came to a conclusion/theory:

You know the way that the Earth's resources are becoming limited?; and how society will eventually probably come to a point where more wars are the order of the day? Well, maybe it is that time that people like us will be 'selected' for by evolution.

Why? - Because we are intelligent. We stop and think about things. So, while others are running into battles getting slaughtered, we will be trying to make peace with each other and will have the intelligence to stay out of conflict, while everyone else dies.

Kevin

Interesting point but I kinda have to disagree. Evolution usually means becoming something better or more practical. I do not think I am better than anyone else or more intelligent. I too can be stubborn, hot headed and sometimes irrational. Some days I can be a disorganized mess and getting anything done takes a major effort. Days like that it's nice to have people to depend on, people who aren't as muddled as me.
I think AS or not, people can be barstewards and can cause unhappiness. The world is full of selfish and horrible people. I don't think the extinction of NT's would change that.

I think the reason a lot of people think that way is because of the seemingly increasing number of people being diagnosed with ASDs over the last 20 or so years. But its hard to say whether that is really the case. Perhaps we're just getting better at recognizing it, or else the conditions are getting over/mis-diagnosed.

Evolution is triggered by natural selection, which is triggered by an environmental change. An example would be a short necked animal evolving a long neck in order to reach the now higher-growing plants in their area. Or how as oxygen's levels decrease, animals get smaller. This last one has certainly happened. 65 million years ago, the oxygen was about 25% higher and therefore things grew bigger because they had the air available to support such a large body. With the exception of whales and some land animals, creatures in comparison today are much smaller. Animals either got smaller, or found a way to adapt to the lesser oxygen levels.

So no, I do not believe we are the next stage in evolution. However, if a time like the one you mentioned came to pass, then we would likely be amongst the survivors, because, as you said, we like peace, not conflict.

For evolution to come into play, AS would have to make us more desirable for breeding and would require to have some benefit that gives us an advantage.

OK, so we can work out the remote, the computer and other stuff but unfortunately, there is a correlation between poor education and high reproduction rates which means that we'll always be massively outnumbered by the faster breeding, knows how to get laid NT, particularly the one's incapable of reading the instructions on contraceptives. Unless you have somewhere for us to hide when the apocalyptic event kicks off, we'll either be:

a) Rounded up and killed for being smartarses as were the doctors, professors etc. in Cambodia, China, etc.

b) Rounded up and set fire to before being thrown at the opposing hoards as some kind of crude incendiary device.

c) Rounded up and kept as pets by the evil warlords that have overrun the land.

I do think though that the tech sector is very Aspie friendly which is lucky really as the old AS friendly environments seem to have been shipped off to China.

Better educated people have smaller families and if you could educate the population upwards, the over-population should cure itself. Sadly, I'm not overly convinced that education works for everyone regardless of how much cash the government throws at it.

Me cynical? Surely not.

I have heard that sort of thing before about the autism spectrum disorders being able to ultiamtely survive and reproduce in adverse conditions. Some are considered to exhibit an "uneven"set of morals, capable of being devoted to altruistic causes while at the same time condoning the socailly unacceptable. Also, many aspies who are known for their beliefs and values are considered unlikely to find idealogical partners.

I have heard some theories about human evolution being controlled by a specail caste of females called tomboys. Specifically, a strong alpha male in a womans body. Matriarchal societyies being the most stable, and tomboy women being dominant and driven, usually stay in control. evolutionany biologists are unable to explain why the human brain grew so large compared to other animals. Maybe it was while most societies grow from successful men chosing healthy women based on their looks, but the more successull societies were driven by strong silent type women chosing intelligent men.

Maybe aspergers breeding patterns are different from the rest of society. from my own perspective, I am considered a dominant male by my girlfriend and family, But if i were to meet a woman with a sharp technical scientific mind I would glady marry her on the spot

hmm...very good points. I have to agree with you - Quasar - that we may be the ones to survive the best when a war situation comes around, but that we still wouldn't be selected for by evolution. I mean, Aspies breeding with Aspies are still going to produce NTs. Plus, as Joolz says, intelligent people have smaller family sizes! Equaly important is gothic_mummy's last point that "AS or not... ...The world is full of selfish and horrible people [and that] the extinction of NT's [wouldn't] change that".

Thanks guys - You have given me more to think about.

AS people are no more intelligent then NTs. This idea we are super intellects is arrogant in the extreme and a myth. Many people with AS can barely function day to day, suggesting we are some advancement in evolution is delusional.

I know a couple who are AS and their offspring are affected by autism. The boy has severe impairment with epilepsy, aggression and displays the more negative autistic behaviours.

Reality and science is my preferred belief. We are products of gene abnormalities or hypoxia at birth which cause Right hemisphere dysfunction/abnormalities.

The evolution theory holds as much creedence as the idea that Aspies are overly attractive. lol

Sarcastica wrote:
The evolution theory holds as much creedence as the idea that Aspies are overly attractive. lol

Dammit, you've shattered my illusions that I'm a handsome devil LOL!

So it's makeshift Molotov for us all then

You try negotiating with a nuke Chucky

Next step in evolution? Don't think so. I believe 'Aspies' have existed throughout all time. They can both display Dominant features (Like Hitler) or be more withdrawn.

That Aspies generally don't produce offspring I think is a myth. Mostly because the stereotype Aspie is a loner or social outcast (often by choice).

I also believe that the instances of stories of people going berserk in battle (see Norse mythology) are most likely Aspies. I know I personally can go "Berserk" and I'll become incredibly cynical and plain destructive and devastating.

There's a problem with this "stage" concept. Species don't change to get "better", they change to deal with whatever's there. No great chain of being. My silly little lizard, who's been the same lizard for the past 80 million years or so, is just as "advanced" as I am. Definitely has a more complicated visual system than I have. However, populations can carry members of the population able to deal with certain situations. Like the sicle (okay, that's not the right spelling, and it's annoying the hell out of me) cell anemia gene which confers some resistance to malaria but also can incapacitate the individual. Said person is weak, but survives. It is to the population's advantage to care for a certain part of the population in order to keep the immunity in the gene pool.

It is to the population's advantage to keep people around who are obsessed with detail and overly observant, even if they are a little weird.