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Darwin Tea on a Sunday

Preface: I can think of obvious counter-examples... and I have no hard data or society-wide info to back this up.... however: it seems like most of my friends who are smarter, well-educated and interesting to be around have no interest in nesting and familying-down... and if they do, the instinct hit them much later in life. There are also occasional reports that the population of western europe (it's highly educated!) is down because they aren't reproducing above the replacement level. Many philosophers, like Aristotle, talk about training your mind so that you can overcome "base" (read: "sexual?") instincts and live a well-reasoned, well-measured, pious life.

But what does all this mean for Darwin?

Should I be worried that none of my smart, interesting friends are nesting? Are the comforts of the 21st century reverse-evolving us for the first time in history? Is reason really a "weaker" trait than reproduction? Does reason require you to follow some animal instincts for the betterment of society? Or is my small circle of friends an anomaly in the larger scheme of progress?

Posted by steveh at February 5, 2006 10:34 PM | TrackBack