Question

Some people have stated that humans with all of our modern conveniences are no longer subject to natural selection. Evaluate this statement. Have we rid ourselves of the process of natural selection? Are new selective forces at work under these conditions? Does this mean that Malthus’ predictions no longer applies to humans? Don't forget to give examples to support your statements.

Answer 1

Natural selection theory applies most readily to genes as they have the right stuff to drive selection, namely making copies of themselves that are high-fidelity. Because it is the fate of individuals (and their kin) in the world of cause and effect that determines the fate of their genes, it is often convenient to talk about selection at the level of individuals. However, it is the genes themselves that are replicated over generations and are therefore the selection targets and the ultimate beneficiaries of adaptations. Sexually reproductive organisms do not replicate themselves literally, because their offspring are not clones but composites of themselves and their mates. No organism, sexual or asexual, can pass on the characteristics of its offspring.
But other extensions are so poetic that they do not shed light on the phenomenon and only obscure the real power of natural selection. There is no end to the possibilities of using the verbiage of natural selection to unnecessarily redescribe ordinary cause-and-effect sequences. Cities are furious about more old buildings Made of stone rather than wood due to the selection process of the building. Cars are now equipped with steel-belted radials because in a tire selection process they outcompeted polyester-belted tires. Due to their competitive advantages in telephone selection, touch-tone phones prevailed over dial phones. And it's like that. Certainly, some things last longer or do better than others in competition because they have characteristics that help them to last longer or compete better. But unless the traits arise from multiple copying iterations of random errors in a finite pool of replicators, the natural selection theory adds nothing to the common cause and effect.
The trait does not arise from some gene whose effects propagate upwards to affect the group as a whole, such as an individual's genetic tendency to disperse that leads the group to widespread geographic distribution, or an individual's ability to withstand stressful environments that lead the species to survive mass extinction events. Rather, they are culturally propagated traits.

The theory of social science is based on a time frame when written. Technologies change with a historical context that is known to all in a historical time frame. The theory of Malthus is valid over that period but the context has changed so that it is not fully applicable in the present. But the concept of the deterministic approach that is strongly valid in the present context that is not applicable in full. But the concept of the deterministic approach available in the present context is strongly valid in that theory. Sustainable development is a concept that is the result of Malthus ' deterministic approach in that time frame. Control of the ethical value of human greed is a good indication of the theory of Malthus, which is still valid in the present context. In conclusion, the theory of Malthus does not function fully in the present context but is still valid at some point in this theory.