Evolution tells us
that humans evolved from a common ancestor ape which, about 6 million years ago, split
into two branches, one of which subsequently became humans -whilst the other
became chimpanzees which then further split into two; bonobos and common
chimps. They are so similar that the bonobo is sometimes referred to as the pygmy or dwarf chimpanzee.
Since we are all transitional species I have wondered whether or when a
split is likely to the human branch forming another related species. What might
affect the rate of any such change and could this be occurring at a sufficiently
rapidly as to be apparent during the course of say a couple of life spans? Within this time frame, which effectively takes us back to the mid
1900’s, thanks mainly to technological advances, our whole life experience has
been developing exponentially in step with this and shows no sign of slowing
–quite the reverse in fact.
During the early years
of this period, at least among the developed countries, class divisions existed, fueled by the privileges of wealth, social status or religious mandates. However, this situation relied mainly on the benefits bestowed
upon the upper classes at the expense of the rest and was not in any way a
function of basic levels of intelligence or innate abilities. Indeed, during
the subsequent 100 years, during which many of these inequalities diminished,
there have been vast numbers of the erstwhile “great unwashed” who given the
opportunities, have demonstrated their abilities and talents in a manner which
has frequently surpassed that of “their betters”.
The twentieth
century was barely three years old before the Wright brothers successfully made the first controlled power flight, and sadly spurred on by the deadly imperatives of two World Wars, advances in science and technology accelerated.
More recently, the advent of electronics and its colossal offspring, computer
technology, have resulted in advances in all technologies at a rate
inconceivable even after the conclusion of global conflict in 1945. This
entirely new phenomenon has been entirely trans-formative and has necessitated a
completely new way of thinking involving innovations in not only technology but
in thought processes, problem solving and vocabulary.
The same thing has
occurred in the fields of physical human achievement. It was not until 1953
that the first successful ascent of Mount Everest was made. Since then the
challenge has become almost commonplace. Indeed to make the final ascent it is
often necessary to line up! Similarly the first four- minute mile, which many
claimed was impossible, was attained by Dr Roger Bannister in 1954. Nowadays
this level of performance is required to even qualify for international track
meets. In all areas of human endeavour, since there is no likelihood of
reverting back to lower levels of achievement, it can be argued that all these
factors are examples of accelerated evolution.
In the cerebral arena of technical progress, increasingly higher levels of intellectual capability are required to remain
current with the breakneck development of computer, medical and associated technology
-including the exploration of the puzzling and non-intuitive mysteries of quantum mechanics.
Could this phenomenon
have the effect of creating an intellectual elite category of cutting edge computer-savvy
young people. Could these “whiz kids” due to common interests, social
compatibility with their peers, and genetic composition, ultimately go on to
produce future generations who possess increasingly higher levels of intellect
ultimately to become considered as a separate species?
In my own personal case, whilst being able to cope with the
technological advancement of the 1960 – 2000 time frame, I now find it
difficult, if not impossible to keep up with the jargon, procedures and vocabulary of modern computers. I scarcely know the difference between a
browser and a toolbar! Thankfully as a mere user, the operating commands associated
with modern, relatively user-friendly programmes enable me to capitalize on most
of their benefits.
Should this elite “species” manifest itself, what would happen to the
rest of society? As I see it, there would be a breakdown into two groups. 1)
Those people like myself who for whatever reason are intellectually unable, try
as they might, to keep pace with the elite group –and 2) those who are totally unwilling to make the effort. Regrettably the number in this second group of seems
to be on the rise. The current obsession with smart phones, social media, computer
games, “pop culture” and other superficial pursuits demonstrates a basic
antipathy towards anything involving constructive thinking, critical assessment
as well as a basic inability to engage in thoughtful discourse with, and lack
of compassion towards their fellow humans. Perhaps the most
striking example of this can be seen in the social media. Here, thanks to the ability to hide their real personal identity, this “ignorati” group exhibit a distressing and
cowardly side to their character by ignorant, illiterate, badly spelt, poorly
worded, expletive sprinkled -and at times vitriolic outpourings designed to cause distress to
the recipients. The same thing appears in the comments to many YouTube videos
where regardless of the topic, an innocent if possibly uninformed comment can expect
a verbal -often obscene onslaught.
Sadly for group 1)
there will be no refuge from the refuse spewed by group 2) who despite the foregoing, will effectively remain part of the same species. There could be
increasing tension between these two groups as well as resentment towards the elite
group who will have left them behind in a cloud of intellectual dust. What level of intellect will have evolved in say 1000 years (assuming that we have not already destroyed ourselves)? Could this enhanced intellect have evolved to a point where it could be considered a new species similar to the chimpanzee/bonobo split described at the start?
Thankfully, it is unlikely that I will be around to make that determination!
