From: pax@osmium.mv.net   
      
   Zeborah  wrote:   
   >Gerry Quinn  wrote:   
      
   >> In article ,   
   >> aqua@internode.on.net says...   
   >> > Gerry Quinn wrote:   
   >> >   
   >> > > There is an ironic counterpoint to this in that those claiming that   
   >> > > racial and gender differences don't exist are effectively denying that   
   >> > > evolution has been operating over the last half a million years or so,   
   >> > > or at least claiming that it has been edxtraordinarily selective   
   >> > > regarding what physiological variables it has permitted itself to   
   >> > > operate on.  Thus these evolution-deniers have much in common with the   
   >> > > intelligent-designers, although their arguments are less coherent.   
   >> >   
   >> > Of course evolution has been operating over the last half-million years   
   >> > or so.  It's just that that's not a terribly long time, and natural   
   >> > selection has had to be working hard making sure our bodies could be   
   >> > modified for walking upright, large brains, and the attendant   
   >> > complication around giving birth the combination requires.  If you look   
   >> > at the knee, the lower spine, the female elbow, etc you discover   
   >> > evolution didn't even get far enough to come up with very good solutions.   
   >>   
   >> I don't know any reason why the hard work of natural selection in one   
   >> sphere should prevent it from operating in others.   
      
   >Selection generally happens for a reason.  Sickle-cell becomes more   
   >prevalent where not having the gene is worse than having the gene twice.   
   >I can't think of any reason why one geographic area would favour people   
   >who were less intelligent; nor any reason why being less intelligent   
   >would be an evolutionary advantage for either women or for men.   
      
   	I can; being too intelligent in comparison to your peers   
   	can make relating to each other harder.  It wouldn't surprise   
   	me at all to find out that for our earliest ancestores, being   
   	able to get along with the tribe was a better strategy than   
   	being the eccentric genius.   
      
   	Intelligence is just one strategy for getting that reproductive   
   	edge, and it might be over rated.  Ants, in terms of biomass,   
   	are more successful than we are.   
      
   ~P.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)