Changing Brain
It really wasn't surprising to find out that the human brain was changing. What was surprising is the patent and how everyone else was surprised! Did people really think that the difference in intelligence was completely cultural? Did people really think that pre-industrial Russian, German, French and English societies where similar and so spawned great mathematicians!
unfortunately (to me) it seems like the elephant in the room has been pointed out. Now we have a genetic reason religion is nonsense (since most religious people live in the places these genes are rare). This is a bit troubling since religious people are already alienated by our ideas and ways of thinking (logically). I wouldn't care about their opinions except for the fact that they are violent and have weapons! In fact if they could reason things they'd know that history will wipe them out and so they may try and make a stand (or maybe this Islamic terrorist thingy is the some what related). But then again they don't believe in evolution so maybe they will just ignore this as more infidel talk... until it's too late!
unfortunately (to me) it seems like the elephant in the room has been pointed out. Now we have a genetic reason religion is nonsense (since most religious people live in the places these genes are rare). This is a bit troubling since religious people are already alienated by our ideas and ways of thinking (logically). I wouldn't care about their opinions except for the fact that they are violent and have weapons! In fact if they could reason things they'd know that history will wipe them out and so they may try and make a stand (or maybe this Islamic terrorist thingy is the some what related). But then again they don't believe in evolution so maybe they will just ignore this as more infidel talk... until it's too late!
posted by Eddie | 11:32 AM
4 Comments:
Yeah, I was raving for this one :-)
My point was *if*/*when* the link between these mutations is proved to be directly linked to intellectual potential it may then alienate the mutationless (I assume most of these are religious since Africa is missing the mutation in 90% of it's pop and it's the most religious). Also it will show that breeding is important and that the societies mentioned were not similar at all yet had great many thinkers. So it is unlikely the society that breed the genius, it was most likely the genes (that did the most).
There are a lot of assumptions.
But the US was founded by puratins. Now-a-days the genes are too mixed to get a general trend in the US (that's what they said in the article). So the info given: Africa religious and has mutation, Europe much less religious and the mutation is more prevalant.
Again, this is a guess since there still need to be some work done to prove the work. But if it turns out that I am correct then... see blog
But Europe used to be very religious only a few hundred years ago. Their genes haven't changed much since then. The causation could be the other way around. In other words, living in a wealthy society makes people less religious. We know modern society breaks down all sorts of traditional community bonds, including religion.
Besides, just look at the Jews. They've got crazy amounts of all sorts of weird genetic diseases that affect brain development, like Tay-Sachs and Gaucher. They've gotten something like a quarter of all Nobel prizes yet they've been religious for thousands of years. Sure, the Nobel prize winners have generally been non-religious Jews, like Feynman or Einstein, but the people as a whole have been the nuttiest of the religious nuts. 5000 years of following the laws made up by a bunch of goat-herders in the desert!
lol ... goat-herders! I agree, my speculation comes from the fact that Eurpope did become rich (mostly through conquest due to better weaponary from better science) and became less religious. So it could be that the mutation helped them attain riches and then abandon religious way easier. Or, as you've said, it could just be the mutation help with the rich aprt but it was the enhanced affluence that lead to the dismissal of religion. As for the Jews, I think the persecution may have a lot to do with them clinging to their continued religiousity. But some of the Jews actually are athiest but they preform all the temple etc stuff for the sense of culture and call themselves Jews not athiests. I wonder if the Jews do have the mutation since you are right in that they have a very ... small genetic pool.
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