T or F: Our species peaked in the last century and is now in decline

[undeterred]

[joeybee12]

1. I don't know if the species is in decline, but the American civilization

certainly is...heck...so many people in this country would look upon the Dark Ages as being too liberal!

[stepnw1f]

2. Extinction of the Right Wingers

That's why they oppose even the idea of evolution. It's impossible for them to evolve, hence the backward logic they spout all the time.

[renie408]

3. Other...which 'last' century are you referring to??

The 1800's when women couldn't vote and slavery was legal? Or the 1900's...which really weren't much better.

The track for the path we find ourselves on now was laid a loooonnnnngggg time ago. While it is not a steady upward climb, I tend to think that humans ARE evolving for the better. The trick is going to be to evolve FAST enough to catch up with what technology has allowed us to do to the earth before it is made uninhabitable for humans.

[undeterred]

4. The 20th century seems to be a high point for humans

as well as a low point. The tools we have invented have extended human powers, for evil or for good, enormously.

But those who control the power now are not using it for good....

[punpirate]

5. Species "peaking" has far too many connotations...

... to speculate. With regard to population, the species is inordinately successful, and since world population is still growing, that would be an indication of continued biological success.

In other ways, one inevitably ends up comparing cultures and tribal mores.

"Peaking" might be a bit too ill-defined a term to answer properly.

Cheers.

[renie408]

6. What he said. n/t

[Bill McBlueState]

7. is WWII the supposed peak?

Or is it a different one of humanity's splendid achievements since 1905?

:sarcasm:

[RoyGBiv]

8. The species?

The human species is in no sense in decline at present, not scientifically speaking. We continue to evolve. We may be reaching a critical mass of sustainable population, but even that might not necessarily indicate a decline of the species as a whole, rather a natural readjustment of population numbers that can be supported by available resources. Not that this is a pretty or desireable thing from a human's point of view, but the biological forces at work here really don't care a lot about that.

Now, our human civilization as a whole is possibly in decline, but even with this one needs to define the boundaries of what constitutes civilization.

[porphyrian]

9. Humanity has a long way to go to its peak.

Whether or not we will survive to see it is still in question, however, as we are completely capable of destroying ourselves, if not this planet or more, during our formative process. It is arrogant and intellectually dishonest to believe that we are even close to the peak of our evolution. We are barely more than hairless apes as it is.