Man, try to get a laugh out of this group and you get a flurry of intelligent thought instead. :-)
>> My contention is that humankind has created an ecological niche which
>> not only offers no reproductive advantage to higher intelligence, there is
>> in fact
>> a *very large* reproductive advantage to stupidity and irresponsibility.
>> spike
>>
>Actually, I don't think this is correct; I was reading somewhere (my
>trademark accuracy again) that intelligence (+education?) is increasingly
>important, at least in the west, as a determinant of success. The world's
>getting more complicated.
>
>That's my excuse, anyhow.
>Emlyn
I second that, Spike. Emlyn, I don't see much connection between "success" as you are using the term, and "reproductive advantage". The population growth rate of natives in the US and other industrialized countries is *negative*, while the overall population growth remains positive, due to immigration from poor countries. The people that have the most trouble coping with the modern world reproduce fastest. Financial success is a most effective contraceptive.
-PW