JE/AWW: Must be on the ten millenium plan...

Unending BE - episode 486303

Jim considered which side to begin with. It was sort of a question of self vs environment. The two invariably impacted each other as time progressed... But then Jim thought, But humans create our social environment based on our physical demands... I think I'll start there. After all, the first humans only formed tribes because it made it easier to get food, and thus opened the door to creating a society... To start with, he decided to check out the ch1ldren. it didn't really make a whole lot of sense for newborn girls to have breasts, and one assumed a similar level of development for newborn boys. So, he began investigating.

Some time later he was staring at the screen with a look of deep thought on his face. His search had proven somewhat inconclusive (other than the fact that the newborns were completely normal for this world), but he did find an interesting article on 'life history theory', which was described as "a method of analysis in animal and human biology, psychology, and especially evolutionary sociobiology which postulates that many of the physiological traits and behaviors of individuals may be best understood in relation to the key maturational and reproductive characteristics that define the life course." It then went on to mark various landmarks in a species' growth cycle (such as weaning, puberty, adult size, etc), then described the basics of the theory. It didn't really go into specifics, but the background thinking behind it, and a little something called r/K selection theory... That had caught Jim's attention.

Basically, the selection theory marked two extremes of a reproductive scale. The r-selection being akin to the extreme fecundity typified by insect life, with the intent of survival through saturation, with K-selection favoring a single (or very few) offspring, intending survival through 'fitter' descendants. Humans, as Jim origionally knew them, probably sat pretty close to the K end, but even then he did realize that where humans were on the scale varied pretty wildly even on his world. But, what if... just what if... humans managed to straddle more of that scale? A small percentage with extreme fertility, providing a large percentage of the racial offspring. What would result? Well, in-breeding, by my world's thinking. But perhaps...

Perhaps that isn't entirely a bad thing?

Alright, alright, let's think this out. A family starts breeding like rabbits among themselves. A greater percentage of the ch1ldren would have genetic defects, that by itself is perfectly logical... But it isn't until very, very recently that children with defects were even able to live, grow, and reproduce with near the same likelyhood as everyone else. In the distant past, they wouldn't have, not with any statistical significance (and what few did most likely passed the defect on, which would be subject to the same attrition). So one family results in a generation that looses a percentage to recessive genes, and has another percentage carrying those genes and the rest not. This generation goes at it too. Next generation, more lost to recessives, except from those who weren't carrying them in the first place. Keeps going... And you'd have a bloodline that steadily bred out all the life-threatening and -impairing recessive genes. Anyone carrying the bad genes simply didn't have as many surviving children as those who didn't.

Simmer for a thousand years, what do you get? Well, a lot of secondary effects that enhance the overall approach. Women having an easier time with birth reduces the negatives of being pregnant, to the extent where it might even be desirable for more than just reproduction. Greater levels of attractiveness for drawing in mates (including sexual characteristics). Greater stamina and durability to increase the potential pool of offspring, as well as increased sexual activity for the same reason. Earlier and more rapid sexual development to increase the window of reproductivity (or at least allow more practice to increase successful reproduction later in life). And all this just to remain reproductively competitive with the others within the group. Jim sat back and stared at the ceiling. And this results in societal changes... Because most of the children aren't kept within the one/few families, their genetic influence over the race is broadened, while also reducing the resource pressure on the family itself. So a substantial percentage of the world population is made of these hyper-sexed people. Sex and skin exposure becomes very casual. 1nc3st becomes ordinary. As does just about any other fetish.

Jim frowned. If his line of reasoning was sound, it'd have to have been in operation for thousands of years, and quite possibly for the entirety of human existance on the planet... And could this approach possibly mean the societal survival of the old clan system? Hmm.

Go back - Go to the parent episode.

Zorlond

Thu Feb 23 20:43:39 2006