This is in fact meant for the philosophy section. I'm not doubting evolution, I'm talking about material, supervenience, emergence of properties, and that kind of thing-- interpretations of how to look at evolution, not about whether it is a scientific fact or not.
It's fine to say, "humanity evolves." But to me, this is a little circular-- if humans are defined as those organisms matching a particular phenotype (or certain genetic markers), and that phenotype or genetic makeup changes, then what does this really mean? Is humanity in fact evolving, or are more and more individuals diverging from the defining features of that species, until at some point it cannot be said to exist anymore?
What, exactly, is undergoing the process of evolution? Not genes. Not individual human organisms.
It's fine to say, "humanity evolves." But to me, this is a little circular-- if humans are defined as those organisms matching a particular phenotype (or certain genetic markers), and that phenotype or genetic makeup changes, then what does this really mean? Is humanity in fact evolving, or are more and more individuals diverging from the defining features of that species, until at some point it cannot be said to exist anymore?
What, exactly, is undergoing the process of evolution? Not genes. Not individual human organisms.
