Andecay

I understand that the human race is believed to have been selected for its intelligence. But I believe that physical adaptations no longer "matter" in our societal world. Unattractive or weak people still find mates, as do unintelligent, backwards people. Today the more important factors in finding a mate are wealth, and social class, which are human creations. We create our own adaptations in this sense. The body and mind don't matter as much as our social institutions do in finding a mate.

Could it not be said though that our inventions are part of us as a species and that a calculator doing our math is just as much an adaptation as a laarge beak breaking a nut? I'm saying that technology and adaptation are one in the same and that adaptation in the case of humans is not exclusively biological.

Continuing my initial chain of thought, I would like to change my initial statement of thesis. My current thesis is that :"Human biological evolution has been supplemented by the invention of tools, concepts, etc.; this has caused a reduction in the rate of significant biological variation in humans." I am not saying that small variations do not happen in humans, but rather that the species as a whole does not adhere to the process of natural selection as outlined by Darwin. Rather than certain biological traits helping us to survive in our given environment, our knowledge and tools help us to survive. In our current situation, a person's biological form or structure have a weakened bearing on their ability to reproduce because their flaws can be supplemented with technology.

I am most likely in over my head here, but I'm attempting to find info for a research paper. I am writing the paper under the thesis that: human biological evolution has been stunted and, in a lot of ways, replaced by invention. You could take the stance that intelligence is a biological adaptation and that it encapsulates all culture, society, and tool-making/using that we humans partake in, but that view is counterproductive to progress on the topic. I am under the impression that consciousness is what makes humans unique from other species. As far as I know I am not the first person to make that claim. I am looking for sources to support my claim. Whether the claim is correct or not, I will argue it in lieu of changing my thesis. Thank you in advance for the input.