Re: More Evolutionary Thoughts

Fraser Elisabeth (Elisabeth.Fraser@STUD.UNI-REGENSBURG.DE)
Thu, 21 Sep 1995 17:34:33 +0100

> Intelligence can also be selected against, we all know examples where
> exceptional intelligence has been treated with open hositlity, fear and
> suspicion. This can mitigate the selection process don't you think?

What if it's not identified as "intelligence", which is a modern
notion and hence of not very much evolutionary significance,
but rather as "magic power"? People like this were
sometimes able to scare their neighbours into giving them
their own food and even their own wives or daughters.
Under these conditions the bright chap would be
treated with covert hostility and suspicion, but might
still be able to spread his genes quite nicely, thank-you.