This has been a long project. It has been described as many things. Formally, it is a statement of how we can adapt to survive the changes in our ecology. Realistically, it is a question of how we can become far more than we are presently. We are more than animals and less than gods, we are human. What can that be? Much of that question will have to be left to the speculative fiction writers and to future generations, but there is something that can be said now about what we can achieve now and almost certainly will have to achieve to survive in the future.
Note that the description of using artificial selection is simply an imitation of what natural selection has done. That is increase the frequency of "good" genes while reducing the frequency of "bad" genes and increasing hybridization. In ways this has the most to offer to those that are the weakest. Those with health problems, that are ugly or plain, and those that are not intelligent. The "superior" members of every tribe are already healthy, beautiful and intelligent. Certainly artificial selection will help them, but not as much or as easily as it will help those less blessed with "good" genes.
So what are the "best" potentials we have or can develop? While this could talk speculatively about future genetic, intellectual, spiritual, artistic and perceptive potentials, there is good reason to avoid that or at least put it elsewhere, because there are known, existing potentials that certainly have not been exploited. There is one in particular that is to be described here. It will be described using two converging views. One from sociobiology and one from anthropology.
Conrad Lorenz gave us the concept of the Behavioral Release. The
Behavioral Release was a description of the interaction of genetics and the
environment on behavior. It was to clarify the classic and for some odd
reason, very polarized Nature Verses Nurture debate. The Nature
Verses Nurture debate is a perfect example of how the visibility of extreme
opinions become so much greater than that of reasonable discussion. A frustrating
problem common to evolutionary discussion. In any case, reason dictates that
there is an interaction between heredity and experience that creates any
individual. In trying to quantify this, Conrad Lorenz, initially studying geese,
described a situation where he created an environmental stimulus that the geese
responded to instinctively, that convinced the birds that he was their parent.
Then the geese displayed typical behaviors of baby birds towards their parents,
but directed towards him. The behaviors were instinctive, but their direction
was environmentally determined.
This is common to most, though not all, behaviors in animals, including humans.
Many times, a behavior just doesn't develop if there is not an environmental
place for it. This is especially true in animals such as humans or rats where
there is a lot of behavioral plasticity and a lot of behavior is learned. At
the same time, many basic behaviors with strong genetic components, often seem
quite capable of developing in many species, with little environmental stimulus.
That is not the point though, this is about humans who rely on learned behaviors
more than any other specie.
The point of this is to ask what are the most advanced behaviors that humans
can develop, especially given appropriate environmental stimulus? The cooperation
fostered by advanced moral systems is a good example based on extensive
training of children. Humans naturally tend to be more violent and self centered
than when taught a moral system that discourages violence and teaches the
importance of community. It is moral systems that teach individuals to control
their natural aggressiveness and allow societies to exist.
Another description of nature and nurture is Stimulus and Response. An
external stimulus and an internally based response. The point of this is to lead
to a description of mental development though, so the external stimulus would
generally be described as education. Education can achieve many things small and
large. There are many elements of mental development that humans can achieve.
What is perhaps the greatest mental development that a human can commonly
achieve? What is the external stimulus required? It is Self Awareness
and its corollary, increased awareness of the individuals environment.
The term Self Awareness is a fairly dry description and will only be pursued
from this view for a little bit before shifting to another view that is more
illuminating.
What is the education or external stimulus that can release Self Awareness and
what is the result of Self Awareness? Well, Self Awareness is the most highly
developed state of awareness of self and environment that a person can commonly
achieve. In a way,
that is somewhat self defining, but not entirely. In any case, it is sometimes
more easily illustrated by its absence than by its presence. You can see it in
a person who has had a strong influence, positive or negative in their life and
it is not dependent on intelligence. Self Awareness is the expression of
intelligence that has responded to the environmental stimulus required to
release it. There are many people with great intellectual potential and it just
seems that it is never more than superficially expressed. There are people that
are not obviously intelligent, but they think with what they have and are
noticeably pretty good at it.
In this case, the term Self Awareness can mean awareness of many things. It includes awareness of one's physical, mental and spiritual self as well as ones social and natural environment. This can get to be pretty extensive and so is going to be only so complete, but it is a feature of humans and so no matter how imprecise any definition may be, it is a description of a very real and important phenomena.
One question I have repeatedly asked is how can self awareness be released in a
person without seriously threatening their life? It is a strong response and
requires a strong stimulus to release it. I have seen from examining people that
actually, to various degrees, it is quite common. As an example I offer not
an individual of brilliance with depth and breadth of knowledge, but an
individual I went to school with who was not .. mentally accomplished. He
wasn't stupid, but I would not call him very bright or very smart either. I
could sense in him an emotional development though. A self awareness. I wanted
to know where it came from and so I questioned him. He had an uncle. It was
what he learned from his uncle that developed his self awareness.
That is interesting in that it illustrates two points. First is that while
intellectual capacity can contribute to the release of self awareness and its
degree of development, it is not required. Secondly, self awareness can be
taught and does not have to be the result of an overwhelming or traumatic
experience. Later, I saw similar situations repeatedly.
Awareness and knowledge come before understanding and understanding may never come at all.
The final point to make about Self Awareness from this point of view is to say that it will be needed for the successful use of morality to survive, just as morality is needed to control a society's aggressive nature.
The next point of view that is used to describe this potential for human mental development and its need, is a term that comes from anthropology or perhaps sociology. This is the Shaman. The Shaman is described as an individual, male or female, who usually early in life, has a psychological experience (strong environmental stimulus), sometimes learned, often the result of trauma, that opens their sub-conscious to them. Their awareness of themselves is enormously developed. The result usually allows for superior moral development based on a self understanding and a resulting understanding of those around them.
I think it is easy to see the relatedness between these two views. The first
view though offers a biological, theoretical and common basis of this behavior,
while the second view better describes its moral implications.
Shamanism is a description of a rather highly developed self awareness, but
that is a degree of development that will need to become common. Various
developments should allow it to.
For a variety of reasons, I strongly believe that this behavior, by any name or
description, will be far more commonly needed for humans to survive into the new
ecology. Partly this is so that a person can understand what they are and desire
separate from the ever increasing distractions and stimuli of the modern world.
It will be a necessary defense against materialism and corruption, but more
important than its nature as a defense, it will show a person what is important
to them and the reasons they live as part of a community. Part of this is that
another awareness that develops as part of an awareness of self, is an understanding
of one's spiritual nature. This will become more important to survival as humans
adapt to a changing world. It is in one's spiritual nature that long term survival
lies. An understanding of the principles of biology and evolution that are the
science of life, can contribute to this by giving a person an understanding of
life that can illuminate their nature and the nature of their spirituality.
They give increased understanding to what self awareness shows.
Knowledge is far easier than understanding. Understanding of empirical sciences
is far easier than understanding of the more tenuous subjects that describe humans.
Developed self awareness allows for an awareness and development of more subtle
understandings, but they are still stronger when based on the understandings of
the sciences. It is that combination that will be required to use artificial
selection to take us to a future where humans are more than just smart animals
and we will have to accomplish that to survive.
Appearances are that self awareness is a behavior with a very strong
environmental component. Perhaps it can be enhanced some with artificial selection
similar to the behavior faith, but it seems likely that we will always
have to rely strongly on our moral systems to teach it or it will be rare and
as now, released mostly by traumatic experience. It will then not be common
enough to allow necessary human progress.
It might seem unlikely that highly developed self awareness is likely to become
common or even commonly understood, but it will. It will be developed as and
encapsulated as a meme. Then it will often be learned without people knowing
that it is being taught. It will become part of the common moral basis of the
society that the society relies on to survive.