Increasing the pace of our own evolution

[too-open-minded]

Most of us are aware that we are tampering with our own evolution more than pressured darwin-evolution itself is.

But are their other ways we can alter our own evolution besides medical science and our diet?

I think so.

 

One of the major problems we have today is peoples emotions fogging their thoughts and judgement. Plus their subconscious thoughts.

 

What if we turned elementary school into a therapeutic place for children to learn to recognize their emotions and be able to set them aside?

I see a much more bright clearer future for a lot of people.

[Ben Banana]

First. What do you consider evolution to be, anyway?

[too-open-minded]

I consider evolution to be the law of nature that applies to everything whether its on the biological or molecular scale.

[Ben Banana]

I consider evolution to be the law of nature that applies to everything

Well, that's false. Either way, what's our context here?

 

Most of us are aware that we are tampering with our own evolution more than pressured darwin-evolution itself is.

We're "tampering" with what about our "own evolution" ? What kind of evolution?

 

One of the major problems we have today is peoples emotions fogging their thoughts and judgement. Plus their subconscious thoughts.

(Not regarding the active topic, but this statement you say.) I recommend you think about the statements of Eliminative Materialism. Regardless of your acceptance, a brief evaluation of it should enhance your handling of psychological concepts.

 

What if we turned elementary school into a therapeutic place for children to learn to recognize their emotions and be able to set them aside?

There's a lot that's wrong with this idea.

Edited June 19, 2012 by Ben Bowen

[Phi for All]

Evolution is the change in allele frequency within a population over time. "Tampering" is just a type of selective pressure. And since we're part of nature, anything we do is not really abnormal or unnatural.

 

And evolutionary changes take generations for even small changes. What kind of changes do you envision for us?

 

Emotions are a big part of sound judgement. They motivate us to do many things, most of which are good. Good judgement must include the emotional reasons why we do what we do. Why would you want to set aside emotions? Even anger can lead us to correct injustices.

[too-open-minded]

You are very right, I don't consider it unnatural at all. Its still evolution only we have a play in our pressures now.

 

I see some major changes, especially if we ever make it off this planet.

Living in a space-ship would greatly influence our evolutionary pressures.

 

I'm not saying lets get rid of emotions and become computers, I'm saying lets teach people at a young age to see something from another persons perspective. Have 2 teachers per classroom on top of valuing our educators more than a business C.E.O.

You can't say that anger or your "foolish pride" has never got the best of you, atleast I cant.

[Dekan]

Most of us are aware that we are tampering with our own evolution more than pressured darwin-evolution itself is.

But are their other ways we can alter our own evolution besides medical science and our diet?

I think so.

 

One of the major problems we have today is peoples emotions fogging their thoughts and judgement. Plus their subconscious thoughts.

 

What if we turned elementary school into a therapeutic place for children to learn to recognize their emotions and be able to set them aside?

I see a much more bright clearer future for a lot of people.

 

Yes. It sounds a good idea in theory. Perhaps it's at the bottom of "political correctness" in schools. But isn't the danger, that it can lead to ridiculous results. For example, I've heard of a newspaper story, about a white kid who asked an Afro-Caribbean kid in the junior-school playground: "Why are you brown - is it because you come from Africa?"

 

Apparently, this innocently inquisitive remark was overheard by a teacher, who raised a hoo-haa. Which led to the white kid's parents getting summoned to a meeting with the school governors, who lambasted the parents for indoctrinating their child with racist attitudes.

 

The story may be apocryphal. Or exaggerated. But I don't like the idea of schools being used as"therapeutic" places. Shouldn't they just be a place where kids learn to read and write, do arithmetic, and acquire some knowledge of history, geography and science?

[Ben Banana]

Shouldn't they just be a place where kids learn to read and write, do arithmetic, and acquire some knowledge of history, geography and science?

Awe... We should become like ancient China and India!

 

What if we turned elementary school into a therapeutic place for children to learn to recognize their emotions and be able to set them aside?

I guess, I would like it if those aspects of development (disposition ) were more explicitly regarded, but not exactly how you said. I don't mean, like, sessions of meditation (as it sounds to me). An example: what might affect a child-student's performance? For instance, say a child's hands feel rough, and they don't like working with the dry paper. They would have more success if they didn't just have to deal with it. If the child was explicitly taught to think about why their hands are dry (maybe after playing outside?), and make a routine for mitigating, or preventing this, then they would conclude to wash their hands, and apply hand-lotion after playing. This is excellent. Learning to think about how to make small precautions for maximum productivity (appropriately responding to disadvantages, and building advantages) is one of those skills that isn't taught explicitly enough, which children need.

Edited June 19, 2012 by Ben Bowen

[too-open-minded]

Yes. It sounds a good idea in theory. Perhaps it's at the bottom of "political correctness" in schools. But isn't the danger, that it can lead to ridiculous results. For example, I've heard of a newspaper story, about a white kid who asked an Afro-Caribbean kid in the junior-school playground: "Why are you brown - is it because you come from Africa?"

 

Apparently, this innocently inquisitive remark was overheard by a teacher, who raised a hoo-haa. Which led to the white kid's parents getting summoned to a meeting with the school governors, who lambasted the parents for indoctrinating their child with racist attitudes.

 

The story may be apocryphal. Or exaggerated. But I don't like the idea of schools being used as"therapeutic" places. Shouldn't they just be a place where kids learn to read and write, do arithmetic, and acquire some knowledge of history, geography and science?

 

DEKAN -

 

Your very right but the point of this is to stop the ridiculous results and have rational adults who don't let anger fog their judgement, Children would still learn the fundamentals but it would be more of a " lets watch each children find their flaws, fix their flaws and try to see where they will be happiest working in the future" Instead of freaking out and reporting it to the news my theorys states they would have brought the child outside and began explaining what he did wrong at that moment instead of punishing him.

 

BEN BOWEN -

 

I like china and india's systems more than our own but i think we could influence our own cultural freedoms into it. Plus their has been no such elementary education emotional therapy programs like the one I have devised.