Sophisticated response: As education improves and wealth increases, fertility rates fall. Much of the first world has less than replacement birth rate; US population would be shrinking were it not for immigration. World population is expected to peak around 9 billion around 2050 (source: The Economist Magazine). So as standard of living increases, population growth may slow to the point that it won’t be too hard to legislate limits on reproduction.
This is temporary. Genetically speaking we are experiencing a challenge about as severe as that of a major climate shift. Natural selection will eventually cause population growth to continue if left uninterrupted.
The following is by my estimation being selected for:
Later menopause
Earlier menarche and sexual maturation coupled with stronger sexual drive early in life
High time preference
Lower IQ (with stronger selective pressures being experienced by women unfortunately)
Besides lower IQ there is Increased neurodiversity, especially the space that makes academic success harder but does not adversely affect socialization in general.
Stronger ability to rationalize “failure” and convincingly communicate such rationalizations (the price of self-delusion has fallen relative to the ancestral environment)
Desire for children
Religiosity
Almost any categorization of the population will find groups that excel according to these criteria outgrowing others. Even memetic transmission with its low reliability has produced impressive advantages for groups like say the Amish.
This is temporary. Genetically speaking we are experiencing a challenge about as severe as that of a major climate shift. Natural selection will eventually cause population growth to continue if left uninterrupted.
The following is by my estimation being selected for:
Later menopause
Earlier menarche and sexual maturation coupled with stronger sexual drive early in life
High time preference
Lower IQ (with stronger selective pressures being experienced by women unfortunately)
Besides lower IQ there is Increased neurodiversity, especially the space that makes academic success harder but does not adversely affect socialization in general.
Stronger ability to rationalize “failure” and convincingly communicate such rationalizations (the price of self-delusion has fallen relative to the ancestral environment)
Desire for children
Religiosity
Almost any categorization of the population will find groups that excel according to these criteria outgrowing others. Even memetic transmission with its low reliability has produced impressive advantages for groups like say the Amish.