A Thought Experiment.

[Mike]

I remember reading in some popular science publication that some scientists are thinking that man, the species homo sapien, may be on the verge of speciation. Now I’m not sure about that - I’m not placing too much credibility on the claim. But unless there is some teleological reason why this cannot happen, then it stands to reason, or rather, to necessity, that given enough time mankind will indeed evolve, like every other animal, into new species. Needless to say, if this happened, it would be disturbing to many philosophers and especially to religious thinkers.

 

Now to make things interesting. Let us imagine that this is already happening. Let us imagine that there are now two or three different species of human, in the sense that these groups have now evolved enough of a genetic difference to qualify, scientifically speaking, not merely as different races but as distinct species.

 

What of our religious traditions and human rights philosophies? What of Christianity - all of the Abrahamic faiths - which are absolutely predicated on the unity of the human race? Let us also imagine that no group has any obvious advantage over the other - so as not to invoke ideas of superiority or inferiority (although one might well argue that they'd naturally arise regardless). I'm mainly interested in what the dis-unity of humanity might affect in and of itself.

 

Peace to you,

Mike

[Neon Genesis]

*hums the X-men TAS theme song*

[davidk]

Interesting!

 

"What of Christianity,...which (is) absolutely predicated on the unity of the human race?"- Mike

I'm afraid I must disagree with this premise, for it is only half of the equation. Christianity is predicated on an understanding and an explaination of the need for the unity of man, but not at the expense of his need to understand and explain the diversity of man.

If being human, Christianity will have no problem with it.

 

Different species of human?

As you've alluded, we have varieties within our species already.

But to qualify as a different species?

It would neccesarily have to be classified as a something other than human.

Unless there were others of the same species around, one of such a species would be not only the first, but would be the last.

 

Given the thought of having evolved, it would be reasonable to consider the new species, superior. That is inherently invoked, given the evolutionary premise. If it were not, there would have been no need for any biological pressure for a different species to have evolved at all.

 

God's grace,

 

davidk