Human evolution: Did Darwin get it wrong?

Could it be devolution instead?

While there are still people who don’t believe in evolution, meaning the gradual development of something, particularly from a simple to a more complex form, the scientific evidence makes it clear that most biological organisms once existed in a much simpler form than they do today. In short, biological entities do evolve. Not only does the physical form evolve, but patterns of behavior do as well. Dogs, for example, evolved into animals that formed partnerships with humans to gain food and the comfort and warmth of the campfire.

When I look at humans, though, I begin to question whether evolution is always in the direction of making organisms a better fit for their environment. The evidence that humans might actually be devolving, though unscientific at this point, is tantalizingly compelling.

Let’s look at a not-so-long-ago incident, for instance. On July 13, 2023, in the state of Florida, a drone video taken over a beach in Clearwater, Florida, by a company that makes see-through boats and posted to their Facebook page, showed a large number of people, including children, swimming close to and touching a group of manatees that appear to be either playing with each other or mating. One scene shows a manatee charging toward another and nearly hitting a man in the water, causing him to fall backward. Is this an indication of human intelligence? Or is it an indication of a complete lack of it? Think about it. A Manatee can weigh up to a ton, with a solid body and a powerful tail. Even if it was unintentional, if one crashed into a human—especially a child—the result could be fatal. The stupidity of what these people are doing notwithstanding, feeding, harassing, harming, molesting, or otherwise jerking around with manatees, considered a threatened species under federal and state laws since 2017, is illegal and can lead to fines or jail time.

Our national parks, where wildlife is supposed to be protected and available for people to safely view, also provide evidence of the lack of sapience in homo sapiens. On July 17, 2023, a tourist in Yellowstone National Park strolled too near grazing bison and was gored. According to news reports, this was just one of three such incidents in Yellowstone from May to July that year. There were also reports of people touching or otherwise disturbing baby animals, causing them to be rejected by their herds and having to be euthanized. The reports also detail other actions people have taken that put them, their companions, and the animals at risk—all this despite clear and unambiguous signs warning against approaching, feeding, or disturbing the animals.

I could also detail some of the things many of our elected politicians have done of late, but that would take a whole book. Suffice it to say, in terms of intelligent behavior or compassion, many of our fellow humans cast serious doubt on the theory of evolution.