Can we still be considered of the human species?

Post Reply New Topic

Something I thinking of was, when exactly does an animal become another animal. For example when did a wolf become a dog. Evolution takes millions of years but can be marked by sudden mutations.

But lets look at asperger according to what is currently believed. A genetic trait that fundimentally alters the way the mind stores and analyses information. This trait can, and often is, passed down the family line but can also appear randomly. So although its not an outward physical genetic change it is indeed a genetic change which is typical of the evolutionary process. So doesn't it seem like the appearance of aspergers is a sign that humans are going through evolutionary diversion?

a species becomes 2 species when the 2 different types can not reproduce to produce viable (fertile) offspring. for example a horse & a donkey can mate & produce offspring (either a mule or a hinny depending on which way round the parents were) but the mule/hinny is not fertile & so is not viable & so a horse & a donkey are considered to be seperate species. we aspies can have fertile offspring with an NT & therefore we are the same species
i hope this makes some sense
Sally

I was thinking the same this morning. My psychiatrist told me one a major difference between NT and AS people is the need for relationships. Does the need for relationships define a human being? I happen to believe it does. However, I can not reconcile the idea scientifically or logically.

Last edited by InSpades on 17 Nov 2007, 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Right, and I just have to add in that dog's ARE wolves. They're the same species.

You can probably tell from my username that this is an area of interest for me

All of use are homo sapiens. If you are not, then what are you? the spectrum is very gray. You can't say, this person is less or more of a human than this.

Are people with Down's Syndrome not human? They certainly look and act a lot different than other humans in a very tangible way, and it is due to genetics. They are more different than NT's than people with aspergers are.

Aspergers has advantages, but there is no reason to believe it is a sudden mutation which will bring about a new species. The disadvantages in terms of survival and reproduction outweigh the advantages.

People with Aspergers are a-typical humans. Plain and simple.

Course, for those of us with avid x-men obsessions, this would be kind of cool if it did mean a new step in the evolutionary process . . .

Then again, if the rates keep going up, we might someday be in the majority. *thinks* Hmm, I think I have an idea for a book now.

originally I had a nice post typed up, but then realized I would be fighting terminology. Which rarely goes well.

My main point is if aspergers represents the start of a new human line. To my knowledge those with AS often procreate with others that have it. This would lead to family lines with it and in all likelihood increasing cultural seperation as it becomes more centeralized and common place. Perhaps I should have used the term race instead, I'm just not sure about what the exact definition is.

PS I know dogs and wolves are basically the same, but many consider them sepereate species. Just thought it would be a good analogy for most people

People who consider dogs and wolves separate species are wrong. Ditto for one human from another. It's possible with enough time and groups of us cut off from other groups we could evolve into another species, but that would take a LOOOONG time.

Your psychiatrist is misinformed. Most people with Aspergers desire relationships with others, it's just that most of us are very inept at finding and keeping relationships. Our eccentricities often drive people away. And most of us need some downtime... time to rejuvenate... recouperate... from the stressors in our lives. And a lot of NT's don't understand that. They don't need the same amount of alone time that we do. So copy my post and give it to your pdoc and tell him/her that they need to rethink their logic.

Perhaps we are a different breed of human, rather than a different species.
Dogs of different breeds can still reproduce.

Or a different race?
Uh oh, I said the "r" word.
Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war.

advantage or disadvantage does not denote evolution. Evolving is a change, if it helps survival it continues, it doesn't then the mutants die out. I also disagree the disadvantages outweigh advantages. Aspies are at the heads of scientific and technological advancement. Computers, aviation, heck electricity itself is from those with aspergers.

I also disagree that we are a-typical. My mind is fundimentally different. The way I think, learn, and react are all different from most people. Differances so extreme I am nearly unable to relate to them. Just because your outward appearance is the same, doesn't mean there aren't key differances

Need and want are two different things. Any aspie that does hard self analysis would come to the conclusion they don't need relationships. I would imagine that 90% of the people on this board don't need any type of relationship. NTs need relationships almost as much as food or water. Aspies don't have that type of need. It is something we can't understand. This often leads to aspies not being able to form relationships. Subconscioulsy, aspies just don't try as hard.

Last edited by InSpades on 17 Nov 2007, 2:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I think the mere fact that we are on a forum wanting to talk to others shows that we need relationships. There is a huge differance between being ok with isolation and being forced into it.

I think it's obvious that autistics are human, just like everyone else. A new species? I doubt it, although it is interesting to think about.

The need for realtionships in the real world goes a lot deeper than communicating on a forum.

Observing NTs, they form friendships with people they don't even like. They overlook peoples faults in order to form friendships. That thought never crossed my mind. People marry people they aren't necessarily completely in love with. Having a relationship takes precedent.