Living Within Limits - Chapter 24

The Story of Penicillin and DDT

After penicillin was discovered in 1928, it was hailed as the wonder drug.  By the 1930's, it became apparent that its use provoked evolutionary changes in bacteria, eventually leading to penicillin-resistance.

DDT, after its discovery as an insecticide in 1939, was used with great success in combating Malaria, and mosquito-spread diseases.  It was later found that the use of DDT led to the prevalence of DDT-resistant mosquitoes.  (DDT was also the environmental disaster which contributed to Rachel Carson's Silent Spring).

What's the point?  One of Darwin's key insights was the way temporarily successful traits selected for their own eventual failure.  Bactericides such as penicillin selected for progressively stronger mutations of infections; insecticides such as DDT selected for ever-more-resilient strains of mosquitoes.

Birth Control vs Population Control

In celebration of the 100 year anniversary of The Origin of Species, University of Chicago asked Darwin's grandson, physicist Charles Galton Darwin to make a speech.  He shocked the community (the shock now long since forgotten) that purely voluntary birth control will fail as a means of population control.

His reasoning was that, through voluntary birth control, a certain group of people, Homo contracipiens, would elect to exercise this new restraint to exploding population growth.  On the other hand, another group, Homo progenitivus, would be genetically predisposed to exercise high levels of geometric growth.  Over time, Homo contracipiens would be extinct, and Homo progenitivus would see to it that their children would be as the stars in the sky.

Counter Argument - Is it truly genetic (nature)?

What if the propensity to procreate like rabbits was not truly a genetically inherited trait?  This argument is hindered by the evidence in human animal husbandry.  Domesticated animals have long been selectively bred in order to create the 'desired behavior' - dogs which are obedient, dogs which are trackers, dogs which are shepherds... etc.

This type of circumstantial evidence seems to suggest that there's reason to believe that nature will 'select' for the behavior of Homo progenitivus, that is the more virile (and less rational) man.

Counter/Counter Argument - It is also learned (nurture)!

However, research has shown us that even if behavior has absolutely no genetic component, the same results would follow.  Factors such as upbringing, societal pressure, and education will have similar repercussions on voluntary birth control.  Research has shown that 'daughters of mothers who had more children than the norm for their generation have more children than the norm for their - the daughters' - generation'.  Look no further than Africa.

If you agree with the above, then let me present to you this question... when developed nations send aid to 3rd world countries, what are they more concerned with?

1) Giving the man a fish? (food)
2) Teaching the man to fish? (education)

A successful war on poverty must be waged through education, a long-term carrot.  It's the only way to win against an enemies as strong as Nature and Nurture.