|
|
|
|
|
by BaryonBundle
3983 days ago
|
|
Evolution doesn't code for just optimal. During the time that we
were actually evolving, there existed pressure, for example, to
optimize our use of the small amount of food that we had access to,
optimizing to be as incospicuous during the dark hours, etc. Signaling
processes weren't optimized for access to post-scarcity (in the
first-world) availability of sugars, proteins, and fats; sleeping for
as long as we do isn't optimal at all (some people have genetics that
improve on this, though), and not to mention that the very nature of
genetics will definitely produce humans that are sub-optimal in ways
that that won't necessarily lead to sterility but will no longer be
removed from the gene pool of the species. I'm not claiming that caffeine will make you super-human but the use
of substances like these that may have decreased survivability in
pre-historic years (e.g., due to increased metabolism, induced bowel
movements that decrease nutrient absorption) may augment several
aspects of human cognition (and worsen others) in a way that is
towards optimal, for say, coding but suboptimal for, say, creative
writing (I don't claim this is true, just provide this as a possible
example). Many contemporary college students can definitely attest to
both the positive and negative aspects for drugs such as amphetamines
(e.g., Adderall) in a manner that one could describe (though
misleadingly) as superhuman. I do agree that use of many of these substances can have seriously
deliterious effects with prolonged use, but all studies I have come
across refute this possibility for caffeine. |
|