[extropy-chat] Uses of Religion

[Damien Broderick]

At 09:33 PM 9/29/2006 -0700, Lee wrote:

>Religious people have more children.

But do they have more *effective* children? If the intelligent and 
clear-sighted have one child or two, or none but enhance the chances 
of those smart parents and their offspringen, while the duller, more 
gullible and acquiescent have many children who do little more than 
provide cannon fodder to low-grade employment tasks and old-fashioned 
war, which moiety will win Darwin's race? It's been a long time since 
mere fecundity gave a human gene line the prize. (This is brutally 
simplified, obviously; at some tipping point, the demographics 
doubtless shift so that bright members of underclasses will be 
coopted or bull their way in to the higher levels of opportunity--but 
I doubt that such entrists or their children and grandchildren will 
retain their "faith" for long, except as a sentimental affectation or 
manipulative tool, in a modern and postmodern economy.)

Damien Broderick