[ExI] Birthrate falling worldwide - not just in the developed nations

[david]

> 
> As Adrian says, evolution is probably too slow to have a significant effect.
> While economies will have problems with not enough young workers to
> support an ageing population, there is also the problem that the
> military will not have enough younger people to fight extended land
> wars.
> The robots will have to fight our wars as well as run our factories.
> The aged humans will help to look after the few grandchildren around.
> 
> BillK
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There are two aspects to evolution (well. there's more, but two we are 
concerned about here)
1/ The slow accumulation of mutations
2/ Selection within existing range

(1) as you say, is far too slow to have any effect on the birth rate 
before humans would go extinct.
(2) however, can be as fast as a single generation.

Consider an insect population where a gene confers a pesticide 
resistance. If even 1% of the population has that gene, widespread use 
of the pesticide would see 100% of the population have it within very 
few generations.

It is the same for humans, if not as extreme.  Children will be born to 
those who continue to have multiple children despite affluence or 
lifestyle. There may be a temporary drop in population while those who 
choose not to (or can't) have children remove themselves from the gene 
pool, but the harsh laws of evolution say they will be replaced by those 
who can and will.

-David.