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In biology there is a conception called "speciation". ("[T]he evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species.) We observe this every day in the variations of plants and birds and other vertebrates. Humans are not immune to the process as the development of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons attest.
There is a great deal of variation in modern humans which we describe as "races" or "ethnicities" or "cultures", but this is not actually speciation, as all of these groups commingle (biologically). But there comes a point where Cladogenesis (an evolutionary splitting of a parent species into two distinct species, forming a clade) or Anagenesis occurs - that is, when a distinct species exists. It's not always clear (at the time) when this happens.
I believe we are approaching such a point in human evolution, but not on the basis most such deviations are perceived. There are generally believe to be four geographic modes of speciation in nature, based on the extent to which speciating populations are isolated from one another: allopatric, peripatric, parapatric, and sympatric. (Speciation may also be induced artificially, through animal husbandry, agriculture, or laboratory experiments.) Whether genetic drift is a minor or major contributor to speciation is the subject of much ongoing discussion. Geographic variations have resulted in distinctions between humans which are generally seen in genetic variations - skin, eye, and hair color, for instance - which may be predominant in particular human subgroups. If travel had not become so prevalent in the modern world, it is possible that these geographical forces might eventually have led to actual human speciation.
My thesis, here, is that speciation is occurring not geographically, but attitudinally (although geography/demography has an influence), or politically. There are, more or less, two distinct groups of humans defined on this basis - autocratic thinkers, and democratic thinkers. They occur worldwide and take on different forms and labels, but increasingly they are taking on attributes that lead to speciation. They refuse to intermingle, self-identify and self-isolate, and separate - often violently.
This is a thought process in progress. I'd be interested in input and discussion.
There is a great deal of variation in modern humans which we describe as "races" or "ethnicities" or "cultures", but this is not actually speciation, as all of these groups commingle (biologically). But there comes a point where Cladogenesis (an evolutionary splitting of a parent species into two distinct species, forming a clade) or Anagenesis occurs - that is, when a distinct species exists. It's not always clear (at the time) when this happens.
I believe we are approaching such a point in human evolution, but not on the basis most such deviations are perceived. There are generally believe to be four geographic modes of speciation in nature, based on the extent to which speciating populations are isolated from one another: allopatric, peripatric, parapatric, and sympatric. (Speciation may also be induced artificially, through animal husbandry, agriculture, or laboratory experiments.) Whether genetic drift is a minor or major contributor to speciation is the subject of much ongoing discussion. Geographic variations have resulted in distinctions between humans which are generally seen in genetic variations - skin, eye, and hair color, for instance - which may be predominant in particular human subgroups. If travel had not become so prevalent in the modern world, it is possible that these geographical forces might eventually have led to actual human speciation.
My thesis, here, is that speciation is occurring not geographically, but attitudinally (although geography/demography has an influence), or politically. There are, more or less, two distinct groups of humans defined on this basis - autocratic thinkers, and democratic thinkers. They occur worldwide and take on different forms and labels, but increasingly they are taking on attributes that lead to speciation. They refuse to intermingle, self-identify and self-isolate, and separate - often violently.
This is a thought process in progress. I'd be interested in input and discussion.