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Originally Posted by Larry Jacks
Not necessarily. Medical technology allows people to survive who might not have survived in the past. For example, a cesearian section allows some women to safely give birth who would probably have died in childbirth (and the baby, too) 100 years ago (my wife among them). Ordinary natural selection would've killed her and probably prevented her genes from being propagated. To me, that's a change in evolution.
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Agreed, certain human developments have affected the course of human evolution.
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Originally Posted by Larry Jacks
I don't know if that would stop evolution or actually increase it. Medical technology is allowing people to propagate genes that would've been wiped out in the past. It seems to me that's increasing genetic diversity but not always for the best.
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My thinking is that more genetic diversity tends to be better for a species. Incidents like the Irish potato famine show that monoculture is a Bad Thing. And greater genetic diversity means more evolutionary paths are pursued, possibly leading to more advantageous traits emerging in the population.