What is the next step in human evolution?

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I was trying to make a point that not all outcomes are foreseeable. I probably could have made my point by pointing out that these physicists all agreed that these loopy securities couldn't fail because in many cases the physicists had Nobel prizes. They had checked and double checked their math, and everybody believes that math is infallible, so the head honchos just assumed that AAA rated securities really deserved it. It later turned out that while math may be infallible, mathematicians are not. A lot of the problems with the economy stem from the fact that "cannot fail" math failed, and a lot of these money titans have had their whole life foundations thrown into chaos because of it.

It's similar to what happens when a fervent believer in a cult suddenly realizes that the prophet he's devoted his life to is a common huckster. There's a lot of upheaval in his life, and while he's stronger in the end, it's no fun while it lasts. Remember the debate over the Large Hadron Collider, and how all these brilliant physicists dismissed the naysayers as nuts? They were almost certain that nothing bad would happen. Almost. A lot of science fiction has been written about when cannot fail theories fail. We've known this as far back as Isaac Newton, one of the most brilliant men who has EVER lived, who concluded that the South Seas Bubble couldn't fail. He lost his life savings. He later lamented that the "madness of men" was not amenable to mathematics.

Or vice-versa.

The basic process of evolution is that of a filter. When new environmental conditions arise all living creatures that cannot exist under the new conditions cease to exist. What is left is the result of evolution. They may or may not be "superior" on some sort of independent scale, merely different enough from previous life to continue to exist within the new conditions. It's that simple and it does not necessarily refine any particular characteristics.

Maybe the next step will not be a physical change but a spiritual one. An inner transformation. Maybe the most unusually beatific individuals of our time represent the future of the entire human species. I would like to think so.

No matter how intelligent human beings get, they still manage to retain their savage ways.

Evolution is triggered by 3 main factors:

Survival, Reproduction, and care of the offspring.

Autism doesn't grant a noticeable advantage in any of these categories. Extreme specialization allows us to "earn our keep" in society, but there's a difference between being a contributing member of society and being the next stage of human evolution.

I do however believe that intellect will slowly take preference over physical strength. In the future humans will be more intelligent, but not physically stronger since we can get all the muscle we need from machines.

The transformation will start culturally long before it ever shows up in our genes, at first geek culture will go fully mainstream (this is already starting), then as technology progresses and takes over more and more physical labor there simply won't be an economic need for strong people, what physical jobs remain will be operated either by robots or by humans in exoskeletons (think Iron Man suits, but for a noncombat application). Then slowly but surely the cultural need for strong people, such as athletes, will fade due to the complete saturation of geek culture. Once this occurs then humans will slowly grow weaker, but much more intelligent. This will take a VERY long time to happen of course, I don't predict the cultural changes to be complete before the end of this century and the evolutionary changes won't be noticeable for a few thousand years.

Professor Frink? Is that you?

Do you know that evolutionary biologists think that the latest leap we have taken is developing an intolerance to lactose?