Perhaps I am mistaken, but evolution is the survival of the most adapted. Adaptation and evolution are not two distinct concept. Adaptation is the mechanism by which evolution functions. That is the most adapted survives, the least adapted does not. Those who survive then pass on their genes, thus their instinct, to their children which eventually leads to a change of behaviour or characteristic.

Even assuming that our ancestors came down from the trees our outside of the caves and started working the earth 3000 years ago, that would not be merely 100 generations. People died much more younger then and frequently. Only a thousand years ago the population of London was no more than perhaps 50,000 people. 2000 years ago there probably hardly were any people here.

Now let me address the 3000 number. First, Egypt is much older than 3000 years. Mesopotamia is older than Egypt. Now Mesopotamia was a civilisation. There was culture and religion and governance. It must have taken a few years to evolve from farming the land to a civilization. The estimates as to when we started farming range between 10,000 and 50,000 years ago but most likely it is about 20,000 - 10,000 years ago.

If we take the lower number of 10 thousand, and go back to London 2000 years ago where there probably were not many people. Its a brutal world. There is fighting. A lot of disease, perhaps some due to diet. Branches of ancestral lines much easily vanished. Those who were stronger to fight, or lucky as it may be, survived, those who were smarter survived, those who were fine with eating rice and whatever bacteria it might have contained survived.

Now if we go back to the time of the ancient greece, those who were slaves probably did not pass on their genes, thus the behaviour which got them into slavery probably eventually was minimised in the population as a whole. Going back to Egypt, the weak, or the less adapted, were more likely and more easily than say 1000 years ago to die leaving no children.

Now lets come back to our days. It is true that here it is hard to die of hunger, but, the poor are more likely to be alcoholics, do drugs, smoke a lot, fight, steal, be in jail, that is why the poor get pregnant so young, they might not live so long. Also, those who are poor and least adapted to being poor, that is fight and the like, are less likely to have children.

There are studies where evolution has been documented within our own lifetime of different species such as peacocks within a very short time frame. That is one or two generations, or for good measure ten generations. We are however a different species in a very fundamental manner from any other. Our evolution is of a different kind to the peacock or the lion or the monkey. We might not change physical characteristics, but what does evolve is our thinking, our intelligence if you like, which I am using as an umbrella term to describe in another way mental adaptation to our world. Those who are not so adapted might be married but are less likely to as they would have to do with what is left from all else and are likely to engage in harming behaviour to themselves due to falling pray to such temptations as drugs and thus leave a worse environment for their children, etc.

I think I should stop now. I just wanted to point also that many people might be able to find 10,000 solemates, but a very fat person might probably not, so to the guy who plays video games all day and smells of dirt because he can not be bothered to wash.

It is a very big picture. We might not notice evolution occurring, but have you noticed how we as a society have and keep becoming better and more prosperous and more educated and healthier...