Can a single human community exist without any disadvantages?

[shashankac655]

I am not very well informed in this field but i want to know if there are any kind of genetic/biological problems humans might face ,if all the people(all races, religions etc) in the world start living as a single community?

No higher organism has a single community stretching across the entire world right? or is there a species like that?

Can a species survive with only one community?

I am talking about 'community', by this defintion.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I can't think of any strong biological disadvantages. Even if we were one worldwide community there are still 7 billion of us and we aren't going to mate randomly so I can't see any significant genetic diversity loss occurring.

As for the question of a species that globally is a single community I'm not sure of any examples. The Argentinian ant seems to have the potential, so far there are three mega colonies in N. America, Europe and E. Asia. Unlike other species of ants which have fierce competition between colonies Argentinian ants help each other out. Indeed workers from one Argentinian ant colony can just walk into another and start helping out.

 

[mishrashubham]

The site you linked to refers to community as

community. All organisms inhabiting a common environment and interacting with one another.

Here the keywords are "common environment" and "interaction". A community that stretches across the entire planet therefore doesn't make sense since it obviously doesn't satisfy the condition of a common environment. Interaction can also be reasonably ruled out despite the ability to travel to different countries quickly due to technological advancements.

 

[256bits]

The site you linked to refers to community as

Here the keywords are "common environment" and "interaction". A community that stretches across the entire planet therefore doesn't make sense since it obviously doesn't satisfy the condition of a common environment. Interaction can also be reasonably ruled out despite the ability to travel to different countries quickly due to technological advancements.

You are correct. Perhaps the definition of community is that which needs refinment for for any particular discussion.

example:
Common environment - Geoprahically yes, But is that the only environment. Economically, the world is heading to one economic intergrained system so in that sense it would be one economic community.

Interaction - Constant physical interaction is impossible for each and every individual in any community. But, instant communication and access to world events are also interaction. An example is the web provides this across the whole globe. The present percentage of the world population involved with Facebook and similar interfaces is out there somewhere and increases yearly.

I am talking about 'community', by this definition.

The definition of community is vague, and as the Wiki article states:

In sociology, the concept of community has led to significant debate, and sociologists are yet to reach agreement on a definition of the term. There were ninety-four discrete definitions of the term by the mid-1950s

so you will receive different valid answers based on the interpretation of community, goegraphical location, common values, ...

 

[Ryan_m_b]

You could almost argue that humanity is a meta-community with each community blurring into the next.

 

[shashankac655]

The site you linked to refers to community as...

You are correct. Perhaps the definition of community is that which needs refinment for for any particular discussion.

example:
Common environment - Geoprahically yes, But is that the only environment. Economically, the world is heading to one economic intergrained system so in that sense it would be one economic community.

Interaction - Constant physical interaction is impossible for each and every individual in any community. But, instant communication and access to world events are also interaction. An example is the web provides this across the whole globe. The present percentage of the world population involved with Facebook and similar interfaces is out there somewhere and increases yearly.

The definition of community is vague, and as the Wiki article states:

so you will receive different valid answers based on the interpretation of community, goegraphical location, common values, ...

In that article there are two definitions given at the beginning ,i was talking the first one which involves many individuals but only one species(humans),i should have made that clear.

So, in this sense is it 'unnatural' for a species to exist as one community?

What about elephants? there are African elephants and Asian elephants ,they differ in size right? they belong to the same species and still have some differences right?
Same about lions.

The Argentine ants are living as a mega colony only because of humans right??

Human communities(in the form of countries) do go to war with each other unlike Argentine ants but they help each other out.

 

[256bits]

I thought you were talking about human communities, but comparisons with other species can be used and are often used to help explain.

I think Ryan's answer is probably the best place to start.

You could almost argue that humanity is a meta-community with each community blurring into the next.

That to me is all inclusive, even if one refers to a national, regional, or local community, the sameness and differences can be taken into account.
Group the local communities into a regional, and the regional into a national community and so on. while at the same time noting the sameness that makes then a community, and the differences that are evident.

 

[Ophiolite]

What about elephants? there are African elephants and Asian elephants ,they differ in size right? they belong to the same species and still have some differences right?

They are not only not the same species, they are not even members of the same genus. And there are two species (some say three) within the African genus and four sub-species within the Asian genus.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

In that article there are two definitions given at the beginning ,i was talking the first one which involves many individuals but only one species(humans),i should have made that clear.

So, in this sense is it 'unnatural' for a species to exist as one community?

I don't see what led you to this conclusion. My definition of "unnatural" (if I had to use the term) would be to refer to man-made technology, nothing else. As for living as one community that's probably quite rare because populations can become separated and thus form different communities.

What about elephants? there are African elephants and Asian elephants ,they differ in size right? they belong to the same species and still have some differences right?

See Ophiolite's reply.

The Argentine ants are living as a mega colony only because of humans right??

No, the only effect humans have on Argentine ants is to help spread them and to try to get rid of them as pests. Their behaviour is an evolutionary trait. Unlike other ant colonies that are fiercely competitive Argentine ants have evolved to not fight but cooperate, this gives them a selective advantage over other ant species.

Human communities(in the form of countries) do go to war with each other unlike Argentine ants but they help each other out.

I would not use a country as a definition of a community, rather it is a collection of communities (that blur into each other) joined into a single polity. The vast majority of human interaction is cooperative but we also partake in interpersonal and intergroup aggressive activities.

 

[shashankac655]

ok!

 

[shashankac655]

They are not only not the same species, they are not even members of the same genus. And there are two species (some say three) within the African genus and four sub-species within the Asian genus.

I am from a place where there were some wild elephants and i don't know anything about elephants...horrible!

 

[mishrashubham]

Common environment - Geoprahically yes, But is that the only environment. Economically, the world is heading to one economic intergrained system so in that sense it would be one economic community.

Interaction - Constant physical interaction is impossible for each and every individual in any community. But, instant communication and access to world events are also interaction. An example is the web provides this across the whole globe. The present percentage of the world population involved with Facebook and similar interfaces is out there somewhere and increases yearly.

I think I can agree to that now...