So, according to you, natural selection was true in 2007, but now, in 2009, it is merely a metaphor, i.e., it doesn't exist.
Mayr was being literal when he said, “almost all of them perish or fail to reproduce,” and he was correct.
[ECO] "All the individuals of a population... are exposed to the adversity of the environment, and almost all of them perish or fail to reproduce." (E. Mayr, 2001)[js1138] my father was one of 12 children, eleven of whom lived and married.
What is your point? Humans comprise a tiny percentage of living thing, and the civilization that has improved human survival rate is a very new thing in the history of the world.