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Baraka_Guru · 08-07-2010, 06:56 AM

Humans' ability to adapt is legendary. There have been failures, but if you look into the details of them, you'd likely come to the conclusion, "They lasted that long?"

We are generalists. We are the one of the most proficient generalists in the known world. Sure, the cockroach has the ability to survive nuclear apocalypse, but you should see some of the crap they eat.

Being a generalist means we have the capacity to adapt to rapidly changing environments. 9er's scenario of 1,000 Americans thrust out into the hunter-gatherer position I think would yield different results. I'd say at least twice as many would survive: 200 at least. It wouldn't surprise me if double or triple that actually did. But, of course, we're speculating.

Willravel makes excellent points regarding our human intelligence and knowledge. Most of our adaptive stresses have been with regard to technological changes. Our world is strikingly different than that of our grandparents. Try getting by in today's society without knowing how to use a computer. A hunter-gatherer doesn't need to go through a K-12 education system to do what they do to thrive. They go though a different kind of practical education, and, of course, they too learn the "soft skills" related to arts and history.

No, humans aren't dumb or weak. We're generally selfish, motivated, lazy, and greedy, but not dumb or weak. It's natural for us to maximize our leisure. It's natural for us to only work as much as required until we fulfill our needs, if not our desires.

I'm not sure what you're getting at, Pearl Trade, regarding being less aware of the world. I'm far more aware of the world thanks in large part to the Internet and global news sources, films, stories, and literature.

We like instant gratification, but we don't always go for it. What separates the successful from the unsuccessful is one's ability to regulate that. Regardless, most of us crave stable environments. That's what specialized species need: stability. Any major changes could wipe them out.

Humans, on the other hand, adapt. We've been doing it decade to decade. To reiterate some points and to add some more, since the 20th century, we've learned how to drive cars, use computers, navigate ever-changing organizational behavour, constantly update job skills and knowledge, learn and relearn new and emerging technologies, abandon old practices and begin new ones, etc.

The 20th century, and even today, has seen rapid social, cultural, and technological changes not seen since the Victorian period with the industrial revolution. But it's more apt to say that the changes of today are as profound if not more than the change that occurred during the Renaissance. And I'm not speaking merely of Renaissance arts and culture. I'm also speaking of how navigational expertise opened up world trade, which lead to a huge shift in the makeup of the world.

The parallel today is the opening up of computing technology and quantum physics. As we progress down these avenues, the way our societies work will continue to change. What we know now will be strikingly different twenty or thirty years from now. And between now and then, we'll need to keep changing with the times.

In terms of evolutionary theory, however, it's difficult to say what's happening on a grand scale. With technology, we are now allowing most traits to be passed on, some of which may otherwise have not. With technology, we are able to now deal with some of the problems that arise with certain traits. The curing of diseases is just one example. Those genetically resistant to certain diseases no longer have an evolutionary advantage.

It's all very interesting to think about.

08-07-2010, 06:56 AM	#6 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	Humans' ability to adapt is legendary. There have been failures, but if you look into the details of them, you'd likely come to the conclusion, "They lasted that long?" We are generalists. We are the one of the most proficient generalists in the known world. Sure, the cockroach has the ability to survive nuclear apocalypse, but you should see some of the crap they eat. Being a generalist means we have the capacity to adapt to rapidly changing environments. 9er's scenario of 1,000 Americans thrust out into the hunter-gatherer position I think would yield different results. I'd say at least twice as many would survive: 200 at least. It wouldn't surprise me if double or triple that actually did. But, of course, we're speculating. Willravel makes excellent points regarding our human intelligence and knowledge. Most of our adaptive stresses have been with regard to technological changes. Our world is strikingly different than that of our grandparents. Try getting by in today's society without knowing how to use a computer. A hunter-gatherer doesn't need to go through a K-12 education system to do what they do to thrive. They go though a different kind of practical education, and, of course, they too learn the "soft skills" related to arts and history. No, humans aren't dumb or weak. We're generally selfish, motivated, lazy, and greedy, but not dumb or weak. It's natural for us to maximize our leisure. It's natural for us to only work as much as required until we fulfill our needs, if not our desires. I'm not sure what you're getting at, Pearl Trade, regarding being less aware of the world. I'm far more aware of the world thanks in large part to the Internet and global news sources, films, stories, and literature. We like instant gratification, but we don't always go for it. What separates the successful from the unsuccessful is one's ability to regulate that. Regardless, most of us crave stable environments. That's what specialized species need: stability. Any major changes could wipe them out. Humans, on the other hand, adapt. We've been doing it decade to decade. To reiterate some points and to add some more, since the 20th century, we've learned how to drive cars, use computers, navigate ever-changing organizational behavour, constantly update job skills and knowledge, learn and relearn new and emerging technologies, abandon old practices and begin new ones, etc. The 20th century, and even today, has seen rapid social, cultural, and technological changes not seen since the Victorian period with the industrial revolution. But it's more apt to say that the changes of today are as profound if not more than the change that occurred during the Renaissance. And I'm not speaking merely of Renaissance arts and culture. I'm also speaking of how navigational expertise opened up world trade, which lead to a huge shift in the makeup of the world. The parallel today is the opening up of computing technology and quantum physics. As we progress down these avenues, the way our societies work will continue to change. What we know now will be strikingly different twenty or thirty years from now. And between now and then, we'll need to keep changing with the times. In terms of evolutionary theory, however, it's difficult to say what's happening on a grand scale. With technology, we are now allowing most traits to be passed on, some of which may otherwise have not. With technology, we are able to now deal with some of the problems that arise with certain traits. The curing of diseases is just one example. Those genetically resistant to certain diseases no longer have an evolutionary advantage. It's all very interesting to think about. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 08-07-2010 at 07:00 AM..