Evolution and awareness
This entry was originally posted on 12 April 2004 at 11:03 a.m.
Sometimes i think that our downfall as a species is our awareness of evolution.
One of the things that seems to separate humans from other animals is a sort of meta-self-awareness and an awareness (if incomplete) of how we fit into the processes that take place all around us.
Over centuries, we've come to recognize the role of competition in survival. And maybe we've gone too far with it. Maybe, as a species, that sense of awareness has made us far more competitive and warlike than we need to be, like hyped-up chimps (one of the few warring species on the planet) vying for territory. Maybe we've become so sensitive to the idea of competition leading to evolutionary "success" that, when it comes to competition, we've crossed the line between benefit and self-destriction.
What a funny thing it is to be aware of evolution.
Sometimes i think that our downfall as a species is our awareness of evolution.
One of the things that seems to separate humans from other animals is a sort of meta-self-awareness and an awareness (if incomplete) of how we fit into the processes that take place all around us.
Over centuries, we've come to recognize the role of competition in survival. And maybe we've gone too far with it. Maybe, as a species, that sense of awareness has made us far more competitive and warlike than we need to be, like hyped-up chimps (one of the few warring species on the planet) vying for territory. Maybe we've become so sensitive to the idea of competition leading to evolutionary "success" that, when it comes to competition, we've crossed the line between benefit and self-destriction.
What a funny thing it is to be aware of evolution.
posted by Circus at 11:08 AM
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