Human evolution is in its infancy. We were hunter-gatherers until about 12,000 thousand years ago, led a nomadic life, and experienced ourselves as just another species. We were predators and a food source for other predators and contributed to the symbiosis of the natural world. With the latest evolution of the cerebral cortex came speech, the written word, and self-awareness. With the evolution of our intelligence came what we refer to as civilization, we separated ourselves from the natural world. With that intelligence, we developed weapons and hunting skills to become the dominant predator on the planet. Unfortunately, we also inherited an overwhelming aggression towards our own species.
“For most of human history, our brains dealt with straightforward problems. We looked for food, and we tried not to get eaten in the process. We hunted and gathered, and that was it for the last 50,000 years. That brain is the exact one we now use to post pictures of our pets on social media, fill out Excel spreadsheets, and worry about the next payments on our credit cards. It’s not surprising that our brains sometimes get overloaded in this hugely complex modern world, anxiety, stress, and depression.” (Curiosity Stream: The Imperfect Brain).
Evolutionary science has linked us to our closest DNA relative and great ape primate. The behavior of this primate eerily resembles human behavior. Homo sapiens inherited the DNA of our closest cousins, the chimpanzee, and at least in part explains the extremely aggressive territorial behavior that humans possess. In this manuscript, I will expose a portion of human history that reflects our extraordinarily aggressive behavior toward our fellow humans. We consider ourselves a “civilized” species. “A civilized society or country has a well-developed system of government, culture, and way of life and treats the people who live there fairly: A fair justice system is a fundamental part of a civilized society.” We also use the word humane to describe ourselves. Humane is a description that puzzles me concerning human behavior given its definition: “marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration for humans or animals”. When we look at the scope of human behavior over the last 12,000 years, we can hardly use the words humane or civilized to describe ourselves. You may object despite the evidence I have compiled, which is far from complete, describing our cruelty to each other and the natural world. History indicates that all humans certainly have the “potential” for severe cruelty and aggression.
As far as the planet Earth is concerned the potential human intervention to the natural world is of no concern. Even if we do our worst, compared to the thousands of climate changes, and several mass extinctions, we are just a momentary nuisance. Species will come and go and homeostasis, the remarkable natural balance and order of nature will prevail. The world doesn’t need saving. The obvious reason to get our act together is to stop human suffering. Can it happen? Will it happen before we create our own extinction is anybody’s guess.
This is a book about how we got to now.
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Perspective 