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[as noted in yesterday's Andrew Sullivan blog - 'The Dish']
In an excerpt from his new book The Meaning of Human Existence, E.O. Wilson sums up an evolutionary history of selfish and cooperative tendencies. “In a nutshell,” he writes, “individual selection favors what we call sin and group selection favors virtue. The result is the internal conflict of conscience that afflicts all but psychopaths”:
The internal conflict in conscience caused by competing levels of natural selection is more than just an arcane subject for theoretical biologists to ponder. It is not the presence of good and evil tearing at one another in our breasts. It is a biological trait fundamental to the human condition, and necessary for survival of the species. The opposed selection pressures during human evolution produced an unstable mix of innate emotional responses. They created a mind that is continuously and kaleidoscopically shifting in mood — variously proud, aggressive, competitive, angry, vengeful, venal, treacherous, curious, adventurous, tribal, brave, humble, patriotic, empathetic and loving. All normal humans are both ignoble and noble, often in close alternation, sometimes simultaneously.
The instability of the emotions is a quality we should wish to keep. It is the essence of the human character, and the source of our creativity. We need to understand ourselves in both evolutionary and psychological terms in order to plan a more rational, catastrophe-proof future. We must learn to behave, but let us never even think of domesticating human nature.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ makes sense to me.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ my thanks to whomever it was that recommended this music. i forget. -
pip
In an excerpt from his new book The Meaning of Human Existence, E.O. Wilson sums up an evolutionary history of selfish and cooperative tendencies. “In a nutshell,” he writes, “individual selection favors what we call sin and group selection favors virtue. The result is the internal conflict of conscience that afflicts all but psychopaths”:
The internal conflict in conscience caused by competing levels of natural selection is more than just an arcane subject for theoretical biologists to ponder. It is not the presence of good and evil tearing at one another in our breasts. It is a biological trait fundamental to the human condition, and necessary for survival of the species. The opposed selection pressures during human evolution produced an unstable mix of innate emotional responses. They created a mind that is continuously and kaleidoscopically shifting in mood — variously proud, aggressive, competitive, angry, vengeful, venal, treacherous, curious, adventurous, tribal, brave, humble, patriotic, empathetic and loving. All normal humans are both ignoble and noble, often in close alternation, sometimes simultaneously.
The instability of the emotions is a quality we should wish to keep. It is the essence of the human character, and the source of our creativity. We need to understand ourselves in both evolutionary and psychological terms in order to plan a more rational, catastrophe-proof future. We must learn to behave, but let us never even think of domesticating human nature.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ makes sense to me.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ my thanks to whomever it was that recommended this music. i forget. -
pip
now - I heal from a broken hip
12/11/2023: Everything was fine until I got careless. My second son and I had been out to dinner. He was dropping me off at my apartment. I turned to wave goodnight to him catching my foot in a seam in the foyer floor. I stumbled sideways trying to catch myself but to no avail - I fell on the hard tile. I didn't know at first if I'd broken anything until with my son's help I tried to get up. Nope - that wasn't going to work at all. Neighbors helped load me into the front seat. My son carefully drove me to Lahey emergency where he lifted me out and into a wheelchair. [There's a rule says EMTs must move me - hah!] Once inside emergency there was no problem. Oddly my pain level never became unmanageable. They did give me oxy-c for a few days anyway. 12/12/2023: A partial hip replacement accomplished by noon. Three days later to rehab with my new walker. My other son Victor flew in from San Jose CA. He stays with my ex and her husband 30 mins away. Rehab done - I now stay with my son
Is dA up to no good?
Has anyone else noticed that they seem to be watching more people's accounts that they don't remember actually choosing to watch? :| pip
A small 911 tribute...
:| pip
My upcoming Summer
In a bit less than a month I'll undergo 'delicate' surgery involving my neck vertebrae to relieve pressure on my spinal cord. After some 'trimming and pruning' three vertebrae will be fused with a titanium 'bridge'. The recovery period [neck brace] will be about 90 days. My son is coming from CA to stay with me for the first 2 to 3 weeks. And my other 'newer' son lives only 25 minutes away. The pressure had slowly increased thru the years and has affected my general health. It is unavoidable. I trust the surgeon. I'm confident [with trepidation] in the success of this endeavor. Life happens. :) pip
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