Sunday 6 June 2010
Sentences to Ponder
"Modern humans often prefer to believe that the activities which they most treasure have no evolutionary function – that they were accidents. This attitude helps them stay blind to those functions, awareness of which would make their treasured activities seem less noble."
Robin Hanson
Evolution can provide explanations for so much. But we shy away from applying it to the things that really matter to us; stories, art, friendship, love...
To move humanity forward, some people have to pay the price. Rationality itself is a version of the "crisis of the commons" where those who see rationally do not necessarily benefit in their lifetimes; they provide the tools for future generations to improve their well being.
Humanity reaps the reward for the few that carefully and truthfully consider the sowing of the seed.
Posts
> things that really matter to us; stories, art, friendship, love...
ReplyDelete... and football!
Err, someone once told me that it sucks out the joy out of it. When he almost cried for England playing badly against Slovenia. Wait, I think this might have been you.