Humanity has seen four great eras so far: animal, forager, farmer, and industry. And each era had two key levels of evolutionary competition: individual and group. This makes for eight great contests that have shaped our world.
I see cultural competition increasing not decreasing. We're not even close to a monoculture. Nationalism is resurgent with various nations aligning with the various dominate cultures, 3 of which are incompatible and careening towards conflict: Western enlightenment Republics, the expansion of militant Islam, and the totalitarianism of the CCP. Cultural competition is alive and well.
Western enlightenment republics are going to be submerged by islamogauchism like you see in Turkey (or Iran). Or they will develop into a new illiberal democracies modelled on Russia, Israel or Visegrad states.
Are you confident that competition from other species was stronger than competition within? I have always heard that the strongest selection pressures were from others within the species. Not sure if this is anecdotal though or if there is any empirical evidence one way or the other.
Is it “cultural drift” that we see systems decay, or is this a function of any complex system absent strong selective pressures? Or are we just describing the same thing two ways?
Note that the transitions were also accompanied by energy breakthroughs. Mitochondria led to nucleated cells and then multicellularity, humans discovered how to control fire, then agriculture, then fossil fuels.
The transitions also can be described as coordination breakthroughs.
If these trends continue, I would look to new sources of cheap and abundant energy and higher level or improved organizational breakthroughs. The question is whether either occurs before the system becomes sclerotic and decays.
I see cultural competition increasing not decreasing. We're not even close to a monoculture. Nationalism is resurgent with various nations aligning with the various dominate cultures, 3 of which are incompatible and careening towards conflict: Western enlightenment Republics, the expansion of militant Islam, and the totalitarianism of the CCP. Cultural competition is alive and well.
Dick Minnis
removingthecataract.substack.com
Western enlightenment republics are going to be submerged by islamogauchism like you see in Turkey (or Iran). Or they will develop into a new illiberal democracies modelled on Russia, Israel or Visegrad states.
Isn’t it strange that doubling time for each era refers to a different thing?
silly
Great post!
Feedback…
Are you confident that competition from other species was stronger than competition within? I have always heard that the strongest selection pressures were from others within the species. Not sure if this is anecdotal though or if there is any empirical evidence one way or the other.
Is it “cultural drift” that we see systems decay, or is this a function of any complex system absent strong selective pressures? Or are we just describing the same thing two ways?
Note that the transitions were also accompanied by energy breakthroughs. Mitochondria led to nucleated cells and then multicellularity, humans discovered how to control fire, then agriculture, then fossil fuels.
The transitions also can be described as coordination breakthroughs.
If these trends continue, I would look to new sources of cheap and abundant energy and higher level or improved organizational breakthroughs. The question is whether either occurs before the system becomes sclerotic and decays.