A Brief Clarification on Human Behavior
Frankly #78
Two weeks ago, in a Frankly called The Battles of Our Time, I commented on human behavior and said that, in today's world, only three to four percent of humans are going to do the right thing and appeal to the ‘better angels’ of their nature. Today’s Frankly is a follow-up and clarification of what I meant.
It’s true that humans are deeply influenced by our evolutionary past. It is also true that our current economic structures, cultural norms, and the inner workings of the superorganism shape our actions. But the majority of our history as a species paints a more optimistic picture than our current behavior might suggest.
If we take a deeper time lens, it becomes obvious that, in order to navigate the challenges of the future, perhaps we need not look to technological innovation – but instead must return to the intrinsic values and pro-social nature of our past. Ultimately, we as individuals, and as a species, are plastic. The biggest predictor of our behavior is conforming to what others do, and what others do is going to change in the future… because it must.
In case you missed it…
In this week’s episode, I was joined by Political Economy Professor Helen Thompson to explore the evolving understanding of energy's role in international relations, particularly in the context of recent conflicts in the Middle East. We discussed the challenge of anticipating the volatile changes in energy supplies, the complexities of navigating information in a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, and the role of global powers like BRICS and OPEC.
If you appreciate The Great Simplification podcast…
Be sure to leave a review on your preferred podcast platform! Leaving reviews helps the podcast grow, which helps spread awareness of our systemic situation from experts in ecology, energy, policy, economics, technology, and community building so that we can better understand - and respond to - the challenges of the coming decade.
The Great Simplification podcast is produced by The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future (ISEOF), a 501(c)(3) organization. We want to keep all content completely free to view globally and without ads. If you’d like to support ISEOF and it’s content via donation, please use the link below.
Thanks for this clarification podcast. It was really helpful. I liked that you learned that whether or not there is free will is irrelevant.
Recently I've come to believe in free will simply because I think a person cannot have true humility if they don't believe in free will. Real humility is much more than not blowing your own horn. It's a deep sense of honesty that allows you to make good choices or create something good in whatever presents itself in the moment. Perhaps a podcast on the topic of humility? What it is? The benefits? How to cultivate it?
How is it the European Enlightenment produced this "super-organism?" Our major arbiters of truth--science and religion--failed at looking sufficiently inward to examine the behavior of the observer. We can only see outwardly as clearly as we see inwardly.
A way to look at the super-organism is to see it as Ego manifest. In Oneness we discover Ego is a small part of our experience and knowledge of life. Out-of-control Ego (our unidentified, unseen, untamed subconscious ) is madness.
One of the tasks of science and religion is to tame Ego and both failed.