Change Blindness—Part 1

The 19^th century saw a major shift in how humans viewed their planet and our place on it. That shift stemmed from the many scientific discoveries that were rapidly occurring at the time, as Western science began to blossom. Prior to this time, science and religion were mostly in harmony; with a few exceptions such as Galileo, when the Roman Catholic Church found him guilty of the heresy that proclaimed a helio-centric universe (rather than Earth-centered) and confined him to house arrest. 

The majority of scientists in those times held beliefs that did not conflict with the churches' teachings, since the view of most people was that the world indeed had been created by God, as the Bible describes. What's more, that world was perfect and unchanging. Most scientists—many of whom were also clergy—were convinced that the world would continue to be very much as it was at the time.

Human understanding of the cosmos then was quite limited—especially as to its age. Some had suspicions that Earth was maybe a few million years old, but nothing like over four billion years old. They also had no idea that the planet had settled into a benevolent climate in the last 12,000 years or so, and had often been inhospitable, prior to that time. Humans had had but the tiniest slice of the historical record to interpret the world's nature, with no understanding of how historically unrepresentative that slice was.

Then Charles Darwin published his bombshell treatise on evolution and natural selection in 1859. His book shook both the scientific and religious communities, by starkly refuting both of their belief systems. Darwin showed that nature was not immutable, but had been in a state of metamorphosis for a long time—and was continuing to transform. He demonstrated that all life, as well as the climate, had once been very different from what they saw in the mid-1800s. 

Completely aside from the fact that many people's belief in God was challenged by these statements of Darwin, it was the evidence of nature's mutability that rattled many believers. How could God's creation not be perfect and changeless? Was God not perfect? Some even questioned, did God exist? The church fathers (and they were exclusively men) felt threatened. They dug in their heels and ferociously defended their erroneous beliefs. They set up an opposition that continues today among religious fundamentalists.

It should be emphasized that most religious leaders today have accepted the theory of evolution and its implications for change. Furthermore, science's understanding of the natural world now is far greater than in Darwin's time. We now are very confident of the age of the Earth and its past geological eras.

Yet today we are once again experiencing another battle between science and a powerful group that puts doubts in the minds of the populace; this time it’s made up of industrial and corporate moguls, political leaders, and fundamentalist religious clerics. 

Contemporary science has offered irrefutable evidence that Earth's climate is once again experiencing another change—definitely one for the worse. Our climate is becoming dangerously warmer and will become periodically more menacing. Why are so many people complacent or in denial of the truth? We no longer can hide behind the ignorance of 19^th century knowledge. We know it's coming, and yet we dither. 

More change blindness next time…

Rising Generation Revolt

We are currently witnessing a rebellion on the part of millions of young people, all across the globe. Humanity is in crisis, from climate change to gun violence to inequality to pollution. Youths are demanding action to deal with these problems. They are taking into their own hands the responsibility to finally do something to address these crises.

It's interesting that young people—who are often regarded as naive and immature—can also be capable of deep thinking and serve as catalysts for change. In the past, youth activists have often sparked societal transformation—as kids took the initiative, while their elders appeared mired and immobile. For example, young people began revolutions that brought change in South Africa (against apartheid), in Palestine (against Israeli oppression), in Hong Kong (against Chinese domination), and currently in the US with gun violence and climate crisis.

Why do young people sometimes take action, while the older generations don't? There likely are several reasons. One is that elders have often fought hard in the past for what little comforts they have, and if they take to the streets, they may lose those meager gains. For another, older people tend to be more conservative, accepting of problems, and possess less energy. 

Young folks in oppressive conditions often suffer more than their elders. They've not yet had the opportunity to acquire a secure job or a home, and as they peer into the future, they see many dismal decades of injustice looming. They have the stamina to protest. 

Many movements for justice get off to a good start, but later wither, as authorities find ways to wear them down. People in their middle years often have busied themselves with various responsibilities and preoccupations, so they are often not inclined to take action. In contrast, young people often have more free time, so if they become engaged in protest or rebellion, they have time and energy to put into the work. Furthermore, in their naivety, they have not yet been beaten back by the authorities. They don't know that they can be outwitted by those authorities, so they just might get inventive and create strategies that work. 

Finally, young people are often driven by righteous anger. They're fed up with inept and corrupt politicians who ignore the responsibilities of their offices, and they correctly perceive that their future is being gambled away by an adult mentality that is unable to look into the future beyond the current fiscal quarter's obligations to the bottom line, seeking ways to maximize stockholder returns.

The youth movements of today make it evident that change—critical revolutionary change—must come from the bottom up. The entrenched and compromised older generations cannot cause change from the bottom, because they are either too tired or unwilling to take the necessary risks. And change from the top down is extremely unlikely to occur, because today's leaders and politicians are often, in one way or another, part of the corruption and gross inequalities. We cannot rely on leaders to change a system from which they benefit.

Virtually all of our major problems—climate change, racism, anti-immigration, inequality, and societal polarization—are caused by adult complicity and the inactivity and immoral behavior of leaders. At best, we can hope for adult “leadership” to slowly take modest steps to correct the harmful path that humanity is following. However, we no longer have the time to wait for their snail's pace. Young people understand the crises and insist upon action now. Otherwise, their future will be grim. May our youth lead the way!

Our Inimitable Nature

What makes us distinctively human? What is it in our human nature that separates us from all other animals? To begin with, let me refer to the dictionary for the definition of one’s nature: “the innate or essential qualities or character of a person or animal.” So our nature is what makes us us; the unique qualities that distinguish me from others—whether that be from my brother or we humans from animals.

There has been an enduring belief that we humans have a nature that is fundamentally different from the rest of the animal kingdom. Our religions and our myths often tell us this is so. But science has increasingly challenged these ideas by demonstrating that many of the differences are not nearly as stark as we once thought. I've written in this blog several times about how there is often little or no meaningful gap between us and animals—it's just a matter of degree.

But we really are different, aren’t we? Maybe we're not as special as we once thought, but surely we are distinct among the animal kingdom. But how? “New Scientist” magazine has recently listed six ways in which human nature is unique—six characteristics that are shared by all humans, which they say animals mostly lack. Again, some of these we differ only in degree, but that degree is relevant. 

1.     Being playful—although animals definitely play, they don't pursue as wide a variety of entertainment, or spend as much time enjoying themselves. We have more free time for play and we willingly congregate with unrelated strangers for entertainment. Our imaginations are very lively.

2.     Being scientific—we are inclined to sort, categorize, predict, and test our ideas. We do so in order to understand the world around us; we are innately curious. Our drive to ask “why” about phenomena is unique.

3.     Being legislative—all human societies form and operate by rules, and those rules can become complicated, and are often associated with taboos and etiquette. We are obsessed with kinship—to ensure rights and inheritance. Our rules are used to create marriage, family relationships, and incest taboos. We create elaborate rules of conduct.

4.     Being epicurean—we don't simply eat, we make a meal of it. We cook, having long ago realized that cooking food provides more calories for our enlarged brain. But we also make rituals around our meals, as we gather to share them.

5.     Being sexually clandestine—while animals engage in sex in front of each other, we do it in private. Unlike animals, women's ovulation is also clandestine, so they can be continually receptive to sex.

6.     Being gossipy—our language is far more complex than that of animals, so as we spend a lot of time talking about others, we enjoy sharing information about them. Gossiping for humans is rather equivalent to primate grooming, in that it can strengthen bonds. It oils the wheels of social interaction.

No sooner did I encounter this list of six qualities of unique human nature, than I found myself wanting to add a seventh: our relationship to death. We humans know that we will someday perish. It's inevitable; we can't escape death. Being able to look into the future we know it's coming. All animals are possessed with the urge to avoid death—the drive to stay alive is powerful. For animals, however, this drive is mostly manifested in the moment—simply that they do not wish to expire right now.

Not being able to project into the future, animals do not suffer from the anxiety of death that we do. We humans peer into the future and realize that death is coming and we can do little about it. We frantically try to push the thought further down the road, so we won't have to face it today. We try to tell ourselves that death is an unfortunate event that befalls other people, as our brain can literally shut down, when faced with our own death.

We have this propensity to shield ourselves from mortal truth; when we think about death, our brain can even tell us that the information is unreliable—which is a type of denial. We struggle to rationalize our brain's thoughts about death, despite the reality of death all around us. Death comes to others, but not to me, because I refuse to accept it.

So we fear death. We place sick people in hospitals and stash the elderly in nursing homes, so we don't have to face death. When we refuse to face it, we come to fear it even more. One common way we escape thoughts of death is to dive into busyness. We work long hours, party after work, constantly check our smart phones for messages, and buy stuff—all to help distract ourselves from facing the reality of death... or sometimes just the mundaneness of daily life.

So I would guess that there could be even more than these seven ways that human nature is unique among animals. It's a debate that will continue—shifting from time to time, as science offers new insights.

Life's Longevity

A hot topic in today's society is the search for longevity. Humans have always dreamed of living longer—even hoping for immortality. Countless individuals have, in one way or another sought the “Fountain of Youth,” or some type of elixir that will prolong life. We've become obsessed with counting the length of our existence, wishing to extend it. We hear about an isolated group of people living in a corner of Japan or Sardinia, whose members often live past 100; and we demand to know how they do it, and how we could copy it.

We zealously pursue the latest diet fad, consume books that promise secrets of longevity, and embark on yoga and exercise programs that will make us physically appealing and allow us to reclaim our youth. In these pursuits, we purchase enormous amounts of potions and pills—all in the name of acquiring and extending a robust existence. Billions of dollars are paid out in these pursuits—led by the super-rich, who seem the most consumed by the search.

Science lends its helping hand to the dream. Research on many biological fronts yields daily discoveries. Studies of short-lived critters, such as fruit flies and nematodes, subject them to genetic experiments, seeking to find gene modifications that could cause them to live longer. (Critters with a brief life span are chosen for these experiments, which allow researchers to examine several generations in just a few months, rather than over years.)

Some creatures are actually able to modify their lifespan, based on the environment they experience. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a very tough critter. It possesses an extremely simple genome, so its genetic mechanisms can be readily manipulated in the lab, to explore various ways of delaying death. This nematode has a type of gene—called “gerontogenes”—that control aging. What longevity benefits might we reap, if we could master these genes in ourselves?

Some studies have shown that life can be prolonged when one's diet is restricted. Rats who have been fed nearly half their normal intake can live half again as long as their well-fed siblings. Moreover, they have fewer diseases. It seems that, when energy is limited, one's metabolism shifts into longevity mode. When times are plentiful, however, we throw caution to the wind and live faster, more reckless lives. So should we seek to be skinny?

Other scientific studies focus on a very different class of animals: jellyfish. The jellyfish species Turritopsis can literally rejuvenate itself. It even seems to age in reverse, when, under certain conditions, it will sink to the seafloor, revert back to an earlier form of life, and begin again. It may be that their stem cells have an unlimited capacity for self-renewal.

So the pursuit of immortality continues—despite the fact that we have no idea of what it might bring. Would a life everlasting lead to everlasting boredom? We don't stop to ponder that question, as we relentlessly pursue an endless existence. Maybe Nature has a good reason for limiting life spans. Isn’t death necessary, in order for the great recycling process to continue? Thus everything—animals as well as rocks—has a finite life.

A more troublesome thought: What if only the richest people could afford to extend life far beyond the current norm? Would we end up with a divided society consisting on the one hand, of the privileged, who live long, and on the other hand the short-lived poor, who are dominated by the privileged, as if they were animals? Isn't there already enough class separation today?