Stone Age Instincts Medieval Institutions Godlike technology and

Stone Age Instincts, Medieval Institutions, God-like technology, and an uncertain future (to be run by Millennials) Part of the monthly series: “The World Future We Need” Mike Ignatowski Jan 16 th, 2017 Mike. Ignatowski@gmail. com Understanding. The. Future. org

What can you expect from these classes? • Satisfy some curiosity - create more questions • Understanding new technology in the news • Deal with the unsettling rates of change • Understanding “the big picture” of nature • “Big Picture view” of social justice topics • A chance to share thoughts and ask questions

The Original Quote from E. O. Wilson “We have Paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and god-like technology” Paleolithic period – Geological period – last ice age 2. 5 M years BP to 12 K years BP BP = Before Present = Jan 1, 1950 Pleistocene period – Human history “stone age” Earliest stone tools by wondering hunter/gather tribes 2. 6 M years BP to 10 K year BP

Evolutionary Psychology attempts to explain psychological traits as the products of natural evolution operating over the course of human history

Rev. Michael Dowd, Connie Barlow “The Great Story” The. Great. Story. org Video: Why we struggle now: Michael Dowd at TEDx. Grand. Rapids (1: 55 -14: 00)

Four parts of the human brain n n REPTILIAN BRAIN - Lizard Legacy – our physical instincts OLD MAMMALIAN BRAIN - Furry Li'l Mammal - our social instincts NEW MAMMALIAN BRAIN - Monkey Mind - our interpretive instincts ADVANCED - Higher Porpoise - our executive brain and spiritual instincts

Stone Age Instincts n n n n Sugar, Fat, Salt Sex Tribalism Anger, Outrage Revenge, Punishment Envy, Greed Social Status Tradition, order, loyalty, authority n n Maternal care Empathy, compassion Justice, fairness Curiosity

List of Cognitive Biases from Wikipedia n Decision Making: 102 listed • Ex) Confirmation Bias n Social Bias: 27 listed • Ex) In-group Bias n Memory Errors and Biases: 50 listed • Ex) Consistency Bias

The Big 4 Neural “Reward” Chemicals 1. Endorphins n 2. Serotonin n n 3. Exercise, food, sunlight, social bonding Compassion (giving, receiving, witnessing) Dopamine n n n 4. Physical exercise, sex, thrill seeking, natural beauty, music, eating chocolate… Religion, following social customs and rules Powerful weapons The rush from outrage, anger Testosterone n Sex, aggression, social status

Outrage Addiction

Two Stories – May 2016 1) 46 million people trapped in slavery with North Korea and India the key offenders. 2) Death of Harambe the gorilla You can guess which one has generated the most emotional sympathy & outrage by far ?

The Case Against Empathy is a very poor basis for making moral decisions • In-group bias • Allocates funding in noneffective ways • More empathy for 1 victim than for 10, 000 nameless victims. • Very little empathy for future victims.

Medieval Institutions Historical religions and religious organizations • Judaism, Christianity, Islam • Hinduism, Buddhism • Paganism and other Educational systems Military Hierarchies Nation States

Political Animals Outrage, anger Tribalism Strong alpha leader

Nudges are the arrangement of people's environment - such as default rules, structure of forms, and how information is presented - aimed at allowing people to better accomplish their own stated goals.

What to do? n n n Change Laws - Restrict or regulate: drugs, advertising, porn, school lunches Change education programs: Smoking, drug abuse, exercise. Change Institutions: AA, NCDD, No Labels, changes to Congress Change Culture: leaders setting examples? Change Incentives: Public praise…. Change Technology: Facebook, Google…

Closing thoughts “The greatest psychological realization of our times is that we have instincts… and if we fail to recognize them, we will be slaves to them. ” “Sending our teenagers out into the world without telling them about this is like sending them out 20, 000 years ago without telling them about saber tooth tigers. ”

Other Future Topics: • Evolution of cooperation • Technology and unemployment • Optimism - Why 2016 was the best year in the history of humanity • The Great Turning - Ideas from Joanna Macy and David Korten • The changing myths of our place in the universe • Exponentially increasing rates of change and the implications • The modern problem of stone-age instincts and supernormal stimuli • Moral instincts, tribalism, meaning, and religion • Systems view of the world and emerging properties • Economic growth, past, future, and inequality • "Managing the Commons" - Moving beyond the old categories of capitalism, socialism, and communism towards what's really important • The future of Artificial Intelligence and its implications • The future of Synthetic Biology and its implications

Contact Information Mike Ignatowski Email: mike. ignatowski@gmail. com Blog: Understanding. The. Future. org (These charts will be available on my blog)

Stone Age Emotions (Here)

Stone Age Emotions

Stone Age Emotions