Short versus long term

I think a lot about the short vs. the long term. Long term consciousness is probably the most importance difference between us and other animals. Of course (to paraphrase Darwin), it is a difference of degree, not essence, but still, the difference is quite striking: we are capable of thinking in terms of geological time, while most other members of the animal kingdom with similar life-spans probably don't get further than the concept of seasons. 

Apparently, newly born babies start with no concept of time whatsoever, but as they grow, they learn to handle ever-increasing time spans. My eldest - now eight - has no trouble imagining things happening years from now, including having children of her own. And human  society as a whole has shown a similar sort of development: collectively, we become more conscious of the long term with every new generation. The acceptance of the theory of evolution is just one of many examples, as are the idea that we might want to preserve our cultural history, and our current concern with climate change: all indicate that collectively, we are thinking in ever-longer time spans.  

Emotions are a bit different. Emotional development also passes through phases in individual humans and in society as a whole, but as compared to the above-mentioned examples of commonplace long-term thinking, emotions are short-term. They can be useful as short-term aids to survival (think fight-or-flight responses), but they can also get in the way of our long-term collective interests. Which is why we tend to see emotions as something to keep in check. 

Seen in Darwinian terms, we could see this process as the competition between two different systems designed to do the same thing (processing stimuli and formulating a response). And according to Darwin, the winner will be the more adaptable of the two. So kudos to the nervous system with its rapid-fire electrical signals, and a booby prize to hormones. (Sad, but logical.)

 

From Darwin to Dawkins

Today, Darwin's theory, just like Freud's theories, great works of art, and who knows what else, is mostly taken for granted by most people who learnt it in school. Now I am certainly not against standing in awe of great achievements, but personally, I have always found the future more interesting than the past, which in my case means focussing less on the achievement or the person and more on the possible consequences of that achievement. 

In the case of the theory of evolution, the potential is huge. Not so much because of the conclusions he came to, but more as the seed for a new branch of science that I think will have an even more profound effect on us than the truth about our less-than-celestial origins: evolutionary psychology. And the reason I think this is because I think it will allow us to reframe how we see ourselves. In the past, organized religion gave some very good metaphors to help us understand our own nature and how we should act. But their explanations as to why we are the way we are didn't cut the grade, as far as I am concerned. 

Now, in evolution, we have the basic mechanism that in the long run should help explain just about everything we do, because it is all about the survival of our genes (see "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins). Of course, for our genes to survive, individual human beings have to procreate - which explains why that is first and foremost in the minds of most young adults. And once you have done your duty in that department, you have to give your children a good chance of doing the same - which explains the nesting instinct, our obsession with money and control, and the lengths we will go to protect our children and other relatives. 

As a species, we have become very successful in "procreating and going forth". So much so, that we have had to change our behaviour just to survive. Modern society no longer tolerates the sort of behaviour that we found completely appropriate only a few thousand years ago. But genes do not change that fast: like legislation, they adapt, but are always several steps behind the actual situation. And that makes me feel a little better about my reactions when some lunatic driver endangers my life and/or that of my family just to shave a few seconds off his ETA.