This is an issue that has been bothering me the past few weeks so I figure I finally write it down here and see what you blades think. Humans started off as close-knit hunter gatherers and social animals. Then all it took was an element of economics for shit to go completely awry. After the implementation of economic systems, specifically, capitalism, society has strayed away from helping each other and drifted more towards competing with one another. Now, there are some interesting implications as a result of this. The first, is that we've completely strayed off the path our ancestry had intended. The social bond we had formed many, many years ago appears to be slowly eroding away. My father would counter that we still keep to our 'tribes'. Today's tribes being our little clique's formed with family and friends. Though, I think competition still exists among those as well. ---Side note that just came to me; Perhaps hierarchy is what causes the struggle among tribes. Some apes have a designated leader, and males may fight or leave to take control - so perhaps it's inevitable. But I digress, the second major implication is that perhaps the competition formed by economic systems is actually beneficial for humanity. This creates a new level of 'survival of the fittest', but instead of surviving by foraging, reproducing, defending one's self, you work - a bit less violent, I would think. So whereas economics does force competition, it's usually non-violent competition. It worries me that what we're implementing will evolve faster then we are. The mere barter systems that were established thousands of years ago have turned into massive government and federal regimes. And I can't say much of us has changed since then. And the more I write this the more I get confused on what I think so I'm gonna end this here plus no one wants to read a giant wall of text. Hopefully you guys will be insightful. edit: I didn't want to post this in politics section, hoping we can list this as ethics.
One evolutionary trend I still notice today is WHY WOMAN talk so much??? It's because....as men, we were the hunter gatherers, we were out in the forest being quiet, telling eachother to "SSSSH" to not scare away the animals. On the OTHER hand the damn woman were back at home making pots and cooking and shit, socializing amongst eachother, talking and blabbing about the cutest man in their tribe, whos gonna get married next, who has the biggest wiener, you know, and just drama Now, hundred and hundreds of years later, woman have evolved into jabberemouths, and can speak 5 times faster than a man...... and can give men headaches quicker genius
(hu)Man adapted and started looking for knowledge and answers and stuff, thus technology and science and all that shit... and then used technology to ease physical strain, since back in the day you HAD to use physical strength to get shit done (chop down trees for wood, now you jus turn the heater on.) Like, we invented cars and shit, woo now we can drive around. Okay, but now that we can drive around, why the FUCK would I want to walk two blocks to the store? Oh, fuck, Gas Prices. Or, at least, I assume.
Humanity is evolving... changing. Technology is a threat, but it can be helpful if we learn some responsibility. Our lives and the internet are constantly adapting to each other, I assume they will continue to do so. We don't fully understand technology's role in our existence quite yet. ... Let's hope it's not merely a means to an end.
I think economic systems are a natural progression for a species that is socially intelligent enough. First must come an advanced understanding of social relations between individuals - the difference between humans and all other animals, so far. Then economics can develop, out of the need to share/exchange things.
A lot of what the OP mentioned is directly because of this. Life was simply harder in the past in terms of sheer physical labor that needed to be done. As such, people depended on each other more and were more a part of each others' lives. Additionally, we did not have our own Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, or whatever other social ap in front of our faces 24/7 on personal computers we carry in our pockets. To get any sort of socializing, you had to interact. To keep it going and alive, you had to interact like a decent person. Nowadays two decent people will permanently part ways over a small disagreement and go home to update their Facebook about how X type of people suck because of Y and Z. Then 10 "friends" will "like" the comment and the person gets their world view confirmed within this self-created information vacuum. I randomly came across this video this morning which seems relevant.
Do without as many technological devices for 48 hours. Let me know how u do. Tribal systems are the worst thing out there. Take a look at the world where true tribalism reigns. Poverty, short life expectancies, diseases galore, war, kings and sultans, almost no redeeming qualities. I have live in the middle east for more than 8 years out of my life. The one quality that I admired the most is one of the worse was how close knit extended family was. The bad thing is if one member is harmed the whole family is obligated to avenge them. This becomes a terrible and almost endless cycle.
I have been mulling this idea around as well. This system of finance is not so much a natural progression (from primitive to advanced). As we know, money is a technology that allows the cheese maker to trade with the blacksmith, where the blacksmith may have no need for cheese, he can take money that represents the value the cheese maker has created by his labors, and trade it for something he needs. IMO the problem arises when a value system turns into a debt system. In this system, the cheese maker may buy something with an 'IOU' which is to say 'I have not created this value but I will eventually'. Then the cheese maker succumbs to an illness and dies before he can create the owed value. This is much less of an issue than we find today. We now have massive corporations who have thousands of employees who create no value, but only manipulate others value and debt. This is why the national debt is alarming, if you are a citizen and are in compliance with the Federal government, they are putting those debt IOU's on you and future lives value. If you think about it, many are living like kings by selling your life and the lives of the unborn. There is no way around it, no amount of psychobabble or financial jargon should convince you that they generate value.
It's nothing to be concerned about, go live your insignificant life, be a productive member of society, and don't forget to consume consume consume!
It's funny I read this now and there's still some things I agree with and some things I'm like... yo mate you smoked too much
Didn't homo-sapiens become prevalent in the world through the demise of massive stars in the intergalactic universe? Tribes evolved into clans and clans evolved into family/gangs for the feeling of oxytocin (socializing hormone). There's a dark-side to oxytocin, when the individual challenges the group's beliefs/ideals/notions, the tribe will ostracize them away from it's circumference and basically, they're left as a out-lier/outsider which itself isn't horrible regardless what most people believe (http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-07/love...). The concept of Individualism didn't become rampant until the 21st century, it may be easier to live in solitude now than before due to strategic help books, technology, and seeds.