hunter-gatherer minds ... build hunter-gatherer cultures

• The Adaptive Gap and the Future of Civilization by Mike Hall, 7/3/98
  • Doomsday but Not for These Reasons by James Brody, 7/3/98
    • Doomsday for lots of reasons by Mike Hall, 7/15/98
      
      

I suspect we agree in many areas; however, complaints are boring.

I also suspect that you're stuck on surface arguments that are relatively common. Our Hunter-Gatherer adaptations direct us, even our video games and our computer programming. They determine what we sense, they also determine what we find aversive or reinforcing. If an event isn't consistent with our adaptations, we won't be interested or able. (Thus, the delay in modern physical theory advancing past "common sense")

The "mismatch" occurs between our adaptations. That some of the things we make to satisfy one set of adaptations exerts costs on others. For example, large organizations appeal to our contrast detectors and our tracking "larger, faster, better" but also erode reciprocity. (See above essays on reciprocity and SNS) "Homeostatic cost" can apply to a set of relationships, not just to physical structures.

Hunter-gatherer mechanisms have developed "cheater detectors" for use via the internet to detect plagiarism in scientific articles. The notion of "Cheating" and "plagiarism" are very old ideas to us. Check Ridley, "Origins of Virtue" for his exposition. Despite computer potential, we have basically constructed electronic analogs to human systems ... perhaps such are the "most adaptive in the universe" or perhaps the "most adaptive that we can conceive" with our H&G minds and build with the same H&G minds.

Unfortunately, we have "poison detectors" that light up newspapers about bad hamburger but no detectors for excessive babies ... indeed we used to eat them in the old days (and might again if food and fuel issues are not resolved).

Also, unfortunately, the choral whines about mismatch doesn't solve a whole lot. Solutions, please.

• A Failure to Communicate by Mike Hall, 7/20/98