Evolution: It Seeps Into Everything
It's Tentacle Are Everywhere
Before I begin writing, Mr. Skeptical comments, “We may finally agree on something today.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I can tell by your title. The theory of evolution is spreading into too many things. Its tentacles are everywhere. And that’s bad.”
“I know many see the word tentacle as bad, but I don’t. Tentacles remind me of an octopus, an awesome, brilliant creature. Tasty too. So, I see the spread of evolution as a good thing.”
Mr. Skeptical shakes his head and crosses his arms.
Subconscious Fat at 30,000 feet
In the Substack newsletter Evolution and Psychiatry, Dr. Silva Vartukapteine summarizes an award-winning essay. I’ll comment and explore two concepts from her article where she shows how looking through the lens of human evolution can be helpful.
Should babies be left alone to cry themselves to sleep and self-soothe in another room?
Dr. Silva Vartukapteine points out that if a baby cries when left alone, there is a logical evolutionary reason for this. Looking through the human evolution lens, we’ve been hunter-gatherers for much longer than in the modern era. Yet, societal norms today dictate that babies should have their own room and be taught to self-soothe and fall asleep alone.
However, in a hunter-gatherer society, leaving a baby in another room might mean getting eaten by a predator. Babies instinctively know this. They don’t want to get eaten!
“Well, this is why women should care for babies and not men,” says Mr. Skeptical.
I give Mr. Skeptical a dirty look. But I don’t want to get into a gender debate with him. We’ve already had that debate. See it here.
“It’s important for both parents to know that it’s normal and natural for a baby to want to sleep with the parents. I can remember when I had my kids. At first, we kept them in a bassinet next to our bed. Yes, it was a pain in the ass, but for something like this, there’s no easy and quick fix.”
“I would’ve gone and slept in another room.”
“I’m not surprised because you’re an asshole.”
“No, I’m practical and smart.”
“You’re selfish,” I add.
Ever wonder why most dogs get anxious when the owner leaves the house? Viewing it through the lens of evolution, we get an interesting perspective. All dogs are descendants of wolves, and most wolves are in packs. They are always together. The alpha leaders of the group are always around. So, it’s not surprising dogs get anxious when their human alpha leaves them like human babies.
The second topic Dr. Silva Vartukapteine writes about is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Think how beneficial ADHD can be when hunting in a dangerous environment. You don’t want to focus on one thing because you must be aware of all your surroundings simultaneously. Eyes are darting everywhere. Never concentrate on one area too long because it could all end if you miss a poisonous snake underneath you or in the tree above. This was a hunting survival adaptation bred into our genes.
Nevertheless, today, if a kid is too energetic and doesn’t want to concentrate on one thing, he may get diagnosed with ADHD and put on drugs.
“Most ADHD kids are boys, right?” Asks Mr. Skeptical.
“Yes, and that coincides with boys and men who mostly did the hunting back in the day.”
When human behavior is looked through an evolutionary lens, a lot of Subconscious Fat can surface and help us understand why humans do what they do.
Subconscious Fat at 10,000 feet
What we eat should be looked upon via the lens of evolution. For example, most herbivores have longer digestive tracts and more than one stomach chamber. Carnivores have one stomach chamber and a shorter digestive tract. Where do you think humans fall?
“Aren’t humans omnivores? We eat everything.”
“That’s true. We can eat a lot of things. But we only have one stomach chamber and a short digestive tract like carnivores. So, we should be eating like carnivores.”
“Well, many people want to be vegetarians for environmental reasons.”
“I get that, but one can’t deny that our digestive tracts resemble more that of a carnivore than a herbivore. According to our anatomy, we evolved to eat meat over vegetables.”
I’ll post in the future on carnivore vs. vegetarianism.
Subconscious Fat at Eye-Level
I remember when I was Christian, I’d go to church, and they’d tried to explain life forming on Earth from a creationist point of view. It never made sense to me. Preachers would say evolution is a slippery slope and leads to doubt in one’s faith.
I agree with that. Evolution has always made me doubt religious faith in any religion.
Mr. Skeptical shakes his head. “And you were an altar boy. You should feel ashamed. Your soul is condemned to hell.”
“Yeah, I’m really worried about it” I say as I roll my eyes.
Practical Suggestions and Conclusions
Evolution has influenced my life dramatically. It’s impacted my life, from what I think of human and dog behavior to what I and my pets should eat to being agnostic. Its tentacles are everywhere, and I see that as a good thing.
Be aware of your human evolutionary past.
Great information Hermann.