The Evolu*on of Civiliza*on CCGL 9042

Transcription

1 The Evolu*on of Civiliza*on CCGL 9042 Key teachers: Dr Stacey Cherny (Course Coordinator) Prof PC Sham Department of Psychiatry & Centre for Genomic Sciences 3 September 2014

2 Lecture 1 Introduc*on to the teachers Outline of the course Explana*on of the course *tle What do we mean by evolu*on? What do we mean by civiliza*on? What is progress? How to we gain knowledge and understanding? Scien*fic method Brief human history Methods of assessment Topics in the course

3 CCGL9042 Global Issues The Evolu*on of Civiliza*on

4 Key teachers Stacey Cherny Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry BA in Psychology from University of Winnipeg PhD in Behavior Gene*cs from University of Colorado, Boulder Pak Sham Chair Professor of Psychiatric Genomics MB BCh (Oxford), MSc in Sta*s*cs (London), psychiatrist

5 Overall theme of the course The theory of evolu*on is a useful framework for understand how humans went from simple hunter- gatherers to modern society, with massive increases in produc*vity and therefore quality of life Two types of evolu*on are opera*ng in humans, to varying degrees at different *mes: Evolu*on of genes how our biology has changed over *me Evolu*on of ideas how we do things differently over *me The course will draw on evolu*onary theory, anthropology, history, economics, and psychology in addressing these issues Specializa*on and trade are what have driven human progress How can our knowledge of human nature and past progress be used to address major societal challenges?

6 What is evolu*on? Survival of the fi^est through natural selec*on (Darwin) There is natural gene*c varia*on between but also within individual species and the likelihood of surviving and reproducing (being selected) is a func*on of the par*cular genes the individual has, since different genes are more suited to different environments

7 The Selfish Gene (Dawkins) The Selfish Gene theory of evolu*on through natural selec*on explains how evolu*on works at the gene*c level All organisms (including humans) are designed and programmed by our DNA, which is composed of genes which code for proteins which build organisms Natural selec*on effec*vely acts on the gene (or parts of the gene), rather than the individual

8 Proper*es of successful genes (genes which have lots of copies of themselves around) Longevity the organism containing the gene lives a long life and so become more numerous Fecundity the organism reproduces frequently, making more copies of the genes in contains Copying fidelity when passing on genes to the next genera*on, it makes accurate copies

9 How do we get evolu*on? Varia*on! Copying errors once in a while an error in copying is made. While most errors are harmful, if an error increases the chances of the organism reproducing, it gets copied and increases in frequency. Recombina*on humans and other higher organisms have two copies (alleles) of each gene; when they mate, their offspring receive a unique combina*on of genes, half from mother and half from father. This introduces varia*on, with some combina*ons be^er suited to the environment than others.

10 The Meme An idea, which necessarily resides in the human brain Just as genes replicate themselves, so do memes A good, or at least compelling, idea will spread to other people who will in turn spread it further, through imita*on Memes can recombine, just like genes Memes also mutate Some mutated memes will replicate be^er than others, because they are more useful (or compelling) to people Memes generally evolve much faster than genes Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene

11 The Meme Big Bang Theory explains the meme (3:49): h^p://youtu.be/onvxp40misi

12 Successful memes Longevity The longer lived the meme, the more copies would be present Fecundity For scien*fic ideas, fecundity can be measured by Impact Factor For products, number of copies sold But popular memes can some*mes die off quickly, despite being replicated a huge number of *mes Introduc*on of varia*on through ma*ng of ideas Copying fidelity How accurately the meme is reproduced Muta*ons, giving rise to new memes Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene

13 Compe**on among memes While memes don t have alleles, they do s*ll have compe*tors Humans have limited brain capacity and so can t be exposed to, let alone infected by, infinite memes Memes compete for our a^en*on However, humans as a whole have a near infinite capacity for memes and form a massive collec*ve intelligence Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene

14 Civiliza*on Civilized socie*es are generally regarded as those which have Government A wri^en language A social or cultural center A city Trade Money A unique culture

15 What do we mean by civiliza*on in this course? The transi*on from a simple hunter- gatherer existence to our complex society, with all the benefits/risks The focus of the course is on how humans increased their prosperity, or economic success, which allowed for all the structures of complex civiliza*ons, and for the massive improvements in quality of life

16 What the course isn t about History of civiliza*ons The course will focus on the general theme of the evolu*on of civiliza*on, through specializa*on and trade Economic progress Some cultures/civiliza*ons will be men*oned for their significance in this process, but we will not look at a complete history Civiliza*on involves much more than economic progress, but it can be argued that other aspects of civiliza*on could not be achieved without economic progress to allow for free *me to concentrate on things other than survival

17 Why does economic improvement ma^er? Improvement in quality of life Health Leisure *me Entertainment Knowledge and understanding Happiness Security Quality of natural environment Increase in quan*ty of life Lifespan

18 How has progress been achieved? Progress required manipula*on and control of the environment Progress tends to be gradual and builds on and combines previous achievements Progress is driven by ideas, which broadly speaking, form culture Just as successful genes become more frequent in the gene pool, successful ideas spread in the pool of ideas Specializa*on and trade

19 Progress The book on which this course is based is The Ra-onal Op-mist, by Ma^ Ridley Let s hear him introduce this book h^p://youtu.be/olhh9e5ilz4 (17 min) And a longer talk about the book h^p://youtu.be/9- zlk50w4q0 (47 min)

20 Progress in longevity h^ps://koshland- science- museum.org/sites/all/exhibits/exhib_infec*ous/public_health_02.jsp

21 h^p://alfin2101.blogspot.hk/2011/09/is- this- historical- reprieve- from.html

22 Increasing food produc*on efficiency From The Ra-onal Op-mist

23 Declining rates of popula*on growth From The Ra-onal Op-mist

24 Decline in pollu*on From The Ra-onal Op-mist

25 Projec*ons for world GDP/capita From The Ra-onal Op-mist

26 Method of Inquiry How do we find things out about about our subject area evolution of civilization or prosperity?

27 How to find truth? Ask the authorities? Search the internet? Survey the opinions of many people? Discuss with friends to reach an agreement? Vigorous debate between adversaries? Socrates Plato The Dialectic Method Formulate the question Define the terms Propose different viewpoints (Thesis and Antithesis) Rational discourse on their merits and difficulties (appealing to logic rather than emotions) Arrive at a conclusion (Synthesis)

28 The Method of Science Observation is the ultimate and final judge of the truth of an idea Experiments should be well-planned and carefully conducted to obtain valid observations Ideas come from human imagination Should be logically consistent Should generate testable (observable) predictions Predictions should be confirmed or refuted by experiments

29 The Uncertainty of Science All scientific knowledge is uncertain. Because we have the doubt, we then propose looking in new directions for new ideas This freedom of doubt is an important matter in the sciences. I feel a responsibility to proclaim the value of this freedom and to teach that doubt is not to be feared, but that it is to be welcomed as the possibility of a new potential for human beings

30 What science cannot answer The question Should I do this? can be divided into two parts: If I do this what will happen? This is susceptibility to scientific investigation Do I want this to happen? This is ultimately to do with value judgment, which is highly subjective and personal.

31 Human History Applying the scientific method to the evolution of civilization requires considering the history of the human species

32 How we know the past Memory Account from eye-witness Contemporaneous records Historians accounts Stories, folklore Human artifacts Fossils Radioactive dating Comparative studies Anatomy Genetic sequence Language

33 The past of the human race Hunter-gatherers Small tribes Stone tools Fire Language Art Farming Settlements Metal tools 10,000 4,000

34 Early Civilizations Egypt Mesopotamia Kingdoms of Israel & Judah China India Maya

35 Great Philosophers The Death of Socrates Jacgues-Louis David, 1787 Do not do to others what angers you if done to you by others Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us To find yourself, think for yourself Confucius and His Students Ming Dynasty. From Wikipedia What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it Real knowledge is to know the extent of one s ignorance The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large

36 Great Religions Judaism Christianity Islam Buddhism Hinduism

37 The Rise of Science Galileo ( ) In the discussion of natural problems we ought to begin not with the Scriptures, but with experiments and demonstrations Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants I can calculate the motion of the heavenly bodies, but not the madness of the people Newton ( )

38 Literature All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his *me plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. Shakespeare ( ) The Globe Theatre A day wasted on others is not wasted on one's self. Charity begins at home, and jus*ce begins next door. Dickens ( )

39 Prosperity All mankind being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions All wealth is the product of labour John Locke ( ) It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their self interest Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice Adam Smith ( ) Virtue is more to be feared than vice, because its excesses are not subject to the regulation of conscience

40 Industrialisation Technological innovations led to machines that increased output, using less labour Effect of industrialisation on income levels (Gross Domestic Product) From Wikipedia

41 Socialism Struggle between the Bourgeoisie (Capitalists) and the Proletariat (Working Class) The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people Karl Marx ( ) Capital is dead labour, which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labour The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs Democracy is the road to socialism

42 Course Learning Outcomes Demonstrate an understanding and awareness of the various domains of human progress Describe and explain the basic principles of evolu*onary theory as a model for human progress Demonstrate an understanding of how trade and specializa*on are central to human advancement Apply general knowledge and understanding of evolu*onary theory, psychology, and the scien*fic method to solving some societal problems

43 Weekly Lectures In sequen*al order, each week a chapter in The Ra-onal Op-mist will be reviewed, with par*cular aspects highlighted and expanded The PowerPoint presenta*on will be made available just before the class starts Lectures will oren contain videos of experts in par*cular areas, since it is oren best to hear ideas from those who either came up

44 The Ra-onal Op-mist Chapter One - A be^er today: the unprecedented present Chapter Two - The collec*ve brain: exchange and specialisa*on arer 200,000 years ago Chapter Three - The manufacture of virtue: barter, trust and rules arer 50,000 years ago Chapter Four - The feeding of the nine billion: farming arer 10,000 years ago Chapter Five - The triumph of ci*es: trade arer 5,000 years ago Chapter Six - Escaping Malthus s trap: popula*on arer 1200 Chapter Seven - The release of slaves: energy arer 1700 Chapter Eight - The inven*on of inven*on: increasing returns arer 1800 Chapter Nine - Turning points: pessimism arer 1900 Chapter Ten - The two great pessimisms of today: Africa and climate arer 2010 Chapter Eleven - The catallaxy: ra*onal op*mism about 2100

45 Tutorials Groups of 12 students Mee*ng 1 hour per week, star*ng week 3 Discussion of lecture content and applica*on to problems in modern society Discussion of other assignments The same Tutor will conduct all tutorials Dr Larry Baum

46 Assessment 30% tutorial par*cipa*on (quality and quan*ty) 30% blog contribu*ons (approximately words across the whole course) 30% group presenta*on 3 minutes of presenta*on per student Will be conducted in the final tutorial class 10% in- class quizzes 3 or 4 short in- class quizzes will be given to assess understand of previous lectures/readings

47 Conclusions The scientific method is based on constant questioning, innovative hypotheses, rational discourse, and empirical experiments Important questions concerning values and morals are outside the realm of science, but are the subject of philosophy, religion and literature Human societies have evolved over the millennia from small huntergatherer communities to cities and states supported by farming, and finally through industrialization to modern mixed capitalist / socialist economies Specialization and trade has been central to driving this process