HOMO SAPIENS SAPIENS:

OUR SPECIES IN TIME, SPACE, and MIND

Evolution

• 2,600,000 years of human history

• the biology - culture dialectic [‘feedback mechanisms’ in systems terminology]

• evidence for connected body/mind structural changes: upright posture/hands free, birth canal/brain etc

• culture as an adaptive strategy• continuing role of mutation

(introduces change) and natural selection (selects for fitness) in all species, including humans

Economy• fisher/hunter/gatherers

(exclusively for 2,590,000 years)• horticulture (perhaps 15,000+

years)• pastoralism (perhaps 15,000+

years)• agriculture (10,000 years)• the production-distribution-

consumption cycle organizes society

• the economy adjusts to group size, environment, etc

• the “new” economies (e.g., telecommunications=selling information) and the “old” base (getting food and other resources from the environment)

Society, Community• central importance from deep in human

history to the present• synergy among social elements:

individual identity (personality development)

collective identity (through shared values) and

collective organization (community, cooperation)

competitive distinction among groups (class, gender, ethnicity, “race”)

• egalitarian and pyramidal political organization participation in decision making= heterarchycompetition for prestige=hierarchy

• another deep time trait: values that open (inclusiveness), values that close (exclusiveness)

Belief

• the varieties and the power of belief

• the roots of belief in values

• the roots of values in knowledge and experience

• the search for the ‘right way’ to be in the world

Communication• the many ways humans

communicate informationlanguage, body

language, objects, style, space and perception, etc

• draws on emotions, feelings, all the senses

• the link between emotion and memory

• communicating knowledgetraditional forms of communication (stories, apprenticeships, etc)

• contemporary communication increasing speed of

transit to instantaneous, less face-to- face interaction

• commodification of information and knowledge

The Effects of Rapid Change:Stress

• on mind and body• on individuals• on families and

communities• on organizations and

systems• on societies• on the planet

ANTHROPOLOGYStudying Change, Identifying Patterns

Global Issues20th Century: focus on the nation-state• democracy vs. authoritarianism (WWII a clear example)• capitalism (success!) vs. communism (failure!)• but all the 20th century experiments–capitalism, communism,

socialism-produced• stress on the individual• diminution of quality of life (erosion of family

and community)• exploitation• corruption• colonialism• environmental degradation (biodiversity loss, pollution,

global warming)

Global Issues

21st Century: focus on the planet• governance• the double challenge of multinationals and ‘Jihad’ to the

nation-state and to democracy• how to protect populations, nation-states, the planet• keeping security in perspective (the warnings of 1984)• authoritarianism vs. democracy (again!) and the role of

religion• the planning challenge (short-term vs. long-term; the

next election vs. the next century)• Environmental issues

Ozone depletion, radioactive waste, air pollution

Global Issues

• Biodiversity: studied at three important scales: genetic, species, and ecosystem

Value: pharmaceuticals, food, ecosystem stabilityLoss is accelerating, caused by:

Habitat change and loss (e.g., Everglades), Over-harvesting (cod fishing), Introduction of exotic species (zebra

mollusc) New diseases (pfisteria), Pollution (agri fertilizer and pesticide runoff

/N.C. fisheries), Climatic change (lobster to blue crab)

Global Issues• Genetic modification

Benefits: insect- drought- and disease-resistant crops, herbicide tolerant, prolonged shelf life

Risks: pesticidal toxin produced throughout the plant, allergic reactions, movement of transgenes into plant relatives, contamination of non-GMO and organic crops through cross-pollination, long-term health and developmental effects are unknown, pests keep mutating

• Human health (disease, bioterrorism, compromised immunity)• Food quality (Chicago Abyss)• Food security (environmental degradation and political instability)

Democracy

“...the modern response to terror cannot be exclusively military or tactical, but rather must entail a commitment to democracy and justice even when they are in tension with the commitment to cultural expansionism and global markets. The war against terrorism also will have to be a war for justice if it is to succeed...”

Barber, Jihad vs. McWorld, p. xii

What is Democracy?• Just who were the Founding Persons of Democracy? We have to go back a long way.• What does democracy look like in mass societies such as nation-states?• What is a citizen? A member of a political society who owes allegiance to the

government and is entitled to its protection. • What is the role of the justice system and the courts in a democracy?• How is democracy threatened by Jihad?• How is democracy threatened by McWorld? • The future of the nation-state• Was Marx right for the wrong reasons in saying the state would ‘wither

away’?• Just what can states do for their citizens?• “There are many things government cannot do very well, but there are many

others that only government can do, such as regulate and protect...subsidize and redistribute—not because it does them particularly well, but because they are public things for which only we, the public, can be held accountable. These res publicae include education, culture, incarceration, transportation, defense, health care, social justice...and the fair and equitable international order that offers every person and every group equal access and equal opportunity.”

Barber, p. xxxi

Addressing Rapid Global Change

• multiple scales of analysis (of time and space)• multiple dimensions of analysis (many data-

gathering methods, many perspectives)• understanding the context of conflict (history,

culture, values)• An array of pattern recognition tools

Investigating information, measurement, and interpretation

Reconciling science and belief: what we can learn from tradition and spirituality

• engaging in mediation/ mitigation/ remediation

Head in the Sand or Eyes to the Sky?

Endeavor to think and act beyond your place and time in the world.As Native Americans teach, act on behalf of

“Unto seven generations: your children’s children’s children’s children’s children’s children”

and their world of AD 2206.