Fortunately many in the Theism camp have accommodated the overwhelming argument that the world is not 6000 years old. One hopes that this accommodation will soon lead to a long overdue acceptance of facts and evidence. Common sense would lead the rational mind to embrace the overwhelming evidence for Evolution by Natural Selection. An argument that explains elegantly, clearly and comprehensively the mechanism of how the living world comes about. One that helps us comprehend the past and the present state of “Life” while empowering us with the ability to have a sense of the future. In a nutshell, nothing has been as it is and shall not remain so. We are constantly moving, evolving, changing, diversifying and adapting.
The unfortunate virus infecting this line of thought however, is the notion that everything is “progressing”. In fact in some languages including Persian, Darwin’s “Theory of Evolution” has been translated into what reads as “Theory of Completion (or progression)”. As if the translation of the title was intended to subvert the very essence of Darwin’s argument to serve Theology. The vain efforts of an out-dated first and worst system of explaining the world to accommodate modernity, logic and reason such that it serves their theistic dogma. Is there a logical way of explaining why some remain insistent on the Supernatural explanation of the world?
A population of our ancestors existed some 7 million years ago in the depths of Africa. This population formed the roots of the human species as we know it today. For quite some time, our ancestors coexisted with nature. Things naturally continued to change. Resources became sparse, living conditions changed as they always do and our ancestors were faced with the ever present challenge of survival. The only means to survival in the natural world is adaptation and evolution based on natural selection. In nature, evolution does not imply that “bigger is better” or “the latter indicates progress compared to the former”. A subtle but most important nuance in the science of Evolution.
One would easily assume based on scientific evidence of statistics, biology, chemistry and so forth that no two individuals in a given population are the same while they certainly share and are built upon many common characteristics. In fact it is easy to conclude that if we are genetically identical to certain chimpanzees by over 98%, we must certainly be similar to each other (human beings) by over 99%. But it is the very fraction of a percentage that differentiates human beings and any other living organism which in turn drives the Darwinian Evolution machine forward in time.
A given population of our ancestors (possibly the only population of our species at that time) certainly varied in genetic makeup and characteristics. In fact the likelihood of parallel variant species of our ancestors co-existing is very high and increases over the approximately seven million years or so. That given population of early Hominids was faced with a natural and inevitable challenge of survival. In certain periods, this challenge would manifest itself as limitations in resources and habitat. Many of our ancestors would succumb to those challenges. Their minor genetic variations would not facilitate the ability or even urge to react to changing conditions. A small portion of that population possessed certain abilities (characteristics) that guaranteed their survival. Although many of the survival mechanisms are physical and manifest themselves as color, size, strength etc., many others are Psychological. In its broad sense, Psychology is not limited to Humans and can apply to many other complex organisms.
There is reason to believe that our Hominid ancestors in Africa did not survive the challenges of their time by physical means only. There must have been Psychological factors that contributed to our survival and evolution. Some other means of survival besides physical was needed to help our ancestors overcome the contemporaneous challenges. Our ancestors in Africa needed a strong sense of Curiosity, a certain degree of Paranoia and a significant dose of Courage to be able to leap into the unknown and walk out of what was becoming a hellhole of an existence. There must have been many instances over the past seven million years when the human species faced obliteration. Whatever the circumstances, certain changes could only be overcome by migration. Only a small sample of our ancestors survived. They didn’t survive because they were bigger or smaller as in the case of the dinosaurs. They didn’t survive because they were stronger physically as in the case of the sharks or crocodiles. They didn’t survive due to their skin color or even because of an ability to walk upright. That small sample of our ancestors survived because some of their physical characteristics were complemented by an array of psychological characteristics that helped (or urged) them to survive. These characteristics must have included Curiosity, Paranoia and Courage.
Those of our ancestors who survived must have been enormously curious to be able to overcome the intense inhibitions surrounding them and walk into the unknown and outside of their usual habitat. A habitat that was making existence increasingly difficult if not impossible. A habitat forming a set of circumstances that was rapidly killing off our species. Without curiosity our ancestors would never have been able to move forward and outward. Curiosity may have also contributed to the Courage gene. Therefore a small sample of our ancestors existed because they were intensely curious and fearless. Not the only factors that may have contributed to our survival but certainly important ones under those circumstances.
A small sample of our ancestors survived because of a curios gene that enhanced their courage to move away and into the unknown! One can safely assume that only those of our ancestors who carried a particular genetic makeup that manifested curiosity and courage possibly survived and passed those characteristics on to future generations. Those who were not curious and fearless of the unknown simply died away. These characteristics would naturally perpetuate as they were passed on over the next few million years thereby hardwiring any future variant of the Homo genus with a dose of curiosity that kept them looking outward.
Eventually, those of our ancestors with certain characteristics or some combination thereof survived, expanded and multiplied. In the very early stages, that small population would face new and different challenges. For example along their journey in various directions they would be extremely vulnerable to predators and changed living conditions. Many of those curious primitive/early Hominids would not survive their curiosity after approaching unknown predators or dangerous cliffs or poisonous new foods. Many others would be oblivious to lurking danger of all kinds and succumb easily to various threats. A small sample of those early Hominid populations would carry the germ of a gene that would contribute to creating a key survival mechanism. Paranoia!
Only those of our ancestors who would be paranoid and jump and run to safety upon the slightest indication of threat, perceived or otherwise, would be more likely to survive. The paranoia “genes” would also be an integral staple of our DNA. Without paranoia, our ancestors would not have the urge to run away from the slightest crackle in the woods or rumble in the sky.
Among the key characteristics that helped our ancestors through a few bottlenecks of survival over the last three, four million years would have been Curiosity, Paranoia, Courage and a healthy appetite to delve into the unknown. A varying combination of the above would be instrumental in shaping how we survived at various periods and how we could be in the future. Shrinking and expanding populations of one group initially, and eventually various groups of our ancestors descending from a common population sample in Africa who were curious, paranoid and courageous. Psychological characteristics functioning in tandem with physical characteristics that resulted in the only remaining species in the homo genus. Curiosity, Paranoia and courage was therefore baked deep into the core of our existence.
Eventually these same characteristics would contribute to other aspects of our evolution. Our curiosity would compel us to know why it rains or there is thunder or earthquake or day or night. Paranoia would drive us insane with the discomfort of not knowing or understanding. After millions of years of evolution those of our ancestors who had survived because they were curious, paranoid and courageous would start to go mad. Many of our ancestors would die of madness if they didn’t die of the tooth ache or other diseases and natural causes. Early manifestations of insanity would most likely be the inability to coexist with others among our species. An isolation which would most certainly cause the extinction of those who did not have the gene to find solace and comfort in not knowing or being able to explain the unknown.
Once again Natural Selection came to the rescue of our species. Those of our more recent ancestors who would not go mad and find some way to comfort their lack of knowledge, survived. They possessed what later evolved into the God Gene! Our ancestors would find comfort in concocting whatever explanation they can get away with as a means to find comfort and solace in an uneasy state of not knowing. Several million years of the curiosity, paranoid and courage Genes evolving as a means of survival was plaguing the very existence of our ancestors. A large and widely spread population of Homo Sapiens who were using tools, making fire, developing culture and forming complex social structures had to deal with knowledge of not knowing. The more knowledge they had, the more they realized they don’t know. They had to come to terms with what they can’t know while they knew that there is a lot they know. The only way our species could have survived at least given the gene pool they resulted from, was to find solace in coming to terms with what they can’t know at any given point in time. Christopher Hitchens was not completely correct in referring to complex Monotheistic religion being the first and worst attempt to explain the world around us. Religion is most likely the epitome or crystallization of our failure to find solace in ignorance. Religion in general and monotheism in particular became the repository of the first worst attempts to explain what we were unable to explain. The real tragedy lies with the fact that Religion acts as a pacifier or neutralizer to some of the most fundamental survival mechanisms we have developed over millions of years. Religion blunts our curiosity and courage while it exploits our paranoia to keep us from embracing change, diversity and variation.
Religion is a negative side effect of a survival mechanism to overcome our intense curiosity that is disproportionate with our limited knowledge and capabilities. Evolved in no way implies perfect. It merely suggests “changed” in ways to accommodate change.
After millions of years, Humans have the means to tap into their courage to overcome the negative side effects of paranoia and curiosity. We can be at peace in the uncomfortable state of knowing that there is a lot we don’t know. We can find solace in projecting our limited knowledge into the future to find comfort in admitting to ignorance. Meanwhile we have the intense curiosity to remain inquisitive yet uncomfortable with what we know. The age old curiosity Genes help us to reach deep into the unknown without fear of constant change and diversity. The helpful part of our paranoia Genes drives us to crawl out of stagnation and dogma. The harmful part of our paranoia Genes compels us to accept the earliest and worst explanations of the world around us in exchange for an ignorant good night’s sleep.
bp
Toronto
January 2012