added by Ajinkya Wadhwa and · updated 2y ago
A Game of Giants — Wait but Why
- I’ve always felt hope when writing about our struggles at the individual level, and I feel hope in this series too as we look at what’s going on a few floors up on the elevator. But we have a pretty daunting task in front of us—because innate tribalism is only the beginning of what we’re contending with today. Somewhere down the line of human histo... See more
from A Game of Giants — Wait but Why by Tim Urban
Ajinkya Wadhwa added 2y ago
- In the human world, we think of “Me vs. You” selfishness and “Us vs. Them” tribalism as different concepts, but they’re actually just the same phenomenon happening on different parts of Emergence Tower.
from A Game of Giants — Wait but Why by Tim Urban
Ajinkya Wadhwa added 2y ago
- The downside was a major loss of individuality but the survival benefits made it worth the sacrifice, and the multi-celled organism thing stuck.
from A Game of Giants — Wait but Why by Tim Urban
Ajinkya Wadhwa added 2y ago
- For most early humans, forming into giants with other humans wasn’t just an advantage, it was a necessity.
from A Game of Giants — Wait but Why by Tim Urban
Ajinkya Wadhwa added 2y ago
- Many of the most tribal traits come in the form of “Us > Me”—as if the tribal mindset is in direct competition with the me-first selfish mindset.
from A Game of Giants — Wait but Why by Tim Urban
Ajinkya Wadhwa added 2y ago
- Combining both emergent properties made the human tribe an incredible survival machine that allowed the species to stay afloat and thrive in a relentless natural world.
from A Game of Giants — Wait but Why by Tim Urban
Ajinkya Wadhwa added 2y ago
- Sometimes it shows up as a love of conformity. A literal “selflessness.” The inclination to fit in at the expense of your individuality. A susceptibility to groupthink over individual reasoning. A fear of standing out or being disliked and a disdain for those who diverge from group conformity. A very ant-y way to be.
from A Game of Giants — Wait but Why by Tim Urban
Ajinkya Wadhwa added 2y ago
- Human evolution has driven our use of this elevator, striking what’s probably an optimal balance for maximum genetic survival.
from A Game of Giants — Wait but Why by Tim Urban
Ajinkya Wadhwa added 2y ago
- In other words, on the ancient landscape—the one we were designed for—the human being wasn’t really the independent life form of the human race. The tribe was.
from A Game of Giants — Wait but Why by Tim Urban
Ajinkya Wadhwa added 2y ago