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Alternative Futures - Reconstructed Lecture

davidsholz.com · 3,318 words · saved by 1 readers

Prophecy is futile. When I wrote Last and First Men, I missed both Fascism and the Russian Revolution—the two most transformative movements of our century. Let that be a warning against confident predictions. What we can do is envisage possibilities implicit in humanity's present state. To do this, we must analyze today—understand where we are before asking where we might go. How did humanity gain its present position? Not merely through weapons, though these played a part. The two great factors are intelligence and sociality. Our future depends on both. What is intelligence? I define it as insight combined with habit-breaking—the power of dealing with novel situations rather than merely repeating learned responses. Consider our remote ancestor, the spectral tarsier: a small, weak creature with grasping hands, binocular eyes, and a brain adapted for versatility rather than specialization. From that unpromising beginning came manipulation, precise vision, and flexible behavior. Humanity

Alternative Futures - Reconstructed Lecture Original Notes Reconstructed Lecture Introductory prophesy is futile I missed Fascism, & Russia but envisage possibilities — implicit in Man's present state ∴ analyse Today How Man gained his present position intelligence and sociality not merely by weapons Future depends on these Introductory Prophecy is futile. When I wrote Last and First Men , I missed both Fascism and the Russian Revolution—the two most transformative movements of our century. Let that be a warning against confident predictions. What we can do is envisage possibilities implicit i

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