In much of the evolutionary timeline that shaped our nervous systems, it was normal to be in a state of heightened awareness looking out for predators and other threats.
That’s true. But that’s not what defines being human.
We would have to look at the evolutionary conditions of the species Homo sapiens (whenever we define its beginning) as the evolutionary context, rather than the 4 billion years that came before. In doing so, it would probably still make sense to look at the most recent period during which our neural development was still able to keep pace with our social evolution… so somewhere between the emergence of the various human species and the Bronze Age, I suppose.
After all, we wouldn’t consider the lifestyle of a T-Rex to be a natural context for the evolution of the chicken.
In much of the evolutionary timeline that shaped our nervous systems, it was normal to be in a state of heightened awareness looking out for predators and other threats.
“In a state” implies impermanence. Stressors of modern life rarely are.
That’s true. But that’s not what defines being human.
We would have to look at the evolutionary conditions of the species Homo sapiens (whenever we define its beginning) as the evolutionary context, rather than the 4 billion years that came before. In doing so, it would probably still make sense to look at the most recent period during which our neural development was still able to keep pace with our social evolution… so somewhere between the emergence of the various human species and the Bronze Age, I suppose.
After all, we wouldn’t consider the lifestyle of a T-Rex to be a natural context for the evolution of the chicken.