LIFESCI 15 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Reining, I Feel Sick, Cuckold
3/13/18
I. Industrial societies: life in an alien environment
II. What is culture?
III. Culture breaks down the fundamental reproductive equation
Industrial Societies: life in an alien environment
- We now live in an alien environment
1. We were hunter-gatherers for millions of years
2. About 8000 years ago we invented agriculture
▪ Reliable food
▪ Bigger groups
▪ Less moving around
3. About 300 years ago: we went industrial
▪ Ma hages, suh as…
- We do’t hae the apait to podue ou o food
- We do’t hae the apait to poduce our own:
o Medicine
o Shoes
o Contact lenses
o houses
- Toda’s eioet is alie; e diffeet fo o EEA
o EEA – our Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness: small group * unpredictable food supply
What is culture?
- Transmission of information by extra-cellular means
o Theefoe… ultue a fee us fo iolog
- Ou eioet is alie, ut…ultue a help us to suie
- What are instincts?
o The degree to which a behavior depends on the environment for expression varies a lot
o At one extreme are behavios that do’t euie a eioetal iput to deelop
o These are called instincts or innate behaviors
- Because of culture and technology, we can no longer trusts our instincts; there is mismatch between
our current world and our EEA
1. Food distribution and production can get us anything we want
2. Birth control reduces cuckoldry risk
3. Day care reduces need for parental investment
4. It’s had to e a teeage
▪ Q: Why is it so hard to be a teenager?
• Most people want to have kids (30 something years old)
• Issue: ou’re having sex starting at 17, the’e alead epodutiel aailale
since 14; o thee’s a ultue
• All this noise in our head nudging us to have sex, culture telling us not to have
sex; conflict between what you want to do and what you think you should do or
not do
5. Firearms reduce need for strength
▪ In the past, the physically biggest individual can control resources, be dominant but with
guns that mindset goes away
▪ Now with crime, anyone can commit it
6. Armies can fight our battles
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
We do(cid:374)"t ha(cid:448)e the (cid:272)apa(cid:272)it(cid:455) to p(cid:396)odu(cid:272)e ou(cid:396) o(cid:449)(cid:374) food. We do(cid:374)"t ha(cid:448)e the (cid:272)apa(cid:272)it(cid:455) to p(cid:396)oduce our own: medicine, shoes, contact lenses, houses. Toda(cid:455)"s e(cid:374)(cid:448)i(cid:396)o(cid:374)(cid:373)e(cid:374)t is alie(cid:374); (cid:448)e(cid:396)(cid:455) diffe(cid:396)e(cid:374)t f(cid:396)o(cid:373) o(cid:396) eea: eea our environment of evolutionary adaptedness: small group * unpredictable food supply. Transmission of information by extra-cellular means: the(cid:396)efo(cid:396)e (cid:272)ultu(cid:396)e (cid:272)a(cid:374) f(cid:396)ee us f(cid:396)o(cid:373) (cid:271)iolog(cid:455) Ou(cid:396) e(cid:374)(cid:448)i(cid:396)o(cid:374)(cid:373)e(cid:374)t is alie(cid:374), (cid:271)ut (cid:272)ultu(cid:396)e (cid:272)a(cid:374) help us to su(cid:396)(cid:448)i(cid:448)e. Thm1: our environment is very alien to our brains. But culture is constrained by biology; tension between us and our genes persists. Reverse experiment: gave animals water flashed noise and lights nausea induced by x rays: animals never learn to stop drinking when the noise and lights occur. Reverse experiment: gave animals water injected it with weird taste electric shock: animals never learn to stop drinking when the weird taste occurs. Some things can not be learned easily.
