Too Smart for Our Own Good : The Ecological Predicament of Humankind

We Are Destroying Our Natural Environment At A Constantly Increasing Pace, And In So Doing Undermining The Preconditions Of Our Own Existence. Why Is This So? This Book Reveals That Our Ecologically Disruptive Behavior Is In Fact Rooted In Our Very Nature As A Species. Drawing On Evolution Theory, Biology, Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Environmental Science And History, This Book Explains The Ecological Predicament Of Humankind By Placing It In The Context Of The First Scientific Theory Of Our Species' Development, Taking Over Where Darwin Left Off. The Theory Presented Is Applied In Detail To The Whole Of Our Seven-million-year History. Due To Its Comprehensiveness, And In Part Thanks To Its Extensive Glossary And Index, This Book Can Function As A Compact Encyclopedia Covering The Whole Development Of Homo Sapiens. It Would Also Suit A Variety Of Courses In The Life And Social Sciences. Most Importantly, Too Smart Makes Evident The Very Core Of The Paradigm To Which Our Species Must Shift If It Is To Survive. Anyone Concerned About The Future Of Humankind Should Read This Ground-breaking Work. This Book: Provides The First And Only Theory Of Humankind's Development; Explains That Economic And Political (military) Power Have Their Respective Biological Bases In Individual Vs. Group Territoriality; Provides The First Classification Of Human Instincts: Into The Survival, Sexual And Social Instincts; Provides The Most Inclusive Characterization Of Different Kinds Of Population Check Yet Presented; Explains The Importance Of The Anthropological, Archaeological And Economic Findings Of The Past 50 Years To Understanding Humankind's Development; Clarifies The Preconditions For Human Life On Earth; Predicts What Will Happen To Us In The Near Future--provided By Publisher. Machine Generated Contents Note: Preface; Introduction; 1. Scientific Ground Rules; 2. The New Views In Anthropology, Archaeology And Economics; 3. Theoretical Background To The Vicious Circle Principle; 4. The Vicious Circle Principle Of The Development Of Humankind; 5. The Development Of Humankind; 6. The Vicious Circle Today; 7. ... And Too Dumb To Change; Conclusion; Notes; References; Glossary; Name Index. Craig Dilworth. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 11 Figures and tables......Page 14 Preface......Page 17 Introduction......Page 19 I. The principle of the conservation of energy......Page 21 IV. The entropy principle......Page 22 Types of resource......Page 23 Products’ life-cycles......Page 25 Entropy and the economy......Page 26 V. The principle of evolution......Page 27 Physical and biological systems......Page 28 Static vs. dynamic equilibrium......Page 29 Positive vs. negative feedback loops......Page 33 Species vs. populations; and karyotype vs. genotype......Page 34 The food chain......Page 36 Increasing biological complexity......Page 38 Vacillation about a mean......Page 39 Checks to growth......Page 40 Internal checks......Page 41 The predator–prey relationship......Page 46 Territoriality......Page 48 The survival, sexual and social instincts......Page 49 Individual territoriality and aggression......Page 52 Territories containing food and breeding sites vs. territories containing only breeding sites......Page 53 Sexual selection......Page 54 Social vs. non-social species......Page 55 Intraspecific rankings and hierarchies......Page 56 Primate hunting, sharing and sophistication......Page 58 Altruism......Page 59 Crowding, stress and aggression......Page 60 Territoriality as an internal population check......Page 62 Migration......Page 63 The pioneering phenomenon......Page 64 IX. The overshoot principle......Page 65 The equilibrium of the human species......Page 66 2 The new views in anthropology, archaeology and economics......Page 68 Food acquisition and population pressure......Page 70 Population control......Page 75 Territoriality......Page 78 Sharing and social stratification......Page 79 State of health, longevity......Page 81 Conflict......Page 84 Ecological sustainability......Page 88 The original affluent society......Page 89 Prehistoric overkill......Page 93 The climate-change hypothesis......Page 102 The purported African counterexample......Page 105 Homo erectus......Page 106 The food crisis in prehistory......Page 107 The industrial revolution......Page 109 ‘The Wild West’......Page 110 Entropy and natural capital......Page 111 Throughput and Spaceship Earth......Page 113 The steady-state economy......Page 114 The principle of population......Page 117 X. The principle of population......Page 119 Different kinds of population check......Page 120 Internal vs. external checks......Page 121 Population growth pushes technology......Page 123 Ecological equilibrium, technological/economic development and economic growth......Page 125 Presentation of the vicious circle principle......Page 127 XI. The vicious circle principle......Page 128 Explication of the vicious circle principle......Page 131 Real, imagined and experienced needs......Page 132 The needs of the powerful vs. the needs of the weak......Page 133 Technological innovation......Page 134 Military technology......Page 135 Domestication of the weak......Page 136 Unintended side-effects......Page 137 Economic development......Page 138 Prerequisite of the existence of resources......Page 139 Increased energy use......Page 140 Resource depletion......Page 141 Waste and pollution......Page 142 New needs......Page 143 Technological development self-perpetuating......Page 144 Creation of a surplus and increased consumption......Page 145 Inferior substitutes......Page 146 Internal vs. external checks......Page 147 Territoriality......Page 148 Cultural (learned) vs. instinctual checks......Page 152 Morality......Page 153 Population growth......Page 155 Population pressure and crowding......Page 157 Migration and centralisation......Page 158 Of technology......Page 159 Of society: specialisation, or the division of labour......Page 160 Territory, property and commerce......Page 161 Social stratification and class societies: the powerful vs. the weak......Page 162 Unequal distribution of the surplus......Page 163 Property and power......Page 164 Social Darwinism......Page 166 Disease and other causes of mortality......Page 167 Stress, aggression and conflict......Page 168 Laws; crime......Page 170 Revolt, terrorism and revolution......Page 172 War......Page 174 Armed conflict as a population check......Page 176 Cultural development......Page 178 Luxury goods and leisure; art and architecture; philosophy and science......Page 179 Economic growth......Page 180 Over-exploitation of resources and population overshoot......Page 182 Diminishing returns and the undermining of technology and human existence......Page 183 Economic decline......Page 184 Conclusion......Page 185 Apes and protohominids 7 million bp......Page 186 The first hominids: Australopithecus 4 million bp......Page 190 Bipedalism......Page 192 Teeth and head......Page 193 Arms, hands and the use of tools......Page 194 Hunting, scavenging and long-distance running......Page 196 Meat sharing, male dominance and the strengthening of the social bond......Page 199 Territoriality......Page 200 Homo habilis and the making of tools......Page 201 Homo erectus......Page 202 Fire......Page 203 Geographic expansion......Page 204 Language......Page 206 The Neanderthals 230,000 bp......Page 208 Geographic expansion......Page 212 Internal population checks......Page 215 Social stratification: hunting ability; men vs. women......Page 216 The Upper Palaeolithic in Europe 40,000 bp......Page 217 Distance from the equator......Page 218 Quality of life......Page 222 Protowar......Page 223 Technological development......Page 225 Weapons......Page 227 Hunting......Page 229 Population growth and possible decline......Page 230 The transformation in America......Page 231 Innovation......Page 233 Increasing population pressure and the beginnings of sedentism......Page 234 Fire......Page 236 Homo sapiens......Page 238 Geographic expansion and the Upper Palaeolithic......Page 239 Distance from the equator......Page 240 Morals, protowar and infanticide......Page 241 The extinction of the Neanderthals......Page 242 Overkill......Page 243 The end of the road, hunting, and quality of life......Page 244 Population growth and possible decline......Page 246 The Mesolithic......Page 247 Sedentism, population growth and population pressure......Page 248 VCP models of increasing complexity......Page 250 The hunter-gatherer model......Page 251 The horticultural (domestication) revolution 10,000 bp......Page 252 Herding......Page 253 Plant domestication......Page 254 Animal domestication......Page 257 Areas where horticulture practised......Page 258 Innovation......Page 259 Social stratification: chiefs and workers/warriors......Page 260 Quality of life......Page 261 Protowar and feuding......Page 263 Herding and the beginnings of class society......Page 265 The Garden of Eden allegory......Page 268 Homo sapiens long acquainted with horticultural technology......Page 269 Resistance......Page 270 Began in marginal areas......Page 272 Population pressure......Page 274 Work......Page 277 Poorer diet......Page 278 Poorer health......Page 279 Social stratification and the redistribution of resources......Page 280 The disarming of the environment (shrinking of the resource base)......Page 281 The need to acquire a surplus (of food)......Page 282 Internal checks: morality; infanticide and protowar......Page 283 Population growth and overshoot......Page 285 The horticultural model......Page 286 Mining metals 6000 bp......Page 287 Iron......Page 288 Innovation and the development of civilisation......Page 290 Resource depletion......Page 294 Population growth......Page 295 Social stratification: kings/pharaohs, serfs and slaves......Page 296 Quality of life......Page 298 War......Page 299 Trade......Page 300 Resource depletion......Page 301 Social stratification: patricians and proles......Page 302 Innovation......Page 303 Resource depletion: extinctions......Page 305 Population checks......Page 306 Social stratification: kings, lords and serfs......Page 307 Quality of life: longevity......Page 308 Herder invasions......Page 309 Colonisation and the (capitalistic) mercantile expansion 1500 ad......Page 312 Social stratification: economic inequality, slavery......Page 313 Innovations......Page 314 VCP analysis of the agrarian era......Page 315 New technology......Page 316 Resource depletion......Page 317 Population pressure......Page 318 Social stratification: militarism and capitalism......Page 319 Surpluses and soldiers......Page 322 Crime and war......Page 323 Population checks and religion......Page 325 The agrarian model......Page 326 Coal (1750)......Page 328 Innovations and economic growth......Page 329 Agriculture and population growth......Page 331 Social stratification: capitalists, labourers and the quality of life......Page 334 Oil (1859)......Page 336 Energy use since the beginning of the industrial revolution......Page 337 Innovations......Page 338 Health and population growth......Page 340 Communication......Page 342 War......Page 343 Nuclear energy (1945)......Page 344 New technology only used when necessary......Page 345 Non-renewable resources......Page 349 New needs......Page 351 Pollution......Page 353 Population growth and checks......Page 354 Quality of life: labour, industrialisation and capitalism......Page 359 The social effects of mechanisation......Page 365 The middle class......Page 366 Territoriality......Page 367 Economic growth......Page 369 The industrial model......Page 372 Our use of minerals......Page 374 Fossil fuels......Page 375 Biotic consumption......Page 377 Energy use......Page 378 Mechanisation......Page 379 Land degradation......Page 380 Deforestation......Page 382 Food production......Page 383 Irrigation and hydroelectricity......Page 385 Global warming......Page 388 Agricultural pollution......Page 389 Nuclear pollution......Page 390 Population growth and checks; morals......Page 391 Migration......Page 392 Power begets more power: capitalism......Page 393 The Third World......Page 394 Third World aid, debt and trade......Page 395 Malnutrition and mortality......Page 399 Third World military spending, etc.......Page 400 Global military spending and war......Page 401 Economic growth......Page 404 Disease......Page 405 The 1950s–1960s peak and the subsequent lowering of the quality of life of the middle class......Page 407 7 ...and too dumb to change......Page 411 Perspectives and worldviews......Page 414 Planning......Page 416 What constitutes economic growth?......Page 417 The preconditions of economic growth......Page 418 The physical effects of economic growth......Page 419 The social effects of economic growth......Page 420 What prompts economic growth?......Page 424 The role of technological development......Page 427 An end in itself......Page 429 The limits to economic growth......Page 431 Innovation......Page 433 Nuclear energy......Page 434 Agriculture......Page 436 The Green Revolution......Page 437 Genetically modified organisms......Page 441 Fossil fuels and poison resistance......Page 443 Medicine......Page 444 Genetic load......Page 445 Resistance......Page 447 Epidemics......Page 448 Resource depletion......Page 449 Pollution......Page 453 Energy conservation......Page 454 Population growth......Page 455 Crime......Page 458 War......Page 461 The Third World......Page 463 Overshoot and the ecological revolution......Page 469 Conclusion......Page 471 Glossary......Page 473 Notes......Page 486 References......Page 517 Index......Page 535 We are destroying our natural environment at a constantly increasing pace, and in so doing undermining the preconditions of our own existence. Why is this so? This book reveals that our ecologically disruptive behaviour is in fact rooted in our very nature as a species. Drawing on evolution theory, biology, anthropology, archaeology, economics, environmental science and history, this book explains the ecological predicament of humankind by placing it in the context of the first scientific theory of our species' development, taking over where Darwin left off. The theory presented is applied in detail to the whole of our seven-million-year history. Due to its comprehensiveness, and in part thanks to its extensive glossary and index, this book can function as a compact encyclopædia covering the whole development of Homo sapiens. It would also suit a variety of courses in the life and social sciences. Most importantly, Too Smart for our Own Good makes evident the very core of the paradigm to which our species must shift if it is to survive. Anyone concerned about the future of humankind should read this groundbreaking work. This volume explains our ecological predicament by contextualizing it against the first scientific theory of humankind's development, drawing on evolution theory, biology, anthropology, archaeology, economics, environmental science and history