Comments on: The iPhone Era: Technological Adaptation and the Future of Human Evolution http://www.jonathanlipps.com/blog/2008/07/the-iphone-era-technological-adaptation-and-the-future-of-human-evolution/ Creativity && Integration Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:09:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Jonathan Lipps http://www.jonathanlipps.com/blog/2008/07/the-iphone-era-technological-adaptation-and-the-future-of-human-evolution/#comment-410 Jonathan Lipps Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:42:58 +0000 http://www.jonathanlipps.com/blog/?p=436#comment-410 Well thanks to all of you for casting doubt on my alarmist (and very possibly unscientific) thesis! Bill, your detraction probably wins just on the basis of how entertaining your anecdote was versus mine, and your point about the relative permanence of adaptations is well taken. I guess my worry was not so much that <i>my</i> children would count as a different species physiologically, but rather that, given that we have observed some physiological changes already in the last 10,000 years, what might we see (or be worried about) as a result of current environmental situations? It's nice to know, whatever the answer, that a caveman still lies within, at least for now. Melissa, I hadn't known that about eyesight! It seems like there are things to be worried about on a much briefer (hardly evolutionary) timescale as well--perhaps general concerns about the atrophy of various organs when not used! "Training ourselves not to be owned" by technology has got to factor in somehow, as you say. And Grandpa, I'm surprised you don't think TV and the radio <i>did</i> ruin us! :-) Well thanks to all of you for casting doubt on my alarmist (and very possibly unscientific) thesis!

Bill, your detraction probably wins just on the basis of how entertaining your anecdote was versus mine, and your point about the relative permanence of adaptations is well taken. I guess my worry was not so much that my children would count as a different species physiologically, but rather that, given that we have observed some physiological changes already in the last 10,000 years, what might we see (or be worried about) as a result of current environmental situations? It’s nice to know, whatever the answer, that a caveman still lies within, at least for now.

Melissa, I hadn’t known that about eyesight! It seems like there are things to be worried about on a much briefer (hardly evolutionary) timescale as well–perhaps general concerns about the atrophy of various organs when not used! “Training ourselves not to be owned” by technology has got to factor in somehow, as you say.

And Grandpa, I’m surprised you don’t think TV and the radio did ruin us! :-)

]]> By: Dave aka Grandpa http://www.jonathanlipps.com/blog/2008/07/the-iphone-era-technological-adaptation-and-the-future-of-human-evolution/#comment-409 Dave aka Grandpa Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:43:26 +0000 http://www.jonathanlipps.com/blog/?p=436#comment-409 I share Bill's and Melissa's reservations about the dangers/risks you mention. I'm old enough to remember all the dire predictions of what Television would do to us and our society; and can recall my mother's mentioning all the dire predictions of what radio would do. Granted, there is always the danger of becoming so infatuated with toys/technology we lose our ability--or at least much of it--to relate to people, human-to-human. I'll bet, using purely human 'tools' I could have found Los Hermanos--quite without an iPhone! :-) Melissa's report of the danger of permanently locked irises made me think of Gollum who did lose his personality for love of a toy--a ring. I share Bill’s and Melissa’s reservations about the dangers/risks you mention. I’m old enough to remember all the dire predictions of what Television would do to us and our society; and can recall my mother’s mentioning all the dire predictions of what radio would do. Granted, there is always the danger of becoming so infatuated with toys/technology we lose our ability–or at least much of it–to relate to people, human-to-human. I’ll bet, using purely human ‘tools’ I could have found Los Hermanos–quite without an iPhone! :-)

Melissa’s report of the danger of permanently locked irises made me think of Gollum who did lose his personality for love of a toy–a ring.

]]> By: Melissa http://www.jonathanlipps.com/blog/2008/07/the-iphone-era-technological-adaptation-and-the-future-of-human-evolution/#comment-408 Melissa Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:56:51 +0000 http://www.jonathanlipps.com/blog/?p=436#comment-408 You probably know this already (you seem like the spelunking type) but I learned earlier this year while spelunking that it takes only two weeks of being in complete pitch black darkness for our pupils to become permanently locked in dilation. Any sunlight after this two week period will pass through the pupil and burn your retina, thus rendering you completely blind. We're more fragile than we think. Our guide told us that the only way to prevent this--should we ever randomly find ourselves trapped underground for any significant period of time--is to expose our eyes a few minutes per day to the light of an Indiglo watch. Even 3 or 4 minutes a day (can't remember the exact amount of time) is enough to work our pupils so they won't become locked. I sort of feel like our relationship to iPhones/Internet/Google is similar. We can continue to blindly embrace/consume the next cutting edge technological product, or we can be aware of the effects and train ourselves to not be owned by them. Like I said, I'm not going to completely abandon the benefits of technology and move into the wilderness, but as long as we are aware of the potential harm and intentionally live counter-culturally (instead of just mindlessly consuming product and technology), I think we are on the right trajectory. You probably know this already (you seem like the spelunking type) but I learned earlier this year while spelunking that it takes only two weeks of being in complete pitch black darkness for our pupils to become permanently locked in dilation. Any sunlight after this two week period will pass through the pupil and burn your retina, thus rendering you completely blind.

We’re more fragile than we think.

Our guide told us that the only way to prevent this–should we ever randomly find ourselves trapped underground for any significant period of time–is to expose our eyes a few minutes per day to the light of an Indiglo watch. Even 3 or 4 minutes a day (can’t remember the exact amount of time) is enough to work our pupils so they won’t become locked.

I sort of feel like our relationship to iPhones/Internet/Google is similar. We can continue to blindly embrace/consume the next cutting edge technological product, or we can be aware of the effects and train ourselves to not be owned by them. Like I said, I’m not going to completely abandon the benefits of technology and move into the wilderness, but as long as we are aware of the potential harm and intentionally live counter-culturally (instead of just mindlessly consuming product and technology), I think we are on the right trajectory.

]]> By: Bill http://www.jonathanlipps.com/blog/2008/07/the-iphone-era-technological-adaptation-and-the-future-of-human-evolution/#comment-407 Bill Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:53:18 +0000 http://www.jonathanlipps.com/blog/?p=436#comment-407 I tend to think that what you refer to as our natural adaptations (the peculiar ways humans have making sure that we eat and fuck, i.e., survive) are a set of skills and behaviors that have developed over very long periods of time (deep into human prehistory) and that they are also much, much more durable cognitive structures than we often realize. In other words, I don't think we're going to learn how to forget to remember (so to speak) anytime soon. A couple years ago I housesat for a couple that had 3 dogs, one of which had, shall we say, some behavioral issues. He was the alpha and wanted to make sure everyone knew it. Next door was this house were there were also a bunch of fenced-in dogs (one of which was another alpha) that always barked like hell when we went for walks--in particular there was this one Rottweiler that was like a machine, just jumping back-and-forth, barking like mad, slamming against the driveway gate that stood between him and us. Of course one day, as we're walking towards said gate, this frigtard who lived in said house drive right by us and up to the gate. And then proceeded to casually get out of his car and open the gate so he could drive in... Next second all hell breaks loose and the Rottweiler's charging straight at us with a handful of equally maniacal terriers and midget dogs in tow. And then something happened--I seriously just flipped the fuck out. I screamed at the guy to restrain his dogs, gripped the leashes tight on my own, and then just kind of hunched over and wanted nothing more than to rip the throats out of every one of those dogs running down the hill. Some caveman part of my brain took over and everything--I mean everything--else just fell out of consciousness, even visual perception and my sense of time, all I wanted to do was tear their guts out. Anyway, I was able to break up the tussle, I suspect largely because my freak-out actually scared all the dogs. Bloodbath averted. Just in time for the frigtard to arrive and offer to help pick up all the mail I had let drop all over the road... Anyway, my point being... I'm skeptical of just how quickly or deeply technological innovation is going to change those caveman parts of our brains, all those natural adaptations. It's more like they just sit there without doing anything. Maybe they'll go away, but on a very long-term evolutionary timescale, not a human one. We don't really suppress them, we just...don't need them. Who knows whether the iPhone really kept you from looking around for Los Hermanos. Maybe you wanted to play with your new gadget, and this offered itself up as a good opportunity. But take away the iPhone, the computer, the buildings and buses and cars. Drop yourself and maybe a couple other people in the middle of a forest or jungle or any environment where there's at least a little something to eat, and I bet it would be like freeze-dried food: all those natural adaptations the developed over aeons will kick right back in. You'll discover some switches flipping that you never thought you had. I tend to think that what you refer to as our natural adaptations (the peculiar ways humans have making sure that we eat and fuck, i.e., survive) are a set of skills and behaviors that have developed over very long periods of time (deep into human prehistory) and that they are also much, much more durable cognitive structures than we often realize. In other words, I don’t think we’re going to learn how to forget to remember (so to speak) anytime soon.

A couple years ago I housesat for a couple that had 3 dogs, one of which had, shall we say, some behavioral issues. He was the alpha and wanted to make sure everyone knew it. Next door was this house were there were also a bunch of fenced-in dogs (one of which was another alpha) that always barked like hell when we went for walks–in particular there was this one Rottweiler that was like a machine, just jumping back-and-forth, barking like mad, slamming against the driveway gate that stood between him and us. Of course one day, as we’re walking towards said gate, this frigtard who lived in said house drive right by us and up to the gate. And then proceeded to casually get out of his car and open the gate so he could drive in… Next second all hell breaks loose and the Rottweiler’s charging straight at us with a handful of equally maniacal terriers and midget dogs in tow. And then something happened–I seriously just flipped the fuck out. I screamed at the guy to restrain his dogs, gripped the leashes tight on my own, and then just kind of hunched over and wanted nothing more than to rip the throats out of every one of those dogs running down the hill. Some caveman part of my brain took over and everything–I mean everything–else just fell out of consciousness, even visual perception and my sense of time, all I wanted to do was tear their guts out. Anyway, I was able to break up the tussle, I suspect largely because my freak-out actually scared all the dogs. Bloodbath averted. Just in time for the frigtard to arrive and offer to help pick up all the mail I had let drop all over the road…

Anyway, my point being… I’m skeptical of just how quickly or deeply technological innovation is going to change those caveman parts of our brains, all those natural adaptations. It’s more like they just sit there without doing anything. Maybe they’ll go away, but on a very long-term evolutionary timescale, not a human one. We don’t really suppress them, we just…don’t need them. Who knows whether the iPhone really kept you from looking around for Los Hermanos. Maybe you wanted to play with your new gadget, and this offered itself up as a good opportunity. But take away the iPhone, the computer, the buildings and buses and cars. Drop yourself and maybe a couple other people in the middle of a forest or jungle or any environment where there’s at least a little something to eat, and I bet it would be like freeze-dried food: all those natural adaptations the developed over aeons will kick right back in. You’ll discover some switches flipping that you never thought you had.

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