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Key points
- Humans have a unique brain, with a massive neocortex.
- Physiology determines how this brain works.
- You can do things to optimize your physiology.
- We can be a better species for ourselves and our Earth.
What does it mean to be human? And in this regard we are talking about Homo sapiens, the most modern species of humans, dating back only 300,000-250,000 years. Keep in mind that the universe is 27-14 billion years old and life first appeared on Earth about 4 billion years ago. Human species go back nearly 1 million years, but we, Homo sapiens, are brand new on this scale.
What is different about Homo sapiens? In general we have little fur, but so do other species. We walk upright and somewhat awkwardly, but so do other species. We have opposable thumbs, but so do other species. We are relatively slow and weak, but there are other species that have survived with these traits.
Perhaps being upright resulted in hiding female genitals and the unique evolutionary compensation for this was humans' extroverted lips and adult females having relatively permanent enlargement of their breasts. But what is really unique in Homo sapiens is their brains, specifically their neocortex, or new cortex. The cortex implies the surface of the brain.
All mammals have a neocortex for taking in and processing information from the internal and external environments. And then the neocortex responds to this information in some fashion, all in an effort to protect and propagate the species. However, Homo sapiens' neocortex is massive. Even relative to other great apes, including our human ancestors, the ratio of Homo sapiens' neocortex to other brain structures is twice as large. It is this evolutionary development that gives us our large and awkward heads with a prominent vertical forehead perched over our eyes.
Sapio is based on the Latin verb sapere, which means to be wise or to have sense. When naming the species, we’ll assume this was an optimistic hope for the species not a confabulated or sarcastic labeling. Although, not universally wise, Homo sapiens are profoundly smart, and perhaps that is where the confusion lies: Intellect doesn't automatically convert to wisdom. They are different.
There is wisdom in nature even absent keen cognitive intelligence. A great concession is to acknowledge that Homo sapiens are different from any other species in both their neocortical aptitudes and ineptitudes. The Homo sapiens neocortex is so unique that moving forward it will be referred to for its potential, not its reality, as the sapiocortex.
The sapiocortex is what gives Homo sapiens the ability to form complex social contracts, vivid imaginations, cognitive constructs, and symbolic narratives. The sapiocortex has enabled humans to connect, dream, create, communicate, and dominate the Earth as the apex species.
When Homo sapiens feel safe, they are capable of empathy, generosity, compassion, and kindness. They also create spectacular works of music and art, advanced tools and technologies, and transcending poetry and prose. Within the physiological state created by a sense of safety, Homo sapiens can thrive and reside in peace and connection.
Threat physiology biases the sapiocortex towards defensive strategies. Selfishness and self-protection are prioritized. Contemplation gives way to reaction. Imagination gives way to paranoia. Creation gives way to vigilance. Faith and peace are replaced with rigid belief and conflict.
Unfortunately, we live in a world of chronic, unrelenting threat, where our individual behaviors are biased to be antisocial or asocial. Social contracts divide into us-versus-them. Paranoid ideations vilify the them. Symbolic narratives destroy the others, and rigid beliefs entrap us—and within this trap we all suffer. This version of Homo sapiens is in a struggle for survival and has turned the species into the apex predator on Earth.
The Homo sapiens brain is to be marveled at in its capacity for good as well as to be scrutinized in its capacity for evil, all along the spectrum from safety to threat. Wisdom isn’t so much learned as it is a state of safety. Wisdom, great wisdom, is within our DNA, but only to be expressed when we are safe. To find wisdom, seek and create safety.
Let’s Make Earth Great Again.
Stay safe and stay tuned,
