The brain, human evolution, the universe and beyond our insignificance

I wanted to write about conflict management but came across some other interesting ideas which will lead me towards conflict management and even resolution.

First if war starts in the mind then we should first understand the brain and then work on its adaptation:

Check out a new animation from New Scientist

brain interactive

And Stephen Hawking  has been ruminating on human evolution

We are now entering a new phase, of what Hawking calls “self designed evolution,” in which we will be able to change and improve our DNA. “At first,” he continues “these changes will be confined to the repair of genetic defects, like cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy. These are controlled by single genes, and so are fairly easy to identify, and correct. Other qualities, such as intelligence, are probably controlled by a large number of genes. It will be much more difficult to find them, and work out the relations between them. Nevertheless, I am sure that during the next century, people will discover how to modify both intelligence, and instincts like aggression.”

If the human race manages to redesign itself, to reduce or eliminate the risk of self-destruction, we will probably reach out to the stars and colonize other planets. But this will be done, Hawking believes, with intelligent machines based on mechanical and electronic components, rather than macromolecules, which could eventually replace DNA based life, just as DNA may have replaced an earlier form of life.

Casey Kazan

And while we are considering reaching out to the stars, anyone who has a rather inflated view of him/herself  should take a look through the Hubble telescope and consider how insignificant they are in comparison to the ‘big picture’

Next post on issues around conflict, conflict management and training

Advertisements