We are natural villagers 20 Jul 2009 We are natural villagers. For most of mankind’s history we have lived in very small communities in which we knew everybody and everybody knew us. But gradually there grew to be far too many of us, and our communities became too large and disparate for us to be able to feel a part of them, and our technologies were unequal to the task of drawing us together. But that is changing. Douglas N. Adams, 1999 [Hat tip Jeb Baugh] Social evolution Technology
Biology What came before Darwin 2 Oct 2009 If ever you wondered what the “default” view was before the modern era began with the late 18th century naturalists, culminating in Darwin, regarding the natural world, this passage, from a philosopher with the odiferous name William Smellie, gives a complete summary. Read More
Evolution Some reading 18 Jul 2009 My longtime correspondent Bill Benzon has a very nice piece on the biological failure of the so-called “literary Darwinism” movement, in particular that of Joseph Carroll, who is the leading exponent of it. As Bill points out, we can mistake cultural tropes for biological traits all too easily. Will Thomas… Read More
Evolution Evolution and economics 28 Sep 2008 It all began with Larry Arnhart giving a “Darwinian” account of the case for financial bailouts. Then David Sloan Wilson rejected the argument from the Invisible Hand. Then Massimo Pigliucci entered the fray. What’s at issue? Read More
I was born in a village and I grew up in a village. I now live in a village, literally on the boundary of a smallish town whose main characteristic is that it is like a village, everybody knows everybody, and that is the reason that I live where I do and why I’m staying put.
Of course, I grew up in a village of some 1500 in a remote region. Where I live now is another village, but this one is not defined by physcial geography. It is more defined by a social geography enabled by mass communications and social networks. I think that was Adams’ point. The world is no longer round, you see.
“The world is no longer round, you see.” WOW! New theorem – “The shortest distance between two points on a sphere (ours) is through the keypad.
It is more defined by a social geography enabled by mass communications and social networks. I think that was Adams’ point. Didn’t Marshall McLuhan say something like that?
Perhaps we are natural villagers, – but for millenia man has tried to escape the country. As the saying from the Middle Ages goes “Stadtluft macht free” (city air make you fee)
And what do we do when we reach the city? Start up small groups of friends and neighbours. We are still villagers.
I always found London rather village like in a strange sort of way. I lived in Brixton for years, very strong sense of community and a very distinctive local identity. Its a vast city split up into little tribal groups and zones.