Phil asks whether fittest should be replaced with adaptability. K Sera argues that fittest implies adaptability. Micah blames capitalism.
In this episode we have discuss the podcast itself, Darwinism, what the word fit means, what did our parents play when they were children, playing outside in the 90s as a child, the pandemic as an enemy, military cosplay, media reaction to tan suits and long ties, and the decline of Pax Americana.
Note: This podcast was originally recorded in the early winter of 2020, almost a year before the publication of the episode. Phil makes a terrible risk assessment of MAGA supports and protestors, once again proving how foolish it is to make predictions.
Show notes:
Playing outside back in the 90s
Pandemic fatalities compared to other death comparisons are fraught
Why do societies fail, from Jared Diamond
K Sera’s afterthoughts:
- Phil… words can and do have more than one definition. Fitness: n. 1.) The condition of being physically fit and healthy. 2.) The quality of being suitable to fulfill a particular role or task. 3.) (Biology) An organism's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.
- While listening to our discussion, It really hits me hard just how incredibly different we three approach the world. Micah is like a pessimistic black hole of despair who believes revolution and war are on the horizon on our home soil; Phil’s actions demonstrate hope for the future, but his words suggest deep concerns and the expectation of imminent failure; and then there is me, the lizard, who is cautiously optimistic about humanity’s path forward, but also kind of apathetic about humanity's long-term survival.
Despite our different views, we all kind of agree on a few key things: bad people need to be held accountable for their bad actions and our current situation is not particularly promising. Humanity is walking a tightrope, and none of us knows just how far we’ll fall if we lose our balance.
Here is why I don’t think we are imminently doomed: Humanity has faced down traumatic and devastating situations in the past and we’ve survived and learned from them (maybe not always as much as we’d like, but we are generally heading in the direction of improvement). We might fail and we might fall, but maybe (hopefully) not permanently. Or, we might keep our footing and be just fine. People are resilient and highly adaptable. People are creative. The game isn’t over until there are no more players on the field. What I’m saying is we still have a chance.
Here’s why, despite my optimism, I’m also relatively apathetic about humanity’s end game survival: There really isn’t much I can or will do as an individual to make an impact on humanity’s overall future. Of course I do small things within my power towards the goal of survival, but humanity’s direction is an ocean tide I can’t actually stop by myself. Worrying incessantly about things that I can’t control or won’t change is pointless and unhealthy. The best I can do is to change the things I can change and adapt as best I can to things I can’t control.
Or, as Teddy Roosevelt* said: “Do what you can with what you have, where you are.” (*and I guess Bill Widener, and probably other people, honestly. It’s a good quote.)
In the end, que sera sera.
Phil’s afterthoughts:
-I just want to say I was so wrong in this podcast. When I re-listen to this episode I cannot believe what I said about how Trump supports were not really a threat to anyone (and that they are just cosplaying). But little did I know that only a month later (from the original recording of this podcast) that we would have a national event in the congressional halls of Washington DC. K Sera is right, people are terrible at making predictions.
-With that in mind, I hope I am also wrong about our chances of surviving as a nation. Every day there is more evidence that the system is owned by the wealthiest 0.1% of America. At this point we are firmly an oligarchy. And yet my predictions are often wrong, so perhaps this is wrong as well. Individuals that only follow intuition are prone to follow the impulsive and the immediate gratification of an answer. I hope that I am just a lazy thinker, and that the world is more complex and that humanity is not as selfish and self-destructive as it seems. I do so hope.