I think individual humans have negligible control over history, and if we want to understand why history unfolds as it does, we need to model the behaviour of human populations.
Yes, in that it is produced by our objects and desires. No, in that those objects and desires are largely a product of our environment and circumstances, over which we exercise little real control either as individuals, classes, or as a species.
Yes, in that it is produced by our objects and desires. No, in that those objects and desires are largely a product of our environment and circumstances, over which we exercise little real control either as individuals, classes, or as a species.
I once heard someone on Twitter mention something along the lines of:
"Human history is a sub-set of ecological history"
When you think about it it's obvious, but I think unintuitive to most due to the common misconception that we're masters of our environment. Many people think there is some smart group of people, somewhere in the distance, quietly protecting us from disaster. Unfortunately that group of people doesn't exist.
Yes, in that it is produced by our objects and desires. No, in that those objects and desires are largely a product of our environment and circumstances, over which we exercise little real control either as individuals, classes, or as a species.
I once heard someone on Twitter mention something along the lines of:
"Human history is a sub-set of ecological history"
When you think about it it's obvious, but I think unintuitive to most due to the common misconception that we're masters of our environment. Many people think there is some smart group of people, somewhere in the distance, quietly protecting us from disaster. Unfortunately that group of people doesn't exist.
Well, when I say "environment" I do not exclusively mean the natural environment. If asking questions of desire and volition, common culture seems to me a more significant factor. But then, culture itself and natural ecology are in a complex, reciprocal exchange of cause and effect.