Our Place In The Biosphere
Modern humans are members of a diverse and vast community of organisms. Together, they make up what we know as the Animal Kingdom. A hierarchal structure based upon the process of natural selection. Only those genes that are deemed biologically fit will be passed on from one generation to the next. Death by violence and illness, as well as an inadequate level of reproductive success, are the most common eliminators of those deemed as unfit. Over the past several million years, the bipedal apes have managed to position themselves at the top of this unbroken food chain of unforgiving brutality and bloodshed. A hierarchy divided strictly into hunters and prey.
Humanity reached this feat through an unprecedented explosion of intelligence, the development of speech and diverse cultures, as well as its capacity to create increasingly sophisticated tools over a lengthy period of documented history. However, none of this would have been possible without the development of bipedalism among several extinct species of ape. Dating back to Australopithecus africanus, the original bipedal ape, humans have developed an increasingly upright anatomy. This long and ambiguous journey from primitive ape to fully modernized man is best known as the process of human evolution. It is a puzzling lineage with twists, turns, and dead ends. Eventually, one of the branches of this large and extended family of bipedal apes led to us.
The Industrial Revolution accelerated the impact of mankind on ecosystems across the globe exponentially. A current mass extinction period, known as the Holocene extinction, has wiped out countless species of plant and animal for the past few centuries. The Great Acceleration, known as the period of unparalleled human population growth during the 20th century, has only increased the rate of mass extinction. This development adequately demonstrates the role than mankind has played within the biosphere. As the hunter gatherer. As the most ruthless predator of them all. Undeniably the most dangerous game.
We are known for our large and complex brains. Our collective consciousness is something unseen throughout the Earth’s vast biosphere. Although other apes, like the chimpanzees for example, have demonstrated impressive cognitive abilities, the concept of thought as we understand it is uniquely a human phenomenon. Man’s journey of conscious discovery has led him to even venture off this planet and into the Cosmos. Our desire to study and explain our existence and its meaning is one of the characteristics that distinguish us from the rest of Earth’s living organisms. We wonder if we are alone in the universe, and strive to answer this question through a large and complex system of organizations and entities, ranging from anthropology and space exploration to philosophy and cinema. Humanity is the cultural ape. The one that creates customs and codes of behavior. And also one willing to engage in fierce conflict with itself over these behavioral concepts.
As a direct consequence of the industrial revolution, the burning of fossil fuels has created the environmental phenomenon of global warming. Mankind is strangling the natural equilibrium on Earth. Uniquely human issues, like economics and foreign policy, are far more relevant areas of concern to many people. The environment routinely takes a back seat. However, environmental disasters have increased significantly over the past several decades, and shows no signs of diminishing. An uncertain and frightful reckoning with Mother Nature awaits us.
Throughout history, humans have championed their role as guardians of the Earth, emphasizing their impact on the environment through agriculture and domestication. Many of us look to religion as a means to explain our natural place in the biosphere. However, we must be honest with ourselves about our true nature as the top predator on this planet. We must acknowledge our ruthlessness. The behaviors and characteristics that we’ve needed to exude, throughout the countless generations of human existence, in order to gain and maintain the upper hand over the other beasts. Perhaps then we can achieve the level of self awareness needed in order to unlock our highest potential and purpose.
