Say-So

A few days ago I finally shelved a book which in many respects was an undercurrent in my personal life for the past 2 years.
The title: “The Mating Mind” by Geoffrey Miller. The glossary section at the end of the book defines terms such as “assortative mating”, “fitness indicator”, “extended phenotype”, it also lists - “death”. Death is defined as “A misfortune that precludes further courtship or reproduction”. The meaning of life, according to Sexual Selection Theory promoted by this book, can be inferred
from that definition.
It is a tremendous leap to understand how the biological reproductive differences between genders, expressed through social behavior, altered by evolution over a couple of million years, have amounted to our modern society where we all share in the pool of “millions of acts of courtship, in which we are neither the producer nor the intended receiver”. Humans as species, have been pre-selecting creativity, fantasy and flare as exciting courtship models, conditioning our minds to produce most amazing works of art and fiction. Yet these are the same qualities which make us fallible to “forms of ideological display:
(such as) armchair speculation, entertaining narratives, comforting ideas and memorable anecdotes”, making it easy to deviate from logical scientific reasoning and analysis. I will quote this witty and insightful paragraph, which sums up the point:
“Imagine some young hominids huddling around a Pleistocene campfire, enjoying their newly evolved language ability. Two males get into an argument about the nature of the world, and start holding forth displaying their ideologies. The hominid named Carl proposes:
‘We are mortal, fallible primates who survive on this fickle savanna only because we cluster in these jealousy-ridden groups. Everywhere we have ever traveled is just a tiny, random corner of a vast continent on an unimaginably huge sphere spinning in a vacuum. The sphere has traveled billions and billions of times around a flaming ball of gas, which will eventually blow up to incinerate our empty, fossilized skulls. I have discovered several compelling lines of evidence in support of these hypotheses…’. The hominid named Candide interrupts:
‘No, I believe we are immortal spirits gifted with these beautiful bodies because the great god Wug chose us as his favorite creatures. Wug blessed us with this fertile paradise that provides just enough challenges to keep things interesting. Behind the moon, mystic nightingales sing our praises, some of us more than others. Above the azure dome of the sky the smiling sun warms our hearts. After we grow old and enjoy the babbling of our grandchildren, Wug will lift us from these bodies to join our friends to eat roasted gazelle and dance eternally. I know these things because Wug picked me to receive this special wisdom in a dream last night.’ ”
Needless to say, Eve and Candide got together and went on to produce many children and great, great, great grand children. And so we are today, still believing in the ancient bed time story made up by our great grand father - Candide.
Thank You, Juan.