Paul Ehrlich is a Stanford biologist who wrote the controversial bestseller The Population Bomb in 1968. He’s co-author of a new book, Humanity on a Tightrope, released in 2010, about our human ability to have empathy – to feel what others are feeling.
Paul Ehrlich: We do have the basic equipment to change the way we deal with the world, the environment and other people. The equipment is the nervous system.
Ehrlich said that humans – down to the level of neurons – are specially wired to be empathetic. As an example, he referred to the central metaphor or his book, a tightrope walker. He said a crowd watching a swaying tightrope walker will also tend to sway.
Paul Ehrlich: Because you actually are able to match their movements. There’s all kind of studies now showing that you seem to perform the same activities that you are observing
Ehrlich said that one reason it’s been so difficult for people to experience empathy for people across the globe is that, biologically, we’re not equipped to consider the needs of a tribe of seven billion – that’s Earth’s current human population.
Paul Ehrlich: That is, we still haven’t solved the problem of a small group animal evolved culturally and genetically to deal with groups of 50 to 100 people. We’re now trying to live in groups of 7 billion, and we haven’t solved the problem yet. He described at least one problem that he feels has been caused by our lack of ability to consider the “big” picture.
Ehrlich said that he feels the people most divided by lack of empathy are the rich and the poor.
Paul Ehrilch: We don’t care enough. Put yourself in the position of somebody in Sub Saharan Africa trying to live on less than a dollar a day, and hungry, or somebody sleeping on the street in an American city, not able to find a job. Over maybe too long a career, from some people’s view, I have been struggling, trying to figure out what we need to do to change things, and more and more, as with my colleagues, we come to the point of view that it’s human behavior that needs to be changed.
He mentioned the Millennium Assessment of Human Behavior going on at Stanford University, which he and a number of colleagues are undertaking to tackle the ethical questions of the day, as they relate to the scientific.
Paul Ehrlich: What do we owe the future generations? Is it right to destroy our life support systems without caring about what happens to our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren and their great- grandchildren? It’s a gigantic thought experiment, but it’s a thought experiment we’ve got to do very fast if we’re going to change our behavior in time.
Its’s suprising to me that religion wasn’t mentioned as one of the mechanisms that cause lack of empathy between humans. Talk about the elephant in the room…
It is an interesting topic and seems like it might be a good read.
But am I the only who thinks this is an offensive choice for an image? Seriously, empathy at gunpoint? What is the basis for its inclusion? Is it even in the book? Orchestrated photo-ops such as this do not reflect empathy. Take a photo when this soldier is out “doing his job” and then let’s talk about his “empathy” for the occupied.
Very insightful comment, Raed. I imagine other readers had the same thought, and I’m glad your thought is recorded here!
Sincerely,
Beth
Many too many experts have consciously and willfully chosen NOT to openly discuss the root cause(s)the global predicament resulting from human overpopulation of the Earth because they did not think it would be helpful, I suppose. But look at what silence during the last 60 years has wrought. Elective mutism by so many experts regarding outstanding empirical research of certain human population issues, particularly human population dynamics, has effectively and perniciously vanquished science. This outcome could be the most colossal failure of nerve in human history. The consequences of this incredible mistake do not simply threaten a civilization with collapse. Collapses of civilization have occurred before. Sometimes on a smaller scale and other times on a larger one. But at no time in history can I find records of the precipitation of a human-driven collapse with such profound implications not only for a civilization, but also for life as we know it and the integrity of Earth as a fit place for human habitation. The ‘brightest and best’, most knowledgeable people, those in positions of much influence and great power, have not spoken out loudly, clearly and often enough.
When scientific knowledge is deludedly regarded as a threat to human wellbeing, and intellectual honesty, moral courage and personal accountability are everywhere eschewed, how on Earth do we ever give ourselves so much as a chance of mitigating damages, much less “solving” problems for which we bear a large share of responsibility?
I do not know what the future holds for the children. I am hoping they will find ways to muddle through. If they manage to do so, it will likely not be the result of the efforts of those in my not-so-great generation of elders. We have failed them so far “on our watch” and will continue to do so as long as we continuously choose to keep doing the same unsustainable overconsumption, overproduction and overpopulation activities we adamantly advocate and relentlessly pursue in our time, I suppose.
Silence will not save anyone from anything, and surely will not save humanity from itself.
“Talk of the Nation Special on Population January 6”
What an opportunity!
Willful silence of so many experts as well as broadcasts of ideological idiocy by clever sychophants and duplicitous minions of the wealthy and powerful for the past 60 years that make the mere chance for an intellectually honest and morally courageous conversation on “Talk of the Nation” so potentially valuable now here. Opportunities like this one have been occurring for many years but were routinely missed. A catastrophic failure of nerve by many too many of ‘the brightest and best’ among us who chose, instead of presenting scientific research as was their duty, to foster belief in erroneous preternatural theories; to say whatsoever was politically convenient, economically expedient and socially agreeable; to go along with global gag rules as well as ignore and censor exchanges of sound perspectives regarding human population dynamics and human overpopulation of the Earth. This failure could be one of the great mistakes in human history. I fear our children will come to see it in just that way.
The growth of the human species worldwide could be the proverbial “mother” of human-induced global challenges. If that is so, then failing to acknowledge this predominant challenge will render efforts of humanity to overcome other human-driven, increasingly complex challenges to human wellbeing and environmental health ultimately irrelevant, I suppose.
Please consider that both those who believe human population numbers are exploding and those who believe human numbers are collapsing are correct. Globally, human numbers are undoubtedly increasing, but in some places on the surface of Earth human numbers can easily be seen decreasing. It depends upon your scope of observation. I am perceiving and thinking globally when I report human numbers are skyrocketing. In a similar manner, I can certainly recognize that human numbers in many places (eg, Italy) have been declining. But in order to make that report it is necessary for me to change my scope of observation.
Imagine that a change in one’s scope of observation is like the difference between looking at the forest or the trees. Looking at the forest is like looking at absolute global human population numbers; whereas, looking at the trees is like looking at the population numbers in a place like Italy. Global human numbers can be increasing, while the human population numbers in Italy are decreasing.
So much of the Earth’s environs are being degraded and so many of its natural resources dissipated. So many people are coming. So much time has been wasted. So many opportunities missed. Time is precious….and short. Windows of opportunity are closing, one after another at an accelerating pace. Let us agree not to let this “Talk of the Nation” opportunity be another missed opportunity like so very many others in my lifetime.
We could begin this week by talking to all nations. After all, what are we waiting for? For the clock to run out of time, so as to relieve us of human distinctly human responsibilities we can assume and duties only human beings with feet of clay can perform?
Dear Friends of Deborah Byrd, Beverly Spicer and the community of Earth&Sky,
If ever there was a time and place for open and intellectually honest dialogue about a subject, now here could be the occasion for a conversation regarding the eschewed science of human population dynamics, I believe.
Good people, what is the moral and ethical response to the global predicament we are discussing?
Do reasonable and compassionate human beings have a “duty to warn” of looming threats to future human wellbeing and environmental health, and then sensibly help one another make preparations or are we to pose as if we are blind, deaf and dumb to the predicament and, thereby, let the least fortunate, most poorly situated and simply unaware among us suffer the consequences, come what may?
Is there an expert on the planet with appropriate expertise who will kindly respond to two questions regarding human population dynamics?
I. Based upon the best available scientific research, is the population dynamics of the human species essentially similar to, or different from, the population dynamics of other species?
II. Is the size of the human population on Earth dependent upon, or independent of, the supply of food for human consumption? To put this second question another way, If we objectively examine the relationship between global human population numbers and the total supply of food for human consumption, are absolute global human population numbers the dependent variable or the independent variable?
Thanks to Paul and All,
Steve
My I suggest a further resources to learn more about empathy and compassion.
The Center for Building a Culture of Empathy
The Culture of Empathy website is the largest internet portal for resources and information about the values of empathy and compassion. It contains articles, conferences, definitions, experts, history, interviews, videos, science and much more about empathy and compassion.
http://CultureOfEmpathy.com
Let’s Find 1 Million People Who Want to Build a Culture of Empathy and Compassion
http://Causes.com/Empathy
Dear Deborah Byrd, Paul Ehrlich, Friends and Colleagues:
As humanity’s most luminous beacon of truth, science provides us with a last best hope for the survival of life as we know it on Earth. We must make certain that scientific evidence is never downplayed, distorted and denied by religious dogma, politics or ideological idiocy.
Let us not fail for another year to acknowledge extant research of human population dynamics. The willful refusal of many too many experts to assume their responsibilities to science and perform their duties to humanity could be one of the most colossal mistakes in human history. Such woefully inadequate behavior, as is evident in an incredible conspiracy of silence among experts, will soon enough be replaced with truthful expressions by those in possession of clear vision, adequate foresight, intellectual honesty and moral courage.
Hopefully leading thinkers and researchers will not continue supressing scientific evidence of human population dynamics and instead heed the words of Nobel Laureate Sir John Sulston regarding the emerging and converging, human-driven global challenges that loom ominously before humankind in our time, “we’ve got to make sure that population is recognized…. as a multiplier of many others. We’ve got to make sure that population really does peak out when we hope it will.”
Sir John goes on, “what we want to do is to see the issue of population in the open, dispassionately discussed…. and then we’ll see where it goes.”
In what is admittedly a feeble effort to help John Sulston fulfill his charge to examine all available scientific evidence regarding human population dynamics, please give careful consideration to the following presentation and then take time to rigorously scrutinize the not yet overthrown science from Russell Hopfenberg and David Pimentel regarding human population dynamics and human overpopulation.
http://www.panearth.org/GPSO.htm
Please accept this invitation to discern the best available science of human population dynamics and human overpopulation; discover the facts; deliberate; draw logical conclusions; and disseminate the knowledge widely.
Thank you.
Steve Salmony