It is easy to think that the great milestones in history, such as the World Wars or the birth of the Sicilian mafia, were the product of political decisions, battles or social crises. However, the British biologist Lewis Dartnell presents in his essay “Human being” a provocative thesis: biology, our evolutionary limitations and adaptations, as well as the unique characteristics of our planet, played a fundamental role in humanity’s most decisive events. From our ancestors’ diet to genetic mutations, Dartnell explores how these seemingly random and small factors guided the course of history.
Human being
eBook
For Dartnell, biology is a key cog in the machinery of history. Far from attributing the development of humanity exclusively to rational decisions or social structures, the author maintains that It is our biological nature that conditioned many of the great events. For example, if human beings count money in tens, hundreds and thousands, it is because we have ten fingers on our hands, which shows how the biological influences even cultural and mathematical conventions.
This biocentric perspective allows Dartnell to examine the role of our evolution in a wide variety of historical events, questioning the root causes of processes such as spread of Christianity o to building of united states.
Dartnell proposes that evolution favored human groups in which individuals tend to cooperate and collaborate with each other, a trait also observable in species such as bonobos and chimpanzees. According to this thesis, the bases of the human morality They could be deeply rooted in our biology, rather than in philosophical or religious thought.
This theory, which supports the proposal of the primatologist Frans de Waalpoints out that our inclination towards altruism is inscribed in our genes. Thus, the ethical principles that later took shape in religious or philosophical codes would have their origin in our biological nature, instead of being derived from reason, as Kant proposed. Dartnell then proposes a vision of morality as an evolutionary adaptation, useful for group survival.
The work of Dartnell is enriched with specific historical examples that illustrate how biology shaped human history. One of these examples is the battle of trafalgar in 1805, where the British Navyled by Admiral Horatio Nelsondefeated the Franco-Spanish forces. The key to this victory, Dartnell argues, was the health of the British soldiers, who were better fed thanks to the consumption of citrus, a preventive measure against the scurvy that weakened their enemies.
This focus on biological health as a strategic advantage not only galvanized the British at Trafalgar, but also had an unexpected side effect: the increase in lemon cultivation in Sicilywhich triggered a demand for private security to protect the fields, and, over time, the rise of the Sicilian mafia. This interpretation of history as a series of domino effects, guided by biology, allows Dartnell to link seemingly disparate events under a single common thread.
One of Dartnell’s most original ideas is how certain biological limitations in humans they had repercussions important. In his work, the author focuses on the inability of our body to synthesize vitamin Ca defect that does not manifest itself while consuming fresh fruits and vegetables. However, during the transoceanic voyages that began at the end of the 15th century, sailors ate diets composed almost exclusively of salted meat and biscuits, which caused a critical lack of this vitamin and the development of scurvy. The ability of the English to overcome this weakness thanks to the consumption of citrus fruits strengthened their fleets, evidencing how a genetic mutation that seemed irrelevant in daily life came to have an impact on the military and political history of the world.
In Human beingDartnell does not limit itself to analyzing the biological impact on specific events; It also examines how our nature influenced the development of moral and religious beliefs. The author postulates that human morality has its roots in our simian nature more than in abstract reasoning. This perspective suggests that the emergence of religions and organized ethical systems was not an exclusive product of civilization, but rather a formalization of behaviors already present in the community life of our ancestors. Like other social behaviors, morality would have evolved as a mechanism to promote group cohesion and cooperation, something essential for survival of the first human groups.
Inspired by the Nobel Prize quote François Jacobwho described nature as a “bubbler” rather than a perfect creator, Dartnell argues that evolution It does not follow a master plan nor is it guided by an idea of perfection. On the contrary, evolution is the result of accidental mutations and adjustments which, if they are beneficial, remain in the species. In this sense, human beings are the product of a series of “magnificent botches,” in which some seemingly insignificant mutations can become determining factors in history.
