BioscienceDiscussion

Bioscience – Discussion 3
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Bioscience – Discussion 3
Question 1
I have always believed that human beings are the superior being in the planet because of the ability to reason and make a rational decision. Truth be told, the human brain is said to be more developed, and this is what separates humans from animals. According to Yuval Noah Harari presentation in the TED talk I watched earlier, holding such sentiments is misleading as evidenced in his TED talk titled, Why humans run the world. He posits that Homo sapiens were very insignificant during the prehistoric era and had a little impact on the planet. However, with time we (humanity) rose above all other species, and today people rule the world and dominate it in all aspects of survival. Firstly, this has been facilitated by the ability of humankind to maintain cooperation in large numbers, unlike animals.
Yuval Harari made it clear that people organize groups such as communities unified by the conformity to the same rules that ensure peaceful coexistence and eliminate any conflicts whatsoever. We also possess an inherent trait that allows us to remain united for prolonged periods (Udbhav, 2017). The second condition is that the social framework developed from the cooperation exhibits flexibility, such that it accommodates strangers without limiting the number of those involved. Even social animals such as bees and wolves that live harmoniously can only extend the same treatment to acquaintances implying that there has to be a personal relationship for them to cooperate like us.

Question 2
I gathered from the video that Yuval Harari thinks the unique role that human beings have on the planet is attributed to their cooperation in large numbers with strangers. The unifying factor that keeps us glued together is the imagination that allows people to invent fictional stories. Animals are incapable of reinventing narratives that they can all believe in the same way as we do. Yuval’s presentation brings to light a new concept pegged on the fictional stories spread over the masses such that they become a part and a parcel of their existence. When a large group of people believes in the same ideologies (fictions) they adopt the same laws, and in so doing they form a social network that can take different forms including religious and economic ones. Therefore, according to the speaker, things such as God and Heaven are our own creation, and do not have meaning outside the realm of humanity. To animals, the fictional stories are non-existent, and this is what differentiates them from humans (Udbhav, 2015). He also mentions the case of human rights where he argues that they form the foundation of legal systems while in reality, they are just inventions that are absent in fact. Just like wolves and chimps, I have no rights because such liberties are products of fictional entities created by humankind,
Question 3
In my opinion, Yuval’s argument comes as a surprise to me because I have always thought that it is the human mind that makes us more superior than chimps and other species on the planet. My point of view on the rise of humans is that it is a gradual process linked to the evolution theory coined by Charles Darwin. As the living conditions become difficult for human survival, they had to adopt through a natural selection, and it is from here that the mind developed giving humanity an intellect. Therefore, the IQ, in my opinion, is the primary reason behind humanity’s dominance on the Earth. This can be evidenced by the inventions and huge steps we have made since the prehistoric time to present.
References
Udbhav, R. (2017). Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. Journal of the Practice of Cardiovascular Sciences, 3(1), 61.
Udbhav, R.TED. (2015, July 24). Why humans run the world Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com