“Survival of the Friendliest,” might that be a typo? Do you mean Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory, “Survival of the Fittest?”
No, it was not a typo. I meant to share the new evolutionary theory based on the research of Dr. Brian Hare, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University. This view will challenge the known Darwinian concept that says species survive based on biological fitness in a mechanism of natural selection.
If you are interested, please watch this video clip from National Geographic (~7mins):
There are several studies around the theory of survival, including AI simulations on gene selection/survival. Contrary to our common understanding of Darwin’s evolutionary theory, it now seems that maybe sociability is actually the skill that has helped us successfully survive and evolve as a species.
After reading the research, I am intrigued by this new theory that we probably wouldn’t have survived through the years if we did not exercise our mutual interdependence with our fellow human beings.
The video also mentioned the study on Egosystem versus Ecosystem. Being a curious person, I wonder if the upcoming US Presidential election would provide some supporting points. To me, this new evolutionary theory may explain why it is so crucial for us to develop our Cultural Intelligence (CQ) so that we can create our connection with others on a global scale. It will undoubtedly propel humanity to another level in creative collaboration, for us to achieve many more technological breakthroughs as we continue to thrive for our species’ survival in this universe.
Hopefully, the study triggers some thoughts on how we want to interact with our fellow human beings. (By the way, if you are a dog-lover, Dr. Hare also has some fascinating research on dogs’ behaviours. He is the co-founder of Dognition – google his name for more Youtube clips: here is one: The Genius of Dogs.)
