Domestication
This cartoon is brilliant. Ever since seeing it, I no longer look at dogs the way I did before. They are dumbed-down wolves. Dogs are cute and lovable, but their nature has been distorted to suit humans.
What about us homo saps? Are we more like the cave people or their canine companion? I think the latter. Human nature is probably as much distorted by domestication as it is for dogs.
How long would you or I last in a jungle, hunting and gathering? Do we have any survival skills, apart from not swallowing chicken bones, avoiding traffic accidents and not falling down the escalator?
We are conditioned by the cushy life we are born into. There is food of every kind easily available to all. All it requires is a trip to the supermarket. Shelter is likewise guaranteed and there are no predators or natural dangers to worry about. We inhabit a synthetic world, spending our time within four walls, a carefully controlled and protected environment, almost completely isolated from the natural world. Modern medicine protects us from many dangers, including the effects of our own stupidity. Then there is the dole and a plethora of safety regulations. Just as the dog depends on us for food, medical care, company, entertainment and shelter, so do we humans depend on an army of people and structures that provide us with goods and services.
Harari: "We live in an age of specialisation, where experts know much about a narrow field. We rely blindly on the expertise of others. The human collective knows far more today than did the ancient bands. But at the individual level, ancient foragers were the most knowledgeable and skilful people in history. Survival required superb mental abilities from everyone. When agriculture and industry came along, people could increasingly rely on the skills of others for survival, and new 'niches for imbeciles' were opened up. You could survive and pass on your sub-standard genes by working as a water carrier or assembly line worker."
It can be argued - so I'll do it - that as a species we have been dumbed down and cosseted, just like our dogs and other pets.