The Enduring Nature of Humanity: Why Fundamental Problems Persist Despite Rapid Change

This podcast episode, "Humanity changes slowly, if at all," by Dr. Orion Taraban, challenges the common modern perception that humanity is undergoing unprecedented, unrecognizable transformation due to rapid social and technological advancements. While acknowledging the dramatic pace of surface-level societal evolution, the core argument posits that the fundamental aspects of human existence and relationships remain remarkably constant. The episode draws an analogy between passionate, short-lived romantic relationships and fervent belief systems or political movements, suggesting that those that burn brightest often burn out fastest, citing the Soviet experiment's relatively brief 69-year lifespan as a historical example.

The central premise for humanity's slow pace of change lies in the unyielding nature of certain existential problems that cannot be 'solved' and thus perpetually demand human attention and energy. These include the basic imperatives of biology, the necessities of survival, and the unchanging criteria for emotional well-being and spiritual fulfillment. These deep-seated aspects are intrinsically linked to the human organism and cannot be superseded by transient ideologies; instead, any ideology seeking to endure must accommodate these enduring realities. The podcast starkly illustrates this with the biological imperative of reproduction, noting that humanity is always at most 50 years from extinction if no new children are born.

Furthermore, the episode highlights that despite technological progress, humanity is not an 'enlightened race,' pointing to the fact that the bloodiest conflict in history occurred only 75 years ago, within living memory. It argues that societal institutions, though appearing permanent, are imperfect attempts to address perennial issues such as survival, aggression, scarcity, and well-being, which are constant companions of the human condition. These problems, the podcast asserts, have always been with us and always will be.

The practical insight offered is that acknowledging these persistent realities might help spare humanity from the devastation often wrought by an unbridled passion for radical, rapid change. The episode concludes with a call for a more humble, long-term perspective, suggesting that attempts to force rapid, fundamental shifts in human nature or societal structure are ultimately unsustainable and will burn themselves out, much like intense but fleeting passions. It advocates for an understanding that deep change, if it occurs, happens slowly, echoing the proverb, "Oh snail climb mount fuji but slowly slowly."

Humanity changes slowly, if at all.

It can sometimes feel as though humanity as we know it is becoming increasingly unrecognizable with each passing year however this isn't actually the case.

As complex as modern society seems to be it is still a collection of relationships between and among individuals so much of what is true about relationships remains true about society.

The ones that burn the hottest and brightest are often the ones that burn for shorter amounts of time.

The Soviet experiment for example lasted 69 years a blink of an eye in the history of humanity which is hundreds of thousands of years old in its most mature evolutionary state.

There seem to be limits on how quickly humanity can change.

Some problems of existence cannot be solved and therefore will always demand much of our time energy and attention.

The human race is always at most 50 years away from extinction if no further children were born today humanity would be functionally extinct in 50 years and that's a maximum projection.

We are not an enlightened race.

Problems that they albeit imperfectly attempt to solve are issues of survival aggression scarcity well-being are always with us and always will be with us.

Acknowledging these realities might spare some of the devastation wrought by the passion for change but if they don't remember that they too will burn themselves out.

Oh snail climb mount fuji but slowly slowly.