monkeysphere

[mellowtigger]

First, though, I just wanted to say that it's 9am and weather.com reports that it's -17F (-27C) outside. I don't have proper attire for staying outside more than a few minutes. *brrrrrr* So why am I expanding my job search to include Alaska? *boggle* Anyway...

A monkeysphere is an interesting concept that I encountered this month. It's an idea that explains the limit, hardwired into our brains, to how many people we can care about in gut-wrenching fashion. It's not necessarily that people beyond that limit cease to matter at all, just that we stop caring so much.

"You see, monkey experts performed a monkey study a while back, and discovered that the size of the monkey's monkey brain determined the size of the monkey groups the monkeys formed. The bigger the brain, the bigger the little societies they built.

They cut up so many monkey brains, in fact, that they found they could actually take a brain they had never seen before and from it they could accurately predict what size tribes that species of creature formed.

Most monkeys operate in troupes of 50 or so. But somebody slipped them a slightly larger brain and they estimated the ideal group or society for this particular animal was about 150.

That brain, of course, was human."

So...

"The Monkeysphere is the group of people who each of us, using our monkeyish brains, are able to conceptualize as people."

The article goes on to talk about the consequences to human society of this hardwired limit, from petty criminals to Osama Bin Laden. It seems that the monkeysphere also plays an important part in the anthropomorphism/ dehumanization issue that I'm also exploring.

I think it's unfortunate that humans requires groups larger than their monkeysphere in order to function effectively any more. I wish for a simpler lifestyle.

Mod +1: My urge to walk into the forest and not come back.

Comments

[dodecadragon.livejournal.com]

I'm so with you on a wish for a simpler lifestyle.

I've been considering the possibility of relocating to South Central Washington state, design and build my own little sustainable zero-energy hovel, grow my own food, live off the land. *sigh*

[mellowtigger]

If I had any money at all, I'd certainly join you! I already have books on my shelves in preparation for this kind of move someday (energy, cooking, building, gardening), but all of it still requires owning land and materials to get it started. *sympathetic sigh*

At worst, though, someday I really may just "walk into the forest". No metaphor. Just start walking and do what bare survival living I can manage without land/home. A little sustainable zero-energy hovel is a much nicer option though. :)

[dodecadragon.livejournal.com]

I think so. :o)

I also have quite a few books on the topics you mention. I'm trying to put together a plan to make it happen within the next five years. I've been researching the cost of land in Washington (because there are no income taxes and it has a lot of renewable resources and a low cost of living away from the major cities), some off the grid sites can be had for very little.

I had an idea for getting free materials. Start up a business hauling away construction debris to be reused in building my home. May even be able to charge enough to pay for transportation expenses. :o)