Are We Still Wise?

Joao

Hey everyone, welcome back to The H2H Experiment. It's Joao here, and today, well, I hope you're ready for a wild ride because we're about to do some serious time travel—mentally, at least. We're going to dig deep into the story of us, humans, and ask a question that's been bugging me for a while: Are we actually as wise as our species name, Homo sapiens, suggests? Or, uh, have we just been coasting on that title for a bit too long? Buckle up, because we're going to look at how we got here, what we've learned, and maybe, what we still need to figure out if we want to call ourselves truly wise.

Joao

So, let's get started. Imagine—you're sitting around a fire, thousands of years ago, with your tribe. The world is dark, wild, and full of unknowns. But that fire? That was the first spark, literally and metaphorically, that set us on this crazy journey. Today, we're going to trace that journey, criticize it a bit, and see what it means for us now. Ready? Let's go.

Joao

Alright, so, let's rewind way, way back. One of the biggest game-changers for our ancestors was fire. Richard Wrangham, in his book "Catching Fire," talks about how cooking wasn't just about making food taste better—it actually changed our biology. Cooking made food easier to digest, which meant our bodies could spend less energy on chewing and digesting, and more on, well, growing bigger brains. That's wild, right? The simple act of roasting a root or a piece of meat could have set off this whole chain reaction that led to, you know, us sitting here talking about it.

Joao

I remember this one time, I was visiting a prehistoric cave site in Italy—just outside of Verona. I was standing there, looking at these ancient soot marks on the ceiling, and I couldn't help but imagine what it must've been like. People huddled around a fire, maybe telling stories, maybe just staring into the flames. That moment, honestly, gave me goosebumps. It made me realize how much of our wisdom—our ability to reflect, to share, to imagine—probably started right there, in the flicker of firelight.

Joao

But fire was just the beginning. Fast forward to about 70,000 years ago, and something huge happened: the Cognitive Revolution. Yuval Noah Harari, in "Sapiens," calls this the moment when we started thinking in new ways—abstractly, symbolically, and, most importantly, together. Suddenly, we could share myths, create languages, and build cultures. That's what set Homo sapiens apart from every other species. We could cooperate in massive groups, not just because we were related, but because we believed in the same stories, the same gods, the same rules.

Joao

It's kind of mind-blowing, right? Our ability to imagine things that don't exist—like nations, money, or even the idea of "wisdom" itself—became our superpower. But, as Harari points out, those same stories can also trap us. Sometimes, the myths we create end up running our lives, even when they're not serving us anymore.

Joao

So, as we started building bigger and bigger groups, culture became the glue. It shaped our norms, our beliefs, and basically defined what it meant to be human. And, let's be honest, a lot of that was—and still is—deeply influenced by religion. These shared beliefs helped us cooperate, but they also brought a ton of biases and, well, what Richard Brodie calls "memes" in his book "Virus of the Mind." These are like mental viruses—ideas that spread, sometimes for good, sometimes not so much.

Joao

What's fascinating, and maybe a little scary, is how far culture has drifted from our biology. We have all these rules and expectations that, honestly, don't always fit with what it means to be human at a basic level. Sometimes, it feels like we're living in a world built by our own stories, not by our actual needs or nature. And that disconnect? It's starting to show up in some pretty big ways.

Joao

Now, let's talk about technology. If you think about it, our brains—especially the amygdala, that little almond-shaped part that freaks out when there's danger—were designed for a world of lions and snakes, not emails and social media notifications. But here we are, living in this hyper-connected, always-on world, and our stress responses are, well, kind of freaking out. That's why so many of us are dealing with anxiety, burnout, and all sorts of mental health challenges. Our hardware just hasn't caught up with the software updates, if you know what I mean.

Joao

It's like, every time we invent something new—cars, smartphones, AI—we're adding another layer of complexity that our ancient brains have to deal with. And sometimes, it feels like we're just barely keeping up.

Joao

This brings me to something called the "evolutionary mismatch." Robin Dunbar, who did a lot of research on the social brain, found that our brains are wired to handle about 150 relationships. That's your tribe, your village. But now? We're juggling hundreds, sometimes thousands, of connections—online, at work, everywhere. No wonder we're overwhelmed.

Joao

I actually felt this big time at a tech conference in Milan. There were so many people, so many conversations, and by the end of the day, my brain was just... done. I couldn't remember half the names, and I felt this weird sense of, I don't know, social exhaustion. It made me wonder—are all these mental health struggles we're seeing today just a sign that we need to consciously evolve our minds? Maybe it's not just about coping, but about actually upgrading how we think and connect.

Joao

So, what do we do about it? Well, ancient philosophers like Socrates and Marcus Aurelius had some ideas. They talked a lot about inner wisdom, self-awareness, and virtue—not just as nice-to-haves, but as essential tools for living well. Maybe that's the next leap we need: not a bigger brain, but a wiser mind.

Joao

If we're serious about evolving, I think it starts with self-reflection. Take a few minutes every day to check in with yourself—what are you feeling, what are you thinking, and why? Then, there's emotional intelligence. We've talked about this in past episodes, but it's more important than ever. Learning to regulate your emotions, to empathize without burning out—like we discussed in the empathy episode—is a real superpower now.

Joao

And finally, global cooperation. We can't just think about our own little circles anymore. The problems we're facing—climate change, social fragmentation, you name it—need all of us working together. So, here's a little HX challenge for you: pick one outdated belief or habit that's holding you back. For me, it was this old idea that work-life balance meant keeping everything perfectly separate. Now, I'm trying to see it more as a rhythm—sometimes work takes the lead, sometimes life does, and that's okay. Try replacing one old habit with something wiser, and see what happens.

Joao

Alright, let's wrap this up. Today, we took a whirlwind tour from the first sparks of fire to the wild world of modern tech, and we asked—are we really living up to the name Homo sapiens? We looked at how our brains and cultures evolved, how technology is pushing us to our limits, and why maybe, just maybe, the next big leap isn't about biology, but about consciously evolving our minds.

Joao

Key takeaways? Our evolutionary journey is full of milestones—fire, cognition, culture, technology—but our minds haven't always kept up with the pace. Neuroscience and evolutionary psychology show us the challenges, but ancient wisdom gives us some tools. And the real challenge now is to take responsibility for our own evolution, both individually and together.

Joao

Don't forget the HX experiment: pick one outdated belief or habit, and try swapping it for something wiser. And hey, if you want more, check out our videos on YouTube or our articles on LinkedIn—just search for The H2H Experiment. Thanks so much for listening, and let's keep evolving, keep questioning, and keep experimenting. See you next time!