From: thetibetanmonkey@gmail.com   
      
   On Tuesday, February 25, 2014 5:39:21 AM UTC-5, Malcolm McMahon wrote:    
   > On Monday, 24 February 2014 20:13:43 UTC, Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble   
   Philosopher  wrote:    
      
   > By evolutionary advance I mean mostly that societies continue to gradually   
   adjust themselves to the humans, but I suspect there are signs that actual   
   human evolution may be occurring faster than you think. Pinker looks at the   
   statistics for homicide,    
   and sees a steady decline in rates per head of population.    
      
   A statistic that betrays the fact that the gated communities are growing   
   everywhere. It may just be that FEAR is part of daily life.    
      
   I'll give an example: The actual statistics of bicycle accidents is low, but   
   most people simply fear to ride on the road. Hey, the Dutch are not taking any   
   chances and provide separate bike facilities. Even Ecuador does. In the last   
   few years a    
   revolutionary president (that one that gave political asylum to Julian   
   Assange) has implemented safe bike lanes while we in America play Russian   
   roulette with unconnected bike lanes. The fact is cyclists, pedestrians and   
   cars struggle for "space." Guess    
   who wins.    
      
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > This could be partly a sign of human evolution. The most civilising facility   
   of the human brain is impulse control, and I think Pinker's stats and analysis   
   suggest that the average levels of impulse control may be improving, and that   
   part of that may    
   be genetic evolution. A kind of shift in the balance of power in the human   
   mind.    
      
   Sure, look at Iran and the West struggling with the nuke and the ape mind. The   
   smaller ape wants to make sure he's got his own stick to defend from the   
   bigger ape. "Fear is in the air"...    
       
   > > In the meantime we have cavemen with nukes.    
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > The risks today seem a fraction of what they were 40 or 50 years ago.    
      
   Not as much as I need to ride a bicycle on the road. Not as much that Orwell   
   police state is nearly a reality.     
      
   > > You know, probably anyone NOT owning an SUV or living in a gated community   
   would agree with me. That's perhaps as much as 95% of the world's population.    
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > A fair percentage might be irritated, but only a handful would consider them   
   the number one enemy of society. Only a handful share your obsession.    
      
   I never said they were enemy #1. Just that they can wipe out any family in a   
   Mini Cooper in an instant.    
      
   (to be continued --or not)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)