Scienceistheengineofhumanprogress,butthetipofthespear,ourprimaryintention,mustbethehumanempathicvaluesoftrust,humility,mutualrespectandsharedcommitment:ina

word,love.

TheTipoftheSpearByGeorgeGantz

Thisessayearned4thplaceintheFQXi2014EssayContest,“HowShouldHumanitySteertheFuture?”andhasbeenpublishedinHowShouldHumanitySteertheFuture?,Ed:Aguirre,Anthony;Foster,Brendan;Merali,Zeeya.Springer(2016).BIO:GeorgeGantzisawriter,philosopherandretiredbusinessexecutivewithalife-longpassionformathematics,science,philosophyandtheology.HehasaBachelorofSciencedegreewithHonorsHumanitiesfromStanfordUniversity,directstheForumonIntegratingScienceandSpiritualityatswedenborgcenterconcord.org)andblogsonrelatedtopics.Abstract:Theevidenceisclear–thereisanewemergentphenomenonarisingfromtheglobalintegrationofhumanknowledgeandaspirationslinkedthroughadvancednetworks.Asineachpreviousemergenceofhigherorderfromlower,thebehaviorsthatevolvefromthecomplexinteractionoftheindividualcomponentscannotbepredicted.Canweinfluencethetrajectoryofthisemergenceinwaysthatbenefittheindividualsthatcompriseitandincreasetheprobabilitiesofcontinuedprogress?Inaddition,canweprepareforthepotentiallyrarebutneverthelessrealpossibilityoffirstcontactwithanextraterrestrialcivilization?Yes,bydrawingonevolutionarylessonstoidentifyandpromotecollectivelybeneficialbehaviorsinourglobalinstitutions,includingtheinstitutionofscience.Ashumancivilizationcontinuestoevolve,progresswillbepoweredbyknowledge,butweshouldarm“thetipofthespear”withthehumanempathicvaluesoftrust,humility,mutualrespectandsharedcommitment:inaword,withlove,initsmostuniversalform.

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TheTipoftheSpear

ByGeorgeGantz1Thedaywillcomewhen,afterharnessingspace,thewinds,thewaves,thetidesandgravity,weshallharnessforGodtheenergiesoflove.Andonthatday,forthesecondtimeinthe

historyoftheworld,manwillhavediscoveredfire. iPierreTeilharddeChardin

Introduction:Humancivilization,itmaybeargued,beganwhenhumanslearnedtocontrolfire.ii Thetechnologyoffiregaveearlyhumansalevelofmasteryandcontrolovertheirenvironmentthatenabledsubsequentbiological,cultural,economicandtechnologicaldevelopments.Humanityflourished,extendingitsdominionacrosstheglobe.Theexclusiveauthorityofenvironmentalfactorstoshapethefuturecededtohumaninfluences.ThePleistoceneendedandtheAnthropocenebegan.Weareagainfacingamassiveglobaltransitiondrivenbytheinfluenceofhumannetworks.Humantechnologyandengineeringhasenabledincreasinglycomplexnetworkstodevelopamongthenoweightbillionhumansonearth.Individualhumanbehaviorsarenowsubsumedwithinacomplexinterplayofinstitutions(networksofhumans)–theresultingdynamicsofwhichdriveglobaloutcomes.Theglobalcivilizationthatisemergingfromthisnewevolutionaryprocess,operatingattheinstitutionallevel,willexhibitbehaviorsthatwemaynotbeabletounderstand,predictorcontrol.Thepowerofhumanagentstoshapethefuturemaybecededtoglobalinstitutionsthathaveevolvedbeyondourabilitytomanage.TheAnthropocenemayendsoonafteritbegan.Therapidaccelerationoftechnologicalchangeinthelastcenturyhasallowedustopenetrateintospaceandtoexploretheverylargestandtheverysmalleststructuresintheuniverse,whilevastlyimprovingthequalityoflifeformosthumansiii.Buttherehavebeennegativeconsequencesaswell,includinghumanexploitation,institutionalfailuresandunanticipatedconsequences,allfacilitatedbyincreasinglypotenttechnology.Therecontinuetobeseriousconcernsthatsuchconsequencescouldincludetheextinctionofthehumanrace.Indeed,accordingtoSirMartinRees,“Ithinktheoddsarenobetterthanfifty-fiftythatourpresentcivilizationonEarthwillsurvivetotheendofthepresentcentury.”ivSomemightsaythathumans,havingevolvedinprimevalforestsandsavannahs,maynotbeuptothechallengeofmanagingmoderntechnology.Evidencealsosuggeststhattechnologyhasreleasedthehumanracefromtheconstraintsofevolutionbynaturalselection.Certainly,selectionpressuresapplicabletohumanreproductionhavechanged–technologyhassignificantlyalteredthehumanfitnesslandscape.In2007,FreemanDysonspeculatedthathumanculturalevolutionreplacedbiologicalevolutionabout10,000yearsago,andhefurthernoted,“inthelast30years,

1 I gratefully acknowledge the review and comments received from Justin Junge and Sylvia Shaw on a draft of this essay.

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Homosapienshasrevivedtheancientpre-Darwinianpracticeofhorizontalgenetransfer…blurringtheboundariesbetweenspecies.”v Wemaybemovingintoanerawhenhumanreproductionandgeneticswilllargelybefunctionsofpersonalpreferencesamidstshiftingculturalnorms,economicincentivesandtechnologicalcapabilities–anentirelynovelsetofselectionpressures.Inthiscontextofacceleratinginstitutionalcomplexities,increasingtechnologicalthreatandthere-writingofhumanevolutionarydynamics,steeringthefutureofhumanityisaconsiderablechallenge.EmergenceOverthelastcentury,observationalscience,mathematicaltheoryandcomputationalcapabilitiesmadesignificantadvancesthathaveopenedupourunderstandingofcomplexsystemsandtheiremergencefromthebehaviorsofindividualcomponentunits.vi viiOnekeyrevelationisthatouruniverse,includinglifeitself,hasevolvedthroughaseriesofsuccessivestates,fromlowentropic,homogeneousconditionsattheBigBang,throughincreasinglycomplexstatesofhigherentropy.Thetransitiontoeachsubsequentstateinvolvesalossofsymmetry,anincreaseincomplexityandtheemergenceofnovelstructuresandbehaviors.Theprocessbywhichnewstructuresemergeateachstageoftheprocessisnotuniformlywellunderstood.Theoriesregardingthephasechangesearlyinthehistoryofouruniverse,leadingtotheemergenceofthefundamentalphysicalforcesandtheparticlescomprisingtheStandardModel,haveastrongconsensus,althoughmajortheoreticalproblemsremain.viii ixSimilarly,thetheoryofevolutionthroughnaturalselectionhasastrongconsensusinthescientificcommunity,butdebatescontinueonsomeofthespecifics.xInhistheoryofevolutionbynaturalselection,Darwinhypothesizedthefirstmodernemergencetheory.Geneticmutationsareintroducedinindividualswithinaspeciesandsubjectedtoenvironmentalselectionpressuresinfluencingreproduction,e.g.theycompeteforreproductivesuccess.Ifamutationisadvantageoustheindividualwillhaveahigherlikelihoodofreproducing,resultinginthespreadofthemutation.Theendresultisanadaptivechangeinthepopulation.Overtime,diversenewbehaviorsandstructures,includingnewspecies,arise.Analogousevolutionaryprocessesineconomicsxiandculturalbehaviorxiialsodemonstrateevolutionthroughinnovation,competition/selectionandreproduction,resultinginadaptivechangesintherespectivepopulations.Theoreticaldiscussionsarenowtakingplace,undervariouslabelssuchasuniversal,quantumorcosmicDarwinism,speculatingthateachstageofemergenceaftertheprimordialBigBangexhibitsakindofmutationandselection,withtheemergentsolutionsettlingon“attractors”or“pointerstates”withstableproperties.Thestructuresthatsurvivethisevolutionaryprocessinagivenenvironmentaretheonesthatareoptimallysuitedtothefitnesslandscape.Onecanvisualizethisprocessinthebehavioroffluidflowingdownadrain.Openingthedraininitiatesaflowthatcreatesturbulence,during

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whichaseriesofsmallstructuresmayformspontaneouslyandbetestedforfitness,quicklyevolvingtotheefficientvorticularflowwithwhichweareallfamiliar.Adeepinsightisthatattractorsareformedinaprocesswheretheindividualcomponentunitsofthesystem,whilebehavingautonomously,areinfluencedbysignalsfromotherunits.Thisresultsinchanges,ormutations,inthelocalstateofthesystem,whicharethensubjecttoselectionpressuresbythefitnesslandscape.Thesignalingandresponsebetweenindividualunitsisthebasisfortheself-organizingfeatureoftheemergentprocess,anditisfundamentallyacooperativebehavior.Innovationsthatexhibitgreatercooperationamongtheunits,forexamplebyprovidinggreaterefficiencyorstability,willout-performthosethatdonot.Debatescontinueonthedegreetowhichsuchcooperativebehaviorexistsinsome,orall,emergentprocesses,andtheextenttowhichitisconsistentwithreductionismorrequiressomeformoftop-downcausation.Inanyevent,thepracticalimplicationsareclear.Successiveemergentstatesareformed,inmanyifnotallcases,throughmutualinteractionsbetweencomponentunitsofasystem.CooperationOneofthehistoriccriticismsofevolutionarytheoryisthatitcouldnotaccountadequatelyforthedevelopmentofempathyandothermoralqualitiesinhumanbeings.Afterall,itseemscounter-intuitivetosuggestthatatheory,colloquiallyreferredtoas“survivalofthefittest,”wouldresultincooperativeratherthanexclusivelycompetitivebehaviors.Recentresearchseemstohavelargelyresolvedthesecriticismsthroughmodelsofmulti-levelindividualandgroupselectionprocessesxiiithatdemonstratetheevolutionaryvalueofcooperativebehaviors.Researchershavealsosuggestedthatevolutioncanaccountforthedevelopmentofhumanmoralityxiv andhumanreligions.xv Itnolongerseemsfar-fetchedtosuggestthatthehighermoralandaspirationalqualitiesofhumanityhaverootsintheevolutionaryheritageofourspecies.Moreover,theevolutionofconsensualmoralframeworksandcooperativeenterprisegroundedinhumanempathyhasbeencriticallyinstrumentalinouradaptationandsubsequentsuccessasaspecies.Humanadaptionandadvancementalsorequiredincreasinglysophisticatedformsofcooperation.Ashunter-gatherertribeswerereplacedbysettledcommunitiesandthedivisionoflaborincreased,thesizeandcomplexityofhumannetworksincreased.Thesenetworksbecameinstitutionsastheunderlyingcooperativepracticesandbehaviorswereformalized.Governments,religions,markets,culturalandeducationalpracticesandorganizationsdevelopedandevolved.Competitionandinnovation,withinthelandscapeofthecollectiveneedsandaspirationsofhumanindividualsandgroups,shapedtheevolutionoftheseinstitutions.Thosebringinggreatersuccessintheaccumulationofresourcesandthesatisfactionofwantsflourishedandgrew.Amongthesuccessfulinstitutionalthreadswastheenterpriseofnaturalphilosophy.Greaterempiricalunderstandingoftheworldinwhichhumanslivedyieldedsignificantbenefits,andthosewhoacquiredandarticulatedsuchknowledgewerehighlyvalued,aswerethelibrariesinwhichsuchknowledgewascontained.Inrecentcenturies,empiricalscience,theoutgrowthofnaturalphilosophy,hasbeentheenginepoweringthetechnologicalchangethathasbroughtustoourpresentstate.Throughthecooperative

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effortsofscientistsfromallpartsoftheglobe,knowledgeoftheworldhasincreasedandtechnologyhasflourished.Atthesametime,manyofourotherinstitutionshavealsoevolved,growinginsizeandsophistication,enabledbynewtechnologiesforcommunication,trade,travel,computationandmanufacturing.Thisgrowthhasbroughtprofoundbenefitstothehumanspecies,buthasalsoincreasedcomplexityanduncertainty.Thiscomplexityhasgivenrisetonovelbehaviors,demonstratingemergenceofhigher-levelstructures.xvi Thesebehaviorsarenotnecessarilybenevolent.AccordingtoNassimTaleb,“…theworldinwhichwelivehasanincreasingnumberoffeedbackloops,…thusgeneratingsnowballsandarbitraryandunpredictableplanet-widewinner-take-alleffects.”xvii Thedailynewsisheadlinedbytheequallyunpredictablebehaviorsofweather,stockmarketsandpolitics.Thefirstisacomplexphenomenonofnature,albeitincreasinglyinfluencedbyhumanbehavior.Theothertwoarecomplexhumaninstitutionalphenomena.Cooperativeenterpriseisahallmarkofhumanity’ssuccess.Humansconsistentlydemonstratetrustinfellowhumans,enablingourspeciestosolvethePrisoner’sdilemma,agametheoryscenariothatpitsarationalbetrayalagainstamoreriskydecisioninvolvingtrust–ifreciprocated,trustleadstoamaximallybeneficialoutcome.Moreover,theinstitutionsofhumancivilizationallaroseasnetworksofcooperating(oratleastcompliant)individuals.Thiscooperationprovidedtheinstitutionalfoundationforthebuildingofcathedrals,castles,commerce,computersandsuper-colliders.However,ifthehumanevolutionaryprocessthatimbuedhumanswithtrustandfacilitatedthedevelopmentofconsensualmoralframeworkshasnowbeendismantled,howdoweinsurethecontinuedselectionandreinforcementofthesequalities?Itisnosmallconcernthattheformativeselectionpressuresofthefitnesslandscapethatproducedhumanswithimmensecognitivestrengthsandpowerfullycooperativebehaviorsmaynolongerbeoperating.Increasingly,wearefacedwiththechallengeandresponsibilityforshapinghumanity’sfuturethroughintentionalhumandesign.Wemustcreatefitnesslandscapesthatselectforcooperativeindividualandinstitutionalbehaviors.Dowehavethetechnicaltools,thecreativeideasand,mostimportantly,thecollectivewilltodoso?ConfrontationHumanityhasbreachedtheearth’satmosphericbarrier,firstwithman-madepatternsinelectromagneticfrequenciesandlaterwithexploratoryartifactsandevenvehicles.Whilethisisaspectaculartechnicalachievement,italsopresagesanotherconcernforhumanity.Haslifeevolvedelsewhere?Ifithas,whatwillhappenwhenwemakecontact?Conventionalwisdomhadbeenthathumanityisuniqueintheuniverse,andtodatealleffortstodetectevidenceofextraterrestrialcivilizationshavebeenfruitless.xviii However,NASAhasreportedthediscoveryoforganicmaterialsonMars,xix andorganicmaterialsappeartobecommonthroughouttheuniverse.xx NewestimatesofthenumberofpotentiallyhabitableplanetsintheMilkyWaygalaxyandtheuniverseatlargealso

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suggestamuchhigherprobabilitythatlifemayhavedevelopedonotherplanetsthanpreviouslythought.xxi Itisconceivablethatwewillsoonconfrontone,andpotentiallymany,intelligentspeciesfromelsewhereintheuniverse.Inthisevent,thefutureofhumanitywilldependonitsabilitytonegotiatewithinanew,galactic-levelfitnesslandscape.ItwouldseemreasonabletoexpectthatanysentientcivilizationwiththetechnologyandinstitutionalcapacityforspaceexplorationwillhavecompletedanevolutionaryprocessontheirhomeplanetthatlikewisesolvedthePrisoner’sDilemmathroughtrustingbehaviorsandsharedmoralframeworks.Thenatureofthatextraterrestrialmoralityandthecooperativebehaviorsitinspiresmay,however,bequiteexotic.Howwillourglobalinstitutionsrespondtofirstcontact?Willpolitical,militaryandscientificinstitutionscooperateinofferingaunitedresponse,orwillfearandconfusionpredominate?Willwebeabletocommunicateoursharedmoralframeworkandnegotiateamutuallybeneficialoutcome,orwilltechnologicalsupremacydetermineavictor,resultinginhorrendouscosts?Thispossibilitymayseemhypothetical,butweignorepotentialBlackSwaneventsatourperil.TheasteroidthatcausedtheK/T(Cretaceous–Tertiary)Extinctionwasalowprobabilityevent,butwhenitstrucktheearththeconsequenceswerecataclysmic.Somightbefirstcontact.SteeringTheFutureHumancivilizationisbeingchallengedfromwithinbyacceleratingtechnologicalprogressandcomplexity,andmaybechallengedfromwithoutbyfirstcontactwithextraterrestriallife.Historicallythehumanresponsetochallengewasoftenviolence–hoistingaspearorotherweaponincombatorconquest.However,thespearhasalsoservedhumanityforbothhuntinganddefense.Whilerecentmilitaryjargonmayhavetrivializedthe“tipofthespear”analogy,itmayyethavesomevalueinourconsiderationofhumanity’sglobalemergenceandpotentialfirstcontact.Indeed,itisappropriatetoaskwhatpowersthespearofhumancivilizationtowardsitsunknownfuture,andhowshouldwearmthetip?Thedrivingforceofhumanity’sremarkableadvancefromthePleistocenetotheAnthropocene,includingthemasteryoffire,wasthecollectiveandsharedlearningabouttheworldandtheadaptationofthatknowledgetoourneedsanddesires.Thehumanspecieshasapassionforknowing,derivedfromnecessityandenabledbybodiesandbrainsofimmensecomplexityandsophistication.Thatpassionhasfounditsgreatestoutletintheempiricalscientificdiscoveriesofrecentcenturies.Yetthosediscoverieswouldhaveremainedunexploredorunexploitedwithoutacorrespondinginstitutionalframeworksupportingfreedomofthoughtandexpression,disseminationandcriticalreviewofideasandmarketdemonstration,developmentanddeployment.Universitiesreplacedpalaces.Freestatesreplacedcity-states.Tradeingoodsandideasbecameglobal.Thescientificcommunitybecameanetworkofprofessionalsthatsharedcommongoalsandmethodsandachievedprofoundknowledgeofthephysicalworld.The

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foundationforalltheseachievementsisthehumanempathicqualitiesthatenablesuchcooperation.Itisessentialthatourhumancivilizationremaincommittedtothepursuitofempiricalknowledge.Thiswillcontinuetobethepowerbehindthespear.However,thispursuitisfundamentallydependentonmaintaininginstitutionalbehaviorsthatsupportglobalcooperation.Trust,honesty,opennesstocriticismandnewideas,mutualrespectandapassionatecommitmenttoempiricaltruthhavebeenessentialtoscienceandthosequalitiesremaincriticalforsustainedcooperationtoexistwithinthescientificcommunity.Butisthefitnesslandscapeforthescientificenterprisetodayselectingforthesebehaviors?Aretherewardsanddisincentives,thesignalingandfeedbackloops,theadministrationandenforcementmechanismswithintheenterpriseproperlyalignedtoachievemaximallycooperativebehaviors?Oristhelandscapeofincreasingspecializationandfragmentationandincreasinglysteepincentivesforbeingnovelandbeingfirst,tendingtounderminebothcooperationand,ultimately,progress?Istheglobalinstitutionalframeworkwithinwhichsciencedoesitsworkappropriatelysympatheticandcollaborative?Orispoliticizationandpolarizationunderminingefficiencyandfrayingthesharedmoralframeworkunderwhichitoperates?Itmaybedifficulttoanswerthesequestions.Nevertheless,wemustanswerthem.Humanityisthefirstspeciestohaveworkeditswayoutoftheconfinesofthenaturalfitnesslandscape-andwehavethecapabilitytodesignourown.Thisoffersnewdegreesoffreedom,andalsobringswithitresponsibilityfortheconsequences.Forexample,ifwedesign,orfailtoreform,institutionsthatdonotengageinpro-socialcooperationandthatpracticeorenablecheatingordefection,therebyunderminingtrust,thenweriskhavingsuchinstitutionsoutruntheirrivalsinawinner-take-allcompetition.Allofhumancivilizationtothispointwouldbeinjeopardy,andwewouldhavenoonetoblamebutourselves.However,ifweembracethecentralityofcooperationtoourevolutionarysuccessandinfuseitintoourdesignofthefitnesslandscapesthatdeterminefutureinstitutionalsuccessorfailure,thenwecantakecontrolofthefuture.Asweaddressthischallenge,wemustrecognizethathumanityismulti-dimensionalandourinterestsextendbeyondthematerialtoincludeaesthetic,cultural,civicandspiritualaspirations.Institutionshaveevolvedinallthesedimensions,andtheirqualities,asinthecaseofscience,havebeenshapedbyhumanrelationships.Institutionsreflectingandreinforcingempathicqualities,whetherfamilies,tribes,cities,kingdoms,nations,religions,socialmovementsorvoluntaryassociations,benefitfromcooperativebehaviors,buildsocialcapital,andtendtothrive.(Forexample,efficientglobalmarketsareimpossibletoachievewithouttrustingrelationships.xxii )Thosethatdonot,suchasdespoticautocracies,carrywithinaweaknessinhumanbondingthatunderminesflexibility,responsivenessandinformationflow,allofwhichareessentialforlongterminstitutionalsuccessinsatisfyinghumanneedsandaspirations.Theseinstitutionsalsoformnetworksandinteractwitheachother.Theinstitutionofscience,forexample,dependsonsupportiveeconomicandpoliticalinstitutions,andit,inturn,influencescivicandculturallife.Ultimately,humancivilizationisthetotalityofhumaninstitutionsandtheircollectivebehavior.Asinothercomplexsystems,

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institutionssignalandrespond,andtheresultingbehaviorsaretestedinaglobalfitnessenvironment.Cooperativeresponsescreatesynergiesthatleadtoefficienciesandimprovedfitness-andthereforeinstitutionsthatreinforceempathicbehaviorsshouldberespectedaspartoftheglobalinstitutionalframeworkthathasalsoenabledscience.Competitiveorconflictingresponsescreatefrictionsthatcanundermineordestroy–suchinstitutionalconflictsshouldbesubjecttonegativeselectionpressure.The20thcenturyhasclearexamplesofbothcollaborationandconflict.AutocraticgovernmentpairedwithcommunistideologycontributedtotheriseofStalinism.ParochialnationalismandsecularidealismcontributedtoNazism.Thankfully,bothfailedtoachievetheirgoalofglobalconquest.However,thecompetitiveconflictsofWorldWarIIandtheColdWarthatdefeatedthemresultedinmassivelossofhumanlifeandwasteofglobalresources.Ontheotherhand,somecollaborativeglobalinstitutionshaveflourished.Scienceisalargelyborderlessenterprisethataccumulatedsufficientcivicandeconomicsupporttobuild,amongotherthings,theHubbleTelescope,theHumanGenomeProjectandtheLargeHadronCollider.Inaddition,marketeconomieshavethrivedasglobalcooperationexpanded–theflowofgoodsandserviceshasevolvedintoanunrecognizablycomplexwebofmaterials,componentsandservicesthatdefyeffortstocomprehendit.xxiii TheUnitedNationsisanexampleofanascentsynergismthatcontinuestobetestedinafitnesslandscapethatincludesglobalpoliticalandeconomicconflicts.Sciencedoesnotalwaysserveinanempathiccapacity.Nucleararmament,withitspotentialforcausinghumanextinction,isaclearexample.Lessclearistherolesciencemayplayinfosteringparticularideologiessuchasdeterminismandmaterialism,metaphysicalworldviewsthatarguablychallengetheefficacyofhumanempathyandunderminetheemotionalandpsychologicalfoundationofotherkeyhumaninstitutions-includingreligions–thatpromoteempathy.Hasscienceasaninstitutioncontributedtoexistentialalienation,theriseofunfetteredcommercialismordeclinesinsocialcapitalandsharedmoralframeworks?Itisclearthatthequalitiesthatpropelledhumanityanditsinstitutionsforwardaretheempathicqualitiesoftrust,honesty,mutualrespectandsharedcommitment.Tothislistweshouldaddthecorollaryattributeofhumility.AsFrancisBaconputitmorethanfourhundredyearsago,referringtobothscienceandreligion,“letmenendeavoranendlessprogressorproficiencyinboth;onlyletmenbewarethattheyapplybothtocharity,andnottoswelling.”xxiv

Withouttheseempathicqualities,thehumanracewouldneverhaveadvancedandlikelywouldnothavesurvived.Withoutthem,itisunlikelythatwewillsurvive.Whiletheevolutionarytheoriescitedinthisessaymaybenew,theideathatempathyisthefoundationofhumancivilizationisnot.Indeed,oneformulationofthebehavioralfoundationsforhumancooperationwaspromulgatedthousandsofyearsago,intheDecaloguexxv.BoththeBuddhistandChristiantraditionsemphasizecompassionandlove,respectively.Christianityspecificallycommands,“Loveyourneighborasyourself.”xxvi

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Theadvanceofourhumanenterprisewillbepoweredbyempiricalknowledge,butthetipofthespearshouldbearmedwithourempathicqualities,ensuringthatitisatoolofadvancementandnotdestruction,aproberatherthanaweapon.Asacivilizationwemustaspiretopracticeempathyandtobuildempathicqualitiesintoourinstitutions.Wemustdesignthefitnesslandscapeforhumanity’sfutureinwaysthatrewardcooperationandcollaborationanddisciplinecheating,dishonestyandothermoraldefections–therebyreinforcingthequalitiesoftrust,honesty,mutualrespect,humilityandsharedcommitment.Insodoingwewillensurethesuccessofourcollectiveenterpriseasawholeandanoptimaloutcomefrominteractionswithcivilizationswehaveyettomeet.ConclusionHumancivilizationisfacingmanychallengesinthe21stcentury,andthemostsignificantislearninghowtosteeracoursetowardsafuturethatbestmeetsthecollectiveneedsandaspirationsofhumanity.However,theprocessofbuildingthatfuturestartedeonsago.Itisreflectedinthegeneticandideationalheritageofthehumanrace,andinthelifeoftheinstitutionsthatwehavecreated.Weareatanewstageofevolution–onethathastransitionedfromindividualandgroupselectiontoinstitutional,globalandpotentiallygalactic.Thefitnesslandscapeisnolongerdeterminedbythenaturalworldbutbythehumanone.Inordertosurviveandthriveweneedtoidentifyandpromoteinstitutionalbehaviorsthatsatisfyourhumanneedsandaspirations.Itisimperativethatwecontinuetheenterpriseofscientificinquiry.Humancivilizationshouldremaincommittedtothepursuitofknowledgeaboutourworldandhowtocontinuemakingitabetterplaceforusandthegenerationsthatfollow.Thiswillpowerthespearofhumancivilization.However,wealsohavetofosterinstitutions,thenetworksofhumancivilization,includingscienceitself,thatworkeffectivelytogetherandthatembodyhumanempathicqualities.Wemustdesignthefitnesslandscapeforhumaninstitutionstoreinforcethequalitiesoftrust,honesty,mutualrespect,humilityandsharedcommitment.Inshort,weshouldarmthetipofthespearwithloveinitsmostuniversalform. End-notes and references:

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End Notes: i Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, "The Evolution of Chastity" (February 1934), as translated in Toward the Future (1975) edited by by René Hague: cited at http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin (last downloaded 4-6-2014). ii Richard Wrangham, Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, published by Basic Books, New York (2009). iii See, for example, the research of Angus Maddison on increases in historical GDP per capita reported on http://www.theworldeconomy.org (last downloaded 4-6-2014). iv Martin Rees, Our Final Hour, A Scientist’s Warning, Paperback edition, page 8. Published by Basic Books, New York (2003). v Freeman Dyson, “The Era of Darwinian Evolution is Over” (2007), in Digital New Perspective Quarterly: http://www.digitalnpq.org/articles/nobel/193/07-23-2007/freeman_dyson, last downloaded 4-6-2014. viGoldstein, Jeffrey (1999), "Emergence as a Construct: History and Issues", Emergence: Complexity and Organization 1 (1): 49–72; http://www.complexityandsociety.com/files/4413/1692/0252/Emergence_as_a_Construct--History_and_Issues.pdf; last downloaded 4-6-2014. vii Melanie Mitchell, Complexity: A Guided Tour, Oxford University Press, New York (2009). viii See, generally, Lee Smolin, The Trouble With Physics, Mariner Books / Houghton Mifflin Company, New York (2006); and ix Marcelo Gleiser, A Tear at the Edge of Creation , Free Press / Simon and Schuster, New York (2010) x David Sloan Wilson (July 13, 2012). “Clash of Paradigms” in the Social Evolution Forum, http://socialevolutionforum.com/2012/07/13/david-sloan-wilson-clash-of-paradigms-why-proponents-of-multilevel-selection-theory-and-inclusive-fitness-theory-sometimes-but-not-always-misunderstand-each-other/, last downloaded 4-6-2014. xi See generally, The Journal of Economic Issues (ISSN: 0021-3624), published quarterly by the Association For Evolutionary Economics, Salisbury, NC. xii Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, Oxford University Press, Oxford (1976) xiii Martin Nowak, Supercooperators, Free Press / Simon and Schuster (2011) xiv Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind, Vintage Books / Random House, New York (2012). xv David Sloan Wilson, Darwin’s Cathedral , University of Chicago Press, Chicago IL (2002); and Robert Wright, The Evolution of God, Little, Brown and Company, New York, (2009). xvi Support for this conclusion is found in several of the works previously cited. For example, Mitchell, op cit., discusses the scaling structures that appear in a variety of complex systems. xvii Nassim Taleb, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable (Second Edition), footnote page xxvi. Random House, New York (2010) xviii SETI Institue, FAQs, http://www.seti.org/faq#csc2, last downloaded 4-6-14. xix http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20121203.html, last downloaded 4-6-2014. xx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_interstellar_and_circumstellar_molecules, last downloaded 4-6-2014. xxi Mario Livio, “On Extraterrestrial Life”, 12-5-13. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mario-livio/on-extraterrestrial-life-_b_4391219.html, last downloaded 4-6-2014. xxii David Rose, The Moral Foundation of Economic Behavior, Oxford University Press, New York (2011) xxiii Brandon Keim, October 29, 2013. The Secret Life of Everything: Where Your Stuff Comes From. http://nautil.us/blog/the-secret-life-of-everything-where-your-stuff-comes-from, last downloaded 4-6-2014.

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xxiv Francis Bacon, from The Advancement of Learning, paragraph I(3), originally published in 1605; posted on Project Gutenberg at http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/adlr10h.htm, last downloaded 4-7-2014. xxv The Ten Commandments, from the Book of Exodus, Chapter 20. (ref: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+20, last downloaded 4-7-2014). xxvi The Book of Mark, Chapter 12, verse 31. (re: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2012:29-31, last downloaded 4-7-2014).