Implications of a question

It only took a simple question - asked perhaps in an innocent and curious manner - that took Jared Diamond across the world and in a furious search for its answer. It was a question that was profound in its simplicity, and yet it left him dumbfounded. Yali questioned the roots of our civilizations and why things turned out so differently for two groups of the same species. Why does the contrast between the fortunes of New Guineans and the white men exist?

Diamond stumbled across an interesting observation during his research. Over time, he recognized that the New Guineans were actually of a highly intellect compared to the white men, and contrasted it to the reverse in fortunes that these groups are currently facing. It is clear that intellect, while important, is not quintessential to the development of technology. Most people would dismiss this notion as we have been taught all our lives that the brainy intellectuals drives R&D. Furthermore, this observation only served to pile more questions on top of Yali's one. However, it is a reminder that technology and innovation is not solely driven by intelligence. Personally, I would think that they are spurred on by need, want, convenience and imagination.

Diamond tried his best to justify why white men ended up with more 'cargo'. Many ideas were brought up - genetic inferiority, climate, geographical conditions, and many more. It is at this point that I discovered this. Questions, which could change the way we view the world, are avoided if not dismissed. People have stopped asking the same question Yali did, and when Diamond tried to find an answer, people generally looked for counterarguments. From this, we learn that we need two powerful tools to answer any question of this scale. They are persuasion and evidence. At the same time, we also learn that it is paramount to be able to prompt questions that have many implications. These ways of questioning and answering questions is definitely critical in this class.

Following that, something else occurred to me. Could Yali's query be attributed to one enigmatic phenomenon? Chance. Some may term it as luck. Irregardless of what anyone calls it, it is doubtlessly one of the biggest determining factor in any situation. With so many possible answers staring at a dead end, is it possible that everything that has transcended the past be due to chance? I feel that it is most definitely possible. However, it is understandably indignant to a scientist or historian to ever accept such an answer.

Yali then shifted out of focus and he was replaced by a picture of a obese male holding a drink in his hand. Placed at the most righthand side of the evolution chain of man(and being so out of place), one could not help but question, is that our future? A discussion ensued. Everyone in class seemed to agree that technology's influence is only as good (or as bad) as man makes it out to be. I agree with that too. However, what if the influence of technology was unintended or indirect?

Let me explain with a rather far-fetched idea. It is well known that the anatomy of man varies for every individual. There are people who can eat so much, and yet not grow fat or be unhealthy, and vice versa. If we believe in natural selection, and that if obesity results in a shorter lifespan, the combination of males and females who are 'genetically unable to grow fat' should provide a new generation of babies whose size is not dependent on their diet. Assuming that the above is true, this is where technology rears its ugly head, unwittingly. Medical advances have allowed obesity to be less life threatening, and have been keeping many unhealthy people alive literally. That is a good thing. However, we overlook the fact that natural selection has thus been nullified, and generation after generation will carry the same genes that aren't very diet friendly.

The class was gaining so much momentum in that topic of man evolving to fat man. I felt it was pretty wasteful that we had to cut it short for the lesson to end on time. Also, I think history of the subject should have been given more focus as our present and future can be very dependent on our past.

On the whole, the first lesson has generated a lot of interest in me. I guess it is pretty safe to say that the people around me felt the same way as well. It had triggered a lot of thought, and many people had come up with fantastic ideas and we had a great discussion. The topics were good as they generated a lot of enthusiasm. Hopefully, every subsequent session can be equally or more enriching than the previous one.

P.S. Please understand that my analogy above is not directed against any group or individual, nor am I devaluing or undermining obese people. I am also not stating that obesity is a genetic weakness. It is plainly an idea (albeit far fetched) to explain how technology can indirectly affect us. Peace out.