The long evolutionary process made us what we are: an
almost hairless, bipedal, tool-using, talking, family-
forming, self-aware, highly intelligent social animal.

Our physical adaptations and the behavioural flexibility
offered by our huge and complex brains have made us the
most creative species in the planet's history.

Homo sapiens have spread to every continent, frequently
driving other animal species to extinction in the process.

We have become the most widely dispersed species on the
planet, occupying mountains and valleys, deserts and
jungles, shore-lines and tundra, yet always finding some
specialized means of living in these widely different
environments. The total weight of all living members of
the species far exceed that of any other animal, and the
human population is now growing rapidly and if current
rates persist it will continue to do so.

What accounts for the unprecedented success of our species?
As I said previously - culture. Our shared culture is what
makes social life possible. Anyway I won't go into any more
detail. I've already covered this previously.

Suffice to say that our behaviour is a product of an
inter-action between our basic biological heritage and
the learning experience experiences of the particular culture
in which we happen to live.

For example, we have the biological capacity to speak, but
which language we use and how we use it depends on our
environment. We have the biological capacity to laugh,
to cry, to blush, to become angry, but the circumstances
under which we might do any of these things are learned.

Nature provides us with legs, but we are not obliged to use
them only for walking. We can use them to kick a ball, or to
kick other people, or to ride a bicycle, or to do a dance, or
to cover with slacks, or to sit cross-legged while
contemplating.

And of course we do have some genetically determined types
of behaviour. And a few inborn basic drives. But the way
we actually use these and satisfy these drives is learned
through cultural experience.

I am not really into fancy theories.

At end of the day, we have our genes, with our traits and potential, and we get on as best as we can, hopefully influenced by the environment around us in a positive way.

Problem is, given we ae self interested imo, our ability to cooperate has limitations.

Hence, it remains to be seen what the future of humanity will be in these interesting times.

Dear Chris,

The future is exciting.

New technologies are going to be made and are
transforming our lives. Who knows what lies
ahead. Predicting the future is risky at the best
of times.

Foxy,

Yes, we humans are pretty smart but like the rest of the living world we are still just a bunch of feeders and just as I said elsewhere that is what Life (the entity) is all about.

But it is amazing isn't it? The absolute variety of Earth's feeders, past and present. And it all happened when one type of molecule was able to alter its state in response to its environment. And as they say, the rest is evolution.

yes Foxy, we should sit back and embrace all life.

Maybe, but i wont be embracing china because i know it is evil.

I will leave optimism to people like you.

I have been warning about china for over ten years, and will do so forever because authoritirian governments are scum. End of story really.

China uses technology too to get its way, as of 2020.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-30/china-forces-birth-control-on-uyghurs-to-suppress-population/1240491

Yes, we r lucky to live in Australia, despite all of the whingers that tell us how bad we are.