[Lee Jong-gil's Autumn Return] Was 'Caesar,' Evolved by Human Selfishness, Truly Happy?

Christopher Ryan's 'Civilization's Backlash' Highlights Shadows of Humanity's Greatest Achievements
Was Pre-Civilization Life a Struggle for Survival? Arrogant Prejudice Against Barbarians

Movie still from War for the Planet of the Apes

"When the delusions that uphold an era lose their power, that era comes to an end." This is a quote from American playwright Arthur Miller (1915?2005). The delusions supporting our era are ‘progress’ or ‘civilization.’ Though hailed as humanity’s greatest achievements, they are gradually reaching their expiration. Signs of abnormality are detected everywhere. Rising carbon dioxide levels and dwindling fish catches. Spilled crude oil flowing into the oceans, and mutant pathogens neutralizing the latest antibiotics. Even radioactive steam is being released into the atmosphere, casting a heavy dystopian shadow over the future. Despite astonishing progress?or perhaps because of it?hope is disappearing.

In ‘The Civilization Trap,’ American psychologist Christopher Ryan warns that civilization has taken much from humanity in exchange for material gains. He reveals the ailments of modern people accustomed to progress through various examples and points to the original form of happiness humanity has lost. It is the life of ancestors who were so happy and comfortable that progress was unnecessary. He argues that adopting the mindset of hunter-gatherers is essential. "We must recognize our ancestral roots and nature, realize their importance, respect them, and gradually move closer to a future that emulates them. In my view, this is the only way back home."

Optimists might scoff, thinking that modern people eat far better than those in prehistoric times, at least in terms of diet. However, this conclusion is based on a neo-Hobbesian assumption that widespread famine prevailed before the advent of agriculture. This is not true. For example, the !Kung people, who live as hunter-gatherers in the Kalahari Desert, consume an average of 2,140 kcal per day, including 93 grams of protein. The !Kung eat more than eighty kinds of plants. They are fundamentally different from agricultural societies that rely on a few crops and starve when those fail.

Hunter-gatherers also experience food shortages. However, their nomadic lifestyle and diverse diet allow them to adapt easily to changing environments. This is an impossible method for modern people. It has been proven through skeletal analysis that although they occasionally experienced hunger, they never reached the brink of famine.

What about modern people? According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in 2014, 850 million people suffered from chronic malnutrition?one in nine people. The claim that modern people eat better than hunter-gatherers only holds true if these people are excluded.

Movie 'Planet of the Apes: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Still Cut

Ryan focuses on ‘Health and the Rise of Civilization,’ written by American anthropologist Mark Nathan Cohen, based on archaeological literature and multiple observational reports. The book concludes that abandoning the illusions of civilized society and looking only at humanity’s actual historical records reveals that hunter-gatherers lived unbelievably well. "Overall, the quality and quantity of human diets have steadily declined. (...) Even the hunter-gatherer groups with the poorest nutrition are better off than today’s urban poor."

Ryan adds that short periods of hunger are not a problem at all. On the contrary, appropriate fasting has miraculous health benefits. "In fact, the only proven way to extend lifespan is calorie restriction. Over 70 years ago, biologists discovered that when animals normally fed ad libitum were given less than one-third of their usual calories, their lifespans increased?not only in fruit flies, rats, mice, and dogs but also in primates. Their health also improved noticeably."

Calorie restriction is also said to prevent cancer, diabetes, and degenerative neurological diseases. Renowned pathologist Roy Walford (1924?2004) found that mice fed half their usual amount lived about twice as long. Similar experimental results have been reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Animals whose food intake was reduced by 15?40% showed significant improvements in insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular disease, and stress response. "Eating less than we want can bring many benefits, including increased average and maximum lifespan, reduced incidence of spontaneous and induced cancers, decreased neurodegeneration, reduced kidney disease, and enhanced reproductive function."

Movie 'Planet of the Apes: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Still Cut

The perception that pre-civilization life was a desperate struggle for survival is an arrogant prejudice against ‘savages.’ Ryan explains why our lives are distorted in almost every area: "We do not truly understand what kind of animal Homo sapiens is."

This aligns with the words of Dr. Jonas Salk (1914?1995), inventor of the polio vaccine. "If we want to develop wisdom to live a desirable and fulfilling life, and help others develop wisdom, ‘know thyself’ is no longer enough. We need to ‘know your species.’ Moreover, we must understand the wisdom of nature, especially the wisdom of life."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.