The problem is that
when I have a target it can feel bad to miss it. Alternatively –
when there is no target it cannot be missed - and new ideas often
turn up anyway. “If you don't know where you are going any road
will take you there”.
Evolution works like
that. It(?) has no forward plan and there is no planner. Stuff
happens and some stuff survives better than other stuff. Survival of
the fittest results because of natural selection.
These days there is
scary talk about genetic modification (GM). But the principle is as
old as agriculture. Farmers have been selecting particular types of
plants and animals for thousands of years – and think of the
varieties of potatoes, maize and rice, and of dogs, horses and
pigeons that now exist.
And, as with plants and
animals, so with ideas and cultures. Endless stories have been told
since the advent of language about 100,000 years ago. Most of them
quickly faded away while a few have been longer lasting.
Among the longer
lasting stories are those that grew in the European renaissance and
enlightenment. They gradually gave us the scientific worldview and
method which have replaced the myth and magic of times past with the
best working hypotheses given the evidence presently available.
I have just finished
reading Steven Johnson (2010) Where good ideas come from - a natural
history of innovation. He reckons that these days the majority of
good ideas come from non-market oriented, multidisciplinary networks
where individuals operate in flow. I have known such work eg
developing a social science curriculum in Belize, and popularising
policy documents in Tanzania.
Evolution doesn't' rule
OK. nor does it make plans and to-do-lists.
sitting quietly doing
nothing
Spring comes
and the grass grows by
itself
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