The Biological Roots of Human Values

Modern human values first emerged approximately 100,000 years ago (±50,000 years), sparked by the biological evolution of larger, more sophisticated brains. This cognitive leap fundamentally changed our species’ trajectory, setting the stage for cultural evolution. Once our ancestors developed these enhanced mental capacities, cultural transformation became inevitable – and with it, the rapid mutation of human values over the past 20,000 years, accelerating dramatically in the last two centuries.

The development of complex values represents a unique evolutionary adaptation. Unlike other species that rely primarily on instinct, humans developed the capacity for abstract moral reasoning. This allowed for the creation of shared belief systems that could coordinate behavior across larger groups – a crucial advantage in our species’ expansion across the globe.

Three Stages of Human Social Organization

Human values have progressed through three distinct phases, each corresponding to a dominant mode of energy capture:

### 1. Foraging Societies
Foragers typically lived in small, low-density groups with distinctive value systems:
– Viewed political hierarchy and wealth inequality as morally objectionable
– Showed greater tolerance for gender hierarchy
– Demonstrated remarkable tolerance for violence by modern standards
– Emphasized egalitarianism within groups
– Developed complex sharing economies

These characteristics emerged from the material conditions of hunter-gatherer life, where mobility and flexibility were essential for survival. The !Kung people of the Kalahari Desert exemplify these values, maintaining elaborate gift-exchange systems to prevent status accumulation.

### 2. Agricultural Societies
The agricultural revolution brought profound changes to human values:
– Accepted strict political, wealth, and gender hierarchies as natural
– Showed less tolerance for interpersonal violence than foragers
– Restricted legitimate violence to narrower institutional channels
– Developed concepts of private property and inheritance
– Created complex religious systems to justify social order

These shifts reflected the needs of dense, sedentary populations. The Mesopotamian city-states of Ur and Babylon demonstrate how agricultural surplus enabled class differentiation and centralized authority.

### 3. Fossil Fuel Societies
Industrialization triggered another values transformation:
– Rejected political and gender hierarchies as immoral
– Viewed violence as fundamentally unacceptable
– Showed intermediate tolerance for wealth inequality (between foragers and farmers)
– Emphasized individual rights and social mobility
– Developed democratic political ideals

The rapid urbanization during the British Industrial Revolution illustrates how energy abundance reshaped social relations and moral expectations in factory towns like Manchester.

The Energy-Values Nexus

The central thesis is that each energy regime determines population size and density, which in turn shapes optimal social organization and successful value systems. This relationship operates through several mechanisms:

1. Demographic Pressures: Higher energy availability supports larger populations, requiring more complex social coordination.

2. Labor Specialization: Energy surplus allows non-food-producing classes (priests, warriors, artisans) to emerge, creating status hierarchies.

3. Resource Competition: Denser populations intensify competition, favoring groups with effective organizational structures.

4. Technological Momentum: Energy systems create path dependencies that reinforce certain social arrangements.

The transition from foraging to farming illustrates this dynamic. As climate warmed after the last Ice Age (the “Long Summer” beginning around 9600 BCE), certain “Lucky Latitudes” (between China and the Mediterranean) contained concentrated populations of domesticable plants and animals. This geographic advantage – not superior intelligence – explains why agriculture emerged independently in only a few regions.

Cultural Evolution and the Red Queen Effect

Values change through a process analogous to biological evolution, where:
– Cultural variants compete within populations
– Successful variants spread through imitation and teaching
– Environmental changes favor different variants
– External shocks accelerate transformation

The “Red Queen Effect” (named after Lewis Carroll’s character) describes how societies must constantly adapt just to maintain their position. As foxes evolved to catch rabbits faster, rabbits evolved to escape faster – a dynamic also seen in competing human societies.

Historical examples include:
– The military-bureaucratic innovations of Assyria (744-727 BCE)
– The administrative reforms of China’s Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE)
– The constitutional developments of early modern Britain

Each adaptation changed the competitive landscape, forcing rivals to respond or perish.

The Industrial Breakthrough

The fossil fuel revolution followed similar evolutionary logic. By 1700, several agricultural societies (Rome, Song China, Mughal India) had hit the productivity ceiling of ~30,000 kcal/person/day. Breakthrough required:
1. Geographic advantages (Europe’s Atlantic access)
2. Favorable wage pressures (high British labor costs)
3. Technological convergence (steam power, mechanization)
4. Institutional innovations (patent systems, capital markets)

Contrary to Eurocentric narratives, industrialization wasn’t inevitable or uniquely Western. China’s Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) developed comparable technologies but lacked Britain’s specific combination of circumstances.

Future Trajectories

Projecting current trends suggests several possibilities for value systems:

1. Continued Liberalization: If fossil fuel values represent an evolutionary peak, we might expect global convergence on liberal democracy.

2. Cultural Hybridization: Emerging powers may blend Western institutions with local traditions, as in “Confucian democracy” proposals.

3. Post-Human Values: Biotechnology and AI could create radical new value systems beyond current comprehension.

4. Collapse Scenarios: Climate change or nuclear war might force regression to earlier value systems.

The key insight is that values don’t evolve in isolation – they co-evolve with energy systems. As we transition to post-fossil fuel energy (whether through renewables or collapse), our moral frameworks will transform accordingly.

Lessons from 20,000 Years of Change

Three fundamental principles emerge from this long-term perspective:

1. Energy Determines Possibility: Each energy regime enables certain social forms while constraining others.

2. Values Follow Function: Moral systems that align with productive requirements tend to spread.

3. Change Accelerates: Transitions between stages occur exponentially faster (foraging→farming: ~10,000 years; farming→industry: ~300 years).

This framework suggests that understanding energy transitions may be the key to anticipating future moral revolutions. As we stand on the brink of potential energy breakthroughs (fusion, solar, etc.) or catastrophes (climate collapse), recognizing these patterns helps navigate coming value transformations.

The story of human values is ultimately one of adaptation – not just to our environments, but to the societies our energy systems make possible. As we shape future energy pathways, we simultaneously shape the moral universe of generations to come.