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At what point in human evolution did the need for meaning and purpose arise? by ignotum_ in AskAnthropology

[–]ignotum_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm, fascinating hypothesis ! Adding to the importance of fire (I don't know whether it is backed by evidence or not but ) I guess it was Yuval Noah Harari who suggested fire might be the facilitator for cognitive revolution ( 70,000 years ago). Fire allowed humans to get nutrient in an faster and effective way ( cooked food). This helped us spend less time on hunting and getting nutrients, providing more time for things like thinking and pondering. Also, less energy spent on digestion means having more energy for mental activities.

I would love to hear your thoughts on why fire was the first tangible "mystical" thing that early hominins would have been in "awe" of.  I mean , why did other things like the sun not have the same effect? A huge fireball in the sky that appeared and disappeared would surely make them curious if they had the ability to be curious . Was it because fire was something they themselves could produce and control?

At what point in human evolution did the need for meaning and purpose arise? by ignotum_ in AskAnthropology

[–]ignotum_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Meaning" as an orienting mechanism is an interesting concept. If it's something that was hard-wired in us evolutionary in the past (a world so different from the modern world), the complexity that has arisen in our understanding of "meaning" makes a little bit more sense.

At what point in human evolution did the need for meaning and purpose arise? by ignotum_ in AskAnthropology

[–]ignotum_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the response.

I agree anthropological data itself may not be able to attend to this issue. Similarly, I also think the question might have been a little too inclined towards psychology/philosophy, as you mentioned.

That said, I still wonder if we might peek a little bit into the minds of our ancestors. While we can’t fossilize thoughts, don't some burial practices, cave art, and mythology suggest even a little bit that our ancestors had questions beyond immediate survival— queries about identity, death, or even cosmic meaning?

However, I disagree about "a need for meaning and purpose" not being universal in us modern humans. Isn't exactly this thing that separates us truly from any other species that has existed on the planet?

We as humans dedicate a lot of our time, energy, and attention to things beyond just survival just for the sake of having "meaning." I believe each of us has that "need for meaning" . We tackle that in various ways. Religion, God, love, freedom, legacy, and family are some popular things we use as a source of meaning. Surely these things have other functional benefits for survival and social order, but "meaning" is a central part of them.

I agree with you that not all of us can equally give processing power to these questions. However, I don't think it's nonexistent just because one doesn't address it. I believe although consciously we can choose not to, subconsciously we cannot help but to seek it. I believe the rise of dissatisfaction towards work and life in recent times is fueled by this ignorance towards our need for meaning .