7. Seventh Lecture: Evolutionary Truth as Survival Wisdom - Action Over Thought
This lecture was originally intended as an introduction to Evolutionary Truth, presenting its fundamental premise: that Evolutionary Truth is, at its core, wisdom for survival. Much of the debate between Newtonian mechanics and Darwinism, or science and religion, can be dissolved by recognizing that Evolutionary Truth inherently encompasses both. These frameworks are not mutually exclusive but rather integrated within Evolutionary Truth, rendering their opposition illusory.
For instance, Newtonian principles are not rejected within Darwinian evolution; rather, they function within it. Similarly, the scientific pursuit of ontological precision and balance does not invalidate religious thought — it necessitates it. The need for a structured, coherent metaphysical framework aligns with the function that religion has historically provided. Thus, this lecture serves as an accessible introduction to the concept of Evolutionary Truth — not yet as a fully developed model, but as a starting point for understanding its broader implications.
Evolutionary Truth refers to a way of experiencing life and behaving in a manner that has ensured survival on Earth. Given that humans as a species have existed for approximately seven million years, and that Evolutionary Truth extends back hundreds of millions of years, aligning our actions with it is, by far, the most reliable way to maximize our chances of survival. Humanity has endured precisely because of its adherence to Evolutionary Truth.
To illustrate this, let us examine the functioning of Evolutionary Truth through the example of early humans. The first challenge faced by our earliest ancestors was survival — a feat that was by no means guaranteed. Our distant predecessors, millions of years ago, were primarily nocturnal, physically similar to apes, and lived in trees. Their lifespan rarely exceeded a few decades, and every moment of their existence was dedicated to staying alive. Drinking water risked crocodile attacks, the grass concealed venomous snakes, and leopards lurked in the tree branches.
One can only imagine the sheer terror of encountering a real-life dragon, such as Megalania, a seven-meter-long, one-ton lizard that roamed the land like a monster from hell, delivering a deadly bite through venomous secretions. In such an environment, death was far more probable than survival.
The Fundamental Question of Survival
Given these conditions, why didn’t humans immediately go extinct? From the very first day, humans were forced to answer one crucial question:
"How must one live?"
To answer this, a functional guide was required — and the existence of such a guide is supported by scientific evidence.
Human survival was made possible by following Evolutionary Truth. The brain’s biochemistry reveals our innate understanding of hierarchy, indicating that we are born with biological wisdom, an essential part of Evolutionary Truth. We do not learn this — it has never been learned — it is innate.
One of the most pervasive principles of Evolutionary Truth is hierarchy, a concept often misunderstood and opposedin modern society.
The Evolutionary Reality of Hierarchy
Hierarchies exist everywhere — in both living and non-living nature. Because hierarchies are often linked to power, they are commonly classified as “power hierarchies.”
Let’s consider our distant ancestors:
If a weaker male encountered a female impregnated by the strongest male, he did not attempt to claim her, as this would likely result in violent retaliation or even death.
Females, in turn, naturally selected the highest-ranking males, as this increased the likelihood of producing healthier offspring.
From this perspective, submission to a power hierarchy was an adaptive survival strategy. In modern times, a parallel exists in the dating market, where financially stable, physically healthy, single men aged 30–55 — those willing to commit — are statistically rare and therefore highly sought after. This scarcity grants them greater selection power, just as high-status males had in prehistoric times.
If one reduces this dynamic purely to a gender struggle, it can be interpreted as a typical power hierarchy, where men use social status to pressure women into compliance.
While some men certainly exploit this situation, it is important to recognize that they did not create this structure. Hierarchies are a fundamental aspect of Evolutionary Truth, deeply ingrained in human biology.
That said, while some hierarchies manifest as power structures, true power hierarchies are unsustainable. Forcibly maintaining dominance is resource-intensive and inevitably leads to resistance, often culminating in violent overthrow—a scenario seen throughout history, where tyrannical alpha males are eventually removed by collective opposition.
Competence Hierarchies: The Real Mechanism of Survival
The vast majority of hierarchies in our lives — thousands of them — are not power hierarchies but competence hierarchies. These are not imposed; rather, they are the most effective survival mechanism ever developed by evolution.
At its core, a hierarchy is simply a ranking of preferences.
For example:
A heterosexual person places the opposite sex above their own in a sexual hierarchy.
A cisgender person identifies with their biological sex, meaning their own gender holds higher significance than an alternative identity.
Similarly, in modern workplaces, nearly all professional hierarchies are based on competence. True power hierarchies exist only in closed groups.
Competence-based hierarchies allow humans to cooperate effectively, ensuring that tasks are assigned to the most skilled individuals. For instance, we do not ask a locksmith to perform surgery, just as we do not ask a surgeon to fix a plumbing issue.
Even our most critical decisions are shaped by personal value hierarchies. If one prioritizes legal integrity over financial gain, they will refuse a bribe. Conversely, if one’s hierarchy of values prioritizes wealth, they may accept it.
Thus, understanding the natural inevitability of hierarchy is crucial.
Human Behavior: Evolution Before Thought
For millions of years, humans acted in accordance with Evolutionary Truth long before they could consciously understand it.
Our brains and bodies were built for survival — long before rational thought developed.
Even today, our bodies react before our minds in certain situations. Anyone who has played tennis knows this well. If one overthinks — consciously tracking the ball, adjusting the racket, and planning the shot—they are far less likely to hit the ball successfully. The action comes first — then the thought.
This is how Evolutionary Truth functioned long before humans developed the ability to conceptualize or describe it.
The Transmission of Evolutionary Truth
Humans pass on Evolutionary Truth through action, even when they cannot articulate it.
A three-year-old can play “rock-paper-scissors” correctly, knowing whether they won or lost.
However, only a five-year-old can verbally explain the game’s rules.
This illustrates that behavioral truth is acquired before descriptive truth. The same applies to language learning—children construct complex sentences long before they can explain grammatical rules.
Innate Biological Wisdom: The Foundation of Human Intelligence
Scientific research suggests that consciousness itself is difficult to pinpoint—but evidence strongly supports the idea that humans inherit biological wisdom at birth.
Carl Jung argued that below our individual unconscious mind lies a collective unconscious—a shared reservoir of ancestral knowledge spanning generations.
Estonian neuroscientist Endel Tulving demonstrated how semantic memory (factual knowledge) can exist independently from episodic memory (personal experience), suggesting that some knowledge may be inherited rather than learned.
Even today, we cannot fully define consciousness. It is not localized in a single area of the brain, but rather an emergent process arising from multiple interactions. The famous case of Phineas Gage, whose personality changed drastically after an iron rod pierced his skull, suggests that our sense of self is fragmented across different brain regions.
This reinforces a profound reality: much of what we "know" may not have been "learned" in the way we traditionally assume. Instead, it may have been passed down biologically — a legacy of Evolutionary Truth.
