Suicidal Moths

"Men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined.                                                                                                                                                                                             ~Spinoza

 Insect:

It's tempting to ask… “What is the survival value of suicidal behavior in moths”… but that's the wrong question. Instead what we should ask is, “What's the survival value of having the kind of brain which, when there are candles about, causes moths to fly into them?”

In the wild state, when the moth’s brain was being naturally selected, there weren't any candles, and if you saw a bright light in the middle of the night it pretty well had to be a celestial object. It could be a firefly or something like that, but it was most likely to be the moon or a star, or, in a day-flying insect, the sun.

At optical infinity, when light rays are traveling in parallel, those rays provide an excellent compass. And it's well known that insects use light rays as a compass. They maintain a fixed angle… let's say 30 degrees, to a source of light. Well, if you maintain a 30 degree angle to the moon's rays, that's fine, you go in a straight line. But if you maintain a 30 degree angle to a candle’s rays, you'll describe a neat logarithmic spiral straight into the candle and burn.

So, now we have rephrased the question. The question is not, “What is the survival value of suicidal behavior in moths?” the question has become, “What's the survival value of maintaining a fixed angle relative to light rays?” And now we've got a sensible answer. In the case of the candle it's just a mistake. The environment has evolved (lights close to the ground) at a greater rate than the Moth ability to overcome its hard wired desires.

 (This analogy was proposed by Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins)

Human:

It’s tempting to ask, “Why has the human brain evolved in a way that attracts us toward destructive behavior.”  Think about it…we spend more money than we make…we eat more food than we need…we lust after our neighbors wife?   What could be the possible benefit for human evolution to spend more, eat more, or lust more?

Maybe this is the wrong question to ask?

Humans have evolved over the course of millions of years. During this time, the selection process preferred individuals that were hard wired for consumption and procreation. It should be easy to see how these traits were beneficial (necessary) in the early development of man. The descent of man occurs when you pair these “hard wired” traits/desirers in the twenty first century environment.

Think about it… when a human’s brain was being naturally selected for, there weren't any credit card companies… and… if you saw a dead animal it was in your best interest to eat it….All of it!

The lustful tendencies of today’s humans seem just as confusing as the moth committing suicide in the flame.  After all…”you’re married…why would you lust after other women?” It seems confusing… that is until you consider the evolutionary purposes of having a strong sex drive in an evolving species.

So, now we have rephrased the human question.  The question is not, "Why has the human brain evolved in a way that attracts us toward destructive behavior?"

The question is, “What is the biological advantage for the human brain to have insatiable drives to consume?”

And now we've got a sensible answer. In order for early humans to flourish, the hardwired desires to consume are a must to perpetuate our species.

In the case of the destructive behavior in humans, it's just vestigial traits left over from our prior generations of early hominids. The environment has evolved (abundance of food, availability of sex) at a greater rate than humanities ability to control our hard wired desires in modernity.

Ironically…. if the hardwired traits inherited from a dangerous, barren world, are not controlled…. Humans, like moths, will fly into the flames.