E.O. Wilson (an American biologist) described in 2009 a key problem of modern society in one sentence: “We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology.”
His idea is about different speeds of change:
- “Paleolithic emotions”: Our basic feelings and instincts come from a very old past, when humans lived in small groups. We still react quickly to danger, trust our own group more, compete for status, and often focus on the short term.
- “Medieval institutions”: Many of our large systems - government, law, bureaucracy, and other authorities - change slowly. They were not designed for today’s fast, global problems.
- “Godlike technology”: Modern technology gives humans huge power. We can change nature, spread information, and also cause harm on a very large scale.
Wilson’s main point is a mismatch: we have very powerful tools, but our instincts are old and our institutions may be too slow. This can be dangerous in a world where events spread quickly across countries and continents. For historians, this is interesting because it asks a historical question: when technology changes faster than society, how do institutions and culture adapt - and how long does it take?
