Paradigm Shifts; or, How We Learned to Stop Bullying and Love the Nerds
Usually, when we talk about paradigm shifts, we talk about changes within large, complex societies. There was, however, one major paradigm shift that occurred before large, complex societies and made all later paradigm shifts possible: the development of agriculture.
Before the development of agriculture, humans lived in small societies (capped at around 150-250, based on a psychological constant known as Dunbar's Number, which determines how many people we can form relationships with) that relied on hunting, foraging, and fishing for food. They generally were nomadic to some degree, moving seasonally in search of optimal food sources.
The development of agriculture around 12000 years ago changed this permanently in societies that developed non-pastoral agriculture; they became settled and tied to a single homeland as opposed to migrating frequently. Villages developed, oftentimes with populations far higher than those of hunter-gatherer bands. This in turn set the stage for the development of cities, kingdoms, and indeed all of history.
The exact reasons for this paradigm shift are hotly debated by historians (for a more scholarly take on the topic, read the book Sapiens, by Yuval Harari). It seems most logical to me, however, that this paradigm shift took place because it made life more predictable. Humans naturally abhor uncertainty, and farming gives a far greater degree of certainty as to what food will be available and when. A pre-agricultural human wouldn't know whether he would get enough to eat on a particular day, but a farmer knows with relative certainty (barring disaster) that so much land will produce so much in crops each year and as a result is relatively assured of his continued ability to eat.
Another paradigm shift of far less historical significance but perhaps almost as much personal significance to me is the change of the perception of nerds in mainstream American culture. Movies and other works of art from the 1980s and even 90s seem to depict nerds as universally receiving the short end of the social stick. It is always they who are shoved into lockers, ostracized by their peers, and portrayed by actors with unfortunate appearances. However, by my own childhood, it seemed that being a nerd simply indicated a particular set of interests and was no longer any obstacle to social advancement. Simultaneously, many "nerd" interests had been adopted by more popular students, in stark contrast to the social suicide this would have been in earlier times.
What changed? The simple answer is the ubiquity of the computer. With the mass popularization of the personal computer in the late 80s and early 90s, it now became useful to have someone in one's social group who could work with and repair computers, should the need arise. It being, of course, very difficult to repair a computer from the inside of a locker, suddenly being friends with or at least tolerating nerds paid dividends. As such, bullying nerds now did more harm than good to the bully and the practice ceased (fortunately enough for me).
Before the development of agriculture, humans lived in small societies (capped at around 150-250, based on a psychological constant known as Dunbar's Number, which determines how many people we can form relationships with) that relied on hunting, foraging, and fishing for food. They generally were nomadic to some degree, moving seasonally in search of optimal food sources.
The development of agriculture around 12000 years ago changed this permanently in societies that developed non-pastoral agriculture; they became settled and tied to a single homeland as opposed to migrating frequently. Villages developed, oftentimes with populations far higher than those of hunter-gatherer bands. This in turn set the stage for the development of cities, kingdoms, and indeed all of history.
The exact reasons for this paradigm shift are hotly debated by historians (for a more scholarly take on the topic, read the book Sapiens, by Yuval Harari). It seems most logical to me, however, that this paradigm shift took place because it made life more predictable. Humans naturally abhor uncertainty, and farming gives a far greater degree of certainty as to what food will be available and when. A pre-agricultural human wouldn't know whether he would get enough to eat on a particular day, but a farmer knows with relative certainty (barring disaster) that so much land will produce so much in crops each year and as a result is relatively assured of his continued ability to eat.
Another paradigm shift of far less historical significance but perhaps almost as much personal significance to me is the change of the perception of nerds in mainstream American culture. Movies and other works of art from the 1980s and even 90s seem to depict nerds as universally receiving the short end of the social stick. It is always they who are shoved into lockers, ostracized by their peers, and portrayed by actors with unfortunate appearances. However, by my own childhood, it seemed that being a nerd simply indicated a particular set of interests and was no longer any obstacle to social advancement. Simultaneously, many "nerd" interests had been adopted by more popular students, in stark contrast to the social suicide this would have been in earlier times.
What changed? The simple answer is the ubiquity of the computer. With the mass popularization of the personal computer in the late 80s and early 90s, it now became useful to have someone in one's social group who could work with and repair computers, should the need arise. It being, of course, very difficult to repair a computer from the inside of a locker, suddenly being friends with or at least tolerating nerds paid dividends. As such, bullying nerds now did more harm than good to the bully and the practice ceased (fortunately enough for me).
I think both choices present interesting opportunities for more research. The problem with the agriculture shift is since it occurred so long ago it may be hard to find a credible timeline depicting exactly when the shift occurred. With the perception of nerds, the evidence you presented shows it being represented in movies as opposed to real life. You called upon your own experience, but you can't exactly cite this in a formal research paper. Good luck with your paper!
ReplyDeleteI think both of these topics are good examples of paradigm shifts and either one could give you enough information to talk about. Personally, I like the idea of the first one.
ReplyDeleteJacob, although it seems that you have more research for your paradigm shift focused on agriculture, I am particularly interested in hearing more about your paradigm shift focused on the perception of nerds. For me, this topic felt stronger because it is interesting, original, and personal. There are so many different media platforms that would easily play into this topic. I mean how many teenage girls have dressed up as nerds for Halloween? I'm excited to see what you pick.
ReplyDeleteThe paradigm shift in farming might be too big a shift to cover, since it does span across millennia, but if you can have a smaller range of time to compare (i.e. hunting to farming, enough to eat to mass production, etc.) it would be easier to compare specific points in that shift.
ReplyDeleteLooking at these two topics, I found that your first topic on agriculture is one that definitely sets the stage for length and depth, giving you the ability to tie in so many different events and circumstances and historical references that your essay and TED talk will be overflowing with information - making your job a little easier and a little more challenging at the same time. My one suggestion would be if you were to choose the topic of agriculture, you may want to be careful with how much you explain the historical stages from hunting and gathering to present day. Finding a way to spruce up a history lesson is necessary, but showing your passion in the speech will definitely be one way to do so. As for your topic regarding the shift from target to tool in regards to the "nerds" of the world, I am concerned that maybe the level of research being found on this topic will be limited. Granted, this topic idea is interesting and brings the component of technological advances in our society, the focus of the topic being on nerds may be rather difficult to defend in a logistical argument with your audience.
ReplyDeleteJacob, your classmates' cautions about the agriculture topic are echoed here: is it something that's novel? is it too broad? would the timeline be unwieldy or imprecise? would you be able to generate interest on it, or would your TED talk feel more like a lecture?
ReplyDeleteIf you can work around those concerns, then feel free to consider the topic, but if not, then I'd consider the other option more favorably.