Quote - But it was too late, by the time this first philosopher could conceive of these notions of the structure of the Universe and how he might be connected or disconnected (sin) from all the other creatures who didn't seem to have his worries his prefrontal lobe was developed. He realized that eating the magic mushrooms had changed his people forever. Even those born who had never eaten the forbidden fruit were born different from the animals of the world. Where once they had roamed with all creatures in the garden now they could only see themselves as separate. They were now humans.

 

I always thought the garden was a metaphor for the animal kingdom.  Also, as an early important use of language, the powers given to language is fascinating.  It's telling that Adam did not get to  name himself, but was instructed to name the animals when given dominion over them.

 

We've become seperate from the animals, but haven't united amongst ourselves.  I believe that some form of common belief system may be necessary to leaving the planet, if not necessary to being allowed to leave the planet.  Deep space technology just isn't useful in warfare, and that's what drives research spending.

 

Perhaps the turning away from psychedelics coincides with the development of the bicameral mind.  Using cranial capacity to determine that the brain has not changed in 50,000 years seems a bit suspect.  For example, autism rates are on the rise.  Is that being reflected in cranial changes?

 

I hate to sound all Trekkie, but it seems that the most likely reason for an advanced civilation to take notice of us is simply that we are closer to becoming a potential threat.  We are a race that has spent the better part of its existence perfecting killing, and now here we are trying to unravel the dimensions of space, making black holes in laboratories and hoping to seed ourselves throughout the galaxy.  I'd want to pay attention to something like that happening in my cosmic backyard.