Humanity faces fundamental challenges that are largely invisible at first glance, yet they shape nearly every aspect of our lives. Understanding these core problems is essential to navigating our biological limitations, social structures, and the inevitable decay of the systems we rely on.
Human behavior is strongly influenced by our genetic makeup, accounting for more than half of it. Evolutionary Psychology has been revealing this for years, but society is still catching up. Understanding it helps people accept themselves and others, be more social, and live in greater harmony with human imperfections.
Sometimes, individuals may seem stubborn because their brains are wired in specific ways, akin to a computer program that produces one result. Recognizing this makes it unreasonable to expect people to easily change their thoughts or actions.
Humans are riddled with a built-in list of cognitive biases, the most influential of which is likely confirmation bias: the tendency to favor information consistent with preexisting views (see also this entry).
One aspect of the Biological Problem is what can be called the Reflexivity Limitation.
Despite these inherent limitations, progress is possible. Growth may be slow, but with patience and reflection, we can make meaningful strides forward.
Humanity’s two biggest core problems are: (1) the Biological Problem, our limited cranial capacity shaped by evolution; and (2) the Social Problem, the imperfect social structures that arise from those biological limits. The late biologist Edward O. Wilson captured this in his 2009 book Consilience: “The real problem of humanity is the following: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and god-like technology.” Fortunately, technological ingenuity is a positive outgrowth of human biology.
History shows that progress in solving the Social Problem is possible, and our understanding of the Biological Problem continues to grow. Advanced nations have built relatively stable societies, a stark contrast to the “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” defaults described by Thomas Hobbes. Scientific insight into how our brains work brings us closer to truly appreciating who we are, and this progress may eventually help overcome both biological and social limitations.
The Entropy Problem remains one of humanity’s greatest yet least acknowledged challenges. Its formal explanation—the second law of thermodynamics — can seem technical and abstract, which may explain why it is often overlooked. I prefer Steven Pinker’s intuitive mnemonic: “things fall apart.” The natural state of the universe, and everything within it — our bodies, societies, and planet — is one of decay without attention and upkeep. Life, as our parents remind us, is a constant struggle for survival and flourishing.
All other problems humanity faces sit on top of these three core challenges.
Is the pace of progress limited to the slow, gradual change we have been seeing? Can solutions be accelerated? These are essential questions for our species.