Let me borrow the question from thedoctorweighsin.com:
For a long while, we thought that ‘intelligence’ set us apart. We now know better; whales, dolphins, crows, parrots, and apes, to name a few, have been shown to possess a high level of intelligence. Is it our ‘self-awareness’ that makes us unique? Not quite. Apes are showing various degrees of self-awareness. Is it our ‘communication skills’? They are indeed highly developed, but they are not unique; whales, dolphins, birds and apes all communicate via quite complex languages. It has been suggested that our capacity to feel and show ’empathy’ is uniquely human. Have you seen a mother elephant grieving over her dead infant? Have you ever seen the whole herd commiserating with her? Have you heard of the African buffaloes who form a protective shield around a female who is giving birth, to ward off predators and vultures?
Well, the Smithsonian has traded email with Yuval Noah Harari, a lecturer in history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Harari has explored the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.” Just the kind of guy I’ve been looking for.
As the unique trait that links all human beings, Harari considers:
The truly unique trait of [Homo] Sapiens is our ability to create and believe fiction. All other animals use their communication system to describe reality. We use our communication system to create new realities.
I guess an other word for that would be ‘imagination’.
Imagination allows us to look forward in time, consider multiple alternatives, and when combined with memory, make conscious choices: to design our world.
1. UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM
On sustainability
2. UNDERSTANDING HOW THE WORLD WORKS
On nature
On human nature
On the meaning of life and living
On culture
On morality
3. UNDERSTANDING HOW CHANGE WORKS
On the Next Level Society
On behavioral change
On marketing sustainability
4-A. FIXING HOW WE DESIGN THE WORLD
On naturalness
On naturalness in behaviour
On naturalness in art
Artworks of interest
On naturalness in architecture
Architecture of interest: naturalness
On livable architecture
Architecture of interest: livability
On naturalness in design
Design works of interest
4-B. FIXING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OURSELVES
On well-being, self care and happiness
4-C. FIXING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUSINESS AND SOCIETY
On responsible business
On Positive Design & design ethics
On privacy
Progressieve bureaus van Nederland, 2021
OTHER NOTES AND WRITINGS
On digital design, CX/UX, and technology
On the travel & hospitality industry
Miscellaneous