unformed thought on evolution
I was reading about evolution and how different species are constantly changing to better deal with the challenges that they face, never gaining any lasting advantage (you get camouflage, I’ll get better vision, repeat). And I thought about how this happens in business too. Yes, well trod ground, I know. But there are companies with sustainable advantages (usually a combination of economies of scale) that just become more competitive as they grow larger. In business and in the animal kingdom, there are costs to doing everything well (spend more in money or in calories), but the best companies can outspend everyone else and still be profitable (analogous to surviving & have kids).
Anyway, my thought is that human intelligence is a sustainable competitive advantage over the rest of nature. The smarter we get, the more competitive we get. And like Wal-Mart or Coca-Cola, we dominate more and more of our environment. I don’t know if any other creatures have a similar level of dominance, maybe mitochondria, but I’m out of my element in biology.
/unformed thought
