Suppose some chimpanzees have you in a cage, and you want to not only get out of the cage, but convince the chimpanzees to bring you some food. How do you do it?
You certainly don’t do it by being big and threatening, or rapidly accumulating a bunch of big sticks that the chimpanzees can recognize as scary. You’re in a cage and chimpanzees are stronger than you. Priority number one is to get the chimpanzees to like you and want to let you out of the cage. Perhaps mirroring their behavior, making yourself look nonthreatening, and engaging in social grooming would help. And maybe as plan B you could try to make some weapons like poison darts, which chimpanzees don’t recognize as threatening while you’re making them but might help you defeat some or all of them if you feel you’re in danger.
In short, you don’t beat the chimpanzees by being a larger chimpanzee. You beat the chimpanzees by understanding how they work, predicting them, and taking the actions that will get you what you want.
You don’t beat humans by being a big human, or a conquering nation. You beat humans by understanding how they work, predicting them, and taking the actions that will get you what you want.
Suppose some chimpanzees have you in a cage, and you want to not only get out of the cage, but convince the chimpanzees to bring you some food. How do you do it?
You certainly don’t do it by being big and threatening, or rapidly accumulating a bunch of big sticks that the chimpanzees can recognize as scary. You’re in a cage and chimpanzees are stronger than you. Priority number one is to get the chimpanzees to like you and want to let you out of the cage. Perhaps mirroring their behavior, making yourself look nonthreatening, and engaging in social grooming would help. And maybe as plan B you could try to make some weapons like poison darts, which chimpanzees don’t recognize as threatening while you’re making them but might help you defeat some or all of them if you feel you’re in danger.
In short, you don’t beat the chimpanzees by being a larger chimpanzee. You beat the chimpanzees by understanding how they work, predicting them, and taking the actions that will get you what you want.
You don’t beat humans by being a big human, or a conquering nation. You beat humans by understanding how they work, predicting them, and taking the actions that will get you what you want.