The part about the ancestral environment is generally accepted wisdom here and is supported by lots of arguments scattered all over LW. Random example, we like to eat more than is good for us because this instinct made sense when times of feast alternated with times of famine. Another random example, boys are afraid to approach girls because we used to live in small tribes, so one botched attempt could seriously hurt our chances of ever reproducing.
Not everyone experiences random creativity just before falling asleep, but many people do, e.g. there are legends about Edison and Salvador Dali using it, and Coleridge apparently wrote Kubla Khan in this state. I’ve used it to write poems and music.
The part about the ancestral environment is generally accepted wisdom
I was nitpicking your wording. The habits developed in response to the ancestral environment, certainly, but saying that the brain made the “right” choices then implies a degree of order and sense I’m not prepared to atttribute to human brain-body coordination in any age.
Similarly, my objection was to being told that I experienced that state of creativity at that time. I don’t doubt that it happens to some people.
Enough of what gets posted in the discussion section is looking for critique that I generally assume that suggested changes are welcome; I apologize if that wasn’t one of your goals with this one.
According to Coleridge’s Preface to Kubla Khan, the poem was composed one night after he experienced an opium influenced dream after reading a work describing the Tartar king Kublai Khan. Upon waking, he set about writing lines of poetry that came to him from the dream until he was interrupted by a person from Porlock. The poem could not be completed according to its original 200-300 line plan as the interruption caused him to forget the lines.
I’d be willing to bet that ancient humans made stupid choices about when to eat/sleep/fuck as well.
… I do? News to me.
The part about the ancestral environment is generally accepted wisdom here and is supported by lots of arguments scattered all over LW. Random example, we like to eat more than is good for us because this instinct made sense when times of feast alternated with times of famine. Another random example, boys are afraid to approach girls because we used to live in small tribes, so one botched attempt could seriously hurt our chances of ever reproducing.
Not everyone experiences random creativity just before falling asleep, but many people do, e.g. there are legends about Edison and Salvador Dali using it, and Coleridge apparently wrote Kubla Khan in this state. I’ve used it to write poems and music.
I was nitpicking your wording. The habits developed in response to the ancestral environment, certainly, but saying that the brain made the “right” choices then implies a degree of order and sense I’m not prepared to atttribute to human brain-body coordination in any age.
Similarly, my objection was to being told that I experienced that state of creativity at that time. I don’t doubt that it happens to some people.
Enough of what gets posted in the discussion section is looking for critique that I generally assume that suggested changes are welcome; I apologize if that wasn’t one of your goals with this one.
I think Coleridge was on laudanum, not sleepiness.
Laudanum or opium itself...
From Wikipedia: