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Extraction Summary
2
People
2
Organizations
1
Locations
0
Events
1
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Scientific text / book excerpt (included in house oversight committee production)
File Size:
Summary
This document appears to be a page (page 20) from a scientific book or article included in a House Oversight investigation file. The text discusses evolutionary psychology, specifically the role of the hippocampus in 'mental time travel' and the theory proposed by UCSD biologist Ajit Varki that human optimism evolved as a necessary counter-balance to the awareness of mortality. The document bears a Bates stamp indicating it is part of a larger production of documents.
People (2)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Ajit Varki | Biologist |
Cited in the text regarding his theory on the evolution of mortality awareness and optimism.
|
| Author (Unknown) | Researcher/Writer |
Refers to themselves as 'I' in the final sentence: 'Findings from a study I conducted...'
|
Organizations (2)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| University of California, San Diego |
Institution where Ajit Varki works.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Implied by the footer stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_030287'.
|
Locations (1)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Location of the University of California.
|
Relationships (1)
The author cites Varki's arguments regarding evolution and mortality.
Key Quotes (4)
"Ajit Varki, a biologist at the University of California, San Diego, argues that the awareness of mortality on its own would have led evolution to a dead end."Source
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Quote #1
"The only way conscious mental time travel could have arisen over the course of evolution is if it emerged together with irrational optimism."Source
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Quote #2
"Knowledge of death had to emerge side by side with the persistent ability to picture a bright future."Source
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Quote #3
"The capacity to envision the future relies partly on the hippocampus, a brain structure that is crucial to memory."Source
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Quote #4
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