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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
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_030287.jpg
Quote #2
"Knowledge of death had to emerge side by side with the persistent ability to picture a bright future."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_030287.jpg
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
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,028 characters)
20
with global warming? Would we attempt to live healthily? Would we
have children?
While mental time travel has clear survival advantages, conscious
foresight came to humans at an enormous price — the understanding
that somewhere in the future, death awaits. 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. The
despair would have interfered with our daily function, bringing the
activities needed for survival to a stop. The only way conscious
mental time travel could have arisen over the course of evolution is if
it emerged together with irrational optimism. Knowledge of death
had to emerge side by side with the persistent ability to picture a
bright future.
The capacity to envision the future relies partly on the hippocampus,
a brain structure that is crucial to memory. Patients with damage to
their hippocampus are unable to recollect the past, but they are also
unable to construct detailed images of future scenarios. They appear
to be stuck in time. The rest of us constantly move back and forth in
time; we might think of a conversation we had with our spouse
yesterday and then immediately of our dinner plans for later tonight.
But the brain doesn't travel in time in a random fashion. It tends to
engage in specific types of thoughts. We consider how well our kids
will do in life, how we will obtain that sought-after job, afford that
house on the hill and find perfect love. We imagine our team winning
the crucial game, look forward to an enjoyable night on the town or
picture a winning streak at the blackjack table. We also worry about
losing loved ones, failing at our job or dying in a terrible plane crash —
but research shows that most of us spend less time mulling over
negative outcomes than we do over positive ones. When we do
contemplate defeat and heartache, we tend to focus on how these can
be avoided. Findings from a study I conducted a few years ago with
have children?
While mental time travel has clear survival advantages, conscious
foresight came to humans at an enormous price — the understanding
that somewhere in the future, death awaits. 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. The
despair would have interfered with our daily function, bringing the
activities needed for survival to a stop. The only way conscious
mental time travel could have arisen over the course of evolution is if
it emerged together with irrational optimism. Knowledge of death
had to emerge side by side with the persistent ability to picture a
bright future.
The capacity to envision the future relies partly on the hippocampus,
a brain structure that is crucial to memory. Patients with damage to
their hippocampus are unable to recollect the past, but they are also
unable to construct detailed images of future scenarios. They appear
to be stuck in time. The rest of us constantly move back and forth in
time; we might think of a conversation we had with our spouse
yesterday and then immediately of our dinner plans for later tonight.
But the brain doesn't travel in time in a random fashion. It tends to
engage in specific types of thoughts. We consider how well our kids
will do in life, how we will obtain that sought-after job, afford that
house on the hill and find perfect love. We imagine our team winning
the crucial game, look forward to an enjoyable night on the town or
picture a winning streak at the blackjack table. We also worry about
losing loved ones, failing at our job or dying in a terrible plane crash —
but research shows that most of us spend less time mulling over
negative outcomes than we do over positive ones. When we do
contemplate defeat and heartache, we tend to focus on how these can
be avoided. Findings from a study I conducted a few years ago with
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_030287
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