Wood From Eden

Wood From Eden explores the intersections of evolutionary psychology, societal norms, and human behavior. It delves into topics like fertility rates, patriarchal structures, the philosophy of happiness, and the impact of modern technologies and economies on human societies. The substack also touches on current events, historical analyses, and personal improvement through evolutionary psychology.

Evolutionary Psychology Societal Norms Human Behavior Fertility Rates Patriarchal Structures Philosophy of Happiness Impact of Modern Technologies Economic Influences on Society Historical Analysis Personal Improvement

The hottest Substack posts of Wood From Eden

And their main takeaways

Is feminism caused by a lack of male investment?

240 implied HN points • 15 Nov 22
  1. Theories suggest that feminism may be influenced by a lack of male investment in women and their children.
  2. Historical data and observations point to a correlation between gender ratios, male investment, and feminist movements.
  3. Women's pursuit of equal rights and independence may stem from compensating for perceived lack of male investment in child-rearing.

Paid content: The philosophy of keeping tomcats

96 implied HN points • 11 Sep 23
  1. The post is about the philosophy of keeping tomcats.
  2. It is a paid content for subscribers only.
  3. The author promised cute cat pictures for subscribers.

Do babies die from sleeping on their tummies?

192 implied HN points • 30 Dec 22
  1. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is related to sleeping on the tummy and has decreased with the recommended practice of back sleeping for babies.
  2. It is unclear why babies die from SIDS, with factors like suffocation, overheating, infections, and genetic vulnerabilities being proposed causes.
  3. Breathing monitors for babies are not recommended by governments, but studies show they may have the potential to decrease SIDS rates, highlighting a need for further research.

WfEPP: The Rational Household throws up

48 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Disease Prevention
  1. The post discusses winter vomiting disease and warns sensitive readers about the content.
  2. The content is available only to paid subscribers, with a prompt to subscribe or sign in for access.
  3. The post title hints at insights related to 'The Rational Household' in the context of the discussed disease.
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A climatologist’s view of climate change

240 implied HN points • 22 Aug 22
  1. Climate scientists in Sweden are mostly meteorologists, not climatologists.
  2. Studying past climates involves methods like tree-ring analysis, sediment core drilling, and oxygen isotope analysis.
  3. Climate change impacts are not evenly spread globally, with some regions experiencing more benefit than harm.

The environmental causes of myopia - a case study

288 implied HN points • 25 Apr 22
  1. Time spent outdoors during childhood is negatively associated with myopia
  2. Looking far away often may help prevent myopia
  3. Increasing outdoor time but not looking far away may not halt myopia progression

IQ and intelligence: A bifurcated tail

288 implied HN points • 13 Apr 22
  1. High IQ individuals are often specialists in certain areas, like puzzle-solving or pattern detection.
  2. Just because a computer has a high IQ in terms of pattern recognition, it doesn't mean it can think like a human.
  3. IQ tests and intelligence can show correlation but do not always indicate the same level of capability in humans and computers.

In defense of daylight saving time

192 implied HN points • 29 Oct 22
  1. Daylight saving time is about making the most of daylight by adjusting clocks for better utilization.
  2. Studies show disadvantages of clock transitions but benefits like fewer accidents and increased physical activity are also evident.
  3. Mitigation strategies can address the negative impacts of clock adjustments, allowing for a balance between standard time and daylight saving time.

Asteroid mining for fun and profit

144 implied HN points • 24 Feb 23
🔬 Science Space Economy Solar Power
  1. Mining asteroids for resources is feasible due to the low delta-v requirement for traveling to them.
  2. Asteroids contain valuable metals and minerals like platinum, but the challenge lies in bringing them back to Earth profitably.
  3. Producing goods in space, like water and solar mirrors, for use in space markets can be a profitable alternative to exporting resources back to Earth.

Primates of Manhattan

240 implied HN points • 19 Jun 22
  1. Encouraging people to write about themselves can significantly increase the body of knowledge in the world.
  2. Social dynamics in wealthy communities can resemble those seen in teenage cliques, highlighting behavior similarities between teenagers and high-status adults.
  3. The competitive and superficial behavior observed among some high-status individuals may be influenced by their non-working status and focus on social issues.

The evolutionary success of male homosexuality

192 implied HN points • 04 Oct 22
  1. Homosexual men throughout history have still managed to procreate by marrying women.
  2. Homosexual men may face challenges with sexual arousal, but parenting ability is crucial for evolutionary success.
  3. Social norms and competition have historically led many homosexual men to marry women for procreation.

The 10 000 Year Explosion - The book that shook evolutionary psychology (or should have)

240 implied HN points • 09 Jun 22
  1. Evolution continues to shape human psychology with significant changes occurring in just a few generations.
  2. The book 'The 10,000 Year Explosion' challenges the traditional view that human minds were created solely on the African savanna.
  3. There is controversy around the implications of ongoing genetic evolution, including the possibility of differences in IQ-coding genes among human groups.

Up where we belong

192 implied HN points • 01 Sep 22
  1. Gerard K. O'Neill promoted three-dimensional thinking in space colonization
  2. O'Neill envisioned the use of lunar resources for building space habitats
  3. Space colonization based on O'Neill's ideas could offer solutions to Earth's energy problems

My long goodbye to Windows XP

164 HN points • 01 Nov 22
  1. Author shares personal journey of using Windows XP despite its outdated nature.
  2. Despite security risks, author has not experienced hacking due to their usage habits.
  3. Author transitions from Windows XP to Windows 7 after facing compatibility issues with modern software.

Sweden is smarter than France! Or is it?

192 implied HN points • 29 Jul 22
  1. Breastfeeding rates in Sweden have been consistently high since the 1980s.
  2. France has been an outlier with low breastfeeding rates compared to other countries.
  3. There is no clear correlation between breastfeeding rates and intelligence levels in different countries.

The curious case of Israeli fertility

144 implied HN points • 02 Dec 22
  1. Fertility rates are dropping globally, especially in Western countries, but Israel stands out with a high fertility rate.
  2. Israel's high fertility rate is attributed to a significant number of orthodox Jews and societal norms encouraging large families, not just social policies.
  3. Despite Israel's high fertility rate, it does not have exceptionally generous social policies compared to other OECD countries.

Outdoor germs and allergies

144 implied HN points • 19 Oct 22
  1. Allergic diseases seemed rarer in the past but are now more common, especially in urban areas.
  2. Living on a farm may protect children against allergies due to exposure to farm dirt.
  3. Allowing babies to eat dirt and be exposed to various allergens may actually help protect them from developing allergies.

Slut-onomics: How the scarcity of sluts tears the social fabric apart

32 HN points • 12 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Society Gender Relationships Sexuality Feminism
  1. The availability of casual sex has always been uneven among men, with only a minority having most access.
  2. Slut-shaming in the past may have helped some men downplay their conquests, reducing competition and maintaining peace.
  3. The shift from categorizing women as 'good' or 'bad' to grading them on a scale has intensified competition and made rejections more personal.

The joys of nuclear war

192 implied HN points • 20 Apr 22
  1. Nuclear weapons may not be as devastating as commonly believed.
  2. Modern cities are better equipped to withstand nuclear explosions.
  3. The concept of nuclear winter causing significant global climate change is based on theory with limited evidence.

Human colonies on Mars are a bad idea

144 implied HN points • 24 May 22
  1. Establishing human colonies on Mars might not be as beneficial as it seems, considering the challenges involved.
  2. Challenges of Mars colonization include lack of magnetosphere, weak gravity, and limited sunlight for energy production and agriculture.
  3. Building sustainable colonies on Earth might be a more practical and cost-effective alternative to Mars colonization.

Chateau-mania

96 implied HN points • 28 Sep 22
  1. French chateaus have a fascinating history and are unique architectural wonders in France.
  2. There is a wide variety of chateau styles across different regions of France, influenced by geography and historical events.
  3. Despite their grandiosity, French chateaus are obtainable for ordinary people, making them charming and attractive real estate options.

The Amish - Winners of the 20th century evolutionary contest

96 implied HN points • 08 Sep 22
  1. The Amish population in the US has grown significantly due to their high birth rate, and if this continues, they could become the majority in the future.
  2. The Amish community is not a single centralized group but consists of different branches with varying rules and beliefs.
  3. The Amish lifestyle promotes high fertility through factors like rural living, early end to formal education, avoidance of cars, non-competitive culture, and strong emphasis on monogamy.

Why I fear the fear of AI

96 implied HN points • 24 Aug 22
  1. The fear of AI apocalypse is ethnocentric.
  2. Beliefs can form ingroups with distinct boundaries.
  3. Rationalists should strive for a diversity of beliefs rather than uniformity.

How not to read Lacan

96 implied HN points • 31 May 22
  1. People read Lacan not because his texts make sense, but because they think they should be meaningful due to his fame.
  2. Lacan was more of a charismatic speaker and teacher of Freudian psychoanalysis than a writer.
  3. Lacan's fame came more from his spoken discussions than from his written texts.

Hell is other people - Why individualism shrinks the next generation

24 HN points • 22 Nov 23
  1. Humans evolved to take care of children cooperatively, leading to low fertility rates in smaller household sizes.
  2. The nuclear family became the norm because humans have a natural tendency to both need and conflict with each other.
  3. The ideal of mothers compensating for lack of love by being with their children all the time is flawed; postpartum depression and declining fertility rates suggest otherwise.

Should you give money to Wikipedia?

96 implied HN points • 06 May 22
  1. Consider the financial transparency of organizations before donating.
  2. Question the expenses and actual impact of your donations.
  3. Ensure the mission of the organization aligns with your values before contributing financially.

I write like an ape. Please leave a comment!

48 implied HN points • 01 Jan 23
  1. The art of writing is about transmitting information effectively.
  2. Blogging allows for shorter and denser writing with the help of comments sections.
  3. Encouraging spontaneous, even 'stupid' comments online can enhance public discourse.

The curse of the elite university

48 implied HN points • 12 Oct 22
  1. In Europe, university education is often tuition-free and open to all, creating less pressure and competition compared to the American system.
  2. Private universities in Europe are on par with public universities due to similar funding and resources, leading to equal quality education.
  3. In America, the focus on elite universities can create a childhood of intense competition and pressure, impacting future prospects and causing performance anxiety.

A theory of the bullshitting class

48 implied HN points • 12 Aug 22
  1. Societies historically consisted of warriors, workers, and bullshitters (often referred to as priests), who created narratives to keep people united.
  2. Over time, societies evolved to value more meaningful talk, leading to advancements in science, technology, and social progress.
  3. Despite the push towards more meaningful conversation, bullshitting still persists in academia and media, impacting research quality and societal values.

The order of thoughts

48 implied HN points • 24 Jul 22
  1. Different people have different perspectives on what is useful or necessary.
  2. There is a divide between hoarders and purists of ideas, like the divide between objects.
  3. Being open to a variety of ideas increases the chance of being less wrong in understanding reality.

Delivery drones of yesteryear: Rohrpost

48 implied HN points • 27 Jun 22
  1. Delivery drones have transformed transportation globally, cutting times and solving practical problems.
  2. Rohrpost, a pneumatic tube system from the 19th century, revolutionized parcel transportation in major cities worldwide.
  3. Hospitals are now using modernized Rohrpost systems to transport sensitive goods, showing a new application for an old technology.

1919 - A time for peace

48 implied HN points • 03 Jun 22
  1. The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 was a pivotal moment in history with the aim of achieving eternal peace, but faced challenges and failures.
  2. The clash between old and new worldviews, particularly regarding self-determination, made the Paris peace conference difficult and highlighted the complexities of diplomacy.
  3. The lasting impact of the Paris Peace Conference can be seen in the complex borders and ethnic conflicts that emerged in Central and Eastern Europe, emphasizing the challenges of creating lasting peace agreements.

What is thinking?

48 implied HN points • 17 Apr 22
  1. Thinking involves perceiving the world through categories.
  2. Computers and humans perceive the world differently due to their categories.
  3. Our ability to think is influenced by our biases, feelings, and human hardware.