ABSTRACT
A fundamental characteristic of the biological sciences is to study individual organs and organisms rather than viewing them in the context of living systems and evolving communities. This bias has led us to think of the brain as an individual organ and to search for technical answers about human behaviour instead of those that arise within the lived experience of human interactions. The work of Rene Spitz and John Bowlby about the importance of human contact and sustained bonding resulted in these children being assigned specific care-takers. The fact that the brain is such a highly specialized social organ of adaptation is both good news and bad news. Non-loving behaviour signals the child’s brain to develop as if the world is a dangerous place: do not explore, do not discover, do not take chances. In contemporary society, the freeway is our savannah, the information superhighway our Galapagos. Human beings get attached to tattered sweaters, old cars, and reclining chairs.
