ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses that social evolution has been accelerated and perhaps even motivated by the continuous efforts of humankind to escape from boredom through the pursuit of adventure. Every human group has converted biological necessities into cultural forms that are transmitted from generation to generation and thereby give social identity to the group. The phrase "human values" is loaded with emotion, but its intellectual content will remain obscure until agreement is reached concerning the attributes which are specifically "human". While the biological characteristics that define Homo sapiens sapiens are easy to describe and to measure, there are no scientific criteria for defining the humanness of the human species. All civilizations have formulated ideals of behavior based on attributes which appear uniquely human. The technologic formula of civilization dominates the world at the present time, but there is no guarantee that it will be permanent.
