PRIMATE SOCIETY – evolution and survival

A web project about primate behavior ie about YOU and ME … 

As part of ”The Primate project, a study of the human instincts” I made a unique website, ”PRIMATE SOCIETY – evolution and survival”.

The whole project was based on my interest in how we humans behave. How much of our primal instincts still influence our actions; We war and destroy and at the same time we can love and care for each other. The project consisted of an exhibition, 2 CDs, and this website. (Read about the Primate project: links at the bottom).

The website was extensive and touched on the evolution of man as a primate. But the site also had parts that triggered the instincts we have as primates.

Four main parts: The ENTRANCE page, THE STORY, SURVIVAL and THE CD. Read the description of the different parts below.

 

”There is a certain flexible – yet definable – human nature that has been shaped by biological evolution and that continues to influence human life.”

Arne Öhman, Professor of Psychology

PRIMATE SOCIETY – evolution and survival

I created a unique website that explored our human instincts. ”PRIMATE SOCIETY – evolution and survival” existed approximately between the years 2000 – 2015 and had many visitors. It remained until HTML pages declined and responsive pages took over.

The website included different sections:

The ENTRANCE page with links to the four main parts. Here you could also find a Discussion forum and a Poll, and pages with a more detailed description of the site and a more detailed description of human development.

– A Discussion forum, PRIMATE SOCIETY Message Board, which ended 2009.
The visitors could discuss the content of the website, human development or about instincts in general But …

My comment in 2009: ”The purpose of this Discussion Board was to discuss our instincts, how far man has really evolved. However, the result was often offensive and nasty messages. Maybe these messages show more of us humans than a serious discussion… Maybe these messages are in fact related to primate behavior…”

A Poll, primates poll, where visitors could vote on various issues;
1. Are you loved?
2. Are you hurting someone?
3. Do you need control?
4. Can you trust yourself?

You could choose between: YES NO MAYBE

(How do you answer these questions??…)

The results showed that most people felt loved, about 30% stated that they had hurt someone and that they needed control. On the other hand, it was about 50% who stated that they could not trust themselves…

A ’SURVIVAL’ section on the evolution of homo sapiens, with pictures (some nasty) and texts. A labyrinth of texts and images where the viewer could walk around threads for hours.

CD PRIMATES. Here I described the CD included in the ”Primate Project”, the cast and crew behind it, reviews, etc. You could also listen to several excerpts from the CD, both from the Swedish and English versions.

The STORY
Here was an excerpt of the script for CD PRIMATES. A description of the married couple, why they quarreled, the story behind it. The visitor could read about HE, SHE, THEY and THE STORY behind.
Below are these texts and images as PDF.

A married couple quarrels. But why?
We get to know what has happened and why the couple is fighting. This couple love each other but are now on a collision course and old grievances are brought up. This argument was recorded on CD in both an English and a Swedish version. See pictures below.

THE STORY – an excerpt from the script for CD PRIMATES – as pdf files
Read about the couple, their background, why they fight.

» HE
» SHE
» THEY
» THE STORY

 

These texts and images were presented on the project’s website. (See screenshots above).

Quotation that have been part of this project.

Lying under the cerebral hemispheres, at the top of the brain stem, are the reptile brain and the brain of the old mammal, which contain the basic survival programs related to flight from danger, hunger, thirst, procreation and parental care. These parts of the human brain evolved between 100 million and 300 million years ago.

Today the cerebral cortex, newest and most important region in the human brain, folds around and smothers the older and more primitive regions. Yet these regions have not been completely overpowered. They remain underneath, no longer in undisputed command of the body, but still active.

These primitive parts of the human brain continue to operate in accordance with a stereotyped and unthinking set of programs that go back to the mammals on the forest floor, and back farther still to the reptiles who spawned the mammal tribe.

Experiments have shown that much of the human repertoire of behavior originates in deeply buried regions of the brain that once directed the business of life for our ancestors”.

From the book: ”The Enchanted Loom, Mind in the Universe” by ROBERT JASTROW

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