While going back and forth through all my blog posts and articles to create a blog index I was reminded again on the numerous statements I have made on our human mental abilities at Red Planet Dust.

This cannot come as a surprise: human nature and our abilities are intertwined with collaborability. The view one has on our nature and our abilities is fundamental to both understanding and assessing the way we collaborate and how changes in e.g.our technological capabilities will have effect on our potential to collaborate (i.e. „collaborability”).

As many hold only casual and popular notions on our human abilities (Statement 1) and mine being not „common place” I often feel obliged to elaborate on my views:

I have been challenged in multiple discussions to assess specific cases based on the knowledge and insights from my work on collaborability. Every time I noticed that I needed to elaborate on „my take” on human nature and our abilities before I could give my analysis in the given case.

My statements are scattered all over Red Planet Dust as they have been made in a specific context, sometimes even only as a byline. I wondered if a consistent image would arise when I would collect my statements and bring them together in a topical landing page „Human Nature and Human Abilities”. NB I will add new statements on our nature and abilities when applicable.

As the individual statements were written within the context of a given post there has not been a preconceived plan to create a comprehensive and elaborate list of my views on human abilities. The list therefor only comprises what has been relevant so far.

I found that I could classify my statements as follows:

1) Meta on Human Abilities
2) Biological Predisposition

  • On our biological disposition
  • On the spread of abilities over individuals

3) Our Perceptions

  • On our self perception
  • On our perception of the other(s)
  • On our ability to perceive the world around us

4) Brain Power

  • On the limitations of our brain
  • On our ability to reason
  • On our ability to make decisions
  • On our ability to predict the future

5) Adaptation

  • On our ability to adapt to change
  • On the way we change / adapt our mental abilities

6) The Individual

  • On the boundary between ourselves and the world around us
  • On our Use of Tools
  • On being individuals and forming groups

Go to topical landing page „Human Nature and Human Abilities” for the collected statements.

Disclaimer: Even though I have linked to other authors in several of the posts elaborating on statements covered I do not have the pretension to scientifically proof my views. The statements are the result of my private contemplations and observations while absorbing knowledge of others. The only credibility these statements have is that they are the result of my particular way of looking at the world and the – considerable – brain-time I have spend contemplating about them.