Humanity 2.0

How would History unravel if humans were given a second chance?

“Cain and Abel” by Titian (Date: 1542 - 1544). Oil on panel. 298 x 282 cm. Image source Wikiart (public domain).

Picture the following apocalyptic scenario: a deadly disease or a nuclear war decimated all humans on Earth but one man and one woman. These two young survivors can now rebuild society, by multiplying, filling the earth, and subduing it. If humans were given the chance to start all over again, how would human history unravel? Given a second shot, would we get it right and create a peaceful and just world?

I've been fascinated with the idea of Humanity 2.0 as far as I can remember and have created several stories about this theme in my head and on paper. Many plots, different characters - same storyline, same sad ending.

I would let my creativity run wild. I would wrestle with the characters, manipulating them into selfless, righteous beings, prompted into doing the right thing and taking the most virtuous actions toward their and others' well-being. After all, they've heard from the patriarchs all about History 1.0 - all the dark tales of man killing man, son stealing from father, mother betraying daughter, and neighbor conspiring against neighbor. Tales of how tiny selfish actions, little by little, led to a world where most crammed over the dry, infertile land and a few swam in the sea of abundance. Tales of how people first went numb to cope with the pain and slowly, very slowly, could no longer discern right from wrong, eventually becoming lost, not knowing the way to go. Tales of how the madness spread all over the globe, inflicting people in distant lands and leading to the doom of civilization. Such tales were first told orally around the night fire and later written down, as words of wisdom to caution and guide Humanity 2.0.

No matter how much I tried, how many righteous characters I crafted and forced into submission, there was always a rebel who would forgo the words of wisdom left by Humanity 1.0 and twist the plot away from my intended end. And, from there, the story was completely out of my hands. In all my attempts, sooner or later, Cain and Abel would surface, either as Bob stabbing Frank because his brother didn't want to sell their deceased parents' state; or Rachel seducing Ana's lover because Ana had been gifted with a beautiful face; or Teresa shedding tears and claiming that, if Carlos really loved her, he would stay with his aging mother instead of pursuing his dream of studying abroad. In all my stories, at some pivotal point, the characters would take over and do what they wanted, with disastrous consequences.

For a long time, I struggled with it. Are we doomed to repeat the errors of the past? Are we to commit the same sins as our ancestors?

Suddenly, it struck me. The futility of my pursuit! Try hard as I may, the reality is that humans are broken and you can not build a perfect world out of broken characters. Man¹ is like a table with two of its legs broken a bit at the bottom. If you place a ping-pong ball on top of such an uneven table, the ball will roll down and fall to the ground. It is a simple law of Physics, and you will get the same result, no matter how many times you run this experiment. This simple realization comes with a philosophical question: "If humans are broken, then is Humanity 2.0 a utopia? Should we even strive to create a better world?"

St. Augustine, one of the greatest Christian philosophers, argued that in the fallen world, our relationships with one another are guided by a "lust to dominate". In Augustine's view, this lust for domination is motivated by the service of the self and the desire to control everything - control what is good, control what is "true", control how others behave, control who receives praise, and so forth. In other words, the "will to power" is what drives us.

According to Augustine, the lust to dominate is a result of the sin of pride, which is the belief that we are better than others and deserve to be in control. This prideful attitude leads to a desire for power and domination over others, and it can manifest in many different forms, such as political power, economic power, or social status. St. Augustine believed that this desire for power and control was the root cause of many of the problems in the world, including war, poverty, and social inequality.

This lust for domination runs counter to the ethic of service to others, the love of others. Love is a surrender of the self over to others. That is why God lowered himself and surrendered himself on the Cross to the world. Christ's renunciation of power is his affirmation of love. The lust for domination, on the other hand, is a surrender of the self to the lust to exert power over others.

Two loves, then, have made the two cities. Love of self ... made the earthly city, and love of God ... made the heavenly city. (Saint Augustine, The City of God)

If man² is a broken, brute, domineering creature, does it mean we shouldn't try to build a peaceful and just world? Quite the contrary, argues St. Augustine, as this lust to dominate can be overcome through God's grace and our efforts to turn away from our prideful desires by choosing to be humble.  

In today’s world, the humbling of oneself is seen as something old-fashioned and undesirable. This comes from a misunderstanding of the meaning of the word “humility”, as used in the Christian context. The Greek word Jesus and the apostles used, tapeinos, conveys the idea of having a right view of ourselves before God and others.³ If pride is an exalted sense of who we are in relation to God and others, humility is having a realistic sense of who we are before God and others. We must not think too highly (or too lowly) of ourselves. Rather, we must be honest and realistic about who we are.

We are one species, with a collective responsibility for shaping our future. But to rewrite our history, to free ourselves from the cycle of Cain murdering Abel and Romulus murdering Remus, we need to change our hearts first. No government type, no economic or political system, will ever secure a peaceful and prosperous world if we first don't love our neighbor as ourselves. The command of love requires us to make room for others in our hearts. It requires us to be our brother's keeper, to surrender ourselves to others.

The human heart is the place where behavior is driven. Only by first transforming our hearts, we can then change our ways and move towards the full realization of the promise of liberty, equality, and justice for all.

1. By “man” I mean the entire human race, which includes both men and women; and each one who has ever or ever will be born.

2. Same as above.

3. Colin Brown, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1967), 2:259.