Number 27 - Cultural Diversity and Survival: Lessons from Evolution

What Evolution Can Teach Us About Civilizational Strength

Diversity has always been a survival strategy. Farmers know that planting a variety of crops helps protect against total failure—if one fails, others might thrive. Human cultures work the same way, acting as "experiments" in how to live and adapt to different environments. When a culture’s practices succeed, they persist; when they fail, they fade. This diversity has historically helped humanity stay resilient in the face of challenges.

However, the past two centuries have seen a shift. With globalization, mass communication, and rapid travel, cultures have begun to converge. We eat similar foods, follow similar routines, and even teach similar ideas at universities worldwide. Of course still some differences such as disposition towards time and family remain and will not change but the edges of our cultures have been smoothed out.

This shared culture has benefits: for starters, if you fly to a city in a new country you can always find the same fast food chains and even predict 80% of the contents of the menu of a down-town cafe. On a more serious note, it fosters global collaboration and understanding. But this grand cultural convergence also creates risks: if our shared practices prove harmful, the lack of diverse alternatives could leave us vulnerable.

History and evolution teach us the value of keeping our options open. Just as diverse ecosystems are more resilient, diverse ideas and approaches strengthen humanity’s ability to adapt. In our age where we have to solve existential problems like global warming and the impact of new technologies we can't afford to have our brightest people think the same.

Organizations, too, can apply this lesson: encouraging fresh perspectives and bold ideas is essential to staying flexible and innovative. By preserving diversity—whether in cultures or strategies—we can better prepare for the unexpected challenges ahead. We should harness then the power of poly-culture and consciously allow new talent to shake-things up.

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