Group Selection
Baba Brinkman Lyrics


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"Sure, I could get up at dawn, go to a job I hate that does not inspire me creatively whatsoever, or I could get up at noon and learn how to play the sitar" Bill Hicks

Survival of the fittest is such a bleak vision
Are we really just a freakish collision of selfish genes
Selfishly promoting their own individual interests?
Well, maybe, but sometimes those interests are collective
Still, "survival of the fittest" is a phrase easily twisted
By anybody out to justify the meager existence
That some people live with; it's a phrase often enlisted
By parasites eager to benefit from these differences
In the nineteenth century it was aristocratic eugenicists
In the twentieth century, genocidal menaces
Used "survival of the fittest" to justify their death sentences
And gangsters still use it today to degrade their victims
Not to mention the purveyors of disaster capitalism
These are all examples of "Social Darwinism"
But none of this is based on scientific evidence
Merely showing that something exists in a state of nature
Doesn't give it a moral basis; that's a false correlation
Competition can sometimes increase motivation
But evolution is also driven by cooperation
Just ask the dictyostelium nation
Bacteria combined into eukaryotic cells
And became the organelles within their symbiotic shells
And we have fifty trillion of those in our individual selves
So we're like physical spaces where creative collectives dwell
And this applies to the societies we erect as well
'Cause survival of the fittest also applies to groups
And the fittest group makes the best combined moves
So, can't we all just get along, whatever we try and do?

Where's the altruism? Where's the love? Where's the altruism?
All these vultures talkin' 'bout survival of the fittest
But the atruism y'all, come on, where's the altruism?
We need to get together on a common vision!

Group selection just puts me in an altruistic mood
Like: Yeah, love thy neighbour! What's that?
You need some sugar? Okay, come by later!
Of course I'll do you favour; why's that?
'Cause I've got the compassion of a vampire bat
If you need some food, I'll do what I can
So what if we're not related; you're still my man
You're still my sister; I feel high, man!
This universal love is good stuff, god damn!
And you don't have to reciprocate either
Because karma is a sophisticated teacher
Karma isn't just energy waves in the ether!
No, karma's in the way everyone hates a cheater
Cheater detection will keep you in check when
You jump cues and refuse to treat people respectfully
So go ahead, take what you want, run me down
'Cause I believe what goes around comes around
Liars and thieves and those who try to deceive
Get dealt with by the immune systems of society
And survival of the fittest? Don't let it baffle you
Because fitness isn't "fitness", no, it's aptitude
Between the environment and whatever's adapted to it
And in social animals like humans, aptitude is attitude
And my attitude is there's nothing we can't do
As a human family group, as long as we have rules
To keep the cheaters in check; I figure we can't lose
We can go to the moon and back this afternoon
As long as what's bad for me is also bad for you
So let's just all get together and have some food
And put an end to this endless feud – is that cool?

Where's the altruism? Where's the love? Where's the altruism?
All these vultures talkin' 'bout survival of the fittest
But the atruism y'all, come on, where's the altruism?
We need to get together on a common vision!





"And if we evolve the idea, you see, the planet might be more compassionate, and something like heaven might dawn" Bill Hicks

Overall Meaning

The opening quote by Bill Hicks reflects on the idea that we have a choice in how we spend our time and lives. We can choose to participate in a rat race lifestyle, going to jobs we hate, or we can choose to pursue our own creative endeavors. This quote sets the tone for Baba Brinkman's exploration of the concept of group selection. He critiques the idea of survival of the fittest as a bleak vision, stating that it overlooks the fact that evolution is not just driven by competition but also by cooperation.


Brinkman points out that "survival of the fittest" is a phrase that has been used to justify a lot of harmful behaviors, from eugenics to genocide to disaster capitalism. He instead argues for a more altruistic approach to group selection. He mentions that bacteria once combined and became eukaryotic cells in a process driven by cooperation, and similarly, humans can accomplish great things when they work together. He emphasizes that group selection can actually encourage altruism and cooperation, as these traits can help a group survive and thrive.


The song ends with a quote from Bill Hicks where he discusses the potential for a more compassionate planet. The message of the song is that humans have the ability to choose how we want to interact with each other and that we can work together for the greater good.


Line by Line Meaning

Survival of the fittest is such a bleak vision
The prospect of life being a never-ending battle is very discouraging.


Are we really just a freakish collision of selfish genes
Are humans really the result of a chance encounter between self-serving biological building blocks?


Selfishly promoting their own individual interests?
Do all of our actions simply serve the agenda of our own self-interest?


Well, maybe, but sometimes those interests are collective
While self-interest does play a role in human behavior, our survival also depends on the success of our community as a whole.


Still, 'survival of the fittest' is a phrase easily twisted
Even though it has some truth to it, the phrase 'survival of the fittest' can be conveniently manipulated.


By anybody out to justify the meager existence
Those who struggle the most in society are the ones most likely to feel the brunt of this manipulation.


That some people live with; it's a phrase often enlisted
The people who have come up with this phrase are the ones who have the most power in society.


By parasites eager to benefit from these differences
The ones who benefit from this phrase are the ones who are willing to feed off of the struggle some people face.


In the nineteenth century it was aristocratic eugenicists
Historically, this phrase has been used by those in power to justify the oppression of certain groups.


In the twentieth century, genocidal menaces
Genocides too have been justified using this phrase


Used 'survival of the fittest' to justify their death sentences
This phrase was used to justify the crimes committed during World War II by the Nazis.


And gangsters still use it today to degrade their victims
To hurt those who are weaker than them, criminals use the phrase 'survival of the fittest.'


Not to mention the purveyors of disaster capitalism
'Survival of the fittest' is also commonly used to justify the rise of irresponsible, money-grubbing corporations.


These are all examples of 'Social Darwinism'
All of these cases are examples of the dangerous usage of this term.


But none of this is based on scientific evidence
Just because something exists, that does not mean it is ethically justifiable or universally true.


Merely showing that something exists in a state of nature
Existence alone does not justify validity or legitimacy.


Doesn't give it a moral basis; that's a false correlation
Even if something is 'natural,' that does not mean that it should be considered correct or right.


Competition can sometimes increase motivation
Although competition is not inherently good, it may help people to strive for more.


But evolution is also driven by cooperation
Cooperation and competition are not opposites, and are equally important to sustain life.


Just ask the dictyostelium nation
Even single-cell organisms cooperate to form groups and regulate their society.


Bacteria combined into eukaryotic cells
Single-celled organisms work together to form advanced and evolved organisms.


And became the organelles within their symbiotic shells
The individual components came together in a mutually-beneficial way to create a more advanced and evolved organism.


And we have fifty trillion of those in our individual selves
We are not as 'individual' as we think; our bodies are made up of millions of smaller living organisms working together.


So we're like physical spaces where creative collectives dwell
Our bodies are like an ecosystem, where many different organisms work together to create a healthy system.


And this applies to the societies we erect as well
The same principles that apply to our bodies can also be extended to thr societies we live in.


'Cause survival of the fittest also applies to groups
The concept of survival of the fittest applies not just to individuals but groups as well.


And the fittest group makes the best combined moves
The group that is most effective partly due to their ability to cooperate.


So, can't we all just get along, whatever we try and do?
Working together is the key to our survival on this planet.


Group selection just puts me in an altruistic mood
Cooperation among group members makes people more generous and cooperative.


Like: Yeah, love thy neighbour! What's that?
We should all love and care for one another, even if we are not directly related.


You need some sugar? Okay, come by later!
We must be willing to help one another out with basic needs


'Cause I've got the compassion of a vampire bat
We should all strive to be generous and giving.


If you need some food, I'll do what I can
If someone needs something that I can provide, I will help them out.


So what if we're not related; you're still my man
Even if we are not directly related, there should still be a universal sense of love and compassion between people.


Cheater detection will keep you in check when
People should not break the rules, or they will be met with consequences.


You jump cues and refuse to treat people respectfully
Breaking rules or social norms is harmful to others.


And survival of the fittest? Don't let it baffle you
Do not become hung up over the phrase 'survival of the fittest'; work together for the greater good.


Because fitness isn't 'fitness', no, it's aptitude
In this context, fitness does not mean physical fitness, but rather just means adapting or conforming to an environment in order to survive and thrive.


Between the environment and whatever's adapted to it
The environment and living things must operate in tandem to achieve success.


And in social animals like humans, aptitude is attitude
Our ability to adapt to new or difficult situations is greatly influenced by our attitudes and behavior towards others.


And my attitude is there's nothing we can't do
With a positive attitude and a willingness to cooperate, there are no challenges that people cannot overcome.


As a human family group, as long as we have rules
Society must have rules in place to ensure fair and equal opportunities.


To keep the cheaters in check; I figure we can't lose
People who break the rules and treat others without respect must be held accountable to ensure a healthy society.


We can go to the moon and back this afternoon
Human potential is limitless when people work together.


As long as what's bad for me is also bad for you
We should all work together to create a fair and equal society


And put an end to this endless feud – is that cool?
End the conflict and work together to create a better society.


Where's the altruism? Where's the love? Where's the altruism?
People must be more compassionate and considerate of one another.


All these vultures talkin' 'bout survival of the fittest
The phrase 'survival of the fittest' has been used to justify unethical behavior.


But the atruism y'all, come on, where's the altruism?
Why aren't people more patient and caring towards one another?


We need to get together on a common vision!
If we all work together, we can achieve great things.


And if we evolve the idea, you see, the planet might be more compassionate, and something like heaven might dawn
If humans can work together and become more compassionate to one another, then the future will be bright and full of possibility.




Contributed by Christopher K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

eugenerk

It's like Carl Sagan, Eminem, and Woody Harrelson had a transporter accident and Baba came out the other end. How does this have less than 1M views?

Kenneth Robertsen

Great message 🙂

kira light

amazing song !

Soen Coda

Kropotkine approves this message!
And Murray Bookchin. Also Frans de Waal
Biology is complicated, don't underestimate the relevance of cooperation in evolution, let's make the world a better place for us and every other living beings

Jonathan Smith

Group selection is "My group must crush all other groups," not whatever this is

Calvin Masters

I'm proudd of yerr collective positive intentions an statements here baba scientific hippy-hop

Glenn

Wow, that is Devine! Just take care of your mind and do not do too many drugs. :)

Max Ziebell

It's cool!

samim

cool flow

Biological Engine of Love

Yeah, that's cool man.

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