Summary of the interview with
Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith,
conducted by Craig Conway
Summarized by: Allan C. Cañete
Summary The interview with Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith,
conducted by Craig Conway, revolves around Griffith’s
revolutionary explanation of the human condition. Griffith asserts
that humanity’s divisive behavior is not driven by savage instincts,
as traditionally believed, but by a psychological conflict between
our instinctive orientation and our capacity for conscious thought.
He introduces a biological explanation for this conflict, providing a
path to psychological rehabilitation for the entire human race. Using
simple but profound analogies, such as the story of “Adam Stork,”
he illustrates how humans’ journey toward self-awareness led to
inner conflict, resulting in anger, egocentrism, and alienation.
Griffith’s work, summarized in his book "FREEDOM: The End of the
Human Condition," offers a framework for understanding and
resolving this turmoil, leading to a new era of human unity and
cooperation.
Main Points
1. Human Condition Explanation: Griffith rejects the idea that
humans’ aggressive behavior stems from savage instincts.
Instead, he explains that the human condition arises from a
psychological conflict between our inherited instincts and our
developing conscious mind’s need for understanding.
2. Role of Consciousness: Unlike instinctive behavior,
consciousness operates on understanding cause and effect.
The emergence of consciousness in humans triggered a
struggle between instinctive drives and the conscious mind's
search for knowledge.
3. Adam Stork Analogy: Griffith introduces the analogy of “Adam
Stork” to illustrate how humans, like the stork, veered off their
instinctive path due to conscious experimentation. This
conflict led to feelings of being “bad” or “evil”, sparking a
defensive reaction.
4. Origins of Moral Conscience: Griffith explains that humans’
moral conscience stems from a history of nurturing behavior,
where early human ancestors raised their offspring with care
and compassion, promoting cooperative and loving behavior,
as seen in bonobos.
5. Impact of Religion and Mythology: Griffith draws parallels
between his explanation of the human condition and ancient
stories like Adam and Eve’s “fall from grace”. These stories
reflect humanity’s awareness of its corrupted state but
misinterpret its origin as “evil”, rather than the result of a
necessary search for understanding.
6. Rehabilitation of the Human Race: Understanding the human
condition lifts the “burden of guilt” that has plagued humans
for millennia. The awareness that human beings are inherently
good, not evil, enables psychological healing and the potential
for a cooperative, harmonious society.
7. Political and Social Transformation: Griffith asserts that
resolving the human condition will bring an end to politics as
we know it, with right-wing and left-wing ideologies merging
into a shared vision for a cooperative, selfless society.
Insights
1. The Instinct vs. Intellect Battle: Griffith’s approach frames
human conflict not as a battle between good and evil, but as a
misunderstanding caused by the clash between instinct and
the conscious mind. This redefinition challenges conventional
ideas about human nature and provides a fresh, positive
perspective on human behavior.
2. Human Heroism Reframed: Instead of viewing humanity’s
“fall from grace” as a descent into evil, Griffith frames it as a
heroic journey toward self-understanding. This perspective
shifts the narrative from one of guilt and shame to one of
triumph and perseverance.
3. Moral Conscience Through Nurturing: The concept that
maternal nurturing shaped humanity’s moral conscience
underscores the power of caregiving and love in shaping
human evolution. This challenges the “survival of the fittest”
narrative and highlights the role of love and cooperation in
human development.
4. Reconciliation of Science and Spirituality: By linking
scientific understanding with ancient religious and
mythological narratives, Griffith bridges the gap between
science and spirituality. His explanation provides a unified
theory that addresses both psychological and existential
questions.
5. Path to Psychological Rehabilitation: The realization that
humans are inherently good has profound psychological and
societal implications. It offers a pathway to healing individual
and collective trauma, as well as the opportunity to rebuild
society on principles of empathy, compassion, and unity.
Practical Applications
1. Personal Healing: Individuals can achieve inner peace by
recognizing that their feelings of inadequacy or “being bad” are
unfounded. Understanding that human behavior was driven by
the search for knowledge allows people to reconcile with their
past actions and find psychological relief.
2. Parenting and Education: Griffith’s insights into the role of
nurturing in moral development emphasize the importance of
empathetic caregiving in parenting and education.
Encouraging compassion and love in early development can
nurture cooperative, emotionally secure individuals.
3. Conflict Resolution: By understanding that conflict arises
from unresolved psychological struggles, individuals and
groups can approach disputes with empathy and patience.
Instead of attributing blame, they can seek to understand
underlying causes, fostering reconciliation and unity.
4. Societal Transformation: Governments, social institutions,
and corporations can adopt policies that promote
cooperation, unity, and love. Griffith’s explanation suggests
that humanity can transcend the need for adversarial politics
and move toward a shared vision of collective well-being.
5. Workplace and Leadership Development: Leaders can apply
Griffith’s principles to foster a culture of empathy,
understanding, and support within organizations. Recognizing
the underlying psychological struggles in human behavior can
help managers lead with compassion and inspire collaborative
work environments.
6. Mental Health and Therapy: Mental health practitioners can
use Griffith’s explanation to help clients resolve feelings of
guilt, shame, and alienation. The insight that humans are
fundamentally good can play a transformative role in
therapeutic interventions, enabling people to embrace their
true selves.
Jeremy Griffith’s explanation of the human condition represents a
paradigm shift in how we view human nature, offering a path to
collective psychological healing, social transformation, and a more
unified, loving human experience.
About The Person Who Wrote This Summary:
Allan C. Cañete is a highly accomplished Human Resources and Organization
Development executive, experienced in corporate mainstream and
consultancy roles. Demonstrated leadership skills in guiding diverse teams to
exceptional success as both an internal and external HROD consultant, with
a track record spanning 33 years as of 2024.
Areas of expertise encompass HR and OD interventions, including training,
teambuilding, performance management systems, strategic planning,
balanced scorecard, competencies profiling, job evaluation, process
improvement, organizational restructuring, and salary benchmarking.
Allan's strategic mindset, honed through exposure to corporate planning,
allows him to analyze critical organizational issues, identify deficiencies, and
spot potential opportunities beyond human capital management.
Academic credentials include a degree in AB Psychology, majoring in
Industrial and Clinical Psychology from Trinity University of Asia (formerly
Trinity College of Quezon City) in 1988. Allan holds certifications as a Certified
HR Professional of IFPM Philippines and a certified international trainer of
Interaction Management and Techniques for Empowered Workforce from
Development Dimensions Inc.
Currently as the President of Creative Moves Business Outsourcing, he
directs the overall operations of Creative Moves as owner and implements
training solutions to his numerous clients. He also provides strategic
guidance and leadership to his technical assistants and associate
consultants to ensure alignment of their activities with the company
directions. He regularly interfaces with his numerous clients and provides
expert advise to them during post-intervention phase when needed.
As an OD and Training Consultant of Creative Moves Business Outsourcing,
Allan provides training solutions to numerous clients. Helps clients clarify and
identify their real HR-OD needs in order to provide them the right HR solutions
as well as OD interventions that are strategically aligned with their respective
company's directions. He helps companies succeed in achieving their
strategic goals and vision through our out-of-the-box HROD interventions as
well as innovative training methodologies.
He is one of the Board of Directors for PHILIPPINES HR GROUP, the largest
social media-based HR group with over 267,800 members. He is also an
active member of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
Mandaluyong Chapter.
Visit his website: creativemoveswin.weebly.com
