E.O. Wilson's 2009 warning resurfaces: paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, god-like technology
Graham_dePenros · x · 2026-10-11
A resurfaced quote from E.O. Wilson's 2009 Harvard debate: "The real problem of humanity is the following: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and god-like technology. And it is terrifically dangerous, and it is now approaching a point of crisis overall."
Wilson argued that unless we rationally answer the big philosophical questions philosophers abandoned generations ago — where we come from, who we are, where we are going — we stand on very thin ground. As AI capabilities rapidly advance, this 16-year-old warning reads as a classic statement on technology-driven existential risk.
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