When reading the book „Etwas mehr Hirn, bitte“ (“Some more brain, please“) by German neurobiologist Prof Gerald Hüther, I felt both touched and confirmed.

He shines a light on the circumstances which influence the development of our brain, especially in regard to our creative abilities – and on the consequences domestic and social norms and values represent for accessing our innate potential.

From biology we understand that our primary motivation is survival, deeply anchored in our brain stem. Charles Darwin’s thesis of “survival of the fittest” – competition as selective mechanism – is based on the need to store and use successful genetic blueprints to survive as species. So we gladly accepted competitiveness and ambition to win as a norm in society. We propagate it in our schools, our jobs, in economy, because it seems to create a meaningful structure, a hierarchy. In the field of living together and cooperation however, it often leads to never-ending conflicts as the partner is perceived as a contestant and rival in the fight for the “slice of the cake”. Continue reading →