Jeremy Griffith’s explanation of the human condition reveals our true nature and potential
Jeremy Griffith’s breakthrough biological insights are a game-changer for humanity.
A guest post from co-founder of the World Transformation Movement Melbourne Centre, Frank Balamatsias (Frankbalamatsias).
Jeremy Griffith is an Australian biologist renowned for his work on human nature and the human condition. Having extensively studied and written about these subjects, he has garnered significant attention for his groundbreaking insights.
Prior to encountering Griffith’s work, I subscribed to the notion that human nature was driven by savage animal instincts. However, Griffith’s research convincingly refutes this theory, which led me to reconsider this perspective.
Born in 1945 in rural New South Wales, Australia, Jeremy Griffith grew up surrounded by the natural beauty of the Australian bush. He received his secondary education at Geelong Grammar School, which was under the leadership of the visionary educator Sir James Darling. Pursuing his passion for science, Griffith enrolled at the University of New England and completed his degree at the University of Sydney in 1971.
During his time as a student, Griffith conducted an extensive six-year investigation into the Tasmanian Tiger, ultimately determining in 1972 that the species was extinct. His contributions to the understanding of this creature can be observed at the National Museum Australia in Canberra. Intriguingly, it was during this period that Jeremy also established a furniture business, renowned for its simplistic and elegant designs crafted from bark-to-bark slabs.
The idealism which fuelled his desire to comprehend and prevent extinctions — while producing unpretentious furniture — stemmed from a deeper need to understand and rectify the imperfections of human life. Consequently, in the 1970s, he shifted his focus to contemplating and writing about the human condition.
Seeking to answer the fundamental question of whether humans are inherently good or a tragic mistake, Griffith’s work delves into the core of human nature. He posits that, at its essence, human nature is cooperative, selfless, and loving. According to Griffith, our moral instincts, which Darwin referred to as the “voice” or expression of our soul, evolved through a process of nurturing and what he terms “love indoctrination” by our distant primate ancestors.
Griffith identifies the clash between these pre-established moral instincts and the emerging intellect as the primary catalyst for our troubled human condition. He argues that the widely accepted notion of savage instincts is merely an excuse, as our behavior exhibits a clear psychological dimension that distinguishes us from the animal kingdom. Rather than being driven by “genetic opportunism”, we suffer from a “psychologically troubled human condition”. Our anger, aggression, sexual preoccupation, and insatiable desire for power, fame, fortune, and glory stem from an underlying psychological insecurity regarding our fundamental goodness.
One of the transformative aspects of Griffith’s work lies in its ability to provide a path towards healing our “upset state”. Key to this is recognising that unlike an immutable biological state, a psychological condition can be addressed and healed. By understanding the root cause of our destructive behavior, which is driven by insecurity, we can transcend it and move towards a new state of being. Griffith’s findings offer hope and immense potential for the psychological rehabilitation of our species, and a whole new trajectory for our world. In fact, Professor Harry Prosen, former President of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, with over 60 years of experience as a psychiatrist, spoke of Griffith’s work as the long-sought-after “holy grail of insight” for the rehabilitation of the human race.
The concepts put forth by Jeremy Griffith are truly remarkable and offer a profound understanding of our nature as humans. Embracing his insights can lead us to transcend our fundamentally insecure state and work towards a more harmonious existence as a species. I see his work as laying the foundation for the science of tomorrow, guiding us towards a significantly brighter future.
Sources:
- World Transformation Movement. Commendations for Jeremy Griffith’s Biological Explanation of the Human Condition. https://www.humancondition.com/extensive-commendations/
- Griffith, Jeremy. Debunking the ‘savage instincts’ excuse for human behaviour. 2018. https://www.humancondition.com/freedom-essays/the-false-savage-instincts-excuse/
- World Transformation Movement. Jeremy Griffith’s remarkable search
for the Tasmanian Tiger (thylacine). 2015. https://www.humancondition.com/tasmanian-tiger-search/ - Griffith, Jeremy. How did we humans acquire our all-loving, unconditionally selfless moral conscience? 2017. https://www.humancondition.com/freedom-essays/how-did-we-humans-acquire-our-altruistic-moral-conscience/
- Griffith, Jeremy. THE EXPLANATION of the human condition. 2016. https://www.humancondition.com/freedom-essays/the-explanation-of-the-human-condition/
- Prosen, Harry. The Psychological Rehabilitation Of The Human Race Through Understanding The Human Condition. 2021. https://www.themontrealreview.com/2009/The-psychological-rehabilitation-of-the-human-race
Original Article:
- Balamatsias, Frank. Who is biologist Jeremy Griffith? 2023. https://www.quora.com/Who-is-biologist-Jeremy-Griffith/answer/Frank-Balamatsias
