Our understanding of early human existence fits on a small table. That’s what an archaeologist told me in London, and it stopped me cold. Then I visited Egypt and stood in front of the pyramids and thought: how did we get from whatever we were before, to this? A god-king. Slaves. Absolute hierarchy. The 10,000 Year Problem is my obsession — what happened between our cooperative, egalitarian origins and the extractive civilization we inhabit today, and whether the path we’re on leads somewhere survivable.
I’ve been circling this question my whole adult life — as a college professor, as a brewery owner, as someone who has written for years about neurodivergence, human nature, and why modern life feels so wrong to so many people. It turns out those weren’t different topics. They were always the same question at different scales.
Here you’ll find essays, and soon a podcast, exploring evolutionary anthropology, psychology, ecology, and deep history. If you’ve ever felt like something went fundamentally wrong with modern life — you’re not imagining it. Come think about it with me.
From my manifesto:
“Of course, violence and selfishness certainly existed. These are part of our nature, too. What I’m saying is that natural selection was, in effect, helping us choose routes that ensured our well-being. Moreover, top-heavy power dynamics, rugged individualism, and dark triad personality types, having narcissistic, Machiavellian, and psychopathic traits, were not selected for. Despite what’s been said about genes being selfish, life requires other life. Connection to the community does not result from selfish pursuits.
For all our flaws, we evolved toward community and cooperation. Toward enough. Yet somehow, we got Egypt. “
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Interested in collaborating or being guest?
Email me directly at chris.burcher@gmail.com