A lot of people ask what the name “Darwin vs The Machine” is all about. In a nutshell, it pokes fun at the idea of how evolution has crafted us as a species over millions of years. Many of these traits we can control, but many we cannot. The Machine is a metaphor for modern-day society.
An example of one of our drives that we are hard-wired for is Sex. If you look at almost any industry from fashion, to music, to sports- members of the critical thinking population (in this case marketers) know that it can be used to drive sales.
My blog initially focused on how these hard-wired genetic traits can be manipulated in a nightclub setting to achieve specific results. I’m starting to focus on more topics than just nightclubs, because I see them every day of my life and love writing about them.
I watched a brilliant TED talk this morning using monkeys as an animal model for human economics. It discusses spending but there are clear implications for gambling. Gambling focuses on the same drives and systems that addiction does. Personally, I’m not much of a casino person. I’ve never understood how people will risk their money against a system in which they will almost indefinitely lose their money.
Take a look at this video, and see how both Monkeys and Humans make the same poor, irrational decisions when it comes to money, risk and resources.