MAKE HISTORY WITH US THIS SUMMER:https://demystifysci.com/demysticon-2025PATREON https://www.patreon.com/c/demystifysciPARADIGM DRIFThttps://demystifysci.com/paradigm-drift-showPATREON: get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasBMERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/allAMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98SUBSTACK: https://substack.com/@UCqV4_7i9h1_V7hY48eZZSLw@demystifysciAndrew Cutler is the author of the Vectors of Mind Substack, where he explores the question of how humans became… human. His research starts from a simple premise - if our self-awareness, the ability to look at ourselves in the mirror and declare that there is an “I” staring back, is truly unique in the animal kingdom, then it likely related to that moment of coming. But no one really knows what happened in the fog of pre-history to ratchet us from the gauzy time before we were fully human to… whatever all of this that we’re living in right now could be called. In fact, this is often referred to as the sapient paradox. Why, oh why, did we become genetically modern nearly 300,000 years ago (maybe more) but take until about 50,000 years ago to start doing human things like making art, ritually burying our dead, and tracking the stars? Many have suggested it was psychedelic mushrooms that pushed us over the edge. This is the stoned ape hypothesis, which says that a sufficiently large psychedelic experience pushed us out of the womb of the earth. However, Andrew thinks it might have been something else. He figures it was snakes. And women. Together, they produced the Snake Cult of Consciousness that dragged us, kicking and screaming, into the world.(00:00) Go! (00:06:56) The Sapient Paradox Explored(00:13:09) Recursion and Human Cognition(00:19:22) Abstraction and Innovation(00:25:23) Self-awareness Evolution(00:27:14) Recursion and Strategy(00:30:00) Cultural Shifts and Domination(00:33:39) Origins of Recursion(00:38:22) Subject-Object Separation(00:47:34) Linguistic Evolution(00:48:56) Emotional Intelligence in Animals(00:50:33) Creation Myths and Self-Awareness(00:52:10) Awareness of Death in Animals(00:56:06) Evolution of Symbolic Thought(01:00:58) Göbekli Tepe and Diffusion Hypotheses(01:06:05) Matriarchy and Rituals in Early Cultures(01:08:44) Human Migration and Cultural Development(01:17:11) Origins of Human Consciousness and Language(01:25:09) Snakes, Myths, and Early Civilization(01:33:40) Women, Mythology, and Historical Narratives(01:36:30) The Subtle Female Power Dynamics in Patriarchal Societies(01:40:25) Evolution of Societal Structures(01:46:00) Neolithic Genetic Bottleneck and Patriarchal Theories(01:49:23) Women's Role in Human Cognitive Evolution(01:56:11) Symbolism of Snakes and Ancient Knowledge(02:02:10) Snake Venom Usage(02:07:12) Historical Cults and Rituals(02:11:07) Greek Tragedy and Mystery Cults(02:14:08) Matriarchy and Cultural Myths(02:17:10) Diffusion of Culture and Legends(02:22:36) Comparative Mythology and the Seven Sisters Myth(02:27:01) Scientific and Metaphysical Connections in Human Origin Stories(02:28:55) The Origins and Significance of Gospel Stories(02:30:03) Shamanistic Cults and Cultural Symbols in Ancient Sites #HumanOrigins, #AncientHistory, #Mythology, #Evolution, #Consciousness, #AncientMysteries, #Symbolism, #SelfAwareness, #HumanEvolution, #AncientCultures, #CognitiveScience, #SpiritualEvolution, #Anthropology, #Philosophy, #AncientWisdom, #Archaeology, #philosophypodcast, #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast