Exploration vs exploitation: natural, human and artificial

Desmond Morris in his famous book "The naked ape", that studies the Human Animal as a zoologist would study the species, has a chapter on "exploration", a word related to the Latin term Neophilia: love of the new. He mentions that neophilia and Neophobia -fear of the new- must be balanced on humans for proper functioning. Neophilia and the exploratory urge is a distinguishing capacity of our species, and it has enabled our zoologically unprecedented adaptability to changing environmental circumstances, whereas other species perished because they were unable to adapt. However, neophilia must be balanced by some neophobia, the conservative instinct that enables us to take advantage of all that neophilia has discovered. We would have long perished if as a species we would only have developed neophilia or neophobia.

Particular individuals -or cultures, or sects- may exhibit excess of either neophilia or neophobia, but on average on Planet Earth over the ages there has been a healthy balance between both.

Las palmeras en la página del blog

Mi madre y sus tres hermanas heredaron de mi abuelo un Cocal y cuatro plantíos de henequén en Yucatán. Ibamos todos los años a revisar el estado de nuestras propiedades, cada hermana en una diferente época del año. El henequén luego desapareció como el principal negocio del estado, y el Cocal lo vendimos. Me gustaba especialmente ir al Cocal, a orillas del mar de Campeche; las palmeras llenas de cocos frescos que comíamos y bebíamos en la playa y por supuesto el delicioso pescado fresco, frito a las brasas.