Scott Badger wrote:
> Really? A desire for privacy is part of human nature? Are there any
> studies that support that hypothesis? Do you mean to say that there was
> some evolutionary advantage available to those who preferred to be alone?
> The only survival value I can think of off the top of my head would be that
> when one was alone and unmonitored, one had an opportunity to hide, or to
> steal, or do something else unbeknownst to the rest of the tribe that would
> give one some sort of unfair (but effective) advantage. Any other
> advantages come to mind that might have resulted in a preference for privacy
> being hard-wired into our circuitry?
It may not be a part of everyone's nature - but is certainly a part of those who are mutating or evolving beyond the norms of their particular tribes reality tunnel. As practicing transhumanist we can certainly fall into this category. America was founded largely by people who felt threatened to believe and practice their religion as they wanted to. Their need for privacy finally became so strong that the only way they could get to their satisfaction was to give up everything in attempt to cross the Atlantic and form a new community.
This scenario is nothing new. If it wasn't for people ability to establish privacy they wouldn't have been able to evolve as they wanted to for fear of being burnt at the stake or sacrificed to the local god. I'd say privacy is definitely hard-wired into peoples brains, especially those of us whose ancestors had to overcome great pressures of social conformity.
Paul Hughes