Weak Men and Hard Times
How Customization Can Harm Our Adaptability
Our “customization” culture today may be reducing our capacity for natural human adaptation.
Almost all creatures, at some level, can adapt to their environment to live and reproduce. Many species even have some limited manipulative capabilities, yet our human ability to change our environment to fit our own needs is one of the most distinguishing traits between humanity and the rest of Creation.
However, as technology has grown, our reliance on our own ability to adapt to our environment has only digressed. For example, the usage of fire and clothing helped previous generations of humans survive in their frigid environments. However, modern generations are simply more likely to change the temperature in their home or vehicle if the environment outside is not acceptable. This progress is a positive development, but we cannot take its impact on human thinking in a vacuum.
In addition, our digital age has changed our economy forever. The personalization of goods and services has ushered in a customization economy that has never been possible at any other time in human history. This development has not only changed the way human beings shop, but it has also changed the way we think.
As we rely on customization, we lose our own natural inclination to adapt.
A great way to illustrate this trend is to study the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on human critical thinking. A 2023 Europol report warned that, by 2026, some 90 percent of content online could be “synthetically generated,” meaning media that is either generated or manipulated using artificial intelligence.
Yet, despite its prevalence, human beings lack the ability to identify genuine human content and that of artificial intelligence. Research indicates that more than half of adults cannot tell the difference between words written by AI and those written by human beings. Studies also indicate that younger generations lack the same ability as older Americans to distinguish AI-generated content from human-created content. For example, just 40 percent of Gen Z adults (ages 18-24) can correctly identify AI content, while a majority of those over the age of 65 can correctly identify chatbot content.
You might think that the generation known for being digital “experts” might be able to best identify AI generated content. However, it is evident that younger generations lack something that older generations possess: critical experience with genuine content and behavior of the human variety.
Mankind’s reasoning skills make us adaptable. Therefore, reliance on digital assets naturally reduces our dependance on human thinking processes. In other words, the old saying is true: “if you don’t use it, you lose it.”
According to experts at the NYU School of Professional Studies, artificial intelligence can enhance human problem solving, information retrieval, and personalization of learning. However, the researchers also warn that overreliance on AI could lead to loss of authentic human “thought processes” and the “loss of critical thinking skills and judgment among individuals.”
All research points to future societies that will only increase the use of artificial intelligence. This prediction may signal the exponential repetition of current trends. Today, younger generations are not only generally less capable of critical thinking than older generations, but they have also been found in studies to be less tech-savvy than previous generations, despite their widely held “techie” reputation. Thus, those who will be most reliant on the new AI-driven world will likely be less capable of understanding it or controlling it.
Yet, the implications go far beyond the digital universe. Our ability to adapt is critical to our ability to survive and thrive as human beings. Customization is important, and it is certainly beneficial to our economy and our quality of life. However, if we are less capable of adaptation ourselves, to solve problems and make changes needed to survive, our future as a race may be more dependent on non-human intellect than human thinking. That future doesn’t bode well for humanity.
The famous quote attributed to G. Michael Hopf illustrates the cycle of human society: “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”
We can all look through human history and identify these sequences. However, this cyclical process has been dependent on one key human characteristic: adaptability. The hard times cannot make strong men if the weak men are incapable of change. Harsh conditions have molded men into those capable of making better times. Without adaptability, the cycle ends at the bottom of the arch: with weak men and hard times.