I think the main problem from this evolutionary perspective is not so much entertainment and art, but low fertility. Not having children.
I agree with the downvoters that the thesis of this post seems crazy. But aren't entertainment and art superstimuli? Aren't they forms of wireheading?
1Humans do not engage that much in those activities but what if we could completely remove them?
- Dance is using human physical energy to perform motions that do not lead to increased possibilities. Even mating dances, which are good for individual life but not overall life.
- Music is using human mental energy to process sounds, that does not lead to increased possibilities. Not even counting music creation.
- Art is using human physical and mental energy that does not lead to increased possibilities. It is different from the idea of art as execution mastery that can be useful.
- Entertainment is bad because it is using human physical and mental energy to process thoughts.
- Most social meetings are bad because they are using human physical and mental energy to process thoughts.
- Technology can also be bad if it supports those above things or more.
(humor,music,dance,art,entertainment,etc.) are bad-habits for humans. And they take up a lot of space in human brains.
Why are we even here to write/read this? Because of life.
Because our ancestors reproduced and changed (monkeys, fishes, cells). Those who did not reproduce died, those that where not fit enough died.
So reproduction is needed to survive time (or not-dying) and change is needed to survive changes in the environment.
Life is minimizing resources used (energy, time, space) and maximizing possibilities.
Life is maximizing efficiency and adaptability and capability.
Assuming that we are objects (observers) in reality.
Maybe we are subjects (actors) in reality, in other words spiritual beings that create reality (in a fundamental way, like if I imagine something, it pops up in reality).
Different possible levels of action: spiritual, idea, physical.
Assuming that humans, animals, plants, cells, bacteria, viruses, fungi are life.
Different levels of life: Life of the ensemble is the superior life, and also life of the individuals exist.
So, to improve life:
- How to align humans with life?
- How to make open-source (meaning sharing knowledge) collaboration profitable at overall-life and at individual-life level? What system/incentive-structure can we create to do that?