--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because six billion of us are pursuing an…" description: "\"“Because six billion of us are pursuing an evolutionarily unstable strategy, we’re fundamentally attacking the very ecological systems that keep us ali..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc7/daniel-quinn-1786_eastern-europe_because-six-billion-of-us-are-pursuing-a_1207417.png" --- # Because six billion of us are pursuing an evolutionarily… ![“Because six billion of us are pursuing an evolutionarily unstable strategy, we’re fundamentally attacking the very ecological systems that keep us alive. Just like the goat that refuses to suckle its kids, we’re in the process of eliminating ourselves. Think about the time line Charles drew in his…” quote by Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc7/daniel-quinn-1786_eastern-europe_because-six-billion-of-us-are-pursuing-a_1207417.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc7/daniel-quinn-1786_eastern-europe_because-six-billion-of-us-are-pursuing-a_1207417.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc7/daniel-quinn-1786_eastern-europe_because-six-billion-of-us-are-pursuing-a_1207417.png) > ““Because six billion of us are pursuing an evolutionarily unstable strategy, we’re fundamentally attacking the very ecological systems that keep us alive. Just like the goat that refuses to suckle its kids, we’re in the process of eliminating ourselves. Think about the time line Charles drew in his talk about the boiling frog. For the first six thousand years, the impact of our evolutionarily unstable strategy was minimal and confined to the Near East. Over the next two thousand years, the strategy spread to Eastern Europe and the Far East. In the next fifteen hundred years, the strategy spread throughout the Old World. In the next three hundred years, it became global. By the end of the next two hundred years—which is now—so many people were following the strategy that the impact was becoming catastrophic. We’re now about two generations away from finishing the job of making this unstable strategy extinct.”” [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human pursuit of an unsustainable evolutionary strategy harms ecosystems, leading to self-destruction; urgent change is needed. **In simple terms:** Our actions threaten the planet and our survival. Key Takeaway Shift to sustainable practices now. Themes environment sustainability evolution self‑destruction future Mood urgent concerned Type philosophical call‑to‑action When to use this quote - policy making - education reform - urban planning - consumer habits - activism Key Concepts Ecology systems theory evolutionary biology Questions to Reflect On - What personal habits contribute to ecological harm? - How can societies adopt sustainable strategies? A Different Perspective Economic and political forces resist rapid change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attacking Ecological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacking-ecological-3645708/) [Catastrophic Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophic-generations-3645707/) [Charles Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charles-drew-227965/) [Eastern europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eastern-europe/) [Evolutionarily Unstable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolutionarily-unstable-3645704/) [Old world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-world/) [Strategy Extinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy-extinct-3645705/) [Thousand years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) [Unstable Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unstable-strategy-3645706/) ## Related quotes > [Our lifestyle is evolutionarily unstable--and is therefore in the process of eliminating itself in the perfectly ordinary way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/our-lifestyle-is-evolutionarily-unstable-and-is-therefore-in-the/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [Amiri Baraka went to Howard. 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