The Human Spark

In the final episode, Alda demonstrates before our eyes a trait of very young children that is unique to humans:

 He walks into a room with his arms burdened by a huge number of bulky books.  A toddler who is about 18 months old is playing there. The child is not yet verbal.  He doesn't know Alda, but Alda enters the room slowly and quietly and smiles at the child in a friendly way.  He then looks away from the child to a cabinet with a hinged door located on the floor.  He repeatedly looks from the child, to the books that fill his arms, to the door of the cabinet.  He says nothing.  After a moment, the child OPENS THE CABINET DOOR AND THEN STEPS BACK TO ALLOW ALDA TO DEPOSIT THE BOOKS INSIDE.  No chimpanzee would help this way. Nor would "man's best friend". A dog wouldn't have a clue what the man needed from him.  But this little baby/child "got it".  He UNDERSTOOD how he COULD HELP and he WANTED TO HELP.  That is key.

Here is the second vignette:  Scientists at Yale University had six-month-old babies watch a "play" while sitting on their mother's lap.  The "action" was in three "acts" and there were three wooden block "actors":  a small circle, a triangle and a square, each with a little face drawn on it.   The "set" was a vertical flat board with a slot shaped like a big "Z".  In the first act, the circle slides along the bottom of the "Z", and then climbs up the slope of the Z to reach the top bar.  The second act begins like the first, but when the circle is half way up the Z slope, the triangle comes sliding down from the top of the Z and bumps repeatedly into the circle until it is knocked all the way down.  In the last act, the circle begins to climb the Z slope, but when it is part of the way up, the square comes from below it and repeatedly gently bumps it from behind until the circle reaches the top of the Z.  "Curtain"!!!  End of show!!

Now for the chilling part:  An experimenter then comes around from the stage and presents each baby with a tray holding a square and a triangle.  The baby is able to reach the shapes easily and pick them up.  VIRTUALLY EVERY BABY PICKS UP THE SQUARE SHAPE !!   What is the explanation?  Human infants do not want to associate with obstructors of achievement!  "No Debbie Downers for us!" It is clear to the babies that the triangle is keeping the circle from reaching its goal.  So it is "BAD" or even morally "EVIL".  The square is a friend to the circle by helping it climb; it is "the wind beneath my wings", as Bette Midler sings in her song.   In real life, little babies who have no spoken language are watching the world carefully and already prefer and chose to be with HELPERS.  And THAT is why our species is  running the planet (for now).  We don't have the sharpest teeth, aren't the strongest or the fastest runners.  But we COLLABORATE.  And when we WORK TOGETHER and WATCH EACH OTHER'S BACK,  we can do amazing things.  And this desire to help and be with helpers is AN INSTINCT that's part of our genetic makeup and shows itself in babies WITHOUT BEING TAUGHT!!