Paleolithic emotions, Medieval institutions, and God-like technology

"The real problem of humanity is the following: we have Paleolithic emotions, Medieval institutions, and God-like technology." Edward Osborne Wilson

Yesterday I visited Luzern, the picturesque city of Switzerland known for its preserved medieval architecture, that sits amid snowcapped mountains on the homonymous lake. Its colorful Altstadt (Old Town) is bordered on the north by 870m Museggmauer (Musegg Wall), a 14-century rampart. The covered Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), built in 1333, links the Aldstadt to the Reuss River's right bank.

While walking the medieval down-town, I fetched some key events of the last years, denoting this "Medieval" presence of today, part of what Wilson was referring to:

• Quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic!

• War to handle disputes!

• The Pope wants to "fix bridges" in the absence of a reliable cosmic civil governance!

• Antisemitism, following the blasphemous Lavrov's statements!

• Abortion rights overturn in the US!

I left Lucern that same evening, in a skeptical but optimistic mood, heading back to Zurich, the Swiss capital of Reformation. On my way back, I was reading quotes from the great American writer Mark Twain. He further popularised the city of Lucern and its environs in his travel writings after visiting twice, in 1878 and 1897.

I noticed the following, matching our times:

"We have the best government that money can buy." Mark Twain