Mouse utopia experiment. How heavenly life kills

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American ethologist John Calhoun conducted a series of amazing experiments in the 60s and 70s of the twentieth century. D. Calhoun invariably chose rodents as experimental subjects, although the ultimate goal of research has always been to predict the future for human society. As a result of numerous experiments on rodent colonies, Calhoun formulated a new term, "behavioral sink" (behavioral sink), denoting the transition to destructive and deviant behavior in conditions of overpopulation and crowding. John Calhoun gained some notoriety for his research in the 1960s, as many people in post-war baby boom Western countries began to think about how overpopulation would affect institutions and individuals in particular.

He conducted his most famous experiment, which made an entire generation think about the future, in 1972 with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The purpose of the experiment "Universe-25" was to analyze the effect of population density on the behavioral patterns of rodents. Calhoun built a veritable paradise for mice in a lab setting. A tank was created with dimensions of two by two meters and a height of one and a half meters, from which the test subjects could not get out. Inside the tank, a constant temperature comfortable for mice (+20 °C) was maintained, food and water were abundant, and numerous nests for females were created. Every week the tank was cleaned and maintained in constant cleanliness, all the necessary security measures were taken: predators or the occurrence of mass infections were excluded from the tank. The experimental mice were under the constant supervision of veterinarians, their health status was constantly monitored. The food and water system was so thought out that 9500 mice could feed at the same time without experiencing any discomfort, and 6144 mice could drink water without experiencing any problems. There was more than enough space for mice, the first problems of lack of shelter could only arise when the population reached over 3840 individuals. However, there have never been such a number of mice in the tank; the maximum population size was noted at the level of 2200 mice.

The experiment started from the moment four pairs of healthy mice were placed inside the tank, which took quite a bit of time to get used to, realize what mouse fairy tale they were in, and begin to multiply rapidly. Calhoun called the period of development phase A, but from the moment the first cubs were born, the second stage B began. This is the stage of exponential population growth in the tank under ideal conditions, the number of mice doubling every 55 days. Starting from the 315th day of the experiment, the population growth rate slowed down significantly, now the number doubled every 145 days, which marked the entry into the third phase C. At this moment, about 600 mice lived in the tank, a certain hierarchy and a certain social life were formed. There is physically less space than there was before.

A category of "outcasts" appeared, who were expelled to the center of the tank, they often became victims of aggression. It was possible to distinguish a group of "outcasts" by bitten tails, torn hair and traces of blood on the body. The outcasts consisted primarily of young individuals who had not found a social role for themselves in the mouse hierarchy. The problem of the lack of suitable social roles was caused by the fact that under ideal tank conditions, mice lived for a long time, aging mice did not make room for young rodents. Therefore, aggression was often directed at new generations of individuals born in the tank. After the expulsion, the males broke down psychologically, showed less aggression, did not want to protect their pregnant females and perform any social roles. Although from time to time they attacked either other individuals from the “outcast” society, or any other mice.

Females preparing for birth became more and more nervous, because as a result of the increase in passivity among males, they became less protected from random attacks. As a result, females began to show aggression, often fight, protecting offspring. However, paradoxically, aggression was not directed only at others, no less aggressiveness was manifested in relation to their children. Often the females killed their young and moved to the upper nests, became aggressive hermits and refused to breed. As a result, the birth rate has fallen significantly, and the mortality of young animals has reached significant levels.

Soon the last stage of the existence of mouse paradise began - phase D or the phase of death, as John Calhoun called it. The symbol of this stage was the emergence of a new category of mice, called "beautiful". These included males demonstrating behavior uncharacteristic for the species, refusing to fight and fight for females and territory, showing no desire to mate, prone to a passive lifestyle. The "beautiful" only ate, drank, slept and cleaned their skin, avoiding conflicts and performing any social functions. They got this name because, unlike most other inhabitants of the tank, their body did not have traces of fierce battles, scars and torn hair, their narcissism and narcissism became legendary. The researcher was also struck by the lack of desire among the “beautiful” to mate and breed, among the last wave of births in the tank, “beautiful” and single females refusing to breed and fleeing to the upper nests of the tank became the majority.

The average age of a mouse in the last stage of the existence of mouse paradise was 776 days, which is 200 days more than the upper limit of reproductive age. The mortality of young animals was 100%, the number of pregnancies was insignificant, and soon amounted to 0. Endangered mice practiced homosexuality, deviant and inexplicably aggressive behavior in an excess of vital resources. Cannibalism flourished with a simultaneous abundance of food, females refused to raise cubs and killed them. Mice rapidly died out, on the 1780th day after the start of the experiment, the last inhabitant of the “mouse paradise” died.

Anticipating such a catastrophe, D. Calhoun, with the help of a colleague, Dr. H. Marden, conducted a series of experiments in the third stage of the death phase. Several small groups of mice were removed from the tank and relocated to equally ideal conditions, but also in conditions of minimal population and unlimited free space. No crowding and intraspecific aggression. In fact, the “beautiful” and single females were recreated the conditions under which the first 4 pairs of mice in the tank exponentially reproduced and created a social structure. But to the surprise of scientists, the “beautiful” and single females did not change their behavior, refused to mate, breed and perform social functions associated with reproduction. As a result, there were no new pregnancies and the mice died of old age. Similar similar results were observed in all resettled groups. As a result, all experimental mice died under ideal conditions.

John Calhoun created the theory of two deaths based on the results of the experiment. The "first death" is the death of the spirit. When newborn individuals no longer had a place in the social hierarchy of the "mouse paradise", there was a lack of social roles in ideal conditions with unlimited resources, an open confrontation between adults and young rodents arose, and the level of unmotivated aggression increased. Growing populations, increased crowding, increased levels of physical contact, all this, according to Calhoun, led to the emergence of individuals capable of only the simplest behavior. In an ideal world, in safety, with an abundance of food and water, the absence of predators, most individuals only ate, drank, slept, looked after themselves. A mouse is a simple animal, for it the most complex behavioral models are the process of caring for a female, reproduction and care for offspring, protection of territory and cubs, participation in hierarchical social groups. Psychologically broken mice refused all of the above. Calhoun calls this abandonment of complex behavioral patterns "the first death" or "the death of the spirit." After the onset of the first death, physical death (the "second death" in Calhoun's terminology) is inevitable and is a matter of a short time. As a result of the "first death" of a significant part of the population, the entire colony is doomed to extinction even in the conditions of "paradise".

Once Calhoun was asked about the reasons for the appearance of a group of rodents "beautiful". Calhoun drew a direct analogy with a person, explaining that the key feature of a person, his natural destiny is to live in conditions of pressure, tension and stress. Mice that refused to fight, choosing the unbearable lightness of being, turned into autistic "beauties", capable of only the most primitive functions, eating and sleeping. The "beauties" refused everything complex and demanding tension and, in principle, became incapable of such a strong and complex behavior. Calhoun draws parallels with many modern men, capable of only the most routine, everyday activities to maintain physiological life, but with an already dead spirit. What is expressed in the loss of creativity, the ability to overcome and, most importantly, to be under pressure. Refusal to accept numerous challenges, escape from tension, from a life full of struggle and overcoming - this is the "first death" in John Calhoun's terminology or the death of the spirit, followed by the inevitable second death, this time of the body.

Perhaps you still have a question why D. Calhoun's experiment was called "Universe-25"? This was the twenty-fifth attempt by the scientist to create a paradise for mice, and all previous ones ended in the death of all experimental rodents ...

For the population of mice, as part of a social experiment, paradise conditions were created: unlimited supplies of food and drink, the absence of predators and diseases, and sufficient space for reproduction. However, as a result, the entire colony of mice died out. Why did this happen? And what lessons should humanity learn from this?

American ethologist John B. Calhoun conducted a series of sensational experiments in the 60s and 70s. The purpose of the research was to predict possible scenarios for the development of human society.

Calhoun set up his experiments on rodent communities - mice and rats, but believed that there were no logical reasons why similar social processes could not occur in human society.

The results of the experiments at one time produced the effect of an exploding bomb. But time passed and the frightening conclusions of the scientist were forgotten, although anyone can get acquainted with them if they wish.

Calhoun conducted his most famous experiment, which made an entire generation think about the future, in 1972 with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). After him, the term "behavioral sink" (behavioral sink), denoting the transition to destructive behavior in conditions of overpopulation, came into use and was also used to characterize human behavior.

"Universe-25"

The purpose of the experiment, with the ambitious name "Universe 25", was to analyze the effect of population density on the behavioral patterns of rodents. If there were a brilliant utopian among the mice, Calhoun would realize his wildest fantasies about the structure of an ideal society.

He created a real mouse paradise in his laboratory with only one limitation - it was impossible to get out of it. The pen with 256 nest boxes, each of which was designed for 15 mice, was equipped with water and food dispensers and enough material for building nests.

In July 1968, 4 pairs of mice were placed in a wire pen in a laboratory at the National Institute of Mental Health.

Calhoun inside the mouse experiment pen, 1970

The pen was kept clean, the mice were vaccinated against infections and were under the constant supervision of veterinarians. According to the researchers, there would be enough space for nests in the corral for 3840 mice, and constantly served food for 9500. In practice, the population stopped at a maximum value of 2200 and only decreased after it.

By June 1972, when Calhoun completed the experiment, there were only 122 mice left in the pen. All of them were out of reproductive age, so the outcome of the experiment was already clear.

And it all started well...

The first four pairs very quickly got used to the paddock and, realizing what kind of mouse fairy tale they got into, they began to multiply rapidly. Describing the experiment, Calhoun divided the history of the mouse universe into phases. Phase "A" ended with the birth of the first offspring. Phase "B" began - a stage of exponential population growth under ideal conditions, when the number of mice doubled every 55 days.

From the 315th day of the experiment, the population growth rate began to slow down. Now the population was doubling every 145 days. Calhoun stated the onset of phase "C". By this time, about 600 mice lived in the corral, a certain hierarchy was formed and social life appeared.

Les Misérables and Feminists

The problems began when the inhabitants of "Universe 25" began to feel the lack of space.

At stage "C" a group of "outcasts" appeared in the pen, whom society expelled to the center. They often became victims of aggression - the group could be distinguished by bitten tails, torn hair and traces of blood on the body.

Young individuals who did not find a social role for themselves in the mouse hierarchy became “outcasts”. The problem of the lack of suitable roles was caused by the fact that, under ideal conditions, mice lived for a long time, and aging rodents did not make room for young relatives.

The aggression of the old people was often directed at the young relatives, and experience allowed them to win. After the expulsion, the males broke down psychologically, were characterized by passivity or excessive aggressiveness with an attack on any other mice, pansexual and homosexual behavior. They were unwilling to protect their pregnant females and fulfill their social roles.

Females preparing for the birth of their young became more and more nervous, as a result of the increase in passivity among males, they became less protected from random attacks. As a result, females began to show aggression, often fight, protecting offspring. However, paradoxically, aggression was directed not only at those around them; they showed no less aggressiveness towards their own children.

Increasingly, females began to appear, who killed their cubs, moved to the upper nests, became aggressive hermits and refused to breed. As a result, the birth rate has fallen significantly, and the mortality of young animals has reached significant levels.

"Handsome" and the end of the world

John Calhoun hoped that after the decline in the population some kind of status quo would come, but soon the last stage of the existence of mouse paradise began - phase "D", or "death phase", as the researcher himself called it.

The symbol of this stage was the emergence of a new category of mice, called "handsome" (beautiful ones). These included males demonstrating behavior uncharacteristic for the species, refusing to fight and fight for females and territory, showing no desire to mate, prone to a passive lifestyle.

"Handsome" did not enter into a fight for females and territory, did not show activity for reproduction - they only ate, slept and brushed their fur. They got their name because, unlike other inhabitants, there were no scars and torn hair on their body. But their narcissism and narcissism were truly caricatured.

In the last generation of pen dwellers, "beauties" and solitary females who refuse to breed made up the vast majority.

en.wikipedia

Mice often exhibited deviant and inexplicably aggressive behavior in the presence of an excess of vital resources. Cannibalism flourished with a simultaneous abundance of food, females refused to raise cubs and killed them.

Anticipating catastrophe, Calhoun's colleague, Dr. Halsey Marsden, moved several female and male "beauties" to separate pens in 1972, finding that the mice did not try to mate there either.

In fact, the "handsome" and single females were provided with the same conditions in which the first 4 couples exponentially reproduced and created a social structure. To the amazement of scientists, the mice that left paradise did not change their behavior and refused to perform the functions associated with reproduction. As a result, there were no new pregnancies, and all mice died of old age.

Spirit death

Using a reference to the Revelation of John the Theologian, Calhoun described the collapse of society as "death squared" (death squared), while the "first death", the death of the spirit, the mice experienced during their lifetime.

Growing populations, increased crowding, increased levels of physical contact, all of which, according to Calhoun, have led to the emergence of individuals capable of only the simplest behavior.

In an ideal world, in safety, with an abundance of food and water, and the absence of predators, most individuals only ate, drank, slept, and took care of themselves. A mouse is a simple animal, for it the most complex behavioral models are the process of caring for a female, reproduction and care for offspring, protection of territory and cubs, participation in hierarchical social groups. Psychologically broken mice refused all of the above.

Calhoun calls this abandonment of complex behavioral patterns "the first death," or "the death of the spirit." After the onset of the "first death", physical death (the "second death" in Calhoun's terminology) is inevitable and is only a matter of time.

After the “death of the spirit” of a significant part of the population, the entire colony is doomed to extinction even in the conditions of “paradise”.

Perhaps someone still has a question why Calhoun's experiment was called "Universe-25"?

It was the scientist's twenty-fifth attempt to create an ideal mouse society. All the previous ones also ended in the death of the test subjects.

Preview photo: Calhoun inside the mouse test site, 1970, source

) is the 25th attempt by American ethologist John Calhoun to build a mouse paradise, with all the previous ones ending in the same way. The essence of the experiment was to organize a room for mice in which the most possible comfortable conditions for life and development of the population would be created, so that experimental mice could have an unlimited source of water, food, a certain space for life, material for building minks, etc. .

Universe-25 became Calhoun's most famous experiment of this series of experiments. On July 9, 1968, a corral box was built in the laboratory, in which 4 pairs of mice aged 48 days were placed. The corral contained 256 boxes, each of which had the function of a nest and was designed for 15 mice. The corral was equipped with an unlimited supply of water and food as needed by the mice, in which 9,500 individuals could feed at the same time without experiencing any discomfort.

The temperature was optimal for comfortable living of mice (+20 degrees). The paddock was periodically cleared and generally maintained in constant cleanliness. It had walls 1.37 meters (54 in) high and was 2.57 x 2.57 m (101 in) square. Was completely safe for mice. The state of health was constantly looked after by scientists, the entry of predators into the corral and the occurrence of infections was excluded. Calhoun himself called this pen "Utopia for mice."

After the mice found themselves in their paradise, they began to actively multiply: it is not surprising, because there is an abundance of everything necessary for life - live your life to your heart's content and enjoy life! The first period (before the birth of the first mouse) was called phase BUT - it lasted 104 days. However, he quickly changed phase B, when the growth of the population of mice under conditions close to ideal increased markedly. The population growth doubled every 55 days, but after the 315th day of the experiment, the population growth rate slowed down. The third phase has arrived phase C. The numbers now doubled only every 145 days.

Pen for mice, "Mouse Paradise"

Then there were about 600 mice in the corral - and there was not as much space for everyone as it was before. Mice have distributed social roles, formed a hierarchy, a caste system. The first caste appeared " Outcasts" , which was an outcast of the mouse society: they were not accepted by the rest of the mice and they lived in the center of the corral. In relation to them, aggression from other mice was often manifested. One could learn about their position in society by their appearance: they had traces of beatings, torn pieces of wool, congealed blood, and abrasions on their bodies.

The prerequisites for the formation of the caste "Les Misérables" was that in ideal tank conditions, mice lived for a long time, compared to the wild, where they need to get their own food and protect themselves from dangers. " Elderly individuals" came into conflict with young, weak, inexperienced mice. They competed for place and social roles in the pack. Young individuals could not find a place for themselves and became outcasts: they descended to the lowest levels of the social hierarchy.

After the expulsion, the males experienced an internal decline in strength, they were broken and depressed. They showed less aggression, did not even try to protect their pregnant females, and only periodically they clashed (attacked) on other mice, most often from the "Les Miserables" caste.

At the same time, the females became nervous and experienced anxiety. Since their males were lethargic, they themselves had to protect their offspring, show aggression. But aggression from females was manifested not only for the sake of protection - females began to show aggression towards their own cubs. Often they even killed their children, after which they went to distant nests, became hermits, refused social roles and reproduction. A caste appeared Single females" . After that, the increase in the population of mice fell significantly, and infant mortality also increased. In the mouse environment began to develop Individualism.

Began (after 560 days from the beginning of colonization) fatal phase in the history of "Mouse Paradise" - phase D, or the death phase. This period was characterized by the emergence of a new caste " Beautiful" (beautiful ones). It consisted of males who behaved in an uncharacteristic way. They refused to mate, fight and fight for females, defend their territory, behaved sluggishly, sadly. All they did was eat, drink, sleep, clean their skins, avoid any conflicts, fulfill social roles and duties. Calhoun nicknamed them "Beautiful" because their bodies showed no signs of fights, blood, scratches. They showed narcissism and narcissism , were self-centered and treated with indifference to other mice. Over time, "Beautiful" and "Single Females" occupied the majority of the mouse population. At the same time, they occupied the upper, distant nests of the corral, moving away from the rest. Both of them did not want to mate.

The average age of an individual began to be 776 days (equivalent to 77 years of human life), which is 200 days more than the maximum limit of reproductive age. The mice lived for a long time, infant mortality reached 100%, and the birth rate soon dropped to zero. Mouse society began to degrade, regress. Mice practiced various deviant behavior, homosexuality, spontaneous aggression. Under conditions of abundance of food, mice practiced cannibalism, females refused to raise cubs and killed them.

The history of the mouse population in an enclosed utopian space. The dotted line represents the abundance estimate, about 700 days. Field 1000 days, the observed number of individuals is slightly less, after the removal of about 150 mice for other studies. November 13, 1972 (1588 days) the population was 27 individuals (23 females, 4 males, the youngest mouse was 987 days old). DAC- Number of days since the start of colonization, N- population size.

The limit of population growth stopped at around 2200 individuals (March 1, 1970), after which a decline began. Calhoun completed the experiment on June 22, 1972, with a population of 122 individuals (22 males and 100 females), all of which were already past reproductive age, and there was no point in continuing the experiment.

Calhoun also did a number of experiments in phase D, he took several groups of Beautiful and Single Females, put them in another compartment, giving them freedom and all the same comfortable conditions. However, the mice did not change their behavior and behaved the same way. Individualism flourished, there was no pregnancy in females, as a result, mice died of old age without giving offspring.

Conclusions of John Calhoun

Based on the results of the experiment, John Calhoun put forward the theory of "Death squared" ( death squared), or, in other words, "Double death". The first death is the death of the spirit, which overtook the mice to the death of the body. “But after the death of the spirit,” said Calhoun, “bodily death is inevitable, it will soon overtake the population.”

Intense competition between young outcasts and older individuals leads to the collapse of social ties and the collapse of society as a whole, its transition to a state where, with low mortality, the primitive "autistic" becomes the norm ( from the word autism) behavior leading to the extinction of the population. After the onset of the first death, the entire population is doomed to extinction and the onset of physiological death is a matter of time.

"Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her. All her paths lead to peace." (Proverbs III. 13, 18 and 17, rearranged)

"Blessed is the man who has gained wisdom, and the man who has gained understanding - She is the tree of life for those who acquire it, and blessed are those who keep it!" (Proverbs, Chapter 3, verses 13, 18)

Compare experiment with humans

If we compare the experiment Universe-25 with people, then what do we have:

Elderly individuals. Under this caste, I would include not our beloved pensioners, grandparents, front-line soldiers and rear soldiers, but our "favorite" oligarchs and big bourgeois, carriers of world capital in conjunction with high technology. With the advent of automated technologies, human labor has become less necessary, people have become no longer needed in production as they were needed before. Therefore, they "ended up on the street", became unclaimed, due to the fact that their places and social roles are occupied, they do not find a place for themselves and do something else, trying to somehow break through. Automated technologies are controlled just by these conditional "elderly individuals". Those who give grants for their development, the owners of corporations, the big bourgeois. One way or another, there is a process of conflict between the conventional Elders and the Outcast caste. Considering the more complex organization of human society (compared to mouse society), I consider such anthropomorphism to be quite appropriate.

Outcasts. A large number of people cannot find a place for themselves. Due to the advent of automated technologies, places have been lost, people are doing other things, who goes where. A significant part of the people found employment for themselves, but others still belong to this caste of outcasts and renegades. The destruction of the peasant economy led people to machine tools, and the advent of automation threw them out of factories and factories, but there is no peasantry either. People do not know what to do with themselves, and engage in various stupid activities. They go to uninteresting, boring, tedious jobs, working for the employer, earning money in order to spend it on their natural needs and entertainment. There is no time for anything more meaningful. Work-money-food-work. Instead of doing what they love, what interests them, what they like, what will benefit others, they fill the service sector, working to satisfy the senseless needs of the same people. According to some information, only in PSCs we have twice as many people employed as in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Why is there such a need for private security? So that people do not wander the streets, but are employed, the governments of certain countries create new jobs for them. There is no need to discover and invent something, conquer something or fight for something. It remains only to have fun and consume.

Narcissism. A lot of young people and girls pay a lot of attention to their appearance and are engaged in narcissism. Then they take pictures of themselves on expensive smartphones and post photos on social networks. networks to show off their appearance, show how beautiful they are and how they like themselves. It's nothing but narcissism. Many of our contemporaries were struck by it. Selfies as a genre of photography are now heavily used by narcissistic personalities. They will buy selfie sticks for their smartphones and take pictures of themselves everywhere and against everything. Arriving at some tourist memorable place, they do not just take pictures of the place, but it is important for them to take a picture of themselves against the background of it. Those. the value for them is not a monument of architecture (or a natural place), recognized as something Great, but it is they themselves, their face and their appearance, their Ego, which they love so madly, and enjoy themselves. They admire in the mirror, admire their appearance and generally themselves. Much attention is paid to appearance, health, beauty, cleanliness. Disdainful, arrogant, arrogant.

Single females. Here, without question, everything is present in full. Of course, without cannibalism, but sometimes, bestiality towards their children from some of our females breaks all conceivable records. They throw babies in trash cans, drown them, suffocate them, freeze them. Every now and then in the news you have time to hear about a new atrocity to the child from your mother. Most, of course, do not go to such extremes, but they also behave monstrously. They scream, beat children for disobedience, completely suppress their will, being despots and dictators. In our society, it is customary for men to be considered dictators and despots who allegedly restrict the freedom and will of their (dissolute) emancipated wives, but no one talks about how many of our mothers treat their children! This is all considered normal and in the order of things, everything is permissible. And also abortions, of which there are a huge number, as well as the now fashionable trend "Child free", when women voluntarily refuse motherhood. Frenzied, embittered, possessed, aggressive females - how many of these are there among us? Instead of fulfilling their childbearing functions, they build a career, earn money, try to achieve independence and release all the negativity on their children when they come home, or they don’t have children at all, refusing motherhood. Often, instead of having children, they give birth to dogs or cats, thereby filling the natural need for motherhood and care. Dissatisfied with their husbands, they take male functions into their own hands, become bitchy, or rather, initially do not give their men free rein. And in general, matriarchy has already come to us a long time ago.

Beautiful. No question - there are many. All these hipsters, fashionistas, cute boys, homosexuals, metrosexuals, infants, sissies, henpecked - a lot of them. As well as asexuals who are not interested in sexual relations at all. Simply put, infantile, weak-willed, weak-willed men. Men who are afraid of responsibility and do not want to be leaders indulge in passivity, laziness and idleness. They are engaged in imitation of vigorous activity, such as various entertainments, idle actions, rides and parties. Even hunting and fishing, traditionally male occupations, have now become largely an idle event where you can get drunk and party instead of actually getting food. Many men do not want to build, create, conquer, discover and conquer anything, they use only what has already been created, and often destroy it altogether. Self-centered men who pay a lot of attention to themselves, their appearance, health, cleanliness, etc. Simply put, narcissistic men doing narcissism. This group also includes vegetarians, vegans, raw foodists, who pay great attention to their health, being adherents of various diets, esoteric spiritual practices, but, in fact, are food and cattle worshipers. Individualists who only self development, while being indifferent to other people, their opinions and will. In the aggregate, the percentage of such men from the total number will be extremely high, if not the majority already.

Spirit death, described by Calhoun - a phenomenon when there was a breakdown and passivity among individuals began to prevail, is also present in our human society. When people live only to satisfy their natural needs, without any craving for something more. Lack of passionarity in society, prosperity of conformist behavior, passivity, routine. Abuse of alcohol, drugs, computer games, the Internet, watching blockbusters, various stupid and meaningless activities, empty pastime of young people, instead of engaging in intellectual activity - empty wandering through the streets, shopping centers, catering establishments, various entertainments, both active (like various ATV rides , snowboarding or bungee jumping), as well as the passive ones listed above. Lack of craving for knowledge, creativity, invention, needlework and any creative activity, replacing it with entertainment. Or imitation of intellectual activity, for example, watching popular TV shows and programs instead of actively studying the material. Is this not Death of the Spirit?

You can write a separate large article about each of these points, where you can describe in detail all aspects and nuances of them, but, within the framework of this article, I will not do this.

One way or another, few children are born, 1-2 children maximum in an average family. Children are born late, and sometimes they are not born at all, because females and males are engaged in narcissism and narcissism, build their careers, go to resorts, buy various things, fur coats, cars, communicate with friends too much, and all that, and years leave. And then it doesn’t work anymore or you don’t want to at all. It is clear that intelligent people do not have the goal of simply taking and giving birth to more children - after all, they still need to be educated, and moreover, they still need to be educated into people.

But, nevertheless, there is no increase in the birth rate, no matter what anyone says. In place of 2 parents come 2 (at best!) children. And for growth, you need at least 3. That is, when the parents die, two other people will come in their place, which means that there is no decline in numbers, but there is no growth either. There is no social loss, but it has not increased either. Who now has at least three children in the family? Well, even if you remember one of your friends, but this is only one family, and there are many other families, and most often they are limited to one child or a maximum of two, or live and enjoy life without children at all ...

“Reproductive behavior is defined by such a concept as the need for children - this is when a person feels uncomfortable if he has fewer children than he wants. 65% of our families have one child. This is a sufficient dominant for most. Because for several generations they have been living according to this model, practicing abortions, getting divorced, cheating on each other. Many generations that didn't have brothers and sisters, they don't know what it is. About a quarter of our children grew up in incomplete families; by definition, they have no experience in building harmonious marital relations. This has already been eradicated, and radical measures will have to be corrected, but, alas, some of them may be unpopular, because they are dissonant with the anti-family consumer lifestyle, which has already been imposed. I. Beloborodov (RISI).

"Before, famine, plague, and now cultural attitudes were the limiters. One child in a family or a childless family is considered almost as the preferred way of life for the Russian and world population." Y. Krupnov.

Birth rate in 1970. The number of children per average family (pop. Earth 3.687 billion).

Birth rate in 2014 (pop. Earth 7.125 billion).

According to the maps, it can be seen that during the rapid development of modern human civilization in the 20th century, population growth increased rapidly. However, at the present time, when the development of civilization has reached great heights (a large number of developed countries have appeared, infrastructure has been established in many countries, comfortable conditions for life have been created), the growth in the human population has significantly decreased around the world. A striking parallel with the Universe-25 experiment.

Analyzing the results of the experiment

All of you are interested in the connection of this experiment with people, i.e. with our society, social structure, behavior. Your first thought, dear reader, was this: "Oh, God, how it all looks like our world!". However, following it, many of you (skeptics) had the idea that it is incorrect to compare this experiment on mice with the real human world. However, I still believe that it can be done. Even though man is such a complex being and our world is so huge compared to this mouse pen.

And, in fact, how do we humans differ from these mice? Why so special? Would you say that we have at least developed the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex (prefrontal cortex) and the cortex in general? Do not make me laugh, dear! Come down from heaven to earth and see for what and for what representatives of the genus Homo sapiens use their frontal lobes! Sometimes the question even arises, do they use them at all or do they manage only the limbic system and the trunk?

In simple terms, the frontal lobes are a section of the cerebral cortex, which is responsible, roughly speaking, for "humanity". They were formed evolutionarily, and lower beings do not have them at all, therefore they are not capable of manifestations of humanity, but are guided only by instincts (ie, the limbic system).

So it doesn't matter if we have arms (or legs), not paws - all our behavior is in the brain, so to compare humans with mice, it is enough to pay attention to the structure of the brain. Of course, in our population there are many scientists, various intellectuals (for example, we are with you, dear reader), but most people still do not strive for great and serious mental activity, simply because they have no time or laziness. So we are not much different from mice. And our activity, all our fuss is just a pursuit of resources, food, the opposite sex, providing living conditions and comfort for our beloved body. That is, all our activities do not differ in any way from the activities of mice. Therefore, it is not in vain that they still say: "Mouse fuss."

The second point is closed space , i.e. if mice had more territory, then everything would be different and vice versa: people in possession - what a huge planet, and not a corral at all. The planet is huge, but do we use this entire planet for life? No, not all. We all jostle in cities like sprats in a jar, but a significant part of the land is generally empty. Of course, we can go anywhere, fly a plane, drive a car out of town, but, dear friend, how often do we do this? Holidays, weekends - and that's not all. We spend most of our lives in the city; in a closed space.

Yes, and there are borders of states that it is not always possible to simply cross on a common civil passport, and even if it is simple, then all the same, staying abroad is limited by some kind of framework. So, one way or another, we are forced to sit in a closed System. This is not a square cage, but a person is a more complex creature. Thus, we live in a closed pen.

And then, if you speak the language Marxism and take as an example of our isolation the finiteness of capitalism, which Marx prophesied, then the question of our isolation seems obvious. Capitalism dominates in the modern world, capitalism is possible with the constant expansion of markets, the Planet (its part used) is finite, which means that capitalism as the basis and foundation of our consumer society is finite.

Another moment. If we take into account the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the term entropy, then we can draw the following conclusion, based on the wording of the law, which reads:

If at some point in time the entropy of a closed system is different from the maximum, then at subsequent moments the entropy does not decrease - it increases or, in the limiting case, remains constant.

It turns out that entropy in the form of disorder and chaos accumulates in a closed system (mouse pen), after which the system moves towards self-destruction. When the entropy becomes maximum, the system is destroyed. When degradation (entropy) reached its maximum in the mouse society, the population began to die out. The maximum value of entropy in the closed system of mouse paradise is the first death, "death of the spirit". When it came, the process of extinction of the population became inevitable.

And in general, you can prove for as long as you like that we are not mice, but as soon as you stick your head out into the world around you, any thinking person (that is, you and I, friend) will discover significant features of the degradation of our society. More precisely, our Consumer Society. Does this mean it is doomed to extinction? I can’t say for sure (and I don’t think anyone will), but we have all the prerequisites for this. And then, "the extinction of our consumer society" does not mean the death of all mankind. After all, there have been many examples in history when such developed societies died out from degradation. For example, Rome, which ceased to exist after it was captured. At the same time, they seized because Roman society degraded. Sparta is a closed society that disappeared after degradation.

Passionary theory of ethnogenesis by Lev Gumilyov. Stages of development and degradation of the ethnos. Not for comparison with the previous chart (where the number of individuals changed), but to indicate the degree of growth in the number of active people, passionaries and the degradation of society as a whole. "Death of the Spirit," if according to Calhoun.

At the same time, Lev Gumilyov, who did not know about Calhoun's experiments, put forward his passionary theory of ethnogenesis, in which he described the stages of growth, development and degradation of society based on the study of all previously existing ethnic groups and peoples on our planet. And how similar is his description of ethnogenesis to the behavior of those mice from the Universe-25 experiment! A public rise to some peak value, and then a decline, a decline in strength and the death of an ethnic group. Gumilyov proved that this kind of systematics was observed in all ethnic groups, without exception, at any time. This means that the limitedness of the corral is not at all important, since society already lives in a limited space, without going (only temporarily) beyond its boundaries. And if people move to other countries, then they also enter this closed mouse pen there.

For me, the experiment Universe-25 is something from the category of "he who has ears, let him hear." For 40 years, Calhoun studied the behavior of mice, 25 attempts to build a mouse paradise - and in all cases the end was the same: in the presence of constant comfort, inevitable death occurs after degradation. This experiment puts an end to the ideas, the purpose of which, one way or another, is to build an Earthly paradise. Both Communism and Liberalism in their essence carry the idea of building an ideal society of constant comfort, without violence, aggression, wars, with plenty of food, where everyone is happy and smiling. Man as a demigod, or Superman, described by Nietzsche. You say that this is good and this is wonderful? No, I'll tell you, it's terrible, and it's bad. This is death. Unbridled comfort is death. He is heaven for that and Paradise, that on earth it is impossible. When you strive for excessive comfort, you roll down - into the abyss. This is the most important thesis that today's consumer society does not own, where all human activity, all industrial technological progress is aimed at one main goal - to achieve maximum comfort.

"The highest happiness of man is always at the edge of his strength." Ivan Efremov

"Life begins where the comfort zone ends." Neil Walsh

Some people try to sell this comfort, others buy it. And the whole system is built and revolves around this quasi-goal and false meaning - around maximum comfort. When the modern qualified consumer says that he is striving for "something", what does he mean by this? What else can you want and what else can you want? A higher position at work, a salary increase, buying a new, better car to replace the old one, buying another apartment and / or moving to a better place, buying more expensive and fashionable clothes, improving your home, better repairs, adding any gadgets, devices from the "smart home" category, a more expensive phone, interior items, go on vacation not to Turkey, like everyone else, but to Tahiti or Canada. Simply put, all goals, all aspirations are aimed at improving the quality of life, at improving conditions, at achieving the maximum possible (for such a salary / profit) comfort. The average qualified consumer says: "I have to strive for something, not sit in one place all my life."

At the same time, I do not consider the process of degradation of society to be manageable, no matter how strongly various conspiracy theorists and occultists call for the designation of the World Government (the prerequisites for the creation of which, however, do exist), I think that this is a natural process, a historical process. Yes, of course, there are those people who benefit from a degrading population instead of intellectuals, but their role in this degradation is perhaps exaggerated. And what if they themselves, those who "add fuel to the fire", all this world bourgeoisie - are they also part of this corral? And their activity is also a natural reaction of such people (or nonhumans) to the environment? They are our contemporaries, one way or another live with us on the same planet. They are also part of this global natural process. Perhaps they can be attributed to elderly individuals", those who come into conflict with the Forsaken.

Turning on this system (starting an "experiment"), you are doomed to failure, i.e. to the total death of his test subjects. There is something like that, something primitively wild, some kind of internal setting, some kind of program that is stored in us, perhaps in our genome, in every living being, and by launching this flywheel once, you will get one and the same the end result is first a high population growth, then a gradual decline until complete extinction.

Of course, a direct transfer of the results of the Universe-25 experiment to human society cannot be realized, however, the similarity of mouse behavior with human behavior seems obvious to many of us, even if such a comparison is a little vulgar.

The results of the experiment for us can serve as good ground for reflection. Like it or not, but humanity is a much more complex organized system than a flock of mice. Due to the more complex structure of our society, probably everything, we may have some other castes of people that mice did not have. These new castes, as well as their combinations, create our society as it is. A serious problem may be the reduction of passionaries in society and the growth of subpassionaries.

However, Man is able to reflect, i.e. analyze your actions, your worldview, your whole self and change. A person, unlike a mouse, is capable of improving and changing himself. Therefore, being in any caste, a person is able to change himself for the better, break out of this caste and become different, become better. Therefore, such an experiment should not be used as a call to panic and doom, on the contrary, it creates ground for reflection, makes you think about yourself and about society as a whole. What am I doing wrong? Am I doing the right thing? Or maybe I should change?

We should "wind on the mustache" the results of the experiment and shape our lives in accordance with them. This is what we do when we notice certain vices and try to overcome them. Therefore, our population continues to live to this day. It is the dynamism of our system and the ability to change that gives us the chance to survive.

P.S. The author of the article is not an adherent of any esoteric and occult currents in any manifestations, as well as a conspiracy theorist. He is an opponent of any manifestation of esotericism, and in this matter he does not see anything conspiratorial and esoteric.

About which I wrote earlier, are confirmed.

In 1968, ethologist John Calhoun, based at the American National Institute of Mental Health, set up an impressive experiment. Calhoun, drew an analogy between the society of mice and human society, and on this similarity tried to predict the future for all mankind. To do this, the scientist created the so-called "paradise" for white mice.

Under laboratory conditions, a square corral 2x2 m and a height of 1.5 m was built, from which the experimental subjects would not have been able to get out. A favorable temperature was maintained in the structure, food and water were abundant, and materials for building nests were constantly replenished. The rodents were under the constant supervision of veterinarians who monitored their health status.

All the necessary security measures were taken: the presence of predators and the spread of mass infections were excluded. The corral was cleaned once a week and kept clean at all times. That is, an ideal life-supporting space was created for mice. The scientist described his design as a "mouse utopia", and called his experiment "Universe-25". The corral was designed for 3840 mice, let's run ahead and note that the maximum population during the experiment reached the level of 2200 individuals and after that it only decreased.

When everything was prepared for the experiment, 4 pairs of rodents were launched into the mouse paradise. From this moment, stage A is counted - the period of development. After 55 days, mouse families began to give offspring. From the moment the first cubs appeared, phase B began. Every next 55 days, the number of rodents doubled. Already after 315 days, the breeding rate decreased, now the population doubled every 145 days - phase C. At this stage, there was much less space in the corral, and the number of mice exceeded 600 pieces. They managed to form their own hierarchy and a certain social life.

1) A caste of “outcasts” appeared, which consisted mainly of young individuals, they were driven into the center of the tank and constantly became victims of aggression. This was due to the fact that under ideal pen conditions, mice lived for a long time and aging generations did not make room in the social niche for young individuals. That is why aggression was directed mainly at young rodents. They could be recognized by their bitten tails and torn hair. After the expulsion, the males broke down psychologically and did not want to protect their pregnant females.

2) Females became more aggressive because they themselves had to protect their offspring. Later, their aggression spread to the cubs, which they killed and moved to the upper nests, becoming hermits and refusing to breed.
As a result, the birth rate has fallen, and the mortality of young animals has reached high results. Stage D, the death of the mouse paradise, entered the phase. At this stage, a new category of mice appeared - "beautiful".

3) "Beautiful" - they called mice that showed behavior that was not characteristic of their species. They did not enter into a struggle for a female and territory, did not show a desire to reproduce. They only ate, drank, slept and brushed their fur.

Experiment - "Universe-25".

Ethologist John Calhoun.

Subsequently, the "beautiful" and hermit females became the majority. The average life expectancy of mice was 776 days, which exceeded the reproductive age limit by 200 days. The number of pregnancies in the last phase of "mouse paradise" was zero. Deviant behavior provoked homosexuality in mice. Also in the mouse society, despite the abundance of food, cannibalism flourished. The population was dying out, and on the 1780th day of the experiment, the last inhabitant of the "mouse paradise" died. The mouse society has self-destructed. Heaven has turned into hell.

Experiment - "Universe-25".

The experiment was called "Universe-25" because it was the 25th (last) attempt to create a mouse paradise, the result of which was like all the previous ones.

In this way, using the example of a mouse society, the scientist managed to track the behavior of the "society" in the conditions of a well-fed, problem-free life. Finding a direct connection with people is not difficult. Here is an example of lumpen, single mothers, domestic violence, unreasonable aggression, lazy citizens, sodomy and social survival.

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