Why Ants Never Made iPhones
The evolutionary basis for adaptability.
Forward-Looking vs Backward-Looking People
Dr. Bob's most provocative idea: humanity is divided into two types. Forward-Looking People embrace change and create the future. Backward-Looking People cling to the past.
Dr. Bob Melamede proposed one of the most provocative ideas in modern thinking: humanity is fundamentally divided into two types of people based on their temporal orientation.
Forward-Looking People (FLPs) embrace change, adapt to new information, and create the future. They're comfortable with uncertainty and see change as opportunity.
Backward-Looking People (BLPs) cling to the past, resist change, and try to impose old solutions on new problems. They seek certainty and see change as threat.
"The question isn't whether you're smart or successful. It's whether you're oriented toward the future or trapped in the past."
This isn't just philosophy—it has deep evolutionary roots. Consider the split between protostomes and deuterostomes that occurred over 500 million years ago.
Protostomes (including insects) developed rigid exoskeletons. Deuterostomes (including vertebrates) developed internal skeletons and, crucially, the endocannabinoid system.
Here's the key insight: Insects don't have cannabinoid receptors. Vertebrates do. This is why ants never made iPhones.
Continue your journey through the Far From Equilibrium framework.
View All Pillars →FLP stands for Forward-Looking Person and BLP stands for Backward-Looking Person. These terms describe two fundamentally different orientations toward life, change, and the future—one embracing flow and adaptation, the other resisting change and clinging to the past.
While FLP/BLP thinking can manifest in political views, it's fundamentally about psychology and thermodynamics, not partisan politics. Both political sides have FLPs and BLPs. It's about how you relate to change, uncertainty, and new information—not which party you vote for.
Yes, but it requires conscious effort and often a shift in biochemistry. Practices like meditation, exercise, cannabis use, and deliberately exposing yourself to new ideas can help shift your orientation. The endocannabinoid system plays a key role in this flexibility.