Good points!
I think the most important drive was left out though. We could call it "sex", or something else. "Desire to increase social rank"? But basically it comes down to our prodigious sexual drive.
Humans are essentially social networking machines, like wolves and baboons, although more complex in our interactions we still basically compete with each other for higher social ranking and a chance at better partners. So let's just call it 'sexually driven competing'.
It seems to be unfairly forgotten or pushed aside. People look down on it, wish it didn't exist even sometimes... but it does exist, more than in any other animal.
I think it's the source of all competitiveness. You know, that feeling when someone passes you on the jogging track, you want to speed up.
Guinness book of records, all of sports, all scientific study and progress (the race to publish), all fashion (all about what image we project), all art and music (very little of it would be created at that level if there was no audience)... it's all from that little part in the lizard brain that tells us to win, to beat the other guy, to get the social recognition. Without it humanity wouldn't even have gotten to the primate stage I think. :)
Well pointed!
I've written an article some time ago that I was referring to that competitiveness you say.
And I think you're right when you say it's an atavistic instinct.
It most likely has two components. The first would be access to better partners and the second would be access to resources. And they led to the natural selection.
As I said in the article I was talking about above, though this competitiveness is present, although it was the absolute engine of evolution through natural selection, I think it is time to change it a little.
I say this in the idea that that group of alpha people must return something to society.
In fact, humanity has been struggling with this for some time. How else did democracy emerge? And how else could we define charity?
I say we take that competitiveness and use it in the interest of the community.
Otherwise, instead of becoming large and powerful communities, we will separate into smaller and smaller groups. That's until most of us will have the desire for social recognition satiated and each of us will be the best in the parking lot but the parking lot will be a bit empty.
In fact, blockchain technology is doing exactly that: it favors communities to the detriment of leaders of all kinds.
I told you that the Romanian Community will start putting brick by brick toward this future concept.
Glad you have found it :)
And yes, collaborative competitiveness can make us better.
Cheers!