"Abundance has become a mantra of the digital age. With enough innovation, we're told, scarcity disappears. Information, opportunity, even intelligence itself, becomes plentiful, free, and available to all. It sounds like a path of optimism. Who wouldn't want a world of plenty? Of course, abundance in the physical world can be liberating with innovations such as renewable energy, clean water, and medical care. But there's more."
"Aggression increased, mothers neglected or attacked their young, and social hierarchies fell apart. And a peculiar group emerged-what Calhoun called the "beautiful ones." They groomed themselves constantly, ate and slept, but withdrew from mating, fighting, or exploring. Over time, reproduction slowed, then stopped altogether. The population eventually collapsed-not from scarcity, but despite continued abundance. Calhoun called this the " behavioral sink " and described what happened as a " second death " or the death of social organiz"
Abundance promises plentiful information, opportunity, and intelligence in the digital age. Material abundance such as renewable energy, clean water, and medical care can be liberating. Cognitive abundance reshapes minds rather than bodies and can produce paradoxical outcomes when 'enough' becomes 'too much.' John Calhoun's 1960s rodent utopias provided unlimited food, water, and shelter yet witnessed rising aggression, parental neglect, social breakdown, and withdrawal by a subgroup called the 'beautiful ones.' Reproduction slowed and populations collapsed despite continued resources, a phenomenon termed the 'behavioral sink.'
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