Utopias & Mice Mice Baby

Episode 129 - 

A world where every temporal necessity is given and every environmental factor optimized is a world poised for flourishing.  Plentiful food and drink.  Adequate space and healthy conditions.  Safety and comfort and communal harmony.  You couldn't imagine a more perfect existence; it'd be a veritable Utopia.  Except that there's no such thing.  And that's a curious fact--for mice, and for men.

Ben watermelons his way back to his junior high days and channels his inner Vanilla Ice as lead for this episode, while Chad busts out his sociological magnifying glass to offer his "illustrious" analysis as co-host.  The two use the results of a mouse experiment from the '70s to springboard into a discussion about the perils of Progress.  In what ways does mouse behavior in the "Universe 25" experiment mirror that of modern human society?  What about material prosperity and relative societal safety makes us particularly susceptible to self-induced crisis?  What can men, as leaders and fathers, do to head off our progression toward an utopian way of life so as to avoid its inevitable pitfalls?

SHOW NOTES:

Universe 25 Mouse Experiment :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ReBJfxHjFU