History's Catalyst

(Image by Dragoart)

University of Utah professor Polly Wiessner claims that the campfire catalyzed much of human history [bold added]:

The human ability to control fire had transformative biological effects. It allowed us to extract nourishment from the toughest roots and roasts, and to feed our hungry, helpless children, with their big energy-guzzling brains. But Dr. Wiessner suggests that it had equally transformative social effects. Fire gave us the evening —too dark to work, but bright and warm enough to talk.....

This nighttime talk engaged some of our most distinctively human abilities—imagination, culture, spirituality. ....they transmitted cultural wisdom and historical knowledge to the next generation, and they explored the mysterious psychological nuances of other minds.

Campfires were part of the shared human experience up till a generation ago. Now they're the victim of concerns about global warming and forest fires, not to mention the now much-easier ways to meet people at night over a glowing light. But I'll miss the marshmallows.