John B. Calhoun - American ethologist and researcher of psychology in connection with the problems of population density and its influence on behavior gained fame through his experiments with communities of rodents - mice and rats. He believed that there are no logical reasons why the social effects observed in experiments cannot occur in human society.
Calhoun is best known for his experiment called “Universe 25” (the name of the experiment suggests that throughout 40 years it was repeated 25 times and invariably received the same result).
What was the UNIVERSE 25 experiment?
Calhoun made a real paradise for mice: square tank two by two, one and a half meters high(see picture).
Inside the tank there was favorite food, a moderate and comfortable climate, cleanliness, nests for females, horizontal and vertical passages for males. And most importantly, the absence of predators. We created ideal conditions for the happiest life of rodents.
UNIVERSE 25 sent to heaven four pairs healthy, purebred mice.
There was a total in the tank 256 nests, in each of which 15 mice could live, in total - up to 3840 mice. Every few weeks the “mouse universe” was cleaned of dirt and debris. Veterinarians monitored the health of the pets.
Through 104 days experiment, they had their first offspring. Parents took care of the kids. In Universe 25, the Golden Age has arrived.
The mice loved each other, and the population doubled every 55 days, but the happiness did not last long.
John Calhoun was looking for an answer precisely to the problem of overpopulation, which was the main one for many scientists of that time reason social injustice in society. Calhoun argued that crowding by her own could destroy society before famine has a chance to do so. In his Universe 25, food was plentiful, and mice were actively creating their own kind.
After 315 days of the experiment, the growth of the mouse population slowed down. In Universe 25 there were now over 600 mice living side by side. It became more difficult for males to defend their territory; they now had to squeeze through passages, free social roles there was almost no free space left.
Outcasts and narcissists...
In “universe 25” a category of “outcasts” appeared, who were expelled to the center of the tank, they often became victims of aggression.
The group of “outcasts” could be distinguished by their bitten tails, torn fur, and traces of blood on their bodies.
The “outcasts” consisted primarily of young individuals who had not found a social role for themselves in the mouse hierarchy. The problem of the lack of suitable social roles was caused by the fact that in ideal conditions In the tank, mice lived a long time; aging mice did not make room for young rodents.
Therefore, aggression was often directed at new generations of individuals born in the tank. After expulsion, males broke down psychologically, showed less aggression, did not want to protect their pregnant females and perform any social roles.
Although from time to time they attacked either other individuals from the “outcast” society, or any other mice.
Soon mothers began to freak out - attacking their children, fertility fell. Single females moved to the highest, hard-to-reach nests, and pronounced narcissism began to be observed more and more often among males.
“Daffodils” did not fight, did not desire carnal pleasures - they only ate, slept and indulged in narcissism. But at the same time, cannibalism, sin and violence flourished in the far corners. The Mouse Society has begun fall apart!
After 18 months After the start of the experiment, the growth of the mouse “UNIVERSE 25” finally stopped.
And a month later (600 days from the beginning of paradise life), with a very low number of new pregnancies, the mortality rate of the young reached 100%.
Endangered mice practiced homosexuality, deviant and inexplicably aggressive behavior in conditions excess vital resources. Cannibalism flourished with a simultaneous abundance of food; females refused to raise their cubs and killed them. The mice were rapidly dying out; on the 1780th day after the start of the experiment, the last inhabitant of the “mouse paradise” died.
Attempts to save the Universe 25
The scientist repeated his experiment many times over the course of 40 years, so Calhoun, with the help of his colleague Dr. H. Marden, made a number of attempts to save the experiment at the third stage of the death phase.
From the overcrowded tank there were several were confiscated small groups of mice and moved to the same ideal conditions as the first 4 pairs of mice, they lived in conditions of minimal population and unlimited free space. No crowding or intraspecific aggression.
Essentially, the “daffodils” and single females were recreated under conditions in which the first 4 pairs of mice in the tank multiplied exponentially and created a social structure.
But to the surprise of scientists, “narcissists” and single females show their behavior didn't change, refused to mate, reproduce and perform social functions related to reproduction.
As a result of the experiment, there were no new pregnancies and the mice died of old age. Similar similar results were observed in all resettled groups. All experimental mice died while in ideal conditions new "universe 25".
Results of the UNIVERSE 25 experiment
John Calhoun created the theory of two deaths based on the results of the UNIVERSE 25 experiment.
"First Death" - this is the death of the spirit. In an ideal world, in safety, with an abundance of food and water, and the absence of predators, most individuals only ate, drank, slept, and looked after themselves.
A mouse is a simple animal, for which the most complex behavioral models are the process of courtship of a female, reproduction and care of offspring, protection of territory and young, participation in hierarchical social groups. From all of the above broken psychologically the mice refused. Calhoun calls similar refusal from complex behavioral patterns by the “first death” or “death of the spirit.”
After the first death occurs, physical death (the “second death” in Calhoun’s terminology) is inevitable and is a matter of short time. As a result of the "first death" a significant part of the population the entire colony doomed to extinction even in the conditions of “paradise”.
Conclusions from the UNIVERSE 25 experiment
1. People, of course, are not mice.
However, as I described the processes in Universe 25, dozens of cases of identical behavior among people surfaced in my memory.
We need to be more attentive to ourselves and others.
2. When there is no goal in a person’s life, he will degrade, even in Paradise.
Statistics of mental illnesses in the most “refined” European countries indicate that without spiritual progress a person cannot achieve satisfaction in life.
3. “Death of the spirit” is the worst thing a person can expect.
May God grant each of us to avoid such a situation. You shouldn’t make your life a series of experiments.
4. The main conclusion: our value system determines our results in life.
The stronger the values and the more spiritual ideas they contain, the happier we will live our segment of Eternity :)
Experiment "Universe-25": how heaven became hell
As part of a social experiment, heavenly conditions were created for the mouse population: unlimited supplies of food and drink, the absence of predators and diseases, and sufficient space for reproduction. However, as a result, the entire colony of mice died out. Why did this happen? And what lessons should humanity learn from this?
American ethologist John Calhoun conducted a number of amazing experiments in the 60s and 70s of the twentieth century. D. Calhoun invariably chose rodents as experimental subjects, although the ultimate goal of research was always to predict the future for human society. As a result of numerous experiments on rodent colonies, Calhoun formulated a new term, “behavioral sink,” denoting the transition to destructive and deviant behavior in conditions of overpopulation and crowding. John Calhoun's research gained some notoriety in the 60s, as many people in Western countries experiencing the post-war baby boom began to think about how overpopulation would affect social institutions and each individual in particular.
He conducted his most famous experiment, which made an entire generation think about the future, in 1972 together with National Institute mental health (NIMH). The goal of the Universe-25 experiment was to analyze the effect of population density on the behavioral patterns of rodents. Calhoun built a veritable paradise for mice in the laboratory. A tank measuring two by two meters and a height of one and a half meters was created, from which the experimental subjects could not escape. Inside the tank, a constant temperature comfortable for mice was maintained (+20 °C), food and water were abundant, and numerous nests were created for females. Every week the tank was cleaned and kept constantly clean, all necessary safety measures were taken: the appearance of predators in the tank or the occurrence of mass infections was excluded. The experimental mice were under constant supervision of veterinarians, and their health status was constantly monitored. The food and water supply system was so well thought out that 9,500 mice could simultaneously feed without experiencing any discomfort, and 6,144 mice could consume water without experiencing any problems. There was more than enough space for mice; the first problems of lack of shelter could arise only when the population reached a population size of over 3840 individuals. However, there have never been such a number of mice in the tank; the maximum population size was noted at 2200 mice.
The experiment started from the moment four pairs of healthy mice were placed inside the tank, it took them very little time to get used to it, to realize what mouse fairy tale they got there and began to multiply rapidly. Calhoun called the development period phase A, but from the moment the first cubs were born, the second stage B began. This is the stage of exponential growth of the population in the tank under ideal conditions, the number of mice doubled every 55 days. Starting from day 315 of the experiment, the population growth rate slowed down significantly, now the population doubled every 145 days, which marked the entry into the third phase C. At this point, about 600 mice lived in the tank, a certain hierarchy and a certain social life had formed. There is physically less space than there was before.
A category of “outcasts” appeared, who were expelled to the center of the tank; they often became victims of aggression. The group of “outcasts” could be distinguished by their bitten tails, torn fur, and traces of blood on their bodies. The outcasts consisted primarily of young individuals who had not found a social role for themselves in the mouse hierarchy. The problem of the lack of suitable social roles was caused by the fact that, in ideal tank conditions, mice lived for a long time; aging mice did not make room for young rodents. Therefore, aggression was often directed at new generations of individuals born in the tank. After the expulsion, the males broke down psychologically, showed less aggression, and did not want to protect their pregnant females or perform any social roles. Although from time to time they attacked either other individuals from the “outcast” society, or any other mice.
Females preparing to give birth became increasingly nervous because, as a result of increasing passivity among males, they became less protected from random attacks. As a result, the females began to show aggression, often fighting, protecting their offspring. However, paradoxically, aggression was not directed only at others; no less aggressiveness was manifested towards their children. Often females killed their young and moved to the upper nests, becoming aggressive hermits and refusing to reproduce. As a result, the birth rate fell significantly, and the mortality rate of young animals reached significant levels.
Soon the last stage of the existence of the mouse paradise began - the D phase or the death phase, as John Calhoun called it. This stage was symbolized by the appearance of a new category of mice, called “beautiful”. These included males demonstrating uncharacteristic behavior for the species, refusing to fight and compete for females and territory, showing no desire to mate, and inclined to a passive lifestyle. The “beautiful” only ate, drank, slept and cleaned their skins, avoiding conflicts and performing any social functions. They received such a name because, unlike most of the other inhabitants of the tank, their bodies did not show signs of cruel battles, scars or torn fur; their narcissism and narcissism became legendary. The researcher was also struck by the lack of desire among the “beautiful” ones to mate and reproduce; among the last wave of births in the tank, “beautiful” and single females, refusing to reproduce and escaping to the upper nests of the tank, became the majority.
The average age of a mouse in the last stage of the mouse paradise was 776 days, which is 200 days higher than the upper limit of reproductive age. The mortality rate of young animals was 100%, the number of pregnancies was insignificant, and soon amounted to 0. The endangered mice practiced homosexuality, deviant and inexplicably aggressive behavior in conditions of excess vital resources. Cannibalism flourished with a simultaneous abundance of food; females refused to raise their cubs and killed them. The mice were rapidly dying out; on the 1780th day after the start of the experiment, the last inhabitant of the “mouse paradise” died.
Anticipating such a catastrophe, D. Calhoun, with the help of his colleague Dr. H. Marden, conducted a series of experiments at the third stage of the death phase. Several small groups of mice were removed from the tank and moved to equally ideal conditions, but also in conditions of minimal population and unlimited free space. No crowding or intraspecific aggression. Essentially, the “beautiful” and single females were recreated conditions in which the first 4 pairs of mice in the tank multiplied exponentially and created a social structure. But to the surprise of scientists, the “beautiful” and single females did not change their behavior; they refused to mate, reproduce and perform social functions related to reproduction. As a result, there were no new pregnancies and the mice died of old age. Similar similar results were observed in all resettled groups. As a result, all experimental mice died under ideal conditions.
John Calhoun created the theory of two deaths based on the results of the experiment. The “first death” is the death of the spirit. When newborns no longer had a place in the social hierarchy of the “mouse paradise,” there was a lack of social roles in ideal conditions with unlimited resources, open confrontation between adults and young rodents arose, and the level of unmotivated aggression increased. Growing population sizes, increasing crowding, increasing levels of physical contact, all this, according to Calhoun, led to the emergence of individuals capable of only the simplest behavior. In an ideal world, in safety, with an abundance of food and water, and the absence of predators, most individuals only ate, drank, slept, and looked after themselves. A mouse is a simple animal, for which the most complex behavioral models are the process of courting a female, reproducing and caring for offspring, protecting territory and young, and participating in hierarchical social groups. The psychologically broken mice refused all of the above. Calhoun calls this abandonment of complex behavioral patterns the “first death” or “death of the spirit.” After the first death occurs, physical death (the “second death” in Calhoun’s terminology) is inevitable and is a matter of short time. As a result of the “first death” of a significant part of the population, the entire colony is doomed to extinction even in the conditions of “paradise.”
Calhoun was once asked about the reasons for the appearance of a group of "beautiful" rodents. Calhoun drew a direct analogy with man, explaining that the key characteristic of man, his natural destiny, is to live under pressure, tension and stress. Mice, who gave up the fight and chose the unbearable lightness of existence, turned into autistic “beauties”, capable of only the most primitive functions, eating and sleeping. The “beauties” abandoned everything complex and demanding and, in principle, became incapable of such strong and complex behavior. Calhoun draws parallels with many modern men, capable of only the most routine, everyday activities to maintain physiological life, but with a spirit already dead. Which translates into a loss of creativity, the ability to overcome and, most importantly, to be under pressure. Refusal to accept numerous challenges, escape from tension, from a life full of struggle and overcoming - this is the “first death” in the terminology of John Calhoun or the death of the spirit, followed inevitably by a second death, this time of the body.
Perhaps you still have a question, why was D. Calhoun’s experiment called “Universe-25”? This was the scientist’s twenty-fifth attempt to create a paradise for mice, and all previous ones ended in the death of all experimental rodents...
For this social experiment, a population of rats was placed in heavenly conditions: unlimited supplies of food and drink, absence of predators and diseases, and ample space for reproduction. However, as a result, the entire rodent colony died out. Why did this happen? And what lessons should humanity learn from this?
American ethologist John Calhoun conducted a number of amazing experiments in the 60-70s of the twentieth century. D. Calhoun invariably chose rodents as experimental subjects, although the ultimate goal of research was always to predict the future for human society. As a result of numerous experiments on rodent colonies, Calhoun formulated a new term, “behavioral sink,” denoting the transition to destructive and deviant behavior in conditions of overpopulation and crowding. John Calhoun's research gained some notoriety in the 60s, as many people in Western countries experiencing the post-war baby boom began to think about how overpopulation would affect social institutions and each individual in particular.
He conducted his most famous experiment, which made an entire generation think about the future, in 1972 in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The goal of the Universe-25 experiment was to analyze the effect of population density on the behavioral patterns of rodents. Calhoun built a veritable paradise for mice in the laboratory. A tank measuring two by two meters and a height of one and a half meters was created, from which the experimental subjects could not escape. Inside the tank, a constant temperature comfortable for mice was maintained (+20 °C), food and water were abundant, and numerous nests were created for females. Every week the tank was cleaned and kept constantly clean, all necessary safety measures were taken: the appearance of predators in the tank or the occurrence of mass infections was excluded. The experimental mice were under constant supervision of veterinarians, and their health status was constantly monitored. The food and water supply system was so well thought out that 9,500 mice could simultaneously feed without experiencing any discomfort, and 6,144 mice could consume water without experiencing any problems. There was more than enough space for mice; the first problems of lack of shelter could arise only when the population reached a population size of over 3840 individuals. However, there have never been such a number of mice in the tank; the maximum population size was noted at 2200 mice.
The experiment started from the moment four pairs of healthy mice were placed inside the tank, it took them very little time to get used to it, realize what kind of mouse fairy tale they had found themselves in, and begin to multiply at an accelerated rate. Calhoun called the development period phase A, but from the moment the first cubs were born, the second stage B began. This is the stage of exponential growth of the population in the tank under ideal conditions, the number of mice doubled every 55 days. Starting from day 315 of the experiment, the population growth rate slowed down significantly, now the population doubled every 145 days, which marked the entry into the third phase C. At this point, about 600 mice lived in the tank, a certain hierarchy and a certain social life had formed. There is physically less space than there was before.
A category of “outcasts” appeared, who were expelled to the center of the tank; they often became victims of aggression. The group of “outcasts” could be distinguished by their bitten tails, torn fur, and traces of blood on their bodies. The outcasts consisted primarily of young individuals who had not found a social role for themselves in the mouse hierarchy. The problem of the lack of suitable social roles was caused by the fact that, in ideal tank conditions, mice lived for a long time; aging mice did not make room for young rodents. Therefore, aggression was often directed at new generations of individuals born in the tank. After the expulsion, the males broke down psychologically, showed less aggression, and did not want to protect their pregnant females or perform any social roles. Although from time to time they attacked either other individuals from the “outcast” society, or any other mice.
Females preparing to give birth became increasingly nervous because, as a result of increasing passivity among males, they became less protected from random attacks. As a result, the females began to show aggression, often fighting, protecting their offspring. However, paradoxically, aggression was not directed only at others; no less aggressiveness was manifested towards their children. Often females killed their young and moved to the upper nests, becoming aggressive hermits and refusing to reproduce. As a result, the birth rate fell significantly, and the mortality rate of young animals reached significant levels.
Soon the last stage of the existence of the mouse paradise began - the D phase or the death phase, as John Calhoun called it. This stage was symbolized by the appearance of a new category of mice, called “beautiful”. These included males demonstrating uncharacteristic behavior for the species, refusing to fight and compete for females and territory, showing no desire to mate, and inclined to a passive lifestyle. The “beautiful” only ate, drank, slept and cleaned their skins, avoiding conflicts and performing any social functions. They received such a name because, unlike most of the other inhabitants of the tank, their bodies did not show signs of cruel battles, scars or torn fur; their narcissism and narcissism became legendary. The researcher was also struck by the lack of desire among the “beautiful” ones to mate and reproduce; among the last wave of births in the tank, “beautiful” and single females, refusing to reproduce and escaping to the upper nests of the tank, became the majority.
The average age of a mouse in the last stage of the mouse paradise was 776 days, which is 200 days higher than the upper limit of reproductive age. The mortality rate of young animals was 100%, the number of pregnancies was insignificant, and soon amounted to 0. The endangered mice practiced homosexuality, deviant and inexplicably aggressive behavior in conditions of excess vital resources. Cannibalism flourished with a simultaneous abundance of food; females refused to raise their cubs and killed them. The mice were rapidly dying out; on the 1780th day after the start of the experiment, the last inhabitant of the “mouse paradise” died.
Anticipating such a catastrophe, D. Calhoun, with the help of his colleague Dr. H. Marden, conducted a series of experiments at the third stage of the death phase. Several small groups of mice were removed from the tank and moved to equally ideal conditions, but also in conditions of minimal population and unlimited free space. No crowding or intraspecific aggression. Essentially, the “beautiful” and single females were recreated conditions in which the first 4 pairs of mice in the tank multiplied exponentially and created a social structure. But to the surprise of scientists, the “beautiful” and single females did not change their behavior; they refused to mate, reproduce and perform social functions related to reproduction. As a result, there were no new pregnancies and the mice died of old age. Similar similar results were observed in all resettled groups. As a result, all experimental mice died under ideal conditions.
John Calhoun created the theory of two deaths based on the results of the experiment. The “first death” is the death of the spirit. When newborns no longer had a place in the social hierarchy of the “mouse paradise,” there was a lack of social roles in ideal conditions with unlimited resources, open confrontation between adults and young rodents arose, and the level of unmotivated aggression increased. Growing population sizes, increasing crowding, increasing levels of physical contact, all this, according to Calhoun, led to the emergence of individuals capable of only the simplest behavior. In an ideal world, in safety, with an abundance of food and water, and the absence of predators, most individuals only ate, drank, slept, and looked after themselves. A mouse is a simple animal, for which the most complex behavioral models are the process of courting a female, reproducing and caring for offspring, protecting territory and young, and participating in hierarchical social groups. The psychologically broken mice refused all of the above. Calhoun calls this abandonment of complex behavioral patterns the “first death” or “death of the spirit.” After the first death occurs, physical death (the “second death” in Calhoun’s terminology) is inevitable and is a matter of short time. As a result of the “first death” of a significant part of the population, the entire colony is doomed to extinction even in the conditions of “paradise.”
Calhoun was once asked about the reasons for the appearance of a group of "beautiful" rodents. Calhoun drew a direct analogy to man, explaining that the key characteristic of man, his natural destiny, is to live under pressure, tension and stress. Mice, who gave up the fight and chose the unbearable lightness of existence, turned into autistic “beauties”, capable of only the most primitive functions, eating and sleeping. The “beauties” abandoned everything complex and demanding and, in principle, became incapable of such strong and complex behavior. Calhoun draws parallels with many modern men, capable of only the most routine, everyday activities to maintain physiological life, but with a spirit already dead. Which translates into a loss of creativity, the ability to overcome and, most importantly, to be under pressure. Refusal to accept numerous challenges, escape from tension, from a life of full struggle and overcoming - this is the “first death” in the terminology of John Calhoun or the death of the spirit, followed inevitably by a second death, this time of the body.
) is the 25th attempt by the American ethologist John Calhoun to build a mouse paradise, while all previous ones ended similarly. The essence of the experiment was to organize a room for mice in which the maximum possible comfortable conditions for life and development of the population would be created, so that the experimental mice could have an unlimited source of water, food, a certain space for living, material for building burrows, etc. .
Universe 25 became Calhoun's most famous experiment from this series of experiments. On July 9, 1968, a box-pen was built in the laboratory, into which 4 pairs of mice were placed at the age of 48 days. The pen had 256 boxes, each of which had a nesting function and was designed for 15 mice. The pen was equipped with an unlimited supply of water and food as needed by the mice, with which 9,500 individuals could feed at the same time without experiencing any discomfort.
The temperature was optimal for mice to live comfortably (+20 degrees). The pen was periodically cleaned and generally kept in constant cleanliness. It had walls 1.37 meters (54 in) high and was square 2.57 x 2.57 m (101 in). Was completely safe for mice. Scientists constantly monitored the state of health to prevent predators from entering the pen and the occurrence of infections. Calhoun himself called this pen "Utopia for mice."
After the mice found themselves in their paradise, they began to actively reproduce: not surprising, because everything necessary for life is available in abundance - live to your heart’s content and enjoy life! The first period (before the birth of the first mouse) was called phase A - it lasted 104 days. However, it quickly changed phase B, when the growth of the mouse population in conditions close to ideal increased noticeably. Population growth doubled every 55 days, but after day 315 of the experiment, the population growth rate slowed down. The third phase has arrived - phase C. The number now doubled only every 145 days.
Mouse pen, "Mouse Paradise"
Then there were about 600 mice in the pen - and there was not as much room for everyone as there was before. Mice have assigned social roles, a hierarchy and a caste system have formed. The caste appeared first "Les Miserables" , which represented the outcasts of mouse society: they were not accepted by the other mice and lived in the center of the pen. They often showed aggression from other mice. You could find out about their position in society by their appearance: they had traces of beatings on their bodies, torn pieces of fur, congealed blood, and abrasions.
The prerequisites for the formation of the “Les Miserables” caste was that in the ideal conditions of the tank, mice lived for a long time, compared to the wild, where they need to get their own food and protect themselves from dangers. " Elderly individuals" came into conflict with young, weak, inexperienced mice. They competed for place and social roles in the pack. Young individuals could not find a place for themselves and became outcasts: they descended to the lowest levels of the social hierarchy.
After the expulsion, the males experienced an internal breakdown, they were broken and depressed. They showed less aggression, did not even try to protect their pregnant females, and only periodically did they conflict (attack) other mice, most often from the “Les Miserable” caste.
At the same time, the females became nervous and experienced anxiety. Since their males were lethargic, they themselves had to protect their offspring and show aggression. But aggression on the part of females was manifested not only for the sake of protection - females began to show aggression towards their own cubs. Often they even killed their children, after which they went to distant nests, became hermits, and abandoned social roles and reproduction. A caste has appeared Single females" . After which the increase in the mouse population dropped significantly, and infant mortality also increased. began to develop in the mouse environment Individualism.
The fatal phase in the history of the “Mouse Paradise” began (after 560 days from the start of colonization) - phase D, or the death phase. This period was characterized by the emergence of a new caste" Beautiful" (beautiful ones). It consisted of males who behaved in an uncharacteristic manner. They refused to mate, fight and fight for females, defend their territory, and behaved sluggishly and sadly. All they did was eat, drink, sleep, clean their skin, avoid any conflicts, fulfill social roles and responsibilities. Calhoun nicknamed them “Beautiful” because there were no signs of fights, blood, or scratches on their bodies. They showed narcissism And narcissism , were self-centered and treated the other mice with indifference. Over time, “Beautiful” and “Single Females” occupied the majority of the mouse population. At the same time, they occupied the upper, distant nests of the pen, moving away from the others. Both of them did not want to mate.
The average age of an individual began to be 776 days (equivalent to 77 years of human life), which is 200 days higher than the maximum limit of reproductive age. The mice lived a long time, infant mortality reached 100%, and the birth rate soon dropped to zero. The mouse society began to degrade and regress. The mice practiced various deviant behavior, homosexuality, and spontaneous aggression. Under conditions of abundant food, mice practiced cannibalism; females refused to raise their young and killed them.
The story of a mouse population in a closed utopian space. The dotted line represents the abundance estimate, about 700 days. At day 1000, the observed number of individuals was slightly lower, after removing about 150 mice for other studies. On November 13, 1972 (day 1588), the population was 27 individuals (23 females, 4 males, the youngest mouse was 987 days old). DAC- Number of days after the start of colonization, N- population size.
The population growth limit stopped at 2,200 individuals (March 1, 1970), after which the decline began. Calhoun completed the experiment on June 22, 1972, with a population size of 122 individuals (22 males and 100 females), all of which were past reproductive age and there was no point in continuing the experiment.
Calhoun also conducted a series of experiments in phase D, he took several groups of Beautiful and Single Females, placed them in another compartment, giving them freedom and the same comfortable conditions. However, the mice did not change their behavior and behaved the same way. Individualism flourished, there was no pregnancy in females, and as a result, the mice died of old age without producing offspring.
John Calhoun's Conclusions
As a result of the experiment, John Calhoun put forward the theory of “Death squared” ( death square), or, in other words, "Double Death". The first death is the death of the spirit, which overtook the mice before physical death. “But after the death of the spirit,” said Calhoun, “physical death is inevitable, it will soon overtake the population.”
Intense competition between young outcasts and older individuals leads to the disintegration of social ties and the collapse of society as a whole, its transition to a state where, with low mortality, primitive “autistic” behavior becomes the norm ( from the word autism) behavior leading to the extinction of a population. After the first death occurs, the entire population is doomed to extinction and the onset of physiological death is a matter of time.
"Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her. All her paths lead to peace." (Proverbs III. 13, 18 and 17, rearranged)
“Blessed is the man who obtains wisdom, and the man who acquires understanding - She is the tree of life to those who acquire it, and blessed are those who keep it!” (Proverbs, Chapter 3, verses 13, 18)
Let's compare the experiment with people
If we compare the Universe-25 experiment with people, then what we have:
Elderly individuals. Under this caste I would include not our beloved pensioners, grandparents, front-line soldiers and rear workers, but our “beloved” oligarchs and big bourgeoisie, carriers of global capital in conjunction with high technology. With the advent of automated technologies, human labor has become less necessary; people are no longer needed in production as they were needed before. Consequently, they “found themselves on the street”, became unclaimed, due to the fact that their places and social roles were occupied, they could not find a place for themselves and were doing something else, trying to somehow make their way. Automated technologies are controlled by these so-called “elderly individuals.” Those who give grants for their development are the owners of corporations, the big bourgeoisie. One way or another, there is a process of conflict between the conditional Elderly individuals and the caste of the Outcasts. Considering the more complex organization of human society (compared to mice), I think such anthropomorphism is quite appropriate.
Les Misérables. A large number of people cannot find a place for themselves. Due to the advent of automated technologies, places have been lost, people are doing other things in different directions. A significant part of the people have found employment, but others still belong to this caste of outcasts and renegades. The destruction of the peasant economy led people to machine tools, and the advent of automation threw them out of factories and factories, but there is no peasantry either. People don’t know what to do with themselves and engage in various stupid activities. They go to uninteresting, boring, tedious jobs, working for an employer, earning money in order to spend it on their natural needs and entertainment. There is no time left for anything more significant. Work-money-food-work. Instead of doing what they love, what interests them, what they like, what will benefit others, they fill the service sector, working to satisfy the meaningless needs of the same people. According to some data, we have twice as many people employed in private security companies alone than in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Why is there such a need for private security? So that people do not wander the streets, but are employed, the governments of certain countries create new jobs for them. There is no need to discover and invent something, conquer something or fight for something. All that remains is to have fun and consume.
Narcissism. Many young people and girls pay great attention to their appearance and engage in narcissism. Then they take pictures of themselves on expensive smartphones and post the photos on social media. network to show off their appearance, show how beautiful they are and how much they like themselves. It's nothing more than Narcissism. Many of our contemporaries are amazed by it. Selfies as a genre of photography are now heavily used by narcissistic individuals. They will buy selfie sticks for their smartphones and take pictures of themselves everywhere and in front of everything. Having arrived at some tourist memorable place, they do not just photograph the place, but it is important for them to photograph themselves against the background of it. Those. What is valuable to them is not an architectural monument (or a natural place), recognized as something Great, but it is they themselves, their face and their appearance, their Ego, which they love so madly, and enjoy themselves. They admire themselves in the mirror, admire their appearance and themselves in general. Much attention is paid to appearance, health, beauty, and cleanliness. Disgusting, arrogant, arrogant.
Single females. Here, without question, everything is present in full. Of course, without cannibalism, but sometimes bestiality towards their children from some of our females breaks all imaginable records. They throw babies into trash cans, drown them, strangle them, freeze them. Every now and then you hear in the news about new atrocities towards a child from your mother. The majority, of course, do not go to such extremes, but they also behave monstrously. They shout, beat children for disobedience, completely suppress their will, being despots and dictators. In our society, it is customary for men to be considered dictators and despots who supposedly limit the freedom and will of their (dissolute) emancipated wives, but no one talks about how many of our mothers treat their children! This is all considered normal and in the order of things, everything is permissible. And also abortions, of which there are a huge number, as well as the now fashionable “Child Free” movement, when women voluntarily give up motherhood. Furious, embittered, possessed, aggressive females - how many of these are there among us? Instead of fulfilling their reproductive functions, they build a career, earn money, try to achieve independence and release all the negativity on their children when they come home, or do not have children at all, abandoning motherhood. Often, instead of having children, people get dogs or cats, thereby fulfilling the natural need for motherhood and care. Dissatisfied with their husbands, they take male functions into their own hands, become naughty, or rather, initially do not give their men free rein. And in general, matriarchy has come to us a long time ago.
Beautiful. Without question - there are a lot of them. All these hipsters, fashionistas, cute boys, homosexuals, metrosexuals, infantas, mama's boys, henpecked people - there are a lot of them. And also asexuals who are not interested in sexual relations at all. Simply put, infantile, weak-willed, weak-willed men. Men who are afraid of responsibility and do not want to be leaders indulge in passivity, laziness and idleness. They engage in imitation of active activities, such as various entertainments, idle activities, rides and parties. Even hunting and fishing, traditionally male activities, have now turned largely into an idle event, where you can get really drunk and party instead of actually getting food. Many men do not want to build, create, conquer, discover or conquer anything; they only use what has already been created, and often even destroy it. Self-centered men who pay a lot of attention to themselves, their appearance, health, cleanliness, etc. Simply put, narcissistic men exercising narcissism. This group also includes vegetarians, vegans, raw foodists, who pay great attention to their health, being adherents of various diets, esoteric spiritual practices, but, in essence, are food and cattle worshipers. Individualists who deal only itself development, while being indifferent to other people, their opinions and will. In total, the percentage of such men from total number will be extremely high, if not the majority anymore.
Death of the Spirit, described by Calhoun - a phenomenon when a breakdown occurred and passivity began to prevail among individuals, is also present in our human society. When people live only satisfying their natural needs, without any craving for anything more. Lack of passion in society, prosperity of conformist behavior, passivity, routine. Abuse of alcohol, drugs, computer games, the Internet, watching blockbusters, various stupid and meaningless activities, empty time spent by young people, instead of engaging in intellectual activities - empty wandering through the streets, shopping centers, catering establishments, various entertainments, such as active ones (like various ATV rides , snowboarding or bungee jumping) and the passive ones listed above. Lack of desire for knowledge, creativity, invention, handicrafts and any creative activity, replacing it with entertainment. Or imitation of intellectual activity, for example, watching popular TV shows and programs instead of actively studying the material. Isn't this the Death of the Spirit?
You can write a separate large article about each of these points, where you can describe in detail all their aspects and nuances, but within the framework of this article, I will not do this.
One way or another, few children are born, 1-2 children maximum for the average family. Children are born late, and sometimes not born at all, because females and males are engaged in narcissism and narcissism, building their careers, traveling to resorts, buying various things, fur coats, cars, communicating with friends too much, and all that other stuff, and the years leaving. And then it doesn’t work out or you don’t want to at all. It is clear that intelligent people do not have the goal of simply having more children - after all, they still need to be raised, and moreover, they also need to be raised into people.
But, nevertheless, there is no increase in the birth rate, no matter what anyone says. In place of 2 parents come 2 (at best!) children. And for growth you need at least 3. That is, when the parents die, two other people will take their place, which means there is no decline in numbers, but there is no growth either. There is no social loss, but there is no gain either. Who now has at least three children in their family? Well, even if you remember someone you know, but this is only one family, and there are many other families, and most often they are limited to one child or maximum two, or they live without children and enjoy life...
“Reproductive behavior is defined by such a concept as the need for children - this is when a person feels discomfort if he has fewer children than he wants. 65% of our families have one child. This is dominant enough for most. Because several generations have been living according to this model, practicing abortion, getting divorced, cheating on each other. Many generations who didn't have brothers and sisters, they don't know what it is. About a quarter of our children grew up in single-parent families; by definition, they have no experience in building harmonious marital relationships. This has already been eradicated, and the situation will have to be corrected by radical measures, but, alas, some of them may be unpopular because they are dissonant with that anti-family consumer lifestyle, which they have already managed to impose.” I. Beloborodov (RISI).
“Previously, the limitations were hunger, plague, and now cultural attitudes. One child in a family or a childless family is considered almost the preferred way of life of the Russian and world population.” Yu. Krupnov.
Birth rate in 1970. Number of children per average family (Earth population 3.687 billion).
Birth rate in 2014 (Earth population 7.125 billion).
These maps show that during the rapid development of modern human civilization in the 20th century, population growth rapidly increased. However, at the present time, when the development of civilization has reached great heights (there is a large number of developed countries, in many countries the infrastructure has been established, comfortable conditions for life have been created), the growth of the human population has decreased significantly throughout the world. A striking parallel with the Universe-25 experiment.
Analyzing the results of the experiment
All of you are interested in the connection of this experiment with people, i.e. with our society, social structure, behavior. Your first thought, dear reader, was: “Oh, God, how similar this is to our world!” However, after this, many of you (skeptics) had the idea that it is incorrect to compare this experiment on mice with the real human world. However, I still believe that this can be done. Even though man is such a complex creature and our world is so huge compared to this mouse pen.
And, in fact, how do we humans differ from these mice? What's so special? Would you say that we, at a minimum, have developed the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex (prefrontal cortex) and the cortex in general? Don't make me laugh, dear! Come down to earth and see for what purpose representatives of the genus homo sapiens use their frontal lobes! Sometimes the question even arises: do they use them at all or make do with only the limbic system and the trunk?
Simply put, the frontal lobes are a section of the cerebral cortex responsible, roughly speaking, for “humanity.” They were formed evolutionarily, and lower creatures do not have them at all, therefore they are not capable of manifestations of humanity, but are guided only by instincts (i.e., the limbic system).
So it doesn’t matter whether we have arms (or legs) and not paws - all our behavior lies in the brain, so to compare humans with mice, it is enough to pay attention to the structure of the brain. Of course, in our population there are many scientists and various intellectuals (for example, you and I, dear reader), but most people still do not strive for great and serious mental activity, simply because they have no time or are lazy. This means that we are not much different from mice. And our activity, all our fuss is just a pursuit of resources, food, the opposite sex, providing living conditions and comfort for our beloved body. That is, all our activities are no different in any way from the activities of mice. Therefore, it is not for nothing that they also say: “Mouse fuss.”
The second point is closed space , i.e. if the mice had more territory, then everything would be different and vice versa: people have in their possession what a huge planet, and not a pen at all. The planet is huge, but do we use all of this planet for life? No, not all of it. We are all crowded around the cities like sprat in a jar, but a significant part of the land is completely empty. Of course, we can travel anywhere, fly on a plane, drive a car out of town, but, dear friend, how often do we do this? Vacations, weekends - and that's not all. We spend most of our lives in the city, i.e. in a confined space.
Yes, and there are borders of states that cannot always be easily crossed using a general passport, and even if it is easy, your stay abroad is still limited by some kind of framework. This means, one way or another, we are forced to sit in a closed System. This is not a square cell, but man is a more complex creature. Thus, we live in a closed enclosure.
And then, if we speak in language Marxism and taking as an example to indicate our isolation the finitude of capitalism, which Marx prophesied, then the question of our isolation seems obvious. IN modern world capitalism dominates, capitalism is possible with the constant expansion of markets, the Planet (the part of it that is used) is finite, which means capitalism as the basis and foundation of our consumer society is finite.
Another point. If we take into account the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the term entropy, then we can draw the following conclusion based on the wording of the law, which reads:
If at some moment of time the entropy of a closed system is different from the maximum, then at subsequent moments the entropy does not decrease - it increases or, in the limiting case, remains constant.
It turns out that entropy in the form of disorder and chaos accumulates in a closed system (mouse pen), after which the system moves towards self-destruction. When entropy reaches its maximum, the system is destroyed. When degradation (entropy) reached its maximum in mouse society, the population began to die out. The maximum value of entropy in the closed system of the mouse paradise is the first death, the “death of the spirit.” When it came, the process of population extinction became inevitable.
And in general, you can prove for as long as you like that we are not mice, but as soon as you stick your head out into the world around you, any thinking person (that is, you and me, friend) will discover significant features of the degradation of our society. More precisely, our Consumer Society. Does this mean that it is doomed to extinction? I can’t say for sure (and I don’t think anyone will say), but we have all the prerequisites for this. And then, “the extinction of our consumer society” does not mean the death of all humanity. After all, there have been many examples in history when such developed societies died out from degradation. For example, Rome, which ceased to exist after it was captured. At the same time, they captured because Roman society had degraded. Sparta is a closed society that disappeared after degradation.
Passionary theory of ethnogenesis by Lev Gumilyov. Stages of development and degradation of an ethnic group. Not for comparison with the previous graph (where the number of individuals changed), but to indicate the degree of growth in the number of active people, passionaries and the degradation of society as a whole. “Death of the spirit,” according to Calhoun.
At the same time, Lev Gumilyov, who did not know about Calhoun’s experiments, put forward his passionary theory of ethnogenesis, in which he described the stages of growth, development and degradation of society based on the study of all ethnic groups and peoples previously existing on our planet. And how similar is his description of ethnogenesis to the behavior of those mice from the Universe-25 experiment! A social rise to some peak value, and then a decline, loss of strength and death of the ethnic group. Gumilyov proved that this kind of systematics was observed in all ethnic groups without exception, at any time. This means that the limited nature of the enclosure is not at all important, since society already lives in a limited space, without going (only temporarily) beyond its boundaries. And if people move to other countries, then even there they enter into this closed mouse pen.
For me, the Universe-25 experiment is something from the category of “he who has ears, let him hear.” For 40 years, Calhoun studied the behavior of mice, 25 attempts to build a mouse paradise - and in all cases the end was the same: in the presence of constant comfort, inevitable death occurs after degradation. This experiment puts an end to ideas whose goal, one way or another, is to build an Earthly Paradise. Both Communism and Liberalism in their essence carry the idea of building an ideal society of constant comfort, without violence, aggression, wars, with plenty of food, where everyone is happy and smiling. Man is like a demigod, or Superman, described by Nietzsche. You will say that this is good and this is wonderful? No, I'll tell you, it's terrible, and it's bad. This is death. Unbridled comfort is death. It is heaven because it is impossible on earth. When you strive for excessive comfort, you slide down into the abyss. This is the most important thesis that today’s consumer society does not possess, where all human activity, all industrial technical progress is aimed at one main goal - to achieve maximum comfort.
“A person’s highest happiness is always at the edge of his strength.” Ivan Efremov
"Life begins where your comfort zone ends." Neil Walsh
Some are trying to sell this comfort, others are buying it. And the whole system is built and revolves around this quasi-goal and false meaning - around maximum comfort. When a modern qualified consumer says that he strives for “something,” then what does he mean? What more could you want and what could you even desire? A higher position at work, a salary increase, buying a new, better car to replace the old one, purchasing another apartment and/or moving to a better place, buying more expensive and fashionable clothes, improving your home, better repairs, adding some gadgets, devices from the “smart home” category, a more expensive phone, interior items, going on vacation not to Turkey, like everyone else, but to Tahiti or Canada. Simply put, all goals, all aspirations are aimed at improving the quality of life, improving conditions, achieving the maximum possible (for such salary/profit) comfort. The average qualified consumer says: “I have to strive for something, I shouldn’t sit in one place all my life.”
At the same time, I do not consider the process of degradation of society to be controllable, no matter how strongly various conspiracy theorists and occultists call for the designation of a World Government (the prerequisites for the creation of which, however, actually exist), I think that this is a natural process, a historical process. Yes, of course, there are those people who benefit from a degrading population instead of intellectuals, but their role in this degradation may be exaggerated. What if they themselves, those who “add fuel to the fire”, all this world Bourgeoisie - are they also part of this corral? And their activity is also a natural reaction of this kind of people (or non-humans) to environment? They are our contemporaries, one way or another they live with us on the same Planet. They are also part of this global natural process. Perhaps they can be classified as " elderly individuals", those who come into conflict with the Les Miserables.
By turning on this system (starting an “experiment”), you are doomed to failure, i.e. to the complete death of his subjects. There is something, something primitively wild, some kind of internal attitude, some kind of program that is stored in us, perhaps in our genome, in every living creature, and by running this flywheel once, you will get the same the end result is first high population growth, then a gradual decline until complete extinction.
Of course, a direct transfer of the results of the Universe-25 experiment to human society cannot be realized, but the similarity of the behavior of mice with human behavior seems obvious to many of us, even if such a comparison is a little vulgar.
The results of the experiment can serve as good food for thought for us. Whatever one may say, humanity is a much more complex organized system than a flock of mice. Due to the more complex structure of our society, it is likely that we may have some other castes of people that mice did not have. These new castes, as well as their aggregates, create our society as it is. A serious problem may be the reduction of passionaries in society and the growth of sub-passionaries.
However, Man is capable of reflection, i.e. analyze your actions, your worldview, your whole self and change. A person, unlike a mouse, is capable of improving and changing himself. Therefore, being in any caste, a person is able to change himself for the better, break out of this caste and become different, become better. Therefore, such an experiment should not be used as a call to panic and doom; on the contrary, it creates the basis for reflection, makes you think about yourself and about society as a whole. What am I doing wrong? Am I behaving correctly? Or maybe I should change?
We should “rewind” the results of the experiment and shape our lives in accordance with them. This is exactly what we do when we notice certain vices and try to overcome them. Therefore, our population continues to live to this day. It is the dynamism of our system and the ability to change that gives us a chance of survival.
P.S. The author of the article is not an adherent of any esoteric and occult movements in any manifestations, nor is he a conspiracy theorist. He is an opponent of any manifestation of esotericism, and in this matter he does not see anything conspiracy theological or esoteric.
As part of a social experiment, heavenly conditions were created for the mouse population: unlimited supplies of food and drink, the absence of predators and diseases, and sufficient space for reproduction. However, as a result, the entire colony of mice died out. Why did this happen? And what lessons should humanity learn from this?
American ethologist John Calhoun conducted a number of amazing experiments in the 60-70s of the twentieth century. D. Calhoun invariably chose rodents as experimental subjects, although the ultimate goal of research was always to predict the future for human society.
As a result of numerous experiments on rodent colonies, Calhoun formulated a new term - “behavioral sink”, denoting the transition to destructive and deviant behavior in conditions of overpopulation and crowding.
John Calhoun's research gained some notoriety in the 60s, as many people in Western countries experiencing the post-war baby boom began to think about how overpopulation would affect social institutions and each individual in particular.
He conducted his most famous experiment, which made an entire generation think about the future, in 1972 in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
The goal of the Universe-25 experiment was to analyze the effect of population density on the behavioral patterns of rodents. Calhoun built a veritable paradise for mice in the laboratory.
A tank measuring two by two meters and a height of one and a half meters was created, from which the experimental subjects could not escape. Inside the tank, a constant temperature comfortable for mice was maintained (+20 °C), food and water were abundant, and numerous nests were created for females.
Every week the tank was cleaned and kept constantly clean, all necessary safety measures were taken: the appearance of predators in the tank or the occurrence of mass infections was excluded. The experimental mice were under constant supervision of veterinarians, and their health status was constantly monitored.
The food and water supply system was so well thought out that 9,500 mice could simultaneously feed without experiencing any discomfort, and 6,144 mice could consume water without experiencing any problems.
There was more than enough space for mice; the first problems of lack of shelter could arise only when the population reached a population size of over 3840 individuals. However, there have never been such a number of mice in the tank; the maximum population size was noted at 2200 mice.
The experiment started from the moment four pairs of healthy mice were placed inside the tank, it took them very little time to get used to it, realize what kind of mouse fairy tale they had found themselves in, and begin to multiply at an accelerated rate.
Calhoun called the development period phase A, but from the moment the first cubs were born, the second stage B began. This is the stage of exponential growth of the population in the tank under ideal conditions, the number of mice doubled every 55 days.
Starting from the 315th day of the experiment, the population growth rate slowed down significantly, now the population doubled every 145 days, which marked the entry into the third phase C. At this point, about 600 mice lived in the tank, a certain hierarchy and a certain social life had formed. There is physically less space than there was before.
A category of “outcasts” appeared, who were expelled to the center of the tank; they often became victims of aggression. The group of “outcasts” could be distinguished by their bitten tails, torn fur, and traces of blood on their bodies. The outcasts consisted primarily of young individuals who had not found a social role for themselves in the mouse hierarchy.
The problem of the lack of suitable social roles was caused by the fact that, in ideal tank conditions, mice lived for a long time; aging mice did not make room for young rodents. Therefore, aggression was often directed at new generations of individuals born in the tank.
After the expulsion, the males broke down psychologically, showed less aggression, and did not want to protect their pregnant females or perform any social roles. Although from time to time they attacked either other individuals from the “outcast” society, or any other mice.
Females preparing to give birth to their cubs became increasingly nervous, as the increasing passivity among males made them less protected from random attacks. As a result, the females began to show aggression, often fighting, protecting their offspring.
However, paradoxically, aggression was not directed only at others; no less aggressiveness was manifested towards their children. Often females killed their young and moved to the upper nests, becoming aggressive hermits and refusing to reproduce. As a result, the birth rate fell significantly, and the mortality rate of young animals reached significant levels.
Soon the last stage of the existence of the mouse paradise began - phase D, or the death phase, as John Calhoun called it. This stage was symbolized by the appearance of a new category of mice, called “beautiful”. These included males demonstrating uncharacteristic behavior for the species, refusing to fight and compete for females and territory, showing no desire to mate, and inclined to a passive lifestyle.
The “beautiful” only ate, drank, slept and cleaned their skins, avoiding conflicts and performing any social functions. They received such a name because, unlike most of the other inhabitants of the tank, their bodies did not show signs of cruel battles, scars or torn fur; their narcissism and narcissism became legendary.
The researcher was also struck by the lack of desire among the “beautiful” ones to mate and reproduce; among the last wave of births in the tank, “beautiful” and single females, refusing to reproduce and escaping to the upper nests of the tank, became the majority.
The average age of a mouse in the last stage of the mouse paradise was 776 days, which is 200 days higher than the upper limit of reproductive age. The mortality rate of young animals was 100%, the number of pregnancies was insignificant, and soon amounted to 0.
The endangered mice practiced homosexuality, deviant and inexplicably aggressive behavior in conditions of an abundance of vital resources. Cannibalism flourished with a simultaneous abundance of food; females refused to raise their cubs and killed them. The mice were rapidly dying out; on the 1780th day after the start of the experiment, the last inhabitant of the “mouse paradise” died.
Anticipating such a catastrophe, D. Calhoun, with the help of his colleague Dr. H. Marden, conducted a series of experiments at the third stage of the death phase. Several small groups of mice were removed from the tank and moved to equally ideal conditions, but also in conditions of minimal population and unlimited free space.
No crowding or intraspecific aggression. Essentially, the “beautiful” and single females were recreated conditions in which the first 4 pairs of mice in the tank multiplied exponentially and created a social structure.
But, to the surprise of scientists, the “beautiful” and single females did not change their behavior; they refused to mate, reproduce and perform social functions related to reproduction. As a result, there were no new pregnancies, and the mice died of old age.
Similar similar results were observed in all resettled groups. All experimental mice died under ideal conditions.
John Calhoun created the theory of two deaths based on the results of the experiment. The “first death” is the death of the spirit. When newborns no longer had a place in the social hierarchy of the “mouse paradise,” there was a lack of social roles in ideal conditions with unlimited resources, open confrontation between adults and young rodents arose, and the level of unmotivated aggression increased.
Growing population sizes, increasing crowding, increasing levels of physical contact - all this, according to Calhoun, led to the emergence of individuals capable of only the simplest behavior.
In an ideal world, in safety, with an abundance of food and water, and the absence of predators, most individuals only ate, drank, slept, and looked after themselves. A mouse is a simple animal, for which the most complex behavioral models are the process of courting a female, reproducing and caring for offspring, protecting territory and young, and participating in hierarchical social groups. The psychologically broken mice refused all of the above.
Calhoun calls this abandonment of complex behavioral patterns the “first death” or “death of the spirit.” After the occurrence of the “first death,” physical death (“the second death” in Calhoun’s terminology) is inevitable and is a matter of short time. As a result of the “first death” of a significant part of the population, the entire colony is doomed to extinction even in the conditions of “paradise.”
Calhoun was once asked about the reasons for the appearance of a group of "beautiful" rodents. Calhoun drew a direct analogy with man, explaining that the key characteristic of man, his natural destiny, is to live under pressure, tension and stress.
The mice, who gave up the fight and chose the unbearable lightness of existence, turned into autistic “beauties”, capable of only the most primitive functions - eating and sleeping. The “beauties” abandoned everything complex and demanding and, in principle, became incapable of such strong and complex behavior.
Calhoun draws parallels with many modern men, capable of only the most routine, everyday activities to maintain physiological life, but with a spirit already dead. Which translates into a loss of creativity, the ability to overcome and, most importantly, to be under pressure. Refusal to accept numerous challenges, escape from stress, from a life full of struggle and overcoming, is the “first death” in the terminology of John Calhoun, or the death of the spirit, followed inevitably by a second death, this time of the body.
Perhaps you still have a question: why was D. Calhoun’s experiment called “Universe-25”? This was the scientist’s twenty-fifth attempt to create a paradise for mice, and all previous ones ended in the death of all experimental rodents...