As I’ve been talking to people about my idea, I’ve realized that the “razor” concept is too obtuse to be useful. There is a razor aspect to the concept—anything that wasn’t a part of the environment of our ancient ancestors is by and large unnecessary for overall happiness and well-being. However there are exceptions such as antibiotics and other aspects of modern medicine.
But also, it’s not really a black-or-white, true-or-false binary that cuts off the unnecessary from the essential. It’s a gradual spectrum where we can choose to trade comfort or convenience for things that make us proportionally less healthy. And there are also multiple factors at play in every decision; it’s difficult to separate out the purely good from the purely bad.
So my current favorite title is “The Bowlby Conjecture”. Simply stated, because our genes were selected to work optimally in the environment in which our Pleistocene ancestors lived, the closer we live our lives emulating the core aspects of that lifestyle, the more we will thrive. Conversely, the further our lifestyle drifts from those core aspects, the less healthy and happy we will be.
Those core aspects: living in a tight-knit social tribe, moving our bodies throughout the day (especially walking, running, and fine eye-hand motor skills), eating a diet of fresh, whole foods, near-constant exposure to nature, sunlight and the elements. Relying as much (if not more) on your senses and being in the present moment as on your thinking brain.