‘This is where it falls apart’: Curley argues Mayor Wilson’s governing philosophy can’t survive human nature

John Curley has a theory about why Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson governs the way she does. It starts with her father’s bookshelf.

Curley attempted to trace Mayor Wilson’s philosophical roots on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio. He believed it could be connected to the evolutionary biology theories of her father, David Sloan Wilson. The problem is the entire framework collapses under the weight of human nature.

“The greatest program to end poverty is a thing called a job, but there are people that feel as if, ‘I don’t want to work. I want to be able to use my time more effectively,'” Curley said.

‘Lie in the grass and read poetry’

Curley recalled a paraphrased vision from Wilson’s campaign, in which the mayor described a society where people still work, but not so hard that life passes them by.

“She said, you know, ‘We’re going to try to create a more balanced society where you have a job that is fulfilling, and you can be passionate about it, but you won’t have to work so hard,'” Curley said. “‘You’ll have time to be able to read poetry, you could be able to just relax, be able to look at the stars in the sky and do yoga and really fulfill yourself as a complete person rather than kind of a cog in the system of capitalism.'”

Producer Joe Wallace pushed back, arguing there’s nothing wrong with wanting a fulfilling life outside of work.

“No one owes you that. You get that on your own,” Curley responded.

He invoked his father’s framework: eight hours of sleep, eight hours of work, and eight hours to do something with your life.

The ‘Atlas Hugged’ worldview

Curley connected Wilson’s governing instincts directly to the work of her father, David Sloan Wilson, a distinguished professor emeritus of biological sciences and anthropology at Binghamton University. The elder Wilson is the author of Atlas Hugged, a novel written as a philosophical counter to Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.

David Sloan Wilson is a leading proponent of group selection theory, the idea that natural selection can operate at the level of groups, not just individuals. Curley offered his own read of the philosophy.

“As an evolutionary biologist, he believes that we as a species are evolving to the point that we don’t have to fight over things anymore,” Curley said. “There’s no scarcity. We’re at the point where we produce enough for everybody. If we all just stop fighting and stop being told there’s a scarcity problem, and we all just sort of get in this together, then things would be okay.”

Joe pointed out the biggest red flag with group selection theory.

“It requires that everybody is participating in good faith, and nobody’s taking advantage of the system,” he said.

“And this is where it falls apart. Because human nature,” Curley responded.

The caveman who threw first

Curley reached back to prehistoric times. He described a scenario in which 10 hunters go out to take down a large animal. The one skilled enough to bring it down with a single throw wouldn’t do it.

“You know what they would do to you? Shun you,” Curley said. “Because who are you to think you’re better than anybody else? You have demonstrated qualities and strengths and skill that we don’t have. That’s not fair to us, because we all need to collectively be equal.”

He traced the pattern forward through history: scientists branded as witches in the Middle Ages, Renaissance artists who refused to sign their paintings, societies punishing those who stood out.

“But that’s not human nature. It isn’t. Everyone competes. Everyone. Over anything,” Curley said.

‘Thank God for competitive people’

Curley turned to modern examples of what he called the driven personalities that the Wilson worldview would suppress. He recently finished reading about Steve Jobs.

“That guy was a maniac and a horrible human being to so many people, but he was so driven just to solve a problem,” Curley said. “‘There’s got to be a better way to do it.’ He would scream and yell at everybody and walk around without his shoes on.”

Without that relentless drive, Curley argued, none of the modern conveniences people take for granted would exist.

“Thank God for competitive people, because they lead the way,” he said. “They find out how to do things differently, faster, better than somebody else, and then the rest of us can all get a thing of vitamin D sent to our house within 12 hours, or whatever else you want to buy from Amazon.”

The profit motive is the scoreboard, not the motivation.

“That’s the metric by which you judge one is better than the other,” Curley said. “These people are just driven. Just driven to solve problems.”

Where it all falls apart

Curley circled back to Wilson and the broader progressive philosophy she embodies.

“For Katie Wilson and for others, they believe that we don’t have to fight one another; we’ll just all be fine,” Curley said. “But that ignores human nature.”

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