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The Ādam Paradox Hypothesis 140
APH Thesis with Quantitative Spine
APH answers decisively: it was not mere headcount but cognitive ignition that
lit the demographic fuse. Symbolism, myth, and shared meaning bound fragile
bands into resilient networks; once cooperation could scale, numbers rose,
migrations widened, and cultural fire spread.
The arithmetic tracks this story. If global population stood near 10,000 at ~70
ka, a modest net growth of ≈0.010%/yr(doubling in ~6,700 years) is enough to
yield ~4–5 million people by 12–11 ka (Neolithic onset). This trajectory
matches archaeology: fewer than two million in the Upper Paleolithic,
contraction at the Last Glacial Maximum, then an early-Holocene lift toward
five million as storage, intensification, and proto-farming appear.
Figure 12.4 — Population trajectory consistent with APH (70–11 ka).
Starting from an anchor of ~10,000 people at 70 ka, a modest post-70 ka net growth of r ≈
0.0103%/yr (doubling ≈ 6,710 y) yields ~4.0–4.7 million people by 12–11 ka (Neolithic onset).
Dashed pre-70 ka back-projections (Ādam at 100 ka and 90 ka) show slightly higher early growth
sufficient to reach the 70 ka anchor from a founding pair, consistent with longevity-rich, kin-dense early
phases. Log scale highlights the long slow burn followed by late uplift.