Well, are we? I mean, many people believe violence is learned, but many people also believe that violence is natural. Some just say violence could be either learned or a natural thing. I want you to read my preach about why we are a violent species and comment on what you think.
Here's why...
Come on, people. If humans -deep down- really urned for peace we wouldn't organize Hell the way we do. War is a great example of this, and so is the amount of time and effort we spend on devising ways to kill each other. Obviously, we humans are just not capable of being completely peaceful or completely lacking of violent urges. Can you really blame us, though? I mean, our ancestors (and some others today) lived in a place where they had to kill and hunt to get every meal, and as an American, the only thing I have to do is drive to the local grocery store and pay. I don't even have to know about how my food got there. We as humans aren't made just to drive; we're made to hunt and gather (and grow crops and make tools etc.). We have achilles tendons for a reason. In fact because of those little things we are able to (if your not obese) out-run most of any animal. Not by speed, but by distance; we can run for a really long time compared to the animals that our ancestors hunted. And I don't think that we evolved our ability to run for a long distance just so we could run on tred-mills with them, and sadly, the only way for us to curve these urges of the hunt are to play sports and have wars. All I'm trying to say is that our bodies and minds are made for hunting, killing, and socializing in the most efficient way possible. We are a violent species; that's just the way we came to be.
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1 comment:
Mar, ever thought about evolutionary biology as a career?
I think that humans have a tremendous capacity for violence, but usually it is in response to some stimulus, generally by being threatened. I think humans are also capable of great peace and quietness when everything is calm and taken care of.
Violence is part of being animal, so it is part of being human. However, I'd like to make a distinction between violence and meanness. Violence is instinctual and involuntary, while meanness is learned and voluntary. I don't think it would be possible, or even wise, to eliminate violence from people - but I think we can do a lot to eliminate meanness.
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