JESTERHOLE
Think the idea of 'ought' was missed by those responding to me. I was
not referring to the fact that behaviors other than aggression were more
appropriate at various times, but that we have, around the world, the
idea that somehow we OUGHT NOT behave that way!
Yes, it is not beneficial for a society as a whole for it's members to
be aggressive towards one another.
Whether it is bumper stickers proclaiming "Think Peace" or people
demonstrating against war
(even against those who kill thousands at one blow), or the various
world leaders wanting peace at almost any cost - this is one example.
So are you claiming that because (some) world leaders don't want their
people involved in a war, there must be some idea implanted in their
head from their god that they 'ought' to act in that way?
Or on the play yard - children are punished for this expression of
their
natures!
Yes, children express their NATURE until they learn from their society
otherwise. If there really was an idea on how they 'ought' to behave,
why is it not planted in children? Could it be that there really is no
idea until it is taught to them by other humans...the ones who came up
with the idea in the first place?
This does not make evolutionary sense to me. If aggression is
in good part what got us here in the evolutionary model, why suppress or
curtail it now?
We suppress being aggressive towards one another in a physical manner
during everyday life. We don't curtail aggression in dating...in fact in
most cases if men aren't aggressive they wind up alone. We don't
suppress aggression in sports. Try telling your son (don't know if you
and Barry have kids or not) not to be aggressive if he plays football.
Methinks you are blurring fighting with aggression...
But even more important - why the idea that we should? It is not a
religious idea, but far more universal. "We should all get
along"
"What the world needs now is love, sweet love..."
"Come on people now, smile on your brother; everybody get together, try
to love one another right now..."
"Imagine...."
World peace is a great thought, and as noble a goal as humans could
have. Lot's of great songwriters have written about it. Just like you've
quoted here. I'm not sure how that advances your argument though.
And yet what do the video games and Hollywood entertainment glorify?
Violence! It's an amazing dichotomy.
Yes, people (males in particular) have a natural tendency for bloodlust.
We are a species of hunters. It hasn't been bred out of us yet. And
violence sells.
Human nature sells.
Appeals against that nature are nevertheless universal.
Why? How does evolution explain this?
It IS evolution. People still enjoy getting in touch with their base
instincts. WHY? Because we used to need them to survive. Now we've
evolved to the point where we don't need to defend our own lives an a
daily basis. We don't need to go out and hunt down another living animal
and kill it to feed out families. Though we still have the tools...the
instincts in us to do these things, we no longer have the need. And
people realize that giving into animalistic instincts isn't beneficial
for society. Because the mind and human consciousness has evolved to the
point where we realize that working together is better...people are
trying instill this belief all over the world. It doesn't require some
outside force to show us that not killing one another is better for
everyone involved.
As far as only one species of man is concerned, I certainly consider
Neandertal one of us after the presentation by Dr. DeWitt I heard this
summer on the DNA evidence, and as far as the others go, I doubt they
were any more different from us than a Chihuahua is from a St. Bernard!
They ask for evidence, you give it to them, then they say "No, that's
not a transitional, that's a human. Or that's an ape." And you
'doubting' something is true, doesn't make it untrue Helen. The
Christian Churches of God World conference on the matter seems to
disagree with Dr. DeWitt.
http://www.ccg.org/_domain/ccg.org/default/Creation%20Articles/Neanderth
al3.htm
"Scientists have analyzed the DNA of a third Neanderthal in an attempt
to shed light on the genetic history of early humans.
The results suggest that, like modern humans, Neanderthals expanded from
a relatively small number of individuals.
And there is no evidence to indicate that Neanderthals interbred with
modern humans, something that has always been a bone of contention among
experts. "
Notice the part "...indicate Neanderthals interbred with modern
humans...".