sol72us@...
09-21-2001, 04:56 AM
"One of the most significant facts established about
human behavior, as it relates to warfare and other acts
of violence against conspecifics, is the following:
cultural evolution permits the development of pseudo-
speciation. Pseudospeciation, simply defined, means the
transmission of individually acquired behavior from one
generation to the next within a particular group. Over
time this leads to the collective culture (the customs
and traditions) of that group. Pseudospeciation (or
cultural speciation as I prefer) in humans means, among
other things, that the members of one group(the in-group)
may not only see themselves as different from members of
another group (the out-group), but also behave in
different ways to group and nongroup individuals.
In its extreme form, cultural speciation leads to the
dehumanizing of the out-group members, so that they may
come to be regarded almost as members of a different
species. This frees group members from the inhibitions
and social sanctions that operate within the group, and
enables them to direct acts toward "those others" which
would not be tolerated within the group.
...So here we are, the human ape, half sinner, half
saint, with two opposing tendencies inherited from our
ancient past pulling us now toward violence, now toward
compassion and love. Are we, forever, to be torn in
two different directions, cruel in one instance, kind
in the next? Or do we have the ability to control these
tendencies, choosing the direction we wish to go?
...Surely, I thought, if chimpanzees can control their
aggressive tendencies, and diffuse the situation when
things get out of hand, so can we. And herein, perhaps,
was the hope for our future: we really do have the
ability to override our genetic heritage...Our brains
are sufficiently sophisticated; it's a question of
whether or not we really want to control our instincts.
...These undeniable qualities of human love and self-
sacrifice give me hope for the future. We are, indeed
often cruel and evil. Nobody can deny this. We gang
up on one another, we torture each other with words as
well as deeds, we fight, we kill. But we are also
capable of the most noble, generous, and heroic
behavior."
from
REASON FOR HOPE
by Jane Goodall
Warner Books, 1999
human behavior, as it relates to warfare and other acts
of violence against conspecifics, is the following:
cultural evolution permits the development of pseudo-
speciation. Pseudospeciation, simply defined, means the
transmission of individually acquired behavior from one
generation to the next within a particular group. Over
time this leads to the collective culture (the customs
and traditions) of that group. Pseudospeciation (or
cultural speciation as I prefer) in humans means, among
other things, that the members of one group(the in-group)
may not only see themselves as different from members of
another group (the out-group), but also behave in
different ways to group and nongroup individuals.
In its extreme form, cultural speciation leads to the
dehumanizing of the out-group members, so that they may
come to be regarded almost as members of a different
species. This frees group members from the inhibitions
and social sanctions that operate within the group, and
enables them to direct acts toward "those others" which
would not be tolerated within the group.
...So here we are, the human ape, half sinner, half
saint, with two opposing tendencies inherited from our
ancient past pulling us now toward violence, now toward
compassion and love. Are we, forever, to be torn in
two different directions, cruel in one instance, kind
in the next? Or do we have the ability to control these
tendencies, choosing the direction we wish to go?
...Surely, I thought, if chimpanzees can control their
aggressive tendencies, and diffuse the situation when
things get out of hand, so can we. And herein, perhaps,
was the hope for our future: we really do have the
ability to override our genetic heritage...Our brains
are sufficiently sophisticated; it's a question of
whether or not we really want to control our instincts.
...These undeniable qualities of human love and self-
sacrifice give me hope for the future. We are, indeed
often cruel and evil. Nobody can deny this. We gang
up on one another, we torture each other with words as
well as deeds, we fight, we kill. But we are also
capable of the most noble, generous, and heroic
behavior."
from
REASON FOR HOPE
by Jane Goodall
Warner Books, 1999