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Bi-Polar Ape: Caught Between Love and War
Are humans the Bi-Polar Ape, caught between love and
war forever? Featured on The Guardian, Steven Pinker,
Richard Wrangham and Frans de Waal discuss the
evolutionary evidence and debate whether human nature
is essentially violent like our chimpanzee cousins or
essentially peaceful like our equally related bonobo
ancestors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru8tHB6yZjk
Human nature is essentially both, just as the title of this thread implies. Both peacefulness and violence are selected for by the evolutionary process, because both improve adaptability in certain ways/situations, allowing us to survive and reproduce successfully, which is what evolution is all about. That's why we've been unable to rid the planet of human brutality; it's inherent in our nature. Of course, that doesn't mean we can't make progress in overcoming that natural-born nastiness...Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Dynamique:
Peace!
Dixon
Essentially, nothing is essential.