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John Horgan at the Scientific American has written a follow-up to Nicholas Wade’s recent article on chimp violence. Horgan reviews the evidence for and against the theory that chimp violence is widespread and that our hominid ancestors inherited the tendency toward violence from our common ancestor with the chimps. Specifically, he explains why he has [...]
Are we a naturally violent species or a naturally cooperative species? The answer may be “Yes,” meaning that both violence and cooperation are within our behavioral repertoire. However, the large-scale violence of warfare might be more a result of environmental conditions than anything to do with our genes. It might be human nature in the [...]
This article from Discover Magazine gives an overview of the wide range of opinions on humans and warfare. Optimists like neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky, anthropologist Douglas Fry, and primatologist Frans de Waal believe that humans have a capacity for peaceful behavior, perhaps underexercised but still a part of who we are. Even the pessimists who think [...]
It seems counter-intuitive, but recent work suggests that the invention of the spear brought about a prolonged period of peace amongst hominids. Early hominids in groups could track down and kill individual members of another tribe fairly easily, and violence was used as a way to establish control over turf. With the invention of the [...]
Here’s a thoughtful piece from science writer John Horgan on how the human race might begin to work toward the elimination of war, which he describes as the biggest problem facing scientists today.
http://www.science-spirit.org/article_detail.php?article_id=474
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