Another great piece from Sapiens. This article examines whether humans are
genetically predisposed for violence. For me, this article provides an
interesting look into whether human males are truly genetically predisposed for
violence. The author of the article provides several viewpoints on both sides;
there are anthropologists who believe that violence and warfare come from
culture and this is not something males have evolved with. Others argue that it’s
an evolutionary advantage men have, that there are anatomical differences between
men and women that point to this. A point that stuck out for me particularly is
that there are cultures that have existed throughout history, including currently,
that have not had war at all. Anthropologists look at our closest animal
relatives, apes and monkeys, for an idea into hour our early hominid ancestors
lived before we fully evolved into Homo sapiens, describing the ways chimpanzee
society works, with ultra-aggressive male chimps intimidating the males of
smaller groups away, and poses this as a possible look at the behaviors we lost
and adapted from our pre-human ancestors. It is interesting to me how quickly
the article looks at males of the species for violence and the answers behind
it, though.
No comments:
Post a Comment