Will our genetic makeup lead to the demise of
humanity?
I propose to consider three tendencies that
seem to be inborn and endanger our survival: greed in all members of the group,
male inter-group strife for territory, and male power struggles within the
group accepted by females.
Of course, genes that counter-balance fatal
inclinations are to explored also.
Probably, greed has been in us already before
we took to farming. We can see this greed in chimpanzee behaviors already. But
for chimps and early humans there are hardly opportunities to store what is
gathered beyond what can be consumed immediately.
With the rise farming, though, humans developed
the technical and social means to store surplus food and in due course the
products of crafts and arts as well. This inclination has derailed into an
ongoing drive for more consumption although it leads to over-exploitation on of
the planet.
The male inclination to fight neighbors for
territory, to the intended benefit of all within the group, is perhaps too
strong in humans to arrive at reasonable agreements between countries and
companies in order to save the planet. Have you seen this video with an
inter-group chimp fight about territory?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7XuXi3mqYM
As Nicole Bea Pastoukoff wrote me on Facebook,
human males have an inborn tendency to fight one another as rivals in getting
access to women. This gives women the strongest offspring possible within the
group and contributes to the survival of the group.
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