SoberBlog

OK, so I'm sober now, and do I still think the same as i did in my DrunkenBlog a couple of posts down?

Yep :)

I'm throwing this out for comment, these are some thoughts, and I'm open and willing to revise my ideas, but it makes for interesting debate.


In my humble and not much read opinion we seem to be in denial of our roots as a species.

Primates, the species from which we evolve, have been on earth for over 200 million years

The earliest known toolbearing man, Homo Habilis was around about 2 million years ago

Homo sapiens, our species, have been here 40,000 years or more

Yet back in 5000 BC, a stones throw away in evolutionary terms, we were still hunter gatherers. the occasional small village existed, but no cities, no civilisation, no laws as such, other than survival of the fittest.

In fact, most of the worlds major civilisations only realy started to grow and advance after around 1200 BC

So we live in a world with a 40,000 year old species, that has a 2oo million year old family tree, that has decided that they are not animals but civilised humans, in the last 3000 years.

And we expect that decision to change us, in evolutionary terms.

we expect it to remove impulses as old as the species, rage, lust, envy, hate, fear, even joy in some societies.

We condition our children not to hate, because it is bad, or fear, because it shows weakness, not to lust for it is evil, and that rage is harmful, we condition them in many ways that they are not animals "you're behaving like an animal". But we are animals, and these are survival traits that have been with us, and within us forever.

And now that policing is better, and the chances of getting caught higher we are starting to see that these traits cannon be removed.

Crime and violence are not on the rise in many civilised countries, we just detect it better now, crime and violence are inherent in us as humans, we are a violent species, why do you think we are fast becoming the only one left.

It's just that thousands of years ago acts of violence weren't deemed wrong, violence was a part of life, and crime too, survival of the fittest, steal, kill, eat, reproduce, survive.

And now we deem them as wrong, we try to suppress our natural instincts, and to build a better society, but is it possible, are we that strong.

And should we even try?

Edit:

A Really rather good reply to my theory, by Memphis Man