Are we generally good?

Katelynn

I read an article this afternoon (attached at the bottom,) that basically addresses one of the first human relatives (the Neanderthal) that could have been murdered. Blunt force trauma to the head resulted in a unique fracture in the skull that could only be the result of being hit with an object by another Neanderthal. The article also discusses that the location of the site makes it likely that the other bones found were thrown in - making it one of the first cases of mass murder in human history.

Knowing that our monkey relatives (the chimp) display war like behavior, and that our bonobo relatives display love and peace like behavior, which do you think we show most predisposition towards?

I'd also like to throw out, do you think we are innately bad or good, and is there a possibility that we are genetically programmed for one or the other?

http://www.history.com/news/was-this-the-first-murder-victim-in-history?cmpid=Social_FBPAGE_HISTORY_20150528_185839203&linkId=14574468

457 views • 1 upvote • 63 comments

COMMENT (63)

Fr

Posted at
Nope. I think we're huge a-holes by nature. Then again, most apex predators are, and we are apex predators, so it's not that shocking. I would like to clarify that chimps are apes, not monkeys. Monkeys have tails, apes don't.

Ka

Katelynn • May 30, 2015
Thanks for the clarification with monkeys!

Co

Posted at
I imagine people to be naturally destructive. Look at a child for instance. You have to teach children to behave well. A kid wants a toy? They go over and snatch it away, sometimes (often) resorting to physical violence to get said toy or goody. You have to teach a child that violence isn't the answer. Earlier ancestors wouldn't have had the luxury to teach something like that. They were focused on survival. Which means every family or person for themselves which often would mean violence. We're not endangered and have a lot of resources so we can afford to not fight for survival. So yes people are rather destructive. They look out for their own good first when it comes to loving. (Children being an extension if they have them)

Co

Co • May 31, 2015
Great way of putting it DK! Though I will still think we're destructive when not involved in modern day things I still think it's possible to be good to people, however the survival instinct is still there and ready to be "bad"

Ma

Maggie ☀ • May 30, 2015
Alyssa I think you're spot on. Nobody is born "good" we have nice characteristics but behavior and decency is learned.

Co

Co • May 30, 2015
Probably a more submissive guy:/ I imagine animals (people) are similar to wolves in who is dominant and who is not (pecking order)

V

Posted at
We're the most destructive, aggressive and selfish species that's ever walked the earth. We are generally bad, which comes with high intelligence.

Wa

Watson எம்மா 🐳🐾 • May 31, 2015
😅😅😅

V

V • May 31, 2015
omg...

Wa

Watson எம்மா 🐳🐾 • May 31, 2015
urrrm V, excuse me, have you ever seen king Kong? clearly the giant gorilla is the most agresisvely and destructive species.. read a book why dontchya?

Ca

Posted at
All in all, I think there are bad people who do good things, and good people who do bad things, along with the good/good and bad/bad at the end of both spectrums. But considering that humans have only been on the earth for a very short amount of time (really just a blip compared to how old the earth and universe is), we've done some serious damage to our home and each other. It's sad :/ 

Ma

Maggie ☀ • May 30, 2015
I agree, I was just reading the casualty numbers for Americans in our history of wars. So many people have died fighting. I read 50,000 men died at the battle of Gettysburg. I know that's not what you're saying. But I was just reading those articles and I could not stop picturing it.

A

Posted at
I think the way our modern society is structured has messed up our instincts and made us more selfish and vain but our actual nature comes out sometimes. Like the other day that massive group of people lifted a double decker bus off a guy who'd been crushed under it, no questions asked, they just did it. We're probably naturally supposed to live in smaller societies of up to a hundred or so people where everyone looks out for each other and works together for the benefit of everyone so in those past settings I definitely feel like we're generally good to each other. It's really sad that we're losing our older communities and now focusing on the few people in our immediate family only whereas in the past everyone was more close knit. My dad is Chaoui from the mountains in north Africa and when he was a kid it was still pretty traditional but already starting to modernise because of external interference. The kids were free to wander because everyone looked out for each other's kids so it was safe, everyone worked for the benefit of the community and shared food etc. My mum grew up in a small Welsh community where nobody locked their doors, everyone knew everyone and if someone was sick everyone looked after them and brought food over for them until they were better. Today it's nothing like that in her town and it's really sad.

Ka

Katelynn • May 30, 2015
Interesting perspective! I also wondered if maybe that was their form of punishment instead of unjust murder! I think humans have morality to them, which despite our intellect helps to segregate us from the animal community. Rather we are doing good or bad things, we KNOW that these things are bad. I don't think (unless there is a psychological reason) most people wish to inflict pain on another, rather we wish to enforce our beliefs and practices which sometimes results in the pain of another. Or we result to violence in a misguided response to anger. Thank you for your insight!

A

A • May 30, 2015
Just read the article properly and it's pretty interesting but my first thought was that maybe it was some sort of death penalty for some crime and they chucked the bodies down there as it's less respectful than burying or burning or whatever they used to do? I'm completely guessing here because there's no way to know their motives but I do feel like smaller communities figure out their own methods of controlling crime and they work even if they're archaic methods. For example there's this tribe in Namibia where you have to pay two cows to marry someone's daughter but 48 cows if you murder someone's daughter, I could have got the numbers a little off but their most valuable possessions are their cattle. When I was in Australia we went hiking with a guide in NT and he was telling us how the Aboriginals have their own ways of dealing with crime and it keeps the peace between groups because they respect it and if they don't then there's problems for the whole group. So maybe they had some sort of death penalty for some crime and disposed of the bodies that way? Or it could just be mass murder for some reason, maybe a fight between groups over land or resources? I do believe that we have some violent nature (the chimps at the zoo I used to volunteer at killed their leader last year by suffocating him and now follow a new chimp) especially when it comes to crime - ask any parent what they'd like to do to anyone who raped of killed their kids - but in general we're peaceful and loving at the core.

Ka

Katelynn • May 30, 2015
I didn't take into account the social aspect so that's interesting. What do you make of their small community committing a mass murder?

Lu

Posted at
I think that we are instinctively selfish. We will be good or bad to reach our goal but we aren't made of just one. Most can adapt and attachments can sway you away from that primitive need but deep down most still think about No. 1

Ic

Posted at
No. We all suck. We are all disgusting creatures. We have all done some shit that we probably shouldn't have done because we're all selfish bastards. But that's simply because we have the natural survival of the fittest instinct. So as much as we fight it, we will ultimately only care for our own survival in the end. Does that make us bad ? No. Destroying the earth for our really stupid, swlfish reasons does. ✌️

Ic

Ichigo • May 30, 2015
Yea, I'd probably enjoy that

Wa

Watson எம்மா 🐳🐾 • May 30, 2015
It's about how we've evolved to cooperate and things. It's by Richard dawkins

Ic

Ichigo • May 30, 2015
No. I haven't. What's it about?

Ki

Posted at
I believe that we came along . Humans are very violent and destructive . I believe that we wanted to be the biggest, strongest living thing on our planet . Therefore , I believe we killed off all of the Neanderthals to become the only thing of our species and making us dominant. Some people do not agree, but that is my belief . 

Ki

Kinsley • May 31, 2015
there's a lot of different beliefs & all that on them . I don't really know too much about it to argue a huge point. I was just sharing my belief .

Ka

Katelynn • May 31, 2015
Neanderthals and humans (or early homosapiens) are believed to have coexisted, although neanderthals evolved in Europe where they believe modern homosapiens evolved from early humans still in Africa. There's a slim chance that they shared environments!

Ki

Kinsley • May 31, 2015
I do think there still could be some Neanderthals ! and I just believe that our race was definitely violent without laws . And at this time , more than likely there wasn't laws , and humans are very competitive. & I believe that we didn't want anyone who could be even close to our species .

Wa

Posted at
I think so. Evolution has made us so, we succeed when we cooperate.