Comment by dmitriy_ko | Hacker News Reader

Comment by dmitriy_ko | Hacker News Reader

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Evolutionary phycologist Malcolm Potts explains this phenomenon as an evolutionary adaptation developed in some species of primates. In particular, we share this behavior, "the war instinct" with our close relative chimpanzee. The behavior is the following: identify your "ingroup", the social group where you live, and then attack an "outgroup", a competing social group. This is an evolutionary-beneficial behavior because it allows a group to gain additional resources: land and females. According to this theory human predisposition for war is innate rather than cultural.

If you are interesting in learning more about this theory, here's the book:

Sex and War: How Biology Explains Warfare and Terrorism and Offers a Path to a Safer World by Malcolm Potts ISBN 978-1935251705

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."

-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trial

The real problem isn't a hypothetical 'war instinct' in all humans, it's the leaders who take advantage of animal logic for personal gain.

(Sometimes very short-lived personal gain. But still.)

An interesting addition / counterpoint to this theory is presented in Frans De Waal's [1] books.

"In 2011, De Waal and his co-workers were the first to report that chimpanzees given a free choice between helping only themselves or helping themselves plus a partner, prefer the latter."

[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frans_de_Waal

That's what "in-group" means. Whe. Plenty turns to Famine, behavior changes.

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