Is it true that people are cruel by nature?
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Sorry, the peacemakers. The results of the study, based on an innovative approach to mapping the evolution of lethal violence have shown that Homo sapiens is descended from one of the most violent branches of mammals. The tendency toward fighting is in our DNA. However, you should not get upset: the researchers also found that our tendency to murder each other can be mitigated. In fact, the question of why people tend to murder their own kind for centuries bedeviled many scientists and philosophers. Part of the problem is that the theme of violence involves a huge amount of potential outside influence, which is difficult to separate in any scientifically valid way.
violent
Indeed, if you look closely at other mammals, it turns out that almost all the level of lethal violence against a representative of the same species is around 0.30 percent – roughly speaking, there is 1 chance out of 300 to be killed by his kinsman. But for the ancestor of the great apes (including us), this figure was 1.8%. The closer to the time of the appearance of our species, the higher the rate of violence against their own kind, which made the chances of being killed by your neighbor 1 out of 50, or 2%. In other words, our species is at the peak of the steady increase in intraspecific deadly violence that has continued for 100 million years.
The Researchers, whose work was published in the journal , collected data on more than 4 million deaths among the more than 1,000 species of mammals, from shrews to whales, and about 600 human populations, Dating from the time of hunter-gatherers to the present day. Using simulation methods, similar to those which allow us to trace , the team has made a chart of the prevalence of lethal violence within each species.
Also revealed several patterns: some species, especially whales and bats appeared to get along well with their fellows. Needless to say about the herbivorous mammals, you know. But the researchers also found that the more social and territorial was the more common was the deadly violence between its members.
In the chart of intraspecific violence among other mammals are highlighted in color. The lighter, the less cruel view towards other canines. And the closer to red, the greater the likelihood that blood will be shed. People (Red triangle, top left) come from a particularly bloodthirsty line (notice the concentration of yellow, orange and red colors among primates)
If you look closely at the circle above, we can see that primates aren't the only branch of the family tree with a tendency to murder their own kind. It is not surprising that scientists have discovered that predatory carnivorous animals that do not belong to primates, also tend to be more violent against each other, especially those who live in social, territorial groups. More interesting articles about human nature and the evolution of our species read on . There are items that are not on the website.
People actually evil?
However, before completely disappointed in the human race, should look at the second part of the study, which gives some hope. Let me remind you, scientists have discovered that a surge of bloodshed that took place around the beginning of the iron age corresponds to the period when a significant portion of our species left hunter-gatherer or left a small settlement in a relatively large urban areas. It is also a time when organized States intensified competition for territory. Motive and opportunity, remember?
And yet, over the last century or so observed accelerated decrease in the level of lethal violence against each other. Today in most developed societies, the murder rate is less than 1 in 10,000. Thus, while the results of the research prove conclusively that we are inherently more violent than other mammals, it was found that the social system and cultural norms can keep this inborn aggression in check.
Alas, the bloodlust is in our blood. But it's not a death sentence!
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