Re:Highest rates of teen bullying are between friends and fr...
by hntrader on Saturday February 20, 2021 @07:56AM
(#26203775)
I get where you're coming from, but modern society is clearly pushing us away from our own nature in this instance, not towards it.
To establish this, we just need to ask the question of what would happen if the explicit state punishments for murder, rape, etc were removed. The rates would increase significantly, implying that the existence of these measures is attenuating behaviour that's otherwise rather natural.
If chimps received an electric shock each time they tried to murder another chimp, would they murder less often? Yes, because that shock is attenuating their true nature.
Admittedly, "human nature" is a rather fuzzy concept and isn't a scientifically precise term.
> This is what I mean when I say that these actions are human nature.
That carries an assumption that modern society restricted that side of human nature. An alternative: modern society enables us to act according to human nature and not resort to actions necessary for survival in previous societies.
If modern society disintegrated, there wouldn't be a lack of society influence. It would be a different society. That's why we have the whole nature-vs-nurture debate which is not trivial. That's why I objected to the original claim. (Although as Doreen mentions, some behaviours are much more common than others)