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@ b2b205d4:cafc90f6
2024-12-07 15:00:29What allows one person to engage in cruel acts more easily than another?
What allows one person to engage in any activity more easily than another?
Inclination vs. Aversion.
To what extent are inclinations and aversions an expression of an individuals biology/genetics vs. social conditioning?
If inclination toward cruelty is a result of social conditioning why is it present so consistently across time and location? Why do attempts to condition people away from cruelty and toward kindness ultimately fail when stress tested by simple opportunity?
Humans have a consistent history of cruelty with comically varied excuses for the behavior which are sometimes near opposites. I suspect the details of circumstance and varying excuses are not the cause of cruelty.
Biology/genetics seems to be the answer but as with all traits there must be outliers. It seems inclination toward cruelty is the norm with aversion rarer and aversion along with the courage to stand against cruel acts very rare.
I fear we have been telling false tales of why we engage in cruelty on both small and large scale because the truth is unpleasant. Particularity when outliers with a strong aversion to cruelty see cruel acts and must tell themselves a story that accounts for how a human like themselves could do such things so easily(not realizing they are an outlier) leading to all kinds of creativity in both Religious Myth and fiction.
I think for thousands of years we have placed blame on evil supernatural forces, gods, demons, devils etc. And more recently on religion, mind virus, mass psychosis, bad leaders or an evil few among the otherwise good majority etc.
I fear the truth is simply that the reason people throughout history and today across the globe so easily engage in cruel acts when the opportunity arises is because the large majority of humans are inclined to do so and are fairly comfortable with inflicting suffering on others. Particularly when they feel safe from consequence and they perceive that doing so strengthens their social standing or that not doing so would weaken it(survival for a social creature).
Unfortunately this makes good sense from a survival standpoint. And fortunately or unfortunately the rule of law and threat of consequence keeps this inclination hidden allowing any society to always believe maybe they and the people around them are the good guys when in reality it is fear that keeps them in check until it doesn’t time and time again.
Do we choose to go forward like this?
Will the meek ever inherit the Earth? Do we need to give it to them?