> I think the stubborn belief in an autonomous "human nature" is a
> clear-cut case of false consciousness grounded in the isolation of the
> abstract individual within capitalism. But one might try to paraphrase
> Luke's position as follows:
>
> Since it human nature to have heart trouble, one should cooperate with
> that human nature by consuming as much cholesterol, fats, and sugars as
> possible, smoke heavily, and never exercise.
>
> Carrol
You're a card, Carrol. Here's a better paraphrase: since competitive instincts are a part of "human nature" (funny, not many people would complain if, when explaining why the cat attacked the mouse, one said "it's just in his nature"--though of course we could put the cat in an environment without mice, or perhaps condition the cat such that he wouldn't attack them) that shows up repeatedly (though in different forms) across all cultures, we shouldn't expect to be able to eradicate them. We can and should, however, do our best to constrict and redirect those instincts in socially desirable ways, given that we know (or at least have a good idea of) what we're doing.
-- Luke