[lbo-talk] RE: Film Notes

Miles Jackson cqmv at pdx.edu
Fri Oct 24 08:50:46 PDT 2003


On Thu, 23 Oct 2003, Dennis Perrin wrote:


> The above wasn't an argument per se, but merely two questions. In my view,
> no matter the context, competition is bound to occur in any human society. I
> cannot see how it wouldn't, whereas you argue that it's not inevitable. To
> me that means you believe humans can live free of competitive urges if they
> choose to. I don't see that ever happening (short of a major evolutionary
> leap), but then perhaps I'm a pessimist -- who enjoys playing and watching
> sports.
>
> DP

I see how you're construing my position. What I believe is not inevitable is a society like ours in which competition is valued and pervasive. This doesn't necessarily mean a society in which no competitive urges emerge, so I agree with you on that point.

The thing I want to stress is that whatever "natural" urges people have, social structures limit and/or incite those urges. --For example, hitting children. Aggression, to varying degrees, exists in all societies; I'll buy the evolutionary psychology speculation that aggression emerged a product of natural selection. However, whether or not parents demonstrate this "aggressive urge" against their children is highly constrained by social conditions. In some human societies, hitting kids is rare and atrocious (Semai); in other societies, it's frequent and commendable (Yanomamo). And just so with competition.

Miles



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