Violent genes and philosophy

"Democracy don't rule the world, You'd better get that in your head; This world is ruled by violence, But I guess that's better left unsaid". -Bob Dylan

The human animal is a violent animal. It is a violent and aggressive animal because it has a million year history of struggling to survive. The meek did not survive. Those humans that were strong and aggressive survived, and today they have those genes that helped humans survive.

It is estimated that over 90% of all species that once existed have become extinct. The human animal probably came close to extinction many times. The early human animals were small and easy victims to predators who were looking for food. The human animal learned to survive through a million years of living in fear. This gene that expresses fear is very much a part of the modern human animal's existences. Eat or be eaten! Politicians are always exploiting this fear gene.

The human animal's desperate existence has only recently improved to the point it can grow more food than it needs. Humans are the only animals that can grow their own food. Insect plagues and droughts used to destroy crops. Insecticides, large tractors, fertilizers, and irrigation systems assure current humans of a plentiful food supply.

About three thousand years ago the human animal started to use alphabets in expressing philosophy about ethics and morality. "Do not steal" and "Do not covet thou neighbor's wife" were some of the first attempts to constrain the violent and aggressive gene. The Greek philosopher Aristotle, 2300 years ago, wrote about ethics.

Similar to the Golden Rule, ancient Hinduism, around 500 BCE, said this, "One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one’s own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma. Other behavior is due to selfish desires".

With an alphabet, language, and philosophy, humans wrote the Magna Carta. It was the foundation of many western written laws that attempted to adapt private property rights to the violent human animal. It was a precursor to what was later to be known as individual rights, as shown in the Declaration of Independence.

Today we have more laws and philosophers telling us how to live the proper life. The modern ethics and progressive political philosophy tries to go beyond the ancient ethical code of do no harm to another. The modern progressive philosophers attempt to build an ethical society but at the same time they are willing to rely on their violent and aggressive genes to carry out their plans. Some philosophers are willing to subtly use power over others. The guardians are always fed before the followers. The humanitarians, leaders, and guardians of the Chinese Communists Party did not starve in the 1949 Chinese famine.

The violent genes we have that have been passed down to us from the past million years are in conflict with the ethical philosophy of do no harm. Our ethical genes are too young and too few to combat the aggressive and violent genes. It will take many more generations before the good philosophical gene is a match for the violent and aggressive genes that human animals carry. Bio engineering will speed up this evolutionary process. The evolutionary outcome will depend on who does the bio engineering.

Charles Tolleson