I don’t think that is a characteristic of our species. It is not universally true across other cultures.
And studies strongly suggest that the characteristic that was most important to the early survival of humans was altruism. There are always a lot more people who are basically good than basically bad. Only around 4% of the population are sociopathic.
Unfortunately, promoting sociopaths is a built-in characteristic of capitalism. Without controls, it rewards managers who are willing to sacrifice other people for profit (or power). The people who do that the best are those without empathy. So we end up with the worst of us making the decisions about how the world should work.
But I’d argue that capitalism is just the inevitable epitome of us rewarding the worst of us.
Even in socialism the dark triad gets further.
Altruism being advantageous in our early survival makes sense, yes. But, whatever the 4% always came up with in every period, won.
Purely evolutionary speaking, it might even be better for survival nowadays than altruism would be.
Your point, that there always more basically good than evil people, might be true (and I wish it would be), but the world sucks in every place anywhere. Just to a different level. So it kinda means nothing when the 96% just watch or ignore the work of the 4%.
I don’t think that is a characteristic of our species. It is not universally true across other cultures.
And studies strongly suggest that the characteristic that was most important to the early survival of humans was altruism. There are always a lot more people who are basically good than basically bad. Only around 4% of the population are sociopathic.
Unfortunately, promoting sociopaths is a built-in characteristic of capitalism. Without controls, it rewards managers who are willing to sacrifice other people for profit (or power). The people who do that the best are those without empathy. So we end up with the worst of us making the decisions about how the world should work.
But I’d argue that capitalism is just the inevitable epitome of us rewarding the worst of us.
Even in socialism the dark triad gets further.
Altruism being advantageous in our early survival makes sense, yes. But, whatever the 4% always came up with in every period, won. Purely evolutionary speaking, it might even be better for survival nowadays than altruism would be.
Your point, that there always more basically good than evil people, might be true (and I wish it would be), but the world sucks in every place anywhere. Just to a different level. So it kinda means nothing when the 96% just watch or ignore the work of the 4%.