Post by Magnet Man on Jan 28, 2008 15:38:13 GMT -5
The warrior revels in the excitement of combat.
He actively seeks engagement
He risks life and limb
He glares at the mask of death.
Generally speaking primates are timid fruitarians. Though dangerous when provoked or cornered, and prepared to fight in defense of territorial trespass, they are not heroes and would retreat rather than attack. They are known to occasionally hunt and eat meat, but they never hunt a dangerous foe.
So what made the human primate a warrior who is stirred by the call to battle?
What makes him dream of fighting Goliath and becoming a hero?
How and why did the warrior gene imprint itself in human consciousness?
That question arose in my mind one day while out hunting in East Africa. A troop of chakma baboons fled at my approach and found safety in a high tree. On a whim, as I stood beneath them, I fired a shot from my rifle into the air.
Big mistake!
Some fifty sphincter muscles suddenly went flaccid .
I was covered head to foot in a solid rain of stinking doodoo!
Apes piss and shit themselves when frightened.
Human warriors do not.
What happened in human evolution that gave the human ape, not just control over fear, but the guts to seek it out and confront it head-on?
It took me years to seek out the answer.
Though the answer was logical in an evolutionary sense, it surprised me.
I have formulated an original theory on the origins and evolution of the warrior gene.
I would like to share the theory with fellow philosophers.
But first, since this is one of the most intriguing and puzzling of human characteristics, it would be interesting to read your thoughts and mull over any theories of your own, should you have them.
It would indeed be surprising if you came up with the same surprising answer that I did.
I will give you one large clue. The warrior gene did not imprint during the Stone Age.
I lived with the Kalahari Bushmen for a while. Though canny hunters and dangerous with their poisoned arrows when cornered, they are not heroes.
War is alien to their consciousness. They do not trepass on each others hunting territory and they do not have the sporting impulse to go after dangerous animals. They are gentle, timid people.
He actively seeks engagement
He risks life and limb
He glares at the mask of death.
Generally speaking primates are timid fruitarians. Though dangerous when provoked or cornered, and prepared to fight in defense of territorial trespass, they are not heroes and would retreat rather than attack. They are known to occasionally hunt and eat meat, but they never hunt a dangerous foe.
So what made the human primate a warrior who is stirred by the call to battle?
What makes him dream of fighting Goliath and becoming a hero?
How and why did the warrior gene imprint itself in human consciousness?
That question arose in my mind one day while out hunting in East Africa. A troop of chakma baboons fled at my approach and found safety in a high tree. On a whim, as I stood beneath them, I fired a shot from my rifle into the air.
Big mistake!
Some fifty sphincter muscles suddenly went flaccid .
I was covered head to foot in a solid rain of stinking doodoo!
Apes piss and shit themselves when frightened.
Human warriors do not.
What happened in human evolution that gave the human ape, not just control over fear, but the guts to seek it out and confront it head-on?
It took me years to seek out the answer.
Though the answer was logical in an evolutionary sense, it surprised me.
I have formulated an original theory on the origins and evolution of the warrior gene.
I would like to share the theory with fellow philosophers.
But first, since this is one of the most intriguing and puzzling of human characteristics, it would be interesting to read your thoughts and mull over any theories of your own, should you have them.
It would indeed be surprising if you came up with the same surprising answer that I did.
I will give you one large clue. The warrior gene did not imprint during the Stone Age.
I lived with the Kalahari Bushmen for a while. Though canny hunters and dangerous with their poisoned arrows when cornered, they are not heroes.
War is alien to their consciousness. They do not trepass on each others hunting territory and they do not have the sporting impulse to go after dangerous animals. They are gentle, timid people.