Human nature may not be so warlike after all

Credit: Douglas Fry/ Wired

Though the view is widespread that human beings are a warlike species, 2 anthropologists, Douglas Fry & Patrik Soderberg, have written a paper suggesting that individuals banding together to make war on another group is a relatively recent phenomenon.

This is not to say that human beings are not violent. One-on-one killings occur in almost all species, including ours, & have for a very long time. Examination of the behaviour of other primates, including chimpanzees, shows that war (group-on-group violence) occurs. However, say Fry & Soderberg, group-on-group violence is a relatively recent phenomenon amongst human beings.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/07/to-war-is-human-perhaps-not/ / Longstreet awful history violence between groups of people humans predisposed to war new study of violence modern hunter-gatherer hunter gatherer societies may hold clues prehistoric human life warlike behavior relatively recent phenomenon humans violent researchers say most killing results flared tempers personal feuds rather group conflicts findings contradict notion humans evolved tendency form coalitions kill members neighboring groups wrote anthropologists Douglas Fry Patrik Soderberg July 18 2013 Science paper vast majority assume war is ancient part and parcel human nature perceptions very strong influences current day current-day society hope illuminate era stretching roughly 10,000 years ago metal tools appear archaeological record about 2.5 million years ago stone tool use became widespread period looms anthropological self regard self-regard humanity’s adolescence evolutionary crucible shape our species view reinforced studies conflict chimpanzees scattered archaeological evidence violent deaths prehistoric humans group on group group-on-group violence common constant reflecting influencing human nature research researcher researching researchers view unjustifiably dark scientific version original sin collective human violence aberration basic feature of life 2007 Beyond War: The Human Potential for Peace argued archaeological evidence prehistoric warfare misinterpreted modern hunter-gatherer violence exaggerated vast majority assume war ancient part human nature most foraging societies lethal aggression infrequent archaeological record violence regular group on group group-on-group character relatively recently people settled down ever larger ever-larger more complex hierarchical societies new paper looked at ethnographic histories 21 nomadic forager societies compiling database well documented well-documented incidence lethal aggression could be found reputable accounts spanning last two centuries counted 148 incidents more than half involved a single person killing another 22 percent involved multiple aggressors multiple victims one-third involved conflicts between groups behavior killings were motivated sexual jealousy revenge previous murder insults other interpersonal quarrels collectively between-group between group violence exceptional exception weight evidence suggests humanity humanity’s origins peaceful warlike foraging groups co-operation cooperation homicide homicides generally people get along very well humans have a capacity for warfar central part of human nature history of conflict /