On 8-19-2000, Tony Abdo ill-advisedly wrote: "Selfishness is not 'a natural
and normal mentality', except in toddlers.
Whether troup, herd, pride, pack, bevy, gaggle, knot, tribe or mat (of
bacteria), selfishness is the foremost survival trait of any and all living
organisms, so firmly embedded in our genes that it is even a feature of the
gene itself. You need to get your head out of recent history books, Tony, and
get a perspective from anthropology, natural history and biology. (It appears
to me that many of the discussants on this list have a rather narrow
perspective on the way people got to be organised the way they are.)
Tony: "One can say that capitalism is nothing more than a state of arrested
development."
One could say that; and one would be entirely missing Tom Warren's point. I'm
surprised he let you get away with that.
Tony: "Please don't offend our human nature again, with this Christian
apologism."
You give me a good idea of what 'human nature' is, and how it differs
significantly from any other animal's nature and I may condescend not to
offend it again. But until then, I will consider any effort to subjegate or
modify human nature, or to organize in contravention to it -- like socialism
does -- as wasted effort. You can't fool Mother Nature.
Tony: "Inherent sin, my God!"
Since when is adhering to the impulsion of one's genes a sin? Altruism is
nothing more than selfishness once removed. Socialists seem to think they can
extrapolate that to modern society-scale organization. I remain to be
convinced.
Your 100th great-grandfather's selfishness is why you're here today, Hoss.
While you're brushing up on your anthro, get some background on this from
Garett Hardin and E.O. Wilson.
Inherent ignorance, my Ancestor!
Hallyx
"Is there anything else you know absolutely nothing about?" --- Groucho Marx
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