>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 08/23/00 03:26PM >>>
Charles,
A good part of your argument with Mark is over my head and I agree with you
on the specificity of human culture eventhough I wouldn't necessarily exclude
other primates or even other very different species from this specificity.
Nevertheless...
>Human culture is grounded in the enormous sociality or
>communality of the human species. This sociality or communality is humans'
>greatest biological adaptive advantage compared with all other species.
The obvious counter-example are the social insects, some of which are
hugely sucessful species.
(((((((((((
CB: Yes. I agree that bees and ants are highly social, compared to most species, but
not humans.
The human "social" is still much bigger, especially transgenerationally. The humans
in a living generation are connected to a much larger segment of the dead generations
of their species than ants or bees, humans are connected extra-somatically or
non-genetically that is. This is accomplished through symbols, language and culture or
tradition. Today, we are also connected to a much larger proportion of the living
generation of our species. This is the significance of the enormously social
production and communication of today (world cars and all). A hive of bees has no
connection with the many other hives of its species.
This works the other way. A living generation of humans plans and anticipates passing
on its experiences and traditions to future generations. So, there is an anticipatory
social connection prospective in time as well.
So , an existing human generation is infinitely more connected non-genetically to both
past and future generations of humans than other species generations are connected
non-genetically.
In a word sociality-communism is the unique human characteristic.
((((((((((
>So, selfish , individualist behavior undermines the most critical adaptive
>advantage of our species. But it is exactly this area in which other species
>do not have the same thing as humans.
There is a balance of selfishness and social/affective behaviour in all
mammals, AFAIK. You could also argue that human sociality is based on
group-selfishness or the selfishness of a leader. I do not understand where
this behaviour differs from the one of other mammals.
((((((((((
CB: As I say above, the clearest qualitative difference of humans is the vast network
of connections to dead generations of the species. Most of the language we speak, the
vast knowledge of techniques and otherwise, the arts, literature was founded by people
who are now dead.
Of course, selfishness does arise among humans , individual and group selfishness,
selfish leaders. But what I am saying is that these phenomena go against the main
human advantage , which is to treasure interdependence of humans,
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