Look at five-year-old Omran Daqneesh from Aleppo! He’s one of us! He is like our own five year old son or brother. He is like our little David, Kevin, Markus, Eric, Donald, and Phil. He is son of mother earth! What have they done to him and his playmates in Syria? http://time.com/4456905/aleppo-syria-boy-ambulance/

What have we grown ups done to the world and the image of man, not to mention feelings?

“What’s this stuff man is made of “ one of Shakespeare’s characters asked in the 16^th century. The same question was asked by philosophers in the ancient Greece, and we still do it in the 21^th century. Also here on Psychological Universe, we have given the question much attention in our four posts on Genes and Psychology.http://www.selvuniverset.com/2016/07/06/genetics-and-environment/

Adaptation and Change

It seems that we human beings are both formidable to adapt to the nature, and also formidable to change it with our minds and hands. This is most likely the nature of man and wo-man. That is probably the true nature of being human. We are both created by our surroundings and at the same time we constantly contribute in recreating nature and environment.

a A valley in Thailand were nature and nurture go hand in hand

Yet we have not evaluated the quality of the kind of adaptation and change human beings are capable of. Therefore the most relevant question from the perspective of Psychological Universe’ is: In what direction are we most likely to change the world and nature around us?

And after having answered that question, are we then free to evolve the best in us, and pass it on to our friends, neighbours, colleges and fellow citizens? Or are there certain insurmountable obstacles, certain frames already set by the society that we have to question, and remove, if real change shall happen?

How can we believe in man after this?

Wars in Syria, Yemen, South-Sudan and Middle East, have killed several hundred thousands civilian lives the last years, many of them totally innocent children. If this is man, there is no hope! I mean these are examples of leaderships totally apart from their own population’s lives and needs for as well protection, food, security and a way to provide themselves in their country.

 

Philospohers thinking humans are of nature bad

This situation lead by human leaders is so critically cruel, so totally inhuman, that it makes many of us believe that cruelty and badness are closer to human nature than goodness and benevolent actions.

Both Augustine and earlier mentioned philosopher Hobbes would agree to that. Also psychoanalyst Freud I might add. On the opposite side of the spectrum we have the french philosopher and writer Rousseau, who argued that man is in his core kind and good.

Most philosophers and thinkers however would say that man is by nature neither good nor bad, or he is both, depending on the circumstances. Here in this article we will follow up recent research on this, as in my article; “Is the biggest treath in the world ,- you and me?” (http://www.selvuniverset.com/2016/03/18/is-the-biggest-treath-in-the-world-you-and-me/ )

So the question at stake is this: Are there any empirical data on children and peoples reactions, that can determine our basic instinct or inclination for one of the two alternatives?

Recent research on natural goodness

Psychologist and doctoral candidate Adrian F. Ward at Harvard University has together with scientists from Yale. been studying people under certain controlled circumstances,  The group of scientists were specialized on evolutionary game theory, moral philosophy, psychology, biology, and mathematics. Their research was pre-designed to tap information on the same essential question: whether our automatic impulse—our first instinct—is to act selfishly or cooperatively.

The studies on grown-ups:

Their group defined decision and behavior in terms of two mechanisms: intuition and reflection. Adrian Ward tells us: “Intuition is often automatic and effortless, leading to actions that occur without insight into the reasons behind them. Reflection, on the other hand, is all about conscious thought—identifying possible behaviors, weighing the costs and benefits of likely outcomes, and rationally deciding on a course of action.”

They then boiled the complexities of basic human nature down to a simple question: Which behavior,- selfishness or cooperation, is intuitive, and which is the product of rational reflection? They were interested in finding out if we cooperate when we overcome our intuitive selfishness with reflective self-control, or do we on the contrary act selfishly when we override our intuitive cooperative impulses with rational self-interest. (Ward et al 2012)From a “prisoner’s dilemma ” game on city tv

The experimental frame was to types of group-based financial decision-making tasks. The scientists used the “prisoner’s dilemma game” and the “public goods game” for this. The games required participants to choose between acting selfishly, – deciding whether to maximize individual benefits at the cost of the group—or cooperatively, deciding to maximize group benefits at the cost of the individual. The results were striking:

In every single study where faster, and more intuitive decisions were needed, it resulted in higher levels of cooperation, whereas slower—that is, more reflective—decisions were associated with higher levels of selfishness. “These results suggest that our first impulse is to cooperate—that Augustine and Hobbes were wrong, and that we are fundamentally “good” creatures after all.” (op.cit)

The studies of human nature continued with 891 persons, to check out if encouraged intuition or forced intuition made any difference on the results. It did not! They ended up with the same result.

To further differentiate, they also did another study with people not accustomed to cooperate with others. In other words these people were seldom directly or indirectly rewarded for unselfish behavior. When these people used intuition in their tasks, there was also little cooperative willingness in their acts.

Who are you, man?  “Quis est homo?”https://youtu.be/6dg7fnltlT8

What did they find about human nature?

The conclusion seems clear. Human nature tends to be very much oriented towards others and for cooperation with others. But this original natural unselfish human response can be unlearned or discouraged in certain relations and circumstances.

The studies on babies:

On our P.U. Page on Psychology and the “I am “ and “ I am like a novel” posts, we have focused on human babies. (http://www.selvuniverset.com/2016/07/25/how-do-i-become-me/http://www.selvuniverset.com/2016/07/26/how-i-was-born-with-you-me-and-the-others/)

The University of Yale has also done that on an experimental basis, trying to capture the human being before culture takes over. But how can you study infant babies that have no language yet, very little control of impulses, very short attention span, let alone bladder and toilet control. What do you do then?

Tom Stafford says: “It was basically a kind of puppet show; the stage a scene featuring a bright green hill, and the puppets were cut-out shapes with stick on wobbly eyes; a triangle, a square and a circle, each in their own bright colours. What happened next was a short play, as one of the shapes tried to climb the hill, struggling up and falling back down again. Next, the other two shapes got involved, with either one helping the climber up the hill, by pushing up from behind, or the other hindering the climber, by pushing back from above.”

The researchers had a design were after the show the babies were allowed to reach out and grab one of the three figures or puppets. The astonishing result was that the babies reached for the helper, not the climber or the blocking puppet. The babies were believed being able to identify the helper’s good intention, and then identifying with it.

The next test was a play were the babies attention span was measured while watching the following scene: The climber moving towards the uphill helper, and the climber moving towards the uphill hinderer. The result was equally amazing. The babies spent significantly more time in observing the climber’s encounter with the hinderer, than with the helper. How do we interpret this attention?

                                                                Eh…why does the climber approach the hinderer?

The Yale group believed this difference had to do with the babies difficulty in understanding why the climber would approach the hinderer when the climbers intention was to go uphill, and the hinderer’s intention was to draw him downhill. In other words babies with their pre-cultural brains had expectations about how people should act. Not only do they interpret the movement of the shapes as resulting from motivations, but they prefer helping motivations over hindering ones.

Are babies born good?

Tom Stafford concludes: “It shows….a basic instinct to prefer friendly intentions over malicious ones. It is on this foundation that adult morality is built.” (Stafford 2013)

Psychological Universe concludes: Human beings are of nature most inclined to unselfish acts, with a great propensity to cooperate with others. Besides, infant babies seem to have an innate ability to identify intentions and motives. The babies most naturally prefer and identify with the good guys and the helpers, and don’t really understand the bad guys and the obstructionists’ intentions.

Infant relational psychology have demonstrated the gratifying aspect for the baby, just being in a relation with the caretaker When minimum nutritional needs are met, the human infant’s are more inclined to prefer psychosocially nourishment cooperating with others, than material needs feeding its selfishness.

What do we do now, when we know this?

We need to take the knowledge from these and other studies to our minds. Then we must act upon them in order to change our social, and better our nature environment. Though armed revolution is not the way to go! Then too much blood will probably be shed, and we have had enough of that in the last two centuries.

We need to raise our consciousness about how “rotten baskets make rotten fruit”. We know now that cooperation and unselfish and benevolent acts are more natural for us than egoistical and selfish thinking and conduct.

Western and global societies today however are build upon the notion of continuous economic growth, – for the benefit of all. But we know that this credonis not true any longer. It really means growth for the few,- the upperdogs, at the cost of the many underdogs, and the environment. What we need of expansion is an inside growth of knowledge of what we humans really are capable of, if our societies creates a frame for it.

Then you and I must listen to news on different channels, read papers that are critical to the establishment. We must clarify the trickery of power people defining what is good for us! Then we must vote for leaders that are apt to more than just preserve business and ranking order as usual!

Financial acts must be taxed, and taxing paradises must be stopped. (Ask Bernie Sanders in US, and Labour leaderJeremy Corbin in the UK. You could also go to American economists Pickett and Wilkinson, even Thomas Piketty in France. Why not say hello to sociologist Walther Streeck in Frankfurt at the same time, and return to the US  and listen to economist Robert Reich talking about the disappearing middleclass in America.)

We need the 1000 billions of hidden tax money back to the civil society. And billionaires are also naturally born with the gift of cooperative acting and unselfish deeds. So giving some billions back to the society and welfare through financial and transactional fees and taxes, can be very stimulating for them.

                   

            Humans are by nature good, – and continue to be good when they   are well treated!

 

Here is a forbidden song from Israel about human nature in very special surroundings. The song is  found and sung by Moddi: https://youtu.be/nLesWYPkUqQ

 

The Lyrics: “A Matter of Habit”, written by Israeli musician Izhar Ashdot.

[Verse 1 Killing]

Learning to kill is a matter of habit The more you have done it, the better you’re at it It starts on the alleys of Sechem at night The borderlines blur in the evening light A rifle butt bangs on an old rusty door “Where is your father? Get down on the floor!” Soon it gets serious, a curfew’s declared The city falls silent, there’s death in the air Cocking his weapon with shaking fingers Grits his teeth as he’s hugging the trigger Young blood rushes, his heart pounds He knows it gets easier the next time around They’re just objects and shadows, not women and men Learning to kill is a natural thing

[Verse 2 Fear]

Learning to fear is a matter of habit The more you have done it, the better you’re at it News from above reach the street There’s no hope of living, the end is so near Tidings of terror, a raven’s crow Shutter your windows, lock up your homes We’re just a handful, a tiny country Surrounded by evil, they won’t let us be They have hate in their hearts and in all that they bring Learning to fear is a natural thing

[Verse 3 Cruelty]

Cruelty is a matter of habit The more you’ve seen it, the better you’re at it Every boy has a tyrant’s desire Hands behind the head, legs spread wide These are times of danger, times of despair No room for compassion, a soldier can’t care Our neighbors are vermin, they’re used to the blood How can they feel pain when they’re living in the mud? Through cruel routine a soldier is born Ignorance soon turns to evil in war Israel’s land is for Israel’s kin Cruelty comes as a natural thing

 

[Verse 4 Love]

Learning to love is a natural thing It will find a way if you just let it in It will be strange at first, but then you’ll see it That learning to love is a matter of being Being human is a matter of habit A few baby steps, then you get better at it To be for one minute, just now, just recall The opposite side of the towering walls But our hearts have hardened along with our skin We built a bubble and let no one else in We’ll be staring in wonder as the angel falls Then being human will be a matter of course Will be a matter of course