Is a certain amount of cruelty just an inherent trait of man?

I wish we could just all be like the Manatees.They never harm anything. Originally Posted by Becky

I'm telling Edward! Originally Posted by Ansley

Edward is no mammal. He is an angel sent from heaven

Edward is no mammal. He is an angel sent from heaven Originally Posted by Becky

Ooops, my bad. My apologies to both you and Edward.

A couple of decades back somewhere I recall reading a (serious
scientific) paper claiming to show that cats have independent
instincts/appetites for stalking, chasing, pouncing, fighting, killing
and eating prey...roughly; I might have some details wrong. In
other words, their behavior is not due simply to the single motivation
of hunger. And, indeed, it is common to see overly well-fed house
cats going after small creatures with an energy and "enthusiasm"
that cannot be due to pure hunger.

Even more relevant perhaps, if you read field studies of the behavior
of "higher" (but what do they smoke?) primates, you will find plenty
of accounts of their shockingly human-like and clearly deliberate
cruelty to one another.

Perhaps the way in which our species is most unique is in the incredible
arrogance of thinking that we are unique among the species! ;-)

-Ww Originally Posted by Wwanderer

Well look what the cat dragged in.

Ooops, my bad. My apologies to both you and Edward. Originally Posted by Ansley

Edward forgives you, I on the other hand will hold a grudge until hell freezes over

Guppies

Guppies Originally Posted by discreetgent

By now you must have swimming pool full of those little things.

Well look what the cat dragged in. Originally Posted by pjorourke

Ah, speaking of arrogant species...

But, yeah, you can tell when work pressure is getting the best of me; I turn up on a new board.

And, yes, I am leaving for Tokyo real soon now...19 days, not that I am
counting.

-Ww

Ah, speaking of arrogant species...
-Ww Originally Posted by Wwanderer

And still able to needle PJ, sweet.

Ww and I have a LONG history of needling each other.

if evolution is a given fact....there can be no such thing as cruelty in man......inherently the word cruelty is a comparison to some other type of conduct and makes a judgement....man is man and any act is natural, or thats where evolution leads

Ww and I have a LONG history of needling each other. Originally Posted by pjorourke

Yep, and I am WAAAAY ahead.

-Ww

if evolution is a given fact....there can be no such thing as cruelty in man......inherently the word cruelty is a comparison to some other type of conduct and makes a judgement....man is man and any act is natural, or thats where evolution leads Originally Posted by nevergaveitathought

I would say that the word (actually, concept of) cruelty is essentially normative rather than comparative. And if you are saying that the validity/truth of evolution somehow implies that judgements or moral/normative values are "impossible" or meaningless, I think that is a a debatable stance (to put it mildly)...a sort of reductionist fallacy, imo.

-Ww

a sort of reductionist fallacy, imo.

-Ww Originally Posted by Wwanderer

Yep, and I am WAAAAY ahead.

-Ww Originally Posted by Wwanderer

What color is the sky in your world?