Why do we condone violence?

[malthaussen]

15. I was thinking more along the lines of a social "cure,"

... since I am leery of tampering with human nature. Call me a Luddite, I don't tend to trust scientists any more than the politicians who fund them. I too anticipate being long gone before any such treatment is developed, although one never can predict when genious will make a breakthrough.

As a digression, I've always wondered why the instinct is referred to as "fight or flight," since it seems to me there is a third F involved -- "freeze." Although one might argue that freezing is preparatory to fighting or fleeing.

Curiously, although inevitably, since all conduct is subject to the tyranny of the bell-curve, some individuals are more capable of controlling their violent tendencies than others. Moreover, our society appears to preach a double standard, claiming that the ideal is to eschew violence while actually condoning it. One might argue that this is simply a mechanism to increase the pool of victims for the predatory class. I would note, also, that not only does society "control" aggressive behaviors, as you point out, but that it in fact directs them. Clearly human societies will execute violence upon anyone not perceived as part of the group, however the group is defined. Arguably, this kind of group violence contributes in some way to species survival. But if this is true, why object to it?

-- Mal