Environment & Energy

pscot

(21,044 posts)

10. That competitiveness seems to be cultural

Wed Jan 30, 2013, 04:15 PM

Jan 2013

and largely a Western European phenomenon. Individualism and the need to excell are cultural factors not univerally shared, at least not to the same degree.. There was something in the European experience of the last few thousand years that enshrined those traits as iconic Western values. They can certainly be traced as far back as Mycenaen culture, but don't appear to the same degree in India and China where collectivism prevailed. It's a long chain of experience that probably goes all the way back to how and where we came out of Africa.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

25 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

A question about greed [View all] GliderGuider Jan 2013 OP

Bad genetics pscot Jan 2013 #1

The issue is one of the evolutionary process itself? GliderGuider Jan 2013 #4

Bad in a survival sense pscot Jan 2013 #8

OK, I wondered if that was how you meant it GliderGuider Jan 2013 #9

thinking much farther ahead than the next meal has nearly zero evolutionary value phantom power Jan 2013 #2

So all this is perfectly normal, then? GliderGuider Jan 2013 #3

I guess my answer is "yes" phantom power Jan 2013 #6

Too much Social Darwinism reteachinwi Jan 2013 #5

Thanks! GliderGuider Jan 2013 #7

That competitiveness seems to be cultural pscot Jan 2013 #10

That's an interesting point. GliderGuider Jan 2013 #11

You hit the nail on the head Shankapotomus Jan 2013 #22

Everything wants resources and energy from something else NoOneMan Jan 2013 #12

Do humans need more than 2800 calories a day of food, GliderGuider Jan 2013 #15

In general, no NoOneMan Jan 2013 #17

Crashing back to a Zimbabwean standard of living would be catastrophic GliderGuider Jan 2013 #21

Greed... Fumesucker Jan 2013 #13

If we harm others without knowing we're doing it, is it still greed? GliderGuider Jan 2013 #14

I pointed out when it's *definitely* greed.. Fumesucker Jan 2013 #16

Actually, I don't have any quibbles at all with what you posted. GliderGuider Jan 2013 #19

Death by a thousand improvements? The2ndWheel Jan 2013 #18

Yes, that's my take on how we got here. GliderGuider Jan 2013 #20

Until humans think and act communally, ... CRH Jan 2013 #23

Thank you! GliderGuider Jan 2013 #24

Thank You! I absolutely love ... CRH Jan 2013 #25