Hevace Eveeloj
04-28-2011, 03:20 PM
Among all human traits, perhaps the most regrettable is treachery, the capacity to dissimulate with the express purpose of harming another.
The Christian explanation of treachery is that it is the result of original sin. Argue however much you like about whether a new born baby is personally guilty, the effects on our species as a whole is unmistakeable. Sin is like gravity, pulling our thoughts, our speech, and our actions down into the muck, and you have to fight against it every moment if you want to rise. In addition, say Christians, we all have a common enemy, one that actively plots our destruction, even if his existence defies rational explanation.
What is the evolutionary explanation? Treachery would seem to counteract every natural tendency. The Zebras band together to confuse predators; lions and wolves cooperate to bring down the buffalo; tigers spend their lives alone so as not to fight each other. Male peacocks try to outdo each other in display, and bighorn sheep fight each other head on, making sure their rivals are perfectly clear about their intentions.
The quicker zebras do not trip the slower ones to ensure their own escape from the lions. Lions do not tear at each other once the buffalo is down. Tigers do not hunt other tigers to ensure more prey for themselves. Male peacocks do not pluck their rivals' feathers out to make them less attractive. Bighorn sheep do not lie in wait and butt each other off the mountain.
But humans do all these things, and far, far worse. How did treachery evolve, if indeed behavior evolved to propogate the species?
The Christian explanation of treachery is that it is the result of original sin. Argue however much you like about whether a new born baby is personally guilty, the effects on our species as a whole is unmistakeable. Sin is like gravity, pulling our thoughts, our speech, and our actions down into the muck, and you have to fight against it every moment if you want to rise. In addition, say Christians, we all have a common enemy, one that actively plots our destruction, even if his existence defies rational explanation.
What is the evolutionary explanation? Treachery would seem to counteract every natural tendency. The Zebras band together to confuse predators; lions and wolves cooperate to bring down the buffalo; tigers spend their lives alone so as not to fight each other. Male peacocks try to outdo each other in display, and bighorn sheep fight each other head on, making sure their rivals are perfectly clear about their intentions.
The quicker zebras do not trip the slower ones to ensure their own escape from the lions. Lions do not tear at each other once the buffalo is down. Tigers do not hunt other tigers to ensure more prey for themselves. Male peacocks do not pluck their rivals' feathers out to make them less attractive. Bighorn sheep do not lie in wait and butt each other off the mountain.
But humans do all these things, and far, far worse. How did treachery evolve, if indeed behavior evolved to propogate the species?