Summary Of Altruism And Aggression, By E. O. Wilson

In Search of Nature by E.O. Wilson contains a chapter titled "Altruism and Aggression," in which the author examines the social behaviors of altruism and aggression. Wilson takes care to address and refute the claim that there exists within humans an inherent instinct to display hostility. Wilson presents aggression as antithetical to altruism, an inherent component of human nature, and therefore contends that antagonism is not intuitive but acquired; humans are taught to be aggressive by their societal environment. There is no inherent instinct within humans to exert combative behavior. In The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness, Erich Fromm contends that humans have a "unique death instinct that often leads to pathological aggression" (Wilson …show more content…
Society teaches men to adopt combative behavior in order to confine women to a subservient role, in which they simple bear children and therefore enable reproductive fitness. It is not as if women cannot display a level of aggression tantamount to that of a man. Society teaches girls to suppress their aggression and become docile while teaching boys that aggression is instrumental for competition and success. Wilson expresses, "which behavior a particular human being displays depends on the experience received within his or her own culture," in order to articulate that cultural pressures influence behavioral traits. In a culture that praises male domination over their female counterparts, there will be an inevitable prevalence for aggression and antagonism. Furthermore, Wilson maintains that pattern of male-dominated gender roles is unique to human societies by providing the hierarchal structure of lions. The males lounge and nap while the females, with cubs in tow, hunt and provide the meat for the pride (Wilson 93). Aggression is an acquired trait and humans learn how to be antagonistic by subscribing to their