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View Full Version : Is the human more self-destructive, or more destructive to others?



MissProvocateur
06-07-2013, 03:14 PM
Explain.

Do you think culture affects this behavior? How so?

I'll present my point of view once I had a few responses.

Methusalem
06-07-2013, 03:19 PM
You can't give a generalized answer to this question. But since humans are born egoist, they tend to be more destructive to others than to themselves.
Also the question is: Do you mean 'destructive' on an individual level or on a collective level (our humanity as a whole for example)?

MissProvocateur
06-07-2013, 03:21 PM
You can't give a generalized answer to this question. But since humans are born egoist, they tend to be more destructive to others than to themselves.
Also the question is: Do you mean 'destructive' on an individual level or on a collective level (our humanity as a whole for example)?


Self destructive applies to the individual level, destructive applies to a collective level. In this question, I mean.

randomguy1235
06-07-2013, 03:22 PM
Although it's a generalization on my part, I'd say history makes it quite evident that people are far more detrimental to others than themselves

MissProvocateur
06-07-2013, 03:25 PM
Although it's a generalization on my part, I'd say history makes it quite evident that people are far more detrimental to others than themselves

History, but it seems like today people seem more eager to destroy their own people and homes than the other way around. I guess it does depend on how the person was raised. I've noticed the more "liberal" people have a tendency to be more self destructive, and the more conservative have a tendency to hurt others more than themselves. I'm talking about extremes, of course.

Methusalem
06-07-2013, 03:28 PM
Self destructive applies to the individual level, destructive applies to a collective level. In this question, I mean.

You can be destructive to one specific individual but also to a collective. But humans can also be self destructive on a collective level. Just think of nuclear energy invention (with it's negative sideeffects), genetically modified foods and human-caused climate change which is self destructive to humanity as a whole since we are indirectly or directly responsible for these things.

randomguy1235
06-07-2013, 03:32 PM
History, but it seems like today people seem more eager to destroy their own people and homes than the other way around. I guess it does depend on how the person was raised. I've noticed the more "liberal" people have a tendency to be more self destructive, and the more conservative have a tendency to hurt others more than themselves. I'm talking about extremes, of course.
I suppose one could argue this case; however, this is very much a contemporary/ recent phenomenon in only a few regions/nations. I mean, just a few decades ago, you had numerous crimes against humanity perpetrated by populations that are now considered the most liberal societies. Things change quickly for sure :p

mr. logan
06-07-2013, 03:46 PM
Destructive. Everyone has a destructive tendency outside of his/her sub group and their superior groups. That is natural. Everybody will get in some level destructive towards outside h/h circle.
Even in unconscious unnoticed things, people are destructive even inside their own group. This is a sign of self destruction, in different levels. The other extreme is the individual who pushes corruption inside h/h subgroup directly. If the actions h/h triggers are well received by other individuals, that shows self destructive traits and that they really are not inside the circle they pretend (for any reason) to be. Here the non self destructive individuals can identify these self destructive ones and cut them off. Pure Kafka stuff.

Roy
06-07-2013, 03:54 PM
If anything, our culture suppresses our natural, inherited destructive instincts which everyone possesess. Human nature is destructive in every dimension but I would say that still more destructive to others. Yet from another side our destruction often tends to backfire and annihilate destroyers.

Grumpy Cat
06-07-2013, 05:11 PM
Humans are self-destructive. Humans drink coffee, smoke tobacco, use drugs, and eat spicy food when the active ingredients in those plants, nicotine, caffeine, THC, opium, capiscum, etc. are in the plant to keep animals from consuming it. And do we do? Oh that chili pepper full of mammal repelling capiscum looks tasty, om nom nom nom!

Amun
06-07-2013, 05:21 PM
I can say that humans are self-destructive. a good example is a country like Sudan. North Sudanese have an obsession with being Arabs that drived them to murder more than 200000 from Darfur just because they look blacker than them.
So the answer Yes, humans can be self-destructive to others as well as themselves.

Pontios
06-07-2013, 05:22 PM
Humans are self-destructive. Humans drink coffee, smoke tobacco, use drugs, and eat spicy food when the active ingredients in those plants, nicotine, caffeine, THC, opium, capiscum, etc. are in the plant to keep animals from consuming it. And do we do? Oh that chili pepper full of mammal repelling capiscum looks tasty, om nom nom nom!

:lol: That is so true!

de Burgh II
01-10-2014, 06:10 AM
I would have to say both at the same time. A cunning person can sway the masses to think a certain way if the individual is driven enough to achieve their own selfish gain by using the backing of the swayed masses as pawns in order to attain their goal to whatever it pertains to be. Also, overtime it can take a toll on one's psyche depending on their life choices that either has a "good" or "bad" end result; or whatever their compulsion sways them to do that exceeds their own rationality can have self destructive results.

Not a Cop
01-10-2014, 06:30 AM
In modern society being self-destructive also means being destructive to others.

Prisoner Of Ice
01-10-2014, 06:36 AM
I think culture is a means of propagating the DNA of whoever is controlling it. Generally the people in control are not the masses of people and so often culture is quite destructive towards its own people.

Self destructiveness is just a side effect of a seemingly hopeless situation or inherent flaws.

Nehellenia
01-12-2014, 12:58 PM
Humans are more self-destructive towards themselves, especially health wise.
Normal people don't go out to inflict harm upon others, only a disordered individual would think of intentionally causing destructiveness upon others in a malicious way.. so it is less prevalent.

Jackson
01-12-2014, 01:34 PM
I'd say we are more unintentionally destructive and unintentionally self-destructive. The people that tend to be intentionally self-destructive are often trying to escape the norm, or problems in their life. So i think most people who smoke or drink heavily or eat too much don't want to do it because they specifically want to kill themselves or damage their bodies, but that is an acceptable risk in payment for the pleasure they get out of it. In short for the most part we a race of destructive hedonists lead by psychopaths. That's a broad, broad generalization, though. We often sacrifice self-preservation for self-enjoyment or risk our self-preservation for self-improvement so we are inherently less cautious than many other creatures, but it's paid off so far. We seem to be the sort that risks jumping the bigger gaps for larger rewards.

blklady2013
01-12-2014, 01:38 PM
Our lack of foresight has a lot to answer for both in terms of our self-destructiveness and destructiveness to others. And why the lack of foresight, because our discipline is weak. Too much impulsivity. As Melonhead mentioned in his post, this is more or less by design.