On Human Nature by Edward O. Wilson | Part II | Chapters 4 - 9

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Final part of our lecture on Edward O. Wilson's book 'On Human Nature'. We are going to be covering Chapters 4 - 9.
Chapter 4 - Emergence
Chapter 5 - Aggression
Chapter 6 - Sex
Chapter 7 - Altruism
Chapter 8 - Religion
Chapter 9 - Hope
Chapter 4: Emergence
If biology is destiny, Freud once told us, then what is free will? He wants to readdress the question of free will. The great paradox of determinism & free will which has held the attention of the wisest of philosophers and psychologists for generations can be phrased in more biological terms as follows. If our genes are inherited & our environment is a train of physical events in motion before we were born, how can there be a truly independent agent. It would appear our freedom is only a self-delusion.
He then wants to take the next 4 chapters briefly discussing what he thinks are the 4 key elements of human nature.
Chapter 5 - Aggression
The question that I think we've asked for a long time are human beings innately aggressive? The answer is yes, obviously. No one who is studied history for 5-mintues can come to any other conclusion. How can you not answer that question but an emphatic yes. I like to joke that, Not only over the past century have we not had world wars, we've started to number them. What does that mean for human nature. Anyone who thinks he can turn a man into a passive creature is dangerously delusional.
Chapter 6 - Sexuality
He agrees with Freud that Sex is central to human biology that permeates every aspect of our existence and takes new forms through each step in the life cycle. He suggests that pleasure is actually secondary to the creation of diversity. By diversity he means genetic examples of humans who then might because of that diversity have a better opportunity to adapt in new environments. Sexuality is the vehicle by which genetics get passed to the next generation. He also has an explanation of the genetic precursors to homosexual object choice.
Chapter 7 - Altruism
Reciprocation is what it's really all about. I will sacrifice if I am at some level expecting to get something back. I don't think this is going to shock anybody that someone who is truly willing to absolutely sacrifice something fundamental in their lives for a complete stranger, it's a very rare thing. Most of the time if you look at the situation closely you can see identification connections or a fantasy or belief in reciprocity. That if I sacrifice now I will get a higher reward later.
Chapter 8 - Religion
That we can have a genetic predisposition to a belief system is a bit of a radical idea. We can have a genetic predisposition to certain tastes or aggressive dynamic situations. But he's taking it to that next level and saying that religious beliefs are so common in humanity it really serves no more than an adaptive purpose in organizing society & organizing one group against the other & those who passionately believe in the superiority of their God.
There is some argument that this is the logical conclusion that he comes to. Superior types understand that God doesn't exist and the rest of the masses can believe whatever they want because they need to. I think that is the most shocking conclusion you can come to from any of this material. So how does Wilson get out of this bind. He cites 3 major conflicts. The three great religion categories of today are Marxism, traditional religion, and scientific materialism. 1. Marxism which he just flat out says it is historically, culturally, scientifically has been proven flat wrong. Socialism doesn't work. It has always resulted in death camps and social failure. 2. He juxtaposes to traditional religion and leaves that as sort of the last stand of the creation myth impossibly necessary for certain segment of the population. 3. HIs last hope is scientific materialism. His hope of a rational scientific methodology that explains human nature in ways that are grounded in our phenomenal logical existence.
Chapter 9 - Hope
He's not utopian, transcendent. He's going to ground his human endeavor in the biological bedrock of human evolution. But his hope is that that really is potentially fabulous and opening. And if we can just get rid of ideology, science, religious that we might be able to foster a culture that will endure, that will abide, that will facilitate human growth & potential in ways that even our modern society cannot imagine.
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Donovan Bigelow is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in private psychotherapy practice in Seattle, Washington. His clinical focus is on adolescent, adult, and couples therapy. He believe that therapists cannot take a patient deeper than they have been willing to go themselves.