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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 7619963" data-attributes="member: 177">You say that as if humans *have* an identifiable &quot;natural state&quot; - we are a tribal, social species and an extremely extended infant period compared to other animals.&nbsp; We, more than any other creature on the planet, are focused on *learned* behavior, not inborn, &quot;natural&quot; behavior.&nbsp; What is natural for us is to try out a large number of different behaviors, and see what works.I will push back on the idea that, since very young kids can be observed being rough with each other, that violence is the human &quot;natural state&quot;.&nbsp; Human children are not born with a full suite of natural behaviors that they get conditioned out of.&nbsp; Human children are more blank slates - they *experiment* with behaviors, and they observe the behaviors of others, and they learn and develop.&nbsp; Note: learning and developing are not synonymous.&nbsp; Some learned behaviors can be unlearned.&nbsp; Some behaviors come from how brain structure develops over time, and that can be difficult or impossible to undo.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 7619963, member: 177"] You say that as if humans *have* an identifiable "natural state" - we are a tribal, social species and an extremely extended infant period compared to other animals. We, more than any other creature on the planet, are focused on *learned* behavior, not inborn, "natural" behavior. What is natural for us is to try out a large number of different behaviors, and see what works. I will push back on the idea that, since very young kids can be observed being rough with each other, that violence is the human "natural state". Human children are not born with a full suite of natural behaviors that they get conditioned out of. Human children are more blank slates - they *experiment* with behaviors, and they observe the behaviors of others, and they learn and develop. Note: learning and developing are not synonymous. Some learned behaviors can be unlearned. Some behaviors come from how brain structure develops over time, and that can be difficult or impossible to undo. [/QUOTE]

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