The New Golden Rule
Ages old question: What is the True Nature of Mankind?
Christianity and many religions across the world teach us that Mankind is far from perfect if not inherently evil. There is more than a grain of truth in those teachings. Take Ted Bundy or Richard Speck or Adam Lanza as prime examples of humans who were seduced by the Dark Side.
Some men and women can incorrectly rationalize violence towards others. Therefore mankind, as a species, has clearly not evolved as much as we need to evolve.
Fortunately, most people are not like Ted Bundy or Richard Speck, or Adam Lanza. For lack of a better word, most people are “good”. We sometimes glorify and nurture the “badness” in ourselves and in others, but overall our higher values are always in play.
Our best qualities and traits have been with us from our very first moments. The traits of cooperation and loyalty date back to when the Cave Men and the Cave Ladies were living in the Caves trying very hard to survive.
The Golden Rule is a nice ideal, but it doesn’t really work in today’s world. It has probably never really worked on a practical level. If you “turn the other cheek”, some people will just slap you again, possible even harder.
Mankind’s dualistic nature is the reason the Golden Rule needs to be updated and revised.
Here’s a better prescription: Always initially greet people with an open hand and an open mind; but after that, give them back whatever they give to you. Always meet kindness with kindness, but always be ready to meet evil with legally sanctioned retribution of equal amplitude.
Let’s call this the New Golden Rule.
“What is the true nature of mankind?” you ask. My immediate answer is that along with all organisms we evolved by means of natural selection which means that over generations, some genetic traits are more successful at being passed along while other traits die out. Our species is conspicuous by giant brains, opposable thumbs with precise fine motor skills in the hands, upright walking, long childhood, and sparse hair cover. Behavioral adaptations include speech, tool-making, sociability, dominance, violence, peace, submission, courtship, organization, planning, cooperation, deception and more. Love, hate, war, play, trade, art, music, sports, religion, memes and philosophy are extended phenotypes which means “all the effects genes have on the outside world that may influence their chances of being replicated” (Wikipedia). Politics, war and invention have been the most powerful intraspecific competitions in all human history and before.
Violence is adaptive if the violator population successfully produces more offspring than the violated. The violence of Ted Bundy or Richard Speck or Adam Lanza is not adaptive while the violence of Genghis Kahn is; he may have 16 million direct decedents. The Golden Rule works within a closely cooperating group while the New Golden Rule may be more commonly practiced. Consider a small band of 17th Century European settlers in New York meeting an equal size group of native people. They naturally practiced trade but when an evil was committed, the other side often responded in ways to try and minimize the chance of total defeat. “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” is said to be a moderating rule within a culture to reduce escalations of violence.
“Are humans still evolving?” some students ask. Yes, if people with some traits successfully reproduce more than people with other traits.
Evolution would begin to more rapidly move in a kinder, gentler direction if the New Golden Rule were to be more and more “commonly practiced.”