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There is indeed the possibility that the evolutionary process has, in gray antiquity, bred into us an excess of aggression.
Konrad Lorenz
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote suggests that human evolution may have hardwired us with a tendency toward aggression.

In this quote, Konrad Lorenz posits that throughout the long history of human evolution, our species may have developed a predisposition to aggressive behavior. This idea implies that aggression could be an intrinsic part of our nature, shaped by survival needs in a harsh environment, and continues to influence our actions and relationships in modern society.

Themes

EvolutionAggressionHuman NatureBehaviorPhilosophy

In practice

Example use cases

In a psychology seminar discussing the roots of human behavior.

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Whenever we find, in two forms of life that are unrelated to each other, a similarity of form or of behaviour patterns which relates to more than a few minor details, we assume it to be caused by parallel adaptation to the same life-preserving function.
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More than any other product of human scientific culture scientific knowledge is the collective property of all mankind.
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In nature we find not only that which is expedient, but also everything which is not so inexpedient as to endanger the existence of the species.
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Most people have forgotten how to live with living creatures, with living systems and that, in turn, is the reason why man, whenever he comes into contact with nature, threatens to kill the natural system in which and from which he live.
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