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Originally Posted by !@#$%!
i also did (on purpose) left out the part of us that we consider "good" (that definition changes also from culture to culture but that's another story). i did not mention them also because i think that's our nature as much as the nasty parts-- the instinct to care for others, to look beyond self-interest, to have empathy, etc.
both sides of the coin however i look at as survival mechanisms, not so much as morality. love, empathy, have to do with group cohesion and survival of the herd rather than the individual-- a product of natural selection just as violent impulses are. that doesn't make love, justice, empathy and generosity any less nice or beautiful or uplifting; i'm just saying, it's a part of the whole package, and more than that even-- we have these currents running through us some times in contradiction of each other.
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Have you read Robert H. Frank's book 'Passions Within Reason'? He's an economist but brilliantly argues what you're saying here as well as other related things. It's brilliant book, I highly recommend it.