Apes Quote by Steven Pinker
“There's a common criticism of evolutionary psychology that it's fatalistic and it dooms us to eternal strife, 'Why even try to work toward peace if we're just bloody killer apes and violence is in our genes?'”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Better Angels of Our Nature, 2011
Evolutionary psychology is often mischaracterized as deterministic, suggesting humans are doomed to violence because of genetics
In simple terms: Critics claim genetics predetermine violent behavior
Key Takeaway
Recognize genetic influences but also human agency
Themes
science
determinism
ethics
Mood
analytical
optimistic
Type
philosophical
scientific
When to use this quote
- policy making
- education
- conflict mediation
Key Concepts
genetics
free will
social behavior
Questions to Reflect On
- Do genetics fully determine behavior?
- How can we foster peace despite biological predispositions?
A Different Perspective
Genetic explanations can oversimplify complex social factors
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
