Closing Thoughts

Considering how this is going to be my last full day at Yeshiva, I feel like writing some closing thoughts.

I've heard a lot of definitions of what "human nature" is here at Yeshiva. Whenever these words visit my ears it just so happens that alarm bells go off and I am forced to be critical of what the lecturer is trying to get across. One statement concerning human nature by one of the lecturers here was that humans are naturally violent. What does that mean? Does it mean that violence is an instinct? Does it mean that if you take away all the trappings of society and all inherent mores, norms, social codes, religion and laws that people will just go around hurting each other because they can not help themselves? I am sorry to this particular lecturer (who will not be named as I do not think it is fair to publically denounce him just because I disagree with him) but being in the Psychology program in University has taught me to think empirically. Something natural to a human being is a drive for example. If you want to empiricize a drive then do what B.F. Skinner did and talk about hours since the drive has been satiated. Hunger was Skinner's example. You feed the animal, and then deprive it for a certain amount of time and then experiment on it using food that it likes after a certain amount of deprivation. How are you going to empiricize the "Violence Drive"? Do you stick a Human in a box and deprive him/her of violence for a certain period of time and then see how much they'll do for the opportunity to do violence upon someone? What about gender differences in violence? Can we show that both Men and Women are equally violent? What about cultural differences in violence? Can we show that all cultures commit an equivalent level of violence? What about differences between people grouped by cognitive ability? Do intelligent people commit more or less violence than less intelligent people?

I will tell you my belief. I read in a Personality Psychology text book that people have a need to feel that they have mastery over their environment. This makes more sense than saying people need to be violent. Everyones' environments are different. Considering this, different things are going to be needed to master different environments. Different avenues are going to be made available to people to achieve this goal. Some people are going to grow up in tough, heartless environments, while some people are going to grow up in cold manipulative environments. Some people will grow up in warm, caring environments, while some people will grow up in emotionally bi-polar environments.

Given this, I think that some people are going to learn along the way (possibly with the help of lowered biological receptivity to emotion) that to master your environment you have to manipulate people to do what you want. In this process a person might realize that violence is either an option, or necessary.

The person who I am here describing is not meant to represent everyone. I might be foolishly optimistic but I do not believe that everyone will be violent (or choose violence) given the chance.

It can be a real toss up here. I have heard a lot of wisdom, and a lot of silliness. I have appreciated and respected the lecturers who try to stick to their area of expertise and not make claims that they are not ready to empirically validate.

That will be all for now. Today is my last Shabbat here in Ohr Samayach in Monsey, New York. It's been a very stimulating experience but it is definitely time to go back to work and pay the bills :)