Humanity often wants to place its self above other animals. The belief that humanity is something special and unique has been a common theme in various forms of thought. When people are asked to give the general idea of what makes us human some concepts are established. The argument is that humankind has a conscience, morals, and civilization. People use the example of civilization and society to prove that humanity is above animals. However, this conviction lacks cogency. Human beings are just like any other animal. The power of our intelligence and reasoning have allowed us to advance beyond certain limitations. Humanity at its core is violent and destructive. These are animal like behaviors that still are with us from an evolutionary past. The idea that civilization or society tames the more violent tendencies of humankind is a falsehood. The structure of a civil society, government, law, and community were designed to control these abhorrent behaviors. Yet, they project themselves in more devastating forms. What could seem like a just and civilized society, could be committing horrendous acts against individuals and groups. Crime, state sponsored violence , and war are prevalent through out human history. The civilized society that people have idolized was a mere vision. It was designed to comfort and delude individuals attempting to understand violence in a world of chaos.
Crime is present in every society. Violent crime is more repulsive in act. Murder, rape, and mass shootings are just a few aberrations. There are sociological reasons for its existence. Economic decline and limited education can cause its increase. It could also have some biological roots. The criminally insane such as serial killers, may have a neruoanatomical disorder. There are some so violent that cannot live among others in society. The basis of law enforcement was to protect citizens from harm or danger from such individuals. However, police brutality demonstrates that police are on the same level as criminals. The recent police shootings of unarmed civilians in America show that the phrase "to serve in protect" have no meaning. Police are not in society to protect people, but to control. The ruling class of a state or nation use them to impose their will on the people that reside in their territory. The people who are of an oppressed ethnic group or working class have the most violence directed at them. Certain circumstances just the threat of violence is enough to terrify the population into submission. If the police commit crimes, it tarnishes the concept of the rule of law. Theoretically, the law should apply equally to all people no matter what their race, sex, or socioeconomic status. The problem is if a police officer commits a violent act, they are more likely not to face prosecution. The limited desire to rectify these behaviors shows that their is a deep predilection for violence in human societies. The existence of capital punishment also reveals a conundrum. If one believes murder is unethical then capital punishment creates cognitive dissonance. The argument is that a criminal may be so lethal, that it would keep other people in peril letting them live. Individuals who agree murder is unethical will contradict themselves by saying there are certain cases in which capital punishment is necessary. The difference it is murder conducted by the state and it is viewed as legitimate. When individuals citizens commit murder it is more unacceptable, because the state is trusted. Both actions are in fact heinous, but the state justifies it as an act of public safety. This function of the state does not seem like the attribute of a civilized society.
State sponsored violence has been a part of history and may not disappear in the future. Every state uses some form of violence against their people. This occurs in both democratic and authoritarian models of government. The United States has been notorious in this regard. The oppression of African Americans and other non-white peoples had the support of the state. Jim Crow laws and segregation were rigidly imposed through force. Native American removal had the blessing of the federal government. The US Calvary was sent West with the task of killing Native Americans and making the land suitable for white settlement. The United States of the 21st century still uses state sponsored violence to stop protests. The freedom of assembly is a freedom guaranteed by the US Constitution. Yet, every Black Lives Matter protest, anti-war demonstration, or environmental protection protest is either hindered or attacked by police. The difference with authoritarian regimes is that they are more blatant in their use of force. Leaders like Idriss Deby of Chad or Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan have the military and police use force against their populations. The Gulf monarchies of the Middle East function on the same model. Egypt and Algeria have what are referred to as security services. The general security services are not for public safety, but to inflict harm on a population if it attempts to overthrow the existing regime. Secret police also hunt people who are either attempting to resist or criticize the government. Nazi Germany had the Gestapo to torture potential threats and the NKVD of the Soviet Union committed similar acts. Terrorizing or torturing particular groups or citizens in a society seems to be a regular occurrence. Many times these acts a hidden from public view. Water boarding has been used extensively by the US in its interrogation of terrorist suspects. Torture is used in both democratic and authoritarian countries. The idea of a civilized society collapses even further when it becomes more acceptable. States across the world engage in it. It does not matter what system of government is in place, because these criminal acts emerge regularly.
War is one of the worst forms of violence. The calculated destruction of people and nations has devastating effects. The worlds great civilizations whether it was Rome, Greece, Mali, Songahi, Ghana, or China were built on warfare. The conquest and the destruction of states or kingdoms was prevalent. The major turning point came with the age of exploration. Spain, Portugal, England, and France went to the New World to establish new trade routes. The result was the destruction of the Amerindian civilizations of both North and South America. The Inca, Aztec, and Maya empires vanished under the onslaught of European invaders. The war for expansion did not stop there. It continued into Asia and Africa. Gradually, new powers entered such as the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy. The competition for resources and economic dominance was sending the world down a path constant conflict. When European powers colonized a majority of the Earth, the only conclusion they reached was to fight among themselves. World War I caused more havoc than any war at that point in history. Millions of soldiers died fighting in the trenches and on various continents. The aftermath saw the collapse of the Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian empires. There were also small scale conflicts leading up to the second World War. Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, while Germany absorbed the Rhineland and later Austria including Czechoslovakia. Italy wage aggressive war against Ethiopia. The Soviet Union was at war with Finland and the Baltic states. These disputes may have seemed isolated, but were an indication of a much larger conflict to come. World War II was more vicious in the sense that more civilian life was lost. Technology had advanced so that tanks , planes, and guns were more powerful. The war culminated in the use of nuclear weapons in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan was no longer willing to fight in the face of more nuclear attacks.The United Nations was then formed to prevent mass global conflict. This has not been accomplished, because there are cases in which the organization encourages military action. It was powerless to stop the wars of proxy by the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War. The end of the Soviet Union made it so the United States could not be challenged. A policy of constant warfare has been in place and the US has involvement on every continent. Sanguinary acts are now justified by human rights and democracy promotion. The past justifications were more overt in their racism. The argument of the Western powers was that African and Asian nations were not "civilized" and there for needed European guidance. This dichotomy between "civilized" West and "barbaric" East was a product of social Darwinism and imperialism. The rhetoric has changed, but the the beliefs have not. Europe and the US still want to wage war against the non-white peoples of the globe. What exacerbates warfare on the globe is that major powers interfere with internal conflicts of particular countries. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, and Sudan are places where the West either arms factions or attacks directly. Warfare is about as old as humanity itself and it will not solved by UN peace keeping.
The common forms of violence of crime, state sponsored violence, and war prove that a civilized society could have never existed. It was an ideal that was thought by visionaries who hoped to curb humanity's more repulsive characteristics. Even when certain institutions are in place to either control these negative attributes, they also become contaminated with corruption. If this behavior is to continue humankind may eradicate itself. The people have been convinced or either just accept that the current system or state of affairs is legitimate, because they believe their is no alternative. Violence is not unique to the human species. The animal kingdom seems to have it in the same extent . Competition for mates and food are a part of survival in nature, but humanity has taken it to a new level. Avarice, hatred, and narcissism are driving some individuals. The repercussions are grotesque acts violence. While it is part of nature, some of it is our environment. If one lives in a society were war, torture, and the glorification of violence is considered normal, then it will not be repugnant to them. Brutality is happening in some form its just that it may not be visible. The US continues to bomb areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan with the use of drones. These are called surgical strikes and often kill civilians rather than the terrorist group they claim to be fighting. The reaction from people in those countries is to arm themselves against aggression. Thus starts an endless cycle of bloodshed from which there is no return. There will be no hope unless the rule of law is respected and there is a paradigm shift. That means the upper class elite must be subject to the law just like other citizens. It requires that nations are subject to international law no matter how powerful they are. It means that police and law enforcement cannot escape murdering people without consequence. These are possible solutions. It should be understood that civilized society is a concept that one exists as a non-physical abstract thought. What currently functions is controlled and regulated violence. The opposite of this would be a failed state in which their is no functional leadership and the most armed run a country. If the power structure can be dismantled and restructured to benefit all members in a state or nation, only then will a civilized society emerge.
Crime is present in every society. Violent crime is more repulsive in act. Murder, rape, and mass shootings are just a few aberrations. There are sociological reasons for its existence. Economic decline and limited education can cause its increase. It could also have some biological roots. The criminally insane such as serial killers, may have a neruoanatomical disorder. There are some so violent that cannot live among others in society. The basis of law enforcement was to protect citizens from harm or danger from such individuals. However, police brutality demonstrates that police are on the same level as criminals. The recent police shootings of unarmed civilians in America show that the phrase "to serve in protect" have no meaning. Police are not in society to protect people, but to control. The ruling class of a state or nation use them to impose their will on the people that reside in their territory. The people who are of an oppressed ethnic group or working class have the most violence directed at them. Certain circumstances just the threat of violence is enough to terrify the population into submission. If the police commit crimes, it tarnishes the concept of the rule of law. Theoretically, the law should apply equally to all people no matter what their race, sex, or socioeconomic status. The problem is if a police officer commits a violent act, they are more likely not to face prosecution. The limited desire to rectify these behaviors shows that their is a deep predilection for violence in human societies. The existence of capital punishment also reveals a conundrum. If one believes murder is unethical then capital punishment creates cognitive dissonance. The argument is that a criminal may be so lethal, that it would keep other people in peril letting them live. Individuals who agree murder is unethical will contradict themselves by saying there are certain cases in which capital punishment is necessary. The difference it is murder conducted by the state and it is viewed as legitimate. When individuals citizens commit murder it is more unacceptable, because the state is trusted. Both actions are in fact heinous, but the state justifies it as an act of public safety. This function of the state does not seem like the attribute of a civilized society.
State sponsored violence has been a part of history and may not disappear in the future. Every state uses some form of violence against their people. This occurs in both democratic and authoritarian models of government. The United States has been notorious in this regard. The oppression of African Americans and other non-white peoples had the support of the state. Jim Crow laws and segregation were rigidly imposed through force. Native American removal had the blessing of the federal government. The US Calvary was sent West with the task of killing Native Americans and making the land suitable for white settlement. The United States of the 21st century still uses state sponsored violence to stop protests. The freedom of assembly is a freedom guaranteed by the US Constitution. Yet, every Black Lives Matter protest, anti-war demonstration, or environmental protection protest is either hindered or attacked by police. The difference with authoritarian regimes is that they are more blatant in their use of force. Leaders like Idriss Deby of Chad or Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan have the military and police use force against their populations. The Gulf monarchies of the Middle East function on the same model. Egypt and Algeria have what are referred to as security services. The general security services are not for public safety, but to inflict harm on a population if it attempts to overthrow the existing regime. Secret police also hunt people who are either attempting to resist or criticize the government. Nazi Germany had the Gestapo to torture potential threats and the NKVD of the Soviet Union committed similar acts. Terrorizing or torturing particular groups or citizens in a society seems to be a regular occurrence. Many times these acts a hidden from public view. Water boarding has been used extensively by the US in its interrogation of terrorist suspects. Torture is used in both democratic and authoritarian countries. The idea of a civilized society collapses even further when it becomes more acceptable. States across the world engage in it. It does not matter what system of government is in place, because these criminal acts emerge regularly.
War is one of the worst forms of violence. The calculated destruction of people and nations has devastating effects. The worlds great civilizations whether it was Rome, Greece, Mali, Songahi, Ghana, or China were built on warfare. The conquest and the destruction of states or kingdoms was prevalent. The major turning point came with the age of exploration. Spain, Portugal, England, and France went to the New World to establish new trade routes. The result was the destruction of the Amerindian civilizations of both North and South America. The Inca, Aztec, and Maya empires vanished under the onslaught of European invaders. The war for expansion did not stop there. It continued into Asia and Africa. Gradually, new powers entered such as the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy. The competition for resources and economic dominance was sending the world down a path constant conflict. When European powers colonized a majority of the Earth, the only conclusion they reached was to fight among themselves. World War I caused more havoc than any war at that point in history. Millions of soldiers died fighting in the trenches and on various continents. The aftermath saw the collapse of the Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian empires. There were also small scale conflicts leading up to the second World War. Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, while Germany absorbed the Rhineland and later Austria including Czechoslovakia. Italy wage aggressive war against Ethiopia. The Soviet Union was at war with Finland and the Baltic states. These disputes may have seemed isolated, but were an indication of a much larger conflict to come. World War II was more vicious in the sense that more civilian life was lost. Technology had advanced so that tanks , planes, and guns were more powerful. The war culminated in the use of nuclear weapons in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan was no longer willing to fight in the face of more nuclear attacks.The United Nations was then formed to prevent mass global conflict. This has not been accomplished, because there are cases in which the organization encourages military action. It was powerless to stop the wars of proxy by the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War. The end of the Soviet Union made it so the United States could not be challenged. A policy of constant warfare has been in place and the US has involvement on every continent. Sanguinary acts are now justified by human rights and democracy promotion. The past justifications were more overt in their racism. The argument of the Western powers was that African and Asian nations were not "civilized" and there for needed European guidance. This dichotomy between "civilized" West and "barbaric" East was a product of social Darwinism and imperialism. The rhetoric has changed, but the the beliefs have not. Europe and the US still want to wage war against the non-white peoples of the globe. What exacerbates warfare on the globe is that major powers interfere with internal conflicts of particular countries. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, and Sudan are places where the West either arms factions or attacks directly. Warfare is about as old as humanity itself and it will not solved by UN peace keeping.
The common forms of violence of crime, state sponsored violence, and war prove that a civilized society could have never existed. It was an ideal that was thought by visionaries who hoped to curb humanity's more repulsive characteristics. Even when certain institutions are in place to either control these negative attributes, they also become contaminated with corruption. If this behavior is to continue humankind may eradicate itself. The people have been convinced or either just accept that the current system or state of affairs is legitimate, because they believe their is no alternative. Violence is not unique to the human species. The animal kingdom seems to have it in the same extent . Competition for mates and food are a part of survival in nature, but humanity has taken it to a new level. Avarice, hatred, and narcissism are driving some individuals. The repercussions are grotesque acts violence. While it is part of nature, some of it is our environment. If one lives in a society were war, torture, and the glorification of violence is considered normal, then it will not be repugnant to them. Brutality is happening in some form its just that it may not be visible. The US continues to bomb areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan with the use of drones. These are called surgical strikes and often kill civilians rather than the terrorist group they claim to be fighting. The reaction from people in those countries is to arm themselves against aggression. Thus starts an endless cycle of bloodshed from which there is no return. There will be no hope unless the rule of law is respected and there is a paradigm shift. That means the upper class elite must be subject to the law just like other citizens. It requires that nations are subject to international law no matter how powerful they are. It means that police and law enforcement cannot escape murdering people without consequence. These are possible solutions. It should be understood that civilized society is a concept that one exists as a non-physical abstract thought. What currently functions is controlled and regulated violence. The opposite of this would be a failed state in which their is no functional leadership and the most armed run a country. If the power structure can be dismantled and restructured to benefit all members in a state or nation, only then will a civilized society emerge.
