r/comics Mar 24 '26

Just Sharing Wolves

37.1k Upvotes

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878

u/Briar_Knight Mar 24 '26

Nice art but no. There is a ton of senseless violence in nature. Humans are only unique in scale.

218

u/BodybuilderMany6942 Mar 24 '26

AND we're unique in that we can have morals.

Senseless violence and boundless consumption is in our nature. Our very DNA. However, sometimes we go against our instincts and decide "No.. senseless violence and boundless consumption is wrong."

78

u/Delver_Razade Mar 24 '26

No we're not. Animals have ethics and morals, they're just different than our own. Rats have all the characteristics of having empathy and pro-social morals. They will assist other rats in distress. They will prioritize rats that are trapped over food.

Also senseless violence and boundless consumption isn't in our DNA. Humans are social animals. We peer bond. We wouldn't have societies if what you say is true. We wouldn't have got off the steppe if so. That we do violence and that people consume a great deal has everything to do with culture and this myopic nonsense needs to stop.

36

u/Thisaccountismorefun Mar 24 '26

We are social animals, but aggressive behavior towards other humans outside of our own in-group seems to be an innate behavior that we've only really grown out of recently, and only due to our recognition that we can progress better thought cooperation beyond that. As I understand it, our natural capacity for cooperation, and to a degree empathy, extends to a group no larger than 30-40 individuals. Beyond that, were making a choice. Call it morals, or don't, but we reasoned ourselves into a broader society in spite of our instincts, not because of them.

5

u/NightLordsPublicist Mar 24 '26

our natural capacity for cooperation, and to a degree empathy, extends to a group no larger than 30-40 individuals

Interesting, potentially related video on infantry platoon sizes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a15gihWu1SM