Skip to main content

Another Evidence of Human Nature

Submitted by Ken Watts on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 14:21

I WAS STRUCK, the other night, by yet another evidence of the generosity of human nature—this time while watching The Daily Show.

Ever since taking up the subject of human nature and selfishness, here, and here, and here, I've been getting feedback from conservatives, arguing that humans are, by nature, selfish.

But I keep running into evidence to the contrary.

Jon Stewart was interviewing Craig Mulaney, author of The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education.

He asked what it was that gave a man like Mulaney the ability, the drive, to push through all of the hardships involved in the military life.

In response, Mulaney told a story.

One day, while training, his group failed on a mission they had been assigned.

In the aftermath, their Ranger Instructor asked each of them a simple question: "Why are you here?"

The answers varied, but he rejected them all. Finally he told them, "You are here for the troops you are going to lead...This is for them..."

That, Mulaney said, was the answer to Stewart's question. Where did he get the determination, the will-power, to push through all those hardships? He did it for the men under his command.

Of course, at the time the RI said this he had no men under his command, which brings up a very interesting point about human nature.

The military is quite possibly the most authoritarian and conservative branch of our society. It exists for the purpose of exerting force—often lethal force—on our enemies. If there were any part of our culture where one would expect a realistic, unsentimental, hard-nosed and pragmatic view of human nature to prevail, the military would be it.

And yet, when a military instructor wants to motivate the men under his training, to give them the reason for persevering that they will find ultimately compelling, does he appeal to their self-interest? No.

He appeals to their care, to their concern for the welfare of complete strangers, men and women they have not yet met.

And it works.

Humans, selfish by nature?

I don't think so.

At least, not today.