Serialised book (with a progressively updated >>dashboard/ToC<< page). Part III: Philosophy of the Life Instinct
Book: Philosophy of Life Instinct: Chapter 26: Imperfections of the Life Instinct
Our evolutionary shortcomings and interim responsibilities
Why are humans imperfect? Why do we make so many mistakes and wilfully do bad things? And why don’t we take care of our world? We possess intelligence, consciousness and good attributes such as bravery, sympathy, humour, kindness, charity, forgiveness and self-criticism. But we are also irrational, weak, inconsistent, selfish, violent, greedy and uncaring.
Let us look at the varieties of our flaws, the origins of a few major ones, whether we have been improving, and how we can discharge our responsibility to manage the worst in us.
Two types of human flaws
We need a variety of emotions and actions for survival, well-being and reproduction. The Life Instinct has evolved these functions in us, as we saw in Chapter 9 on the power of our intellect and Chapter 12 on emotions.
Humans and other life forms we know do not have superpowers. We aren’t impregnable, nor examples of designer created or evolved perfection. We are what we…
