Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The Naked Ape Essay Example for Free

The Naked Ape Essay My question is â€Å"After all we’ve evolved from, why can we still not control some of our animal-like instincts?†Ã‚  One possible answer is that no matter how much we evolve, we will always just be fancy apes. Desmond Morris said himself â€Å"Homo Sapiens have remained a naked ape nevertheless.† (The Naked Ape, page 9). To me, this is quite sad. However, I’m far from disagreeing with him. Apes can be extremely vicious and very easy to anger. Don’t we all know humans like that? And while not all people are like that, deep down, I’m pretty sure we all have a dark, ape-like side. I know that if people could read my mind, I would have been arrested a long time ago. The fact that most people can contain the violent thoughts they have is a sign that we have evolved from the apes, at least a little bit. However, there are still some people that act on these violent thoughts. How could some humans evolve from apes more than others? My thought is that maybe the humans that try to contain their violent instincts are attempting to hide who they truly are: fancy apes. Maybe the people that we call sick, crazy monstrosities are the only true human beings. The quote â€Å"His old impulses have been with him for millions of years, his new ones only a few thousand at the most and there is no hope of quickly shrugging off the accumulated genetic legacy of his whole revolutionary past.† (The Naked Ape, page 9) supports this thought. I often wonder why we try so hard to pretend like we’re this great, superior species, when in all actuality we’re really not that different from other animals at all. Sigmund Freud said â€Å"It is a general principle, then, that conflicts of interest between men are settled by the use of violence. This is true of the whole animal kingdom, from which men have no business to exclude themselves.† (Why War?, page 8) I completely agree, and frankly, I think it’s kind of pathetic that so many people try to pretend that they aren’t as savage as their fellow animals. Another possible answer is that deep down, maybe we don’t want to evolve. One of my favorite things to do is to play the role of a villain in a play. I get to be bad, and I don’t get in trouble for it. And really, who enjoys being good all the time? I know I don’t. Is that my ape-like nature showing? Morris said â€Å"It is a fact that the most level-headed intellectuals  frequently become violently aggressive when discussing the urgent need to suppress aggression.† (The Naked Ape, page 146) I’m not a very violent person, but one time I caught this kid picking on my baby brother, and I punched him as hard as I could right in the gut. I didn’t regret it then, I don’t now, and I never will. That’s pretty ape-like, isn’t it? It is, and I couldn’t care less. It seems like I don’t really want to change my ape-like behaviors. It’s the same thing with parents. If someone’s child is threatened, what are they going to do? They’re going to protect them at all cost. I once had a teacher look at my whole entire class and say with a straight face â€Å"If anyone ever hurt my son, I would put him in a meat grinder feet-first. I would go to jail for the rest of my life, and I would wake up smiling every morning.† That’s horrible, right? Or is it just who we are? Morris said â€Å"The prolonged dependency of the young, forcing us to adopt pair-bonded family units, demanded yet another form of self-assertion. Each male, as the head of a family, became involved in defending his own individual home base inside the general colony base.† (The Naked Ape, page 148) Morris claims that loving and protecting your family was evolved from self-preservation. Self-preservation is an animal instinct, is it not? So it’s ape-like, but do we want to change that? Of course not! Freud said â€Å"In union there is strength.† (Why War?, page 9) That means the only reason I love my family and I want them to be safe is because deep down, I know that I wouldn’t be as safe without them. I hate to think that that might be true, because that makes me feel like a terrible person. But then again, aren’t all humans just a big ball of selfishness? A third possible answer is that maybe we just don’t have the capacity to change. This differs from my first answer because my first answer suggests that we haven’t really evolved as much as we think we have. This third answer suggests that some animals might be able to become â€Å"greater† than they are now, but humans can’t. Maybe this is as good as it gets for our species. It almost makes me angry, thinking that a chimpanzee might eventually be able to accomplish more than me. I mean, I’m a human. I’m part of the smartest species in the world, right? If that’s true, why am I not able to suppress the urge to hit someone in the gut as hard as I can? Morris said â€Å"Basically, they (apes) either switch off the signals that have been  arousing the aggression, or they switch on other, positively non-aggressive signals.† (The Naked Ape, page 157) An ape can calm itself down, and I can’t? Not just me, either. There are to ns of people in the world with anger issues. We’re actually almost more ape-like than apes themselves. Now, that’s pretty pathetic. When I get mad at someone, all I want to do is hit them. I usually choose not to act on it (maybe because I’m subconsciously in denial of my ape-like nature as well), but that still doesn’t hide the fact that attacking said person is my natural animal instinct. Morris said that when apes are threatened, they â€Å"simply calm the dominant animal down†¦send out signals that stimulate a non-aggressive response†¦ (and) involve the arousal of the mood to groom or be groomed.† (The Naked Ape, pages 157-158) When you’re mad at someone, do you try to groom them? No, you most likely don’t. Apes are smart enough to realize that violence isn’t a good thing, and we aren’t. That’s very sad, in my opinion. We should be able to control our instinct to fight and kill, like the apes can. We should, in theory, be more like the apes. So maybe my question shouldn’t be â€Å"After all we’ve evolved from, why can we still not control some of our ape-like instincts?† Maybe my question should be â€Å"After all we’ve supposedly evolved from, why can we still not be more like the apes?† Freud said â€Å"Domination by whoever had the greater might – domination by brute violence or by violence supported by intellect.† (Why War?, page 9) Is that really what we live by? Is brute violence all we know? If so, then I’d much rather be an ape. In conclusion, human beings just flat-out aren’t the best species in the world. I’m not sure what species is, and I’m not sure I will never know. Some people might think that I’m cynical for thinking this. Maybe I am, but do you not have doubts about our species as well?

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Colonial South Carolina Report Essay -- American America History

Colonial South Carolina Report George the Second, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, King, Defender of the Faith, I write to thee from the heart of South Carolina, Charleston to impart my knowledge of the region. My travels have been long and arduous. I arrived by way of a freight ship bearing finished goods for the colony on the twenty-eighth day of March, in the twenty-third year of thy reign. All that province, territory, or tract of ground, called South Carolina, lying and being within our dominions of America is well. The environmental conditions of South Carolina differ dramatically to that of England. The days are long, hot, humid, and at times damp. The people of the colony deserve admiration for dealing with such unfavorable weather. Occasionally, storms stemming from the Atlantic Ocean wreak havoc on the villages, upturning the soil and damaging the trees, but the majority of the days are bright with sunshine. During the spring and summer there is a combination of rain and scorching heat, whereas during the fall and winter it sometimes snows in the northern section of South Carolina, but throughout the rest of the region the climate remains moderately cool. The land is undulating and layered with an abundance of forestry. Yet, the terrain does not consist entirely of woodlands and smooth hills. The land is far from perfect. A large portion of the territory is made up of marshlands. The ground is somewhat blemished by the scattered swamplands. These quagmires are abode with vicious alligators and infested with countless mosquitoes. These bloodsucking mosquitoes in turn spread malaria amongst the populace. Despite the threat of malaria and fierce alligators, the economy thrives from the environment. South C... ...no loyalty to the Crown now, in future conflicts, the colonists may turn against us and become our enemy. Radical action must be taken in order to regulate their behavior. They must recognize the royal authority. The beneficial aspects of South Carolina outweigh the detrimental aspects. South Carolina is a powerful asset. The economy is strong and provides a priceless resource of indigo and rice. Our woolen industry would not be able to cope without the dye from the indigo. The colony produces an abundance of rice. The colony is also strategically located, to stop the Spanish from expanding north. Although there is a political predicament, it is not beyond thy Majesty to resolve it. By and large, the colony is a worthy investment and should receive immediate financial backing accompanied by British officials to reinforce the policies and taxes of thy Divine Grace.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Abortion: How Do Philippines Deals with This Issues Essay

Sencia was a hilot (local midwife) outside of Cebu City, Philippines until 4 months ago. After performing a â€Å"massage† on a pregnant woman in her village, causing her to miscarry her baby, she was put in jail. She wasn’t jailed for malpractice; she was convicted of inducing an abortion. The formerly pregnant woman was also imprisoned. Predominantly Catholic, the Philippine Islands have banned all abortion, except that which saves the life of the mother. Yet there are an average of 470,000 abortions induced annually. Filipinas do not have the same socio-political climate as we do in the United States. There is no taxi service to public abortion clinics, judicial waivers, or counseling sessions. If you are caught having an abortion in the Philippines, it’s against the law and you are thrown in jail – plain and simple. See more:  The 3 Types of Satire Essay Of the women who are successful in inducing their own abortions, many go to great – and often grotesque – lengths to achieve their goal. Most of them take some form of anti-clotting or aspirin-related drugs, to induce bleeding. Some drink incredible quantities of alcohol. When all else fails, they throw themselves down flights of stairs or beat on their stomachs, with the â€Å"help† of a local midwife†¦ others self-catheter their vaginas. All of these violent practices greatly endanger the mother as well; it’s shocking that a woman would harm herself like that for an abortion. I’m not detailing this because I think pregnant Filipinas should have it cushy like we do in the States. No way! I believe just the opposite: The Unites States needs to outlaw abortion, now. I’m amazed at how desperate we are, as a civilization, to kill unborn babies and end inconvenient pregnancies. It is stunning that the world feels so entitled to its desires and personal gain that we have huge social movements trying to protect murder on demand. Think hard about that. Murder on demand – on a worldwide scale. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art52823.asp

Saturday, January 4, 2020

What Is the Difference Between Mass and Volume

Mass and volume are two units used to measure objects. Mass is the amount of matter an object contains, while volume is how much space it takes up. Example: A bowling ball and a basketball are about the same volume as each other, but the bowling ball has much more mass. To be precise when using measurement terms, make sure you know the difference between mass and weight.