A Human Doesn't Use Violence. An Animal Does.

This post might seem overoptimistic to some given the state of the world today. But I believe that there is a good chance that in the near future we will look back at the humans of today and think: “Why were these animals fighting each other? Instead, they could have just […]”. Humans who still use violence to solve problems, will be seen much like we view animals today.

To get there, the next step of humanity’s evolution must include the elimination of violence from the tools we use to solve problems. If we succeed, the discussions won’t be about who started it, who should stop first, whose fault it is, or in which circumstances violence can be used and in which not. It will be about the presence or the absence of violence.

Violence includes all intentional behaviours that cause harm, directly or through second, third, fourth, etc. order effects. This ultimately includes, domination, competition, and other behaviours that I will get back to below. First we will eliminate behaviours that directly cause harm, such as shooting rockets at each other, and then the other forms of violence which are more indirect or being caused by second or third order effects.

A good example to understand the behaviours that I put into the same category as violence is to look at Tony —the best dog. He does behave like a human sometimes, for example, when he buys bread from the bakery…

…but ultimately he’s an animal and he behaves like one. He barks, he dominates, and he attacks when he hunts or when he’s in danger.

To categorize behaviours as violent, we can think about what behaviours we consider violent and harmful in animals. We then must work on getting rid of them in ourselves. We also must understand that we humans use violent behaviour as a tool to solve problems. And we still behave that way today, either because we lack understanding of a problem or because we lack the tools for a better solution to a problem.

Solving problems requires understanding to come up with — to imagine— new solutions using new tools. 2024, has shown that we don’t have a solution for lasting peace yet. That means we must keep pushing for new and better understanding so we can come up with new and better solutions.

Our understanding from today’s sciences isn’t good enough yet. For example, we still don’t know how the brain works which is at the centre of all our behaviours and decision making. We have no strong science regarding cities, nations, and more broadly networks. The tools we use for creating lasting peace such as dialogue and negotiation aren’t good enough either. And it’s so obvious that what I’m saying is true, simply because we still fight.

So what can we do now? Below are some ideas.

Never use violence, with defence as the only exception. Build defence tools that won’t be used to attack. Never advocate for people who encourage violence or who see violence as an option. Accelerate understanding through science, but also by debunking some of the stories that we keep telling in our culture. Some examples follow.

The story that who we are and what we do is defined by our past. The story that the past predicts the future and the hyper focus on the past that comes with it. The story that the future is determined and that our actions today can’t change the future. The story that humans have always used violence and therefore will continue to do so. The story that since we evolved from animals it is justifiable to behave like an animal. The story that we are more different than similar. The story that revenge is more normal than forgiveness. The story that ignorance and reaction are as acceptable as understanding and thoughtful action. The story that the short term is more important than the long term. The story that competition is better than differentiation and diversification.

I’m hopeful that we will get there because from what I can see thoughtful and well informed people seem to pretty much agree with my narrative. It is a question of whether we will be able to act towards peace in the coming years using some of the ideas pointed out above. Today, when I hear people —no matter who— justifying war and violence, I feel sick my stomach and people around me seem to feel the same. And that’s great. Now we must take the next step and act.