This is coolbert: Does man have a basic innate aggressive nature? Such that war has become a part of the human condition that cannot be suppressed or done away with? The chimp lady, Jane Goodall, does believe so. Her observations of our closest relatives in the nature, the chimpanzees, have led her to believe that man does have an innate aggressive nature.

Chimpanzees exhibit innate aggressiveness in two ways.

Within a troop of chimps there is always a constant struggle going on to be the "boss ape". The alpha [highest ranking] male. The male that calls all the shots in the troop and gets the breeding rights with the females in heat. This guy physically dominates the troop with violence when necessary [intimidation usually all that is required] and is in constant physical competition with younger males for the dominant position within the troop.

A troop of chimps also will exhibit physical violence against chimp outsiders reminiscent of war that is fought by humans. When two troops of chimps come into conflict over the same space of land, land possessing the basic requirements essential for the troops survival, food, living space and water, what can best be described as a war takes place. Young male chimps at the prompting of the alpha male, and led by him, go on patrols. Guarding and patrolling the boundaries of their disputed territory become a paramount concern of the troop. Encounters with the rival troop are met first with threatening facial and vocal displays, followed by foot and fist pounding, followed by the use of branches as weapons, first to threaten, and then to use in actual physical combat. These sides cannot co-exist. One will prevail over the other.

From these observations, Jane Goodall has concluded that chimps and in all probability men possess the same innate agressive tendencies. These aggressive tendencies leading to war is in all probability a normal part of the human condition.

coolbert.