[Jon]

Why are we the only species that kills each other for NO reason??

i mean like random murders and war just for more teritory.

[Moon Maiden]

We are not the only species that kill each other.

Lions,
Rabbits eat their own young
Gorillas have been known to have a good ole go

I know what you are getting at, but haven't you noticed, a large amount of the population don't care or cannot be arsed to do anything about it

Moon Maiden

[Phanerothyme]

Originally posted by "Jon"

Why are we the only species that kills each other for NO reason??

i mean like random murders and war just for more teritory.

I think you'd find it hard to argue that there is NO reason. No reasonable reason I'd go with, but whilst most killing (war) is senseless, it is motivated by a rationale (security of future oil supplies for example)

I think you can look at it two ways, individual and mass behaviour.

As individuals we are not that different, in terms of violence inflicted upon others, from Chimpanzees. Thankfully only a very small number of us actually do go out and inflict death and suffering directly on other individuals.

On a mass behaviour scale it is harder to discern. If a large group of people feel threatened by anything, competition for resources, other people who speak a different language - these fears rarely break out into mass violence without some agitating factor, a rabble rouser (GWB)

[kittykat]

We are the only species who are aware of what death is - ie that it is the end of our existance. That means we're the only species who are scared of it so its used as the ultimate punishment/threat.

[halevan]

Hi John,
Violence is inherent in human nature because we come from the violent Universe, We are part and parcel of the vast eons of space where titanic explosions, collapsed stars, collide and there is constant turmoil that has been occuring for fifteen billion years.

Plus the fact that we have a prehistoric instinct for survival that has carried us through millions of years against over whelming odds. Just imagine what it would have been like living as a cave man or woman, having to kill ferocious wild animals for food, as one could not survive on roots for ever.

This instinct is in our nature, so it has become a predictable response to outside influences and that aggression is within us, leading sometimes to killing and murder ,for, in many cases no reason at all.

[Phanerothyme]

good answer Halevan! although we went from gathering nuts and killing huge ferocious animals onto eating root veg and other general agriculture, at which point the human population began to slowly, but inexorably, to explode

Kitty, I'm not just disagreeing with you for the sake of it, but there have been many documented incidents of higher mammals from lemurs to dolphins, inidcating an understanding of death (usually at the hands of humans). how limited that understanding is, it is obviioulsy difficult to say, but in the case of Washoe and the other signing chimps they were well aware of death, not just for others but for themselves (if you believe they actually did really learn sign language)

[RootsBooster]

I think the more worrying question is why do we do WORSE things than just kill each other?

[Thunzi]

Chimps are furry balls of evil. They do hunt down chimps from other neighbouring groups and kill/mutilate them. We're certainly not the only species to do it for no reason.

Also, I agree with Phanerothyme, we are not the only species aware of what death is. We are obviously the only ones who can document and portray it, but many animals go through what appears to be an understanding of what death is to a family member. Check out in particular elephant mothers in mourning for their young/group members.

[Alien]

Originally Posted by RootsBooster

I think the more worrying question is why do we do WORSE things than just kill each other?

Generally we as humans accept the fact that at some stage we will die..and to a point don't fear it. What we do fear is how we die. Some will use and act upon that fear. One way to strike fear into your opponent is not to send him flowers...but tear him apart limb by limb, slowly.

[HeadingNorth]

We evolved in a scenario where food supplies were unreliable, and any method of enlarging and securing your own food supply, by removing other humans from other tribes who might eat it, was a good thing.

That instinct is still deep within us, even though it has long since ceased to be a beneficial one and now does far more harm than good.

[SiSiSi]

Originally Posted by kittykat

We are the only species who are aware of what death is - ie that it is the end of our existance. That means we're the only species who are scared of it so its used as the ultimate punishment/threat.

All species are aware of what death is. If they weren't they wouldn't try so damned hard to survive.

[danot]

Originally Posted by Jon

Why are we the only species that kills each other for NO reason??

i mean like random murders and war just for more teritory.

There's a reason for everything we do. We're the only species that kill one another for finacial gain/pleasure though.

[RootsBooster]

Originally Posted by Alien

Generally we as humans accept the fact that at some stage we will die..and to a point don't fear it. What we do fear is how we die. Some will use and act upon that fear. One way to strike fear into your opponent is not to send him flowers...but tear him apart limb by limb, slowly.

Opponent?

I don't mean like that, I was thinking more along the lines of people like Josef Fritzl

[auto98uk]

Originally Posted by danot

There's a reason for everything we do. We're the only species that kill one another for finacial gain/pleasure though.

well, the equivalent of money in animal terms must surely be food - and animals certainly kill each other over food. And territory, which humans also do.

[Alien]

Originally Posted by RootsBooster

Opponent?

I don't mean like that, I was thinking more along the lines of people like Josef Fritzl

I meant opponent in a war/conflict sense...as that's what I'd presumed (wrongly) you meant.

Sorry couldn't read your mind so I just carried on with my interpretation. In the case of Fritzl the girl was a victim. Man's ability when it comes to inflicting pain and misery on one another is unsurpassed in inventiveness, inc Fritzle.

[melthebell]

we are the only species that kills for whatever reason that can actually think about the whyfores and consequences?

[Phanerothyme]

Originally Posted by melthebell

we are the only species that kills for whatever reason that can actually think about the whyfores and consequences?

Don't flatter yourself!

Even magpies have funerals.

[spooky3]

Originally Posted by HeadingNorth

We evolved in a scenario where food supplies were unreliable, and any method of enlarging and securing your own food supply, by removing other humans from other tribes who might eat it, was a good thing.

That instinct is still deep within us, even though it has long since ceased to be a beneficial one and now does far more harm than good.

There is still parts of the world who don't have regular food supply and definitely no production.

Even in the other parts of the world where food is somewhat abundant, for how long has this actually been?

[123456A]

In the majority of cases, humans are the only species that do not eat the ones they kill.
[yes, I know there's always an exception!]

[flamingjimmy]

Originally Posted by Jon

Why are we the only species that kills each other for NO reason??

i mean like random murders and war just for more teritory.

we aren't.

Chimpanzees can have brutal wars for territories, where they'll do things like isolate the children of another tribe and then beat them to death, and rape the females, etc.

We aren't special in that regard.