Week 2 / Blog 1
- Yes, I would argue that the tendency towards conflict is an inborn human trait. While people can argue wether or not this “conflict”, in its various manifestations is a good thing, history has made it clearly obvious that the human species has an inclination towards dispute and disagreement.
- The question over wether this makes us more human is a difficult one to fully answer. If we were to go about life devoid of all emotions and opinions, our “human” condition would be more robotic than biological. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that those who commonly cause conflict are more human, and I wouldn’t say that people who generally tend to avoid conflict are somehow lacking either. Conflict is just a part of nature - this can be witnessed in the animal kingdom, for example. Conflict doesn’t make us “human” so much as humans make conflict.
- As chapter 1 makes clear, yes, conflict can be constructive. It is valuable because it can act as the impetus for address a troublesome situation, therefore leading to a potential resolution beneficial to both parties.
-Ben
Ben,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that conflict is an inborn human trait. I think that the human race is made up of conflicts and disagreements, but once there is a conflict, people try to find a solution for it.
Although conflict is a part of our daily lives, it does not make us more "human". There are people who have many conflicts, and there are those with very little conflict. We make ourselves human through our actions, feelings, emotions, personalities and so on.
Your example of the animal kingdom is perfect! Conflict is a part of nature and not only a part of human beings. Animals also have conflict, just in a different way than us humans.
I actually strongly agreed with your comment that conflict is a daily part of lives. I almost feel like avoiding conflict is more of a human trait. Conflict happens daily and many people would rather avoid conflict than they would try to over come it for smaller issues. I think it is larger conflicts truly demonstrate your idea that humans make conflict. We almost look for things to disagree on because that conflict make life more interesting.
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