Answer

Critical Response To “We are born selfish and competitive, and we would continue in the same vein were it not for efforts at self-improvement informed by civilizing forces. These civilizing forces are based on superior values”

Although the civilizing forces played an instrumental role in upgrading the minds of human beings and helping them reach new heights of consciousness, their civilization was also a dangerous undertaking. Human beings are inherently born selfish and competitive and changes in their attitudes arise from new experiences and learning new concepts. However, I disagree that people would continue in the same vein of selfishness and competition if were not for the self-improvement that came with the civilizing forces.

The self-improvement was; undoubtedly, a product of the civilizing forces because they made us have an in-depth examination of our values and practices. Nevertheless, human beings are bound to evolve over time and even without the civilizing forces, other events would still have led to the liberation of the human mind (Pinker, 2018). For instance, genetic changes can lead to the mutations in the behaviors of people. Even before civilization, human beings had transformed from bipedalism to the modern people that they have become. Intermingling of people from different parts of the world can also lead to a process of self-improvement because individuals will seek to change their behaviors to match with contemporary aspects (Harari, 2016). As such, the claim that devoid of civilization we would continue to be selfish and competitive is misguided. Actually, it is evident that civilization has caused increased competition due to capitalism and increased trade. People have deserted their old ways of life where they used to take care of one another and adopted selfish ways of life where they only look for profits in every scenario. The next claim about the superiority of values of the civilizing forces is also not veracious.

The assertion that the civilizing forces were based on superior values is untrue and misguided. Some of the values that came with civilization include ensuring that we derive meaning without having to resort to great cosmic plan (Harari, 2016). However, some of the values that we disserted because of civilization can be considered superior. For instance, the aspects of communal life where people lived as brothers and sisters with values such as those of sharing and unity are values that I consider to be superior to the capitalist practices of the civilizing forces. Additionally, the advent of concepts such as the humanist religions which replaces the role played by God to human beings is an inferior value to that which people believed in before civilization (Harari, 2016). Modern cultures have deviated from some of the key superior values of medieval culture and thus, the argument of the superiority of the values of the civilizing forces is untrue.

In conclusion, I disagree with the statement we would still be selfish and competitive if it were not for the civilizing forces that forced us to self-improve. Human evolution has been existing even before the advent of civilization. In fact, civilization has sought to increase the competitiveness and selfishness of the human race. I also reject the idea that civilizing forces had superior values to those of our traditional culture. Some of the values and traditional practices that made a cohesive society have been disserted and replaced with bigoted vices such as discrimination. As such, civilizing forces should take credit for every aspect of human evolution.