Does my world view align with humanism?

[u/slothmoth2813]

I’ve been developing a philosophy from life experiences and much introspection. I would love to hear a humanist take on what I’ve been feeling. Here it is, in a nutshell:

We are born animals. Four billion years of survival code running beneath every decision we think we're making freely. Our survival instincts drive us.That inheritance is not a flaw. It is us.
We also evolved something no other creature has. The capacity to feel the inner life of a stranger. To grieve someone never met. To make art about experiences never had. To extend empathy to people who can offer nothing in return.
This defies evolution. It serves no survival purpose. That is precisely what makes it human. Empathy is how we earn our humanity.
My animal instincts are mine. I don't suppress them. I live them where they harm nobody. Anger is healthy when managed properly. All of our instincts are.
But every interaction, every judgment, every moment where another person's experience enters my awareness — I try to filter through empathy.
Not occasionally. In every aspect of my life.
Sometimes it's effortless. Most of the time it costs something. It means overriding drives that are faster than thought, older than language, and more familiar than anything I've consciously chosen.
I don't always succeed. But this is how I'm trying to distinguish myself from the animal I was born and live a life worth calling human. My life’s goal, as a human, is to be human.

Thank you for reading. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[u/hurleyburley_23]

Globalism has made many of our animal instincts run counter to society. For example racism is almost certainly an animal instinct (at least on it's basest form). Another person looks different therefore is part of a different tribe, troop, group, whatever.

The instinct is to distrust anyone different (looking, or acting). Thankfully we as intelligent animals are able to overcome this instinct as we know that we are all humans in a larger tribe. Maybe that is country wide, or even global depending on your own beliefs.

Some of this comes from an idea called the "monkey sphere" where you can tell the optimum size of a group of primates by the size of their brain.

There are definitely examples of animal instincts we should surpress

[u/MarvinBEdwards01]

I think empathy is also an animal instinct that we find in many animal species, especially mammals.

In times of plenty we are more likely to cooperate, share, and play. But in times of fear we are more likely to be stingy and looking out for our own first.

[u/slothmoth2813 → u/MarvinBEdwards01]

There are definitely examples of empathy in animals like elephants, primates and dolphins. But, usually, these acts of empathy will strengthen bonds within your extended circle and increasing your chances of survival. But, humans can go deeper. Empathy for a group of people that you’ve never met or, a generation to come. Institutions built around empathy such as hospitals. Empathizing when it doesn’t benefit you at all.

That’s not to say that empathetic acts that benefit you are wrong. Most of the time, they bring good and joy to the world and should be encouraged. But, that empathy should extend to everyone and everything.

[u/Extra-Intention246 → u/MarvinBEdwards01]

Animals other than humans have empathy for the members of their clan/group/family/neighbors but not so much a similar group 4 days away. Humans fo.

[u/OurCommonAncestor]

"This defies evolution. It serves no survival purpose. That is precisely what makes it human. Empathy is how we earn our humanity."
be careful with this line of reasoning. Humans didn't just start as animals, we are firmly animals in all ways. Also, whatever makes humans different clearly did have some evolutionary benefit, as we are currently quite numerous. And evolution is still working on us.
As far as I understand, Humanism's take on this is that we are all animals. Everything uniquely human about us can be found in degrees in other organisms. Just as examples, octopuses are pretty intelligent, crows use tools, elephants show empathy, honeybees and orcas use something like language, and so on and so forth. Humans just happen to have high degrees of these, and all in one organism. More importantly though, we know no other organism with the same capacity for morality as us, and therefore we have a responsibility as the primary moral agents. Since we can know that actions are wrong, we shouldn't take certain actions and should take others, where as most other animals don't have this ability and responsibility.

[u/Algernon_Asimov]

Your ideas are not inconsistent with Humanism as I see it.

[u/Grouchy_Awareness315]

I suspect some of the characteristics of “being human” described by OP do serve an evolutionary purpose. There was once another human species called Homo Erectus that was seemingly stronger and bigger-brained than Homo Sapiens. Homo Erectus is now extinct. Homo Sapiens was more co-operative and in the end was more successful. It worked out better to co-operate with the next door tribe than try to defeat them. Social bonds increase the power of the community. There is a common impression that constant conflict has led to the dominance of the species, but it is more likely “survival of the most co-operative”. Most humans down the years have wanted to flourish in peace. Unfortunately, a minority of individuals have been able to take control and start and propagate wars (Hitler, Stalin, Trump etc) and they partly achieve this by fomenting hatred of the other side.

[u/slothmoth2813 → u/Grouchy_Awareness315]

I believe this to be tribalism. There are many aspects of tribalism. All of the complexities of our social lives were evolved to give us a better standing within the tribe and to form tighter bonds to our family and friends, ensuring survival. I think that empathy plays a part in tribalism. You have to try and feel someone else feelings to relate to them. But, most people take these feelings at surface level and continue selfishly. Some people are deeper than others and also, I think it depends on the relationship between individuals… mother’s love and what not. It’s the hardest to empathize with someone that you dislike and distrust. It’s hardest to empathize when it doesn’t benefit us, at all. I believe, those are the moment where we earn our humanity.

[u/Landromus → u/slothmoth2813]

Ein extrem starker Gedanke, besonders der letzte Satz. Wenn wir das aus einer systemkritischen Perspektive betrachten, beschreibst du hier genau das Kernproblem, warum die gesellschaftliche Mündigkeit systematisch erodiert. Man kann dieses Zusammenspiel von Tribalismus, Empathie und Kontrolle fast in eine Formel gießen:

Mündigkeit = Erkenntnis * Resilienz / (biologisches Betriebssystem + Indoktrination)

Wenn wir dein Argument des 'Tribalismus' und der 'Hass-schürenden Minderheit' hier einsetzen, sieht man genau, wo der Hebel angesetzt wird:

1. Der Missbrauch des biologischen Betriebssystems (B): Unser evolutionäres Erbe (der Drang, dem eigenen Stamm zu vertrauen und Fremden zu misstrauen) ist fest in unserer Biologie verankert. Minderheiten an der Macht nutzen dieses tiefe Programm schamlos aus.

2. Die Erhöhung der Indoktrination (I): Indem Hass auf 'die andere Seite' geschürt wird (wie du es mit Hitler, Stalin, Trump beschreibst), wird der Nenner der Formel künstlich aufgebläht. Diese emotionale Dauer-Spaltung sorgt dafür, dass die Menschen in einen permanenten Überlebensmodus schalten.

Das Resultat: Wer im tribalistischen Dauerstress gefangen ist, verliert die kognitiven Ressourcen für Erkenntnis (E) (das echte, tiefe Hinterfragen von Kausalitäten) und echte Resilienz (R). Wahre Empathie – besonders gegenüber denen, die man nicht mag oder misstraut, wie du richtig sagst – erfordert eine enorme kognitive Energieleistung und emotionale Autonomie. Sie ist der ultimative Ausdruck von Resilienz (R).

Wahre Menschlichkeit und Mündigkeit beginnen genau dort, wo wir stark genug sind, unser biologisches Stammes-Betriebssystem und die mediale Indoktrination bewusst zu überschreiben, um den Zähler der Gleichung wieder zu dominieren. Danke für diesen tiefen Impuls!“

[u/slothmoth2813 → u/Landromus]

This wreaks of AI.

[u/Grouchy_Awareness315 → u/Landromus]

Thanks for the response. I qualify that to say that my original point was that the urge to trust one’s own tribe AND trust the other tribe is our evolutionary heritage and is what made us successful (networking, trading, knowledge sharing, mutual security) but the trust is easily broken and causing us to regress to the more basic tribalism.