Diametrically Opposed Tendencies in Human Evolution and Political Ideology

This document is intended not so much to inform, but rather to draw the reader's attention along a strand of related ideas that, hopefully, can be tied together in a meaningful and potentially useful way. The ideas are certainly not intended to exclusively explain all of human existence and society - they're selected to serve a specific purpose.

Diametrical Opposition and Balance

The universe is full of diametrically opposed ideals and influences that are necessary for existence as we know it. There must be matter, but matter is no good without space in which to exist. There is night and day, hot and cold, life and death - many examples of opposites that must be balanced within a certain range so things can be as they are.

There's a pair of influences that have evolved with humans over millions of years to make us as we are today. I'll label them "self-interest" and "social cooperation". Every functional human raised by other humans to an age of awareness and communication will almost certainly have incorporated a bit of both these influences.

Self-Interest

Self-interest is apparent, in its most basic form, as our ingrained need to survive and reproduce. We share this with all creatures to some degree, from the highest, most complex to the simplest single-cell organism. It's enforced by nature, by the fact that those without the will and the means simply do not survive. They die before having reproduced, are not replaced, and - gradually or abruptly - their species "goes extinct".

Lower life forms may not be aware of their craving to survive and reproduce. For less complex creatures it's probably autonomous - they simply do (by almost "mechanical" organic and chemical processes, with no volition on their part) survive and reproduce. On the other end of the spectrum, we humans certainly are generally very aware of our will to survive and reproduce. Further, we've developed a vast array of complex mechanisms to help insure our personal survival and that of our offspring.

Social Cooperation

Equally obvious is a "social cooperation" instinct that exists in many species. It's evident in those whose offspring would not survive without some form of parental and/or societal care. This is certainly most evident in the human species, whose members have evolved beyond the capacity to exist (even as adults) without social cooperation. We've lost our ability to stand individually against the forces of nature; we've come to depend on each other to fulfill a vast range of needs both basic and complex.

It's social cooperation that has allowed us to advance to the point where we have little choice but to make a distinction between our species and all others. We are "human", they are "animals". It goes without saying that the divide between human and animal is vast; the variety of our tools - from opposable thumbs, to symbolic and abstract thinking, to modern technology - makes this clear. Humanity has leaped past a certain barrier and become a new kind of creature. Though we retain the aspects of animal, we are much more.

Human/Animal Aspects

Humans are not distinct from our animal basis; we are both animal and human. The human aspect is built upon the animal base. We've developed in such a way that the survival of our animal basis must rely on our social framework. Both aspects are equally important to our existence - without the animal we could not live; without the human extension we'd be animals.

Socially, we carry ideas in our psyche through culture and interpersonal communication, but that's not the limit of it. We carry both animal and human aspects in our DNA, as well. Aptic structures cause us to "instinctively" eat from the moment of birth, to attempt to crawl and then walk soon after, to recognize faces, to imitate and learn speech, and much more. It's no stretch to assume that genetics carries a certain amount of predisposition toward self-interest and social cooperation.

While by nature we each must carry in our being (through some combination of nature and nurture) both "self-interest" and "social cooperation", it seems reasonable to assume that any given individual would - if such things were measurable - be found to hold more or less of either when compared to other humans.

Self-Interest, Social Cooperation, and the Political Compass

For those who can accept the ideas above, it might be beneficial to begin speculating on how tendencies in individuals toward "self-interest" vs "social cooperation" affect their leaning left vs right in the political spectrum.

Self-interest often seems to conflict with social cooperation. It serves the animal kingdom well, and it brought us to and supports us in our lofty position as humans. The price of this advancement, however, is social cooperation. Therefore, both aspects have their place in consideration of any human issue.

Contemplation and discussion of subjects in this light might lead to a better understanding between both sides of the political spectrum, and hopefully a better acceptance, of how others can reason as they do. It's possible such understanding and acceptance might lead to more productive debate and compromise, or even to new tools for discovering the best course of action when self-interest and social cooperation conflict.