Happy new year! Those of you who have been here from the very beginning may recall that I've already done a video on the subject, back in 2020. That video is now unlisted (but still accessible through one of my playlists). With over two years of experience making videos now, I realised I had a bit more to say and I wanted to say some of the things I already said differently. Hope you all enjoy it!
Empathy for others especially in the group is such a basic human emotion that is even primary to mammals and other animals in general and quite possibly all of life.
I think Empathy is a fundamental block for life, but division reduces that. The further Alien a thing seems to be, the less imulsively-empathic something becomes. Fear kicks in with the Alien, and further examination grants points of connection in order to increase empathy.
In-groups and out-groups. All the way down. May I suggest looking up the course Human Behavioral Biology by Robert Sapolsky? Those insights changed my outlook on humanity.
I would not conclude all life my friend, that's a broad assumption and leap which portrays single called organisms as either exempt or not alive, furthermore animals which developed with a seperate form of neurological evolution sometimes lack emotions to begin with.
Idk, i think they’ve given us a really good idea to consider: Arguing any case on the basis of “Human Nature” quickly devolves into fallacy. Each argument presented as “Human Nature” is just an examination of the trending behaviors in a societal and cultural overlap. So if we’re arguing “human nature”, we’re revealing something about ourselves, not Humans overall.
While there's no shortage of philosophers of Anarchism, quite few can put into words this incredibly complex theme and make it sound easy to understand and listen. Love you.
This is a solid analysis. I am reminded of the quote from the introduction of Davids Wengrow and Graeber's The Dawn of Everything; "It follows that arguing about whether humans are fundamentally good or evil makes about as much sense as arguing about whether humans are fundamentally fat or thin." EDIT: Wow! I did not notice The Dawn of Everything was a source for the video when I wrote the comment, but now I can see how some of the themes came up in the video. Again, I really dig the excellent analysis.
Empire was a construct, an illusion. Empire never was. Civilians were. Mom Dad and kids. Dad dad and kids, mom nom and kids, single female student, single male Apple Store employee, dentist, police officer and kids, teacher and kids… An entire society. There was no empire here.
'I am because we are' is a loose translation of Ubuntu. In Zulu Ubuntu, Ngumuntu Ngabantu or in Shona Munhu mhunu nekuda kwevanhu, literally translates to a person is a person because of other people. I cannot exist as a person without the society around me. The philosophy itself is not shallow because people are actually living it.
@@tmaposa Foolishness. Methodological individualism tells us that groups never act- only individuals within groups. Every action is based on an individual’s subjective interpretation of reality- no group has ever killed another group only individuals choosing to kill other individuals. Collectivism can never be true because our actions are always the product of individual choice.
‘We are not hateful creatures, We are good. Our goodness screams for peace. Everything that’s happened can be felt. Each mouth deserves to speak Whichever words come to it in the throws of truthful feeling. But instead We plunge to numbness. It’s much safer, safety’s so appealing’ Radical Empathy, Kae Tempest. I struggle fully accepting that humans have an engrained nature towards empathy, I struggle with the logic of that, but I adore the sentiment. So much of what we think is natural is only necessary because we are forced into action and belief. Beneath the confines of the systems of our upbringing, there is an empathy and a desire for peace that is constantly crushed and rejected because it is so difficult to enact in our societies. Thank you for this video, so far it’s been great, I’m sure it’ll be enlightening by the end :)
Why do you think there's no ingrained empathy in humans? dolphins are also empathetic and they still rape eachother to death. This "either or" view of nature being good or bad is limiting when in reality life is all genres at the same time.
@@xxCrapNamexx I agree. Human nature (and all of nature to that point) is neither moral or immoral it is amoral. Nature is survival and animals and people will do anything to survive- good and bad. Every genocide has started with a majority believing that their survival was threatened by the existence of another group. Humans make decisions based on their interpretation of how best to survive. This is why value is subjective. One person feels they must get rich to survive and the other feels they must institute socialism. Both want survival, but their subjective and individual experiences determine what they think the best solution is. Human nature is individualism.
Just a quick note that while the notion of "ubuntu philosophy" is first developed in the 50s. Ubuntu is an age old cosmology, carried within oral history traditions. Its earliest refrences in text appear in the early 19th century. Xx from 🇿🇦 always love your work
Thanks for the reference. I'm familiar with Ubuntu as a name for the Linux system, but had no idea it was a philosophical term. It's a wonderful concept and something people should be more aware of.
Humans evolved like no other species to develop an intricate and complex form of communication which is language. Our languages are evidence of a very long time of cooperation that became more and more sophisticated. Language is used by all species, yes. However, I have a sense that it was our use of it as a deception, by which I mean that the inherent limitations to language could be exploited because of the power it has over us. The British enforced english on all colonised indigenous peoples on the lands they stole. Plato said that human laws became essential after we broke from the natural laws that had formerly limited the scope of our civilizing. Oligarchs desiring to spend billions on colonizing Mars is the apex of that alienation. 🤓
Great video! I learned about the Akan philosophy of personhood in college and it's really great to hear about the parallels found in other distinct cultures! The Kropotkin quote was sick too!
The gentleness of the vocal delivery in combination with the beautiful art truly makes this channel stand out. Amazing work! The belief in a rigid human nature is one of those bedrocks of hierarchical thinking that falls apart on closer inspection yet is so easily promoted. When we hear news about a catastrophe the focus lies heavily on the institutional response as well as opportunistic crime. The reasons for the crime and the many acts of kindness and cooperation are little more than footnotes, if that. Hmm… Strangely enough that narrative does sometimes change when a disaster happens in a developed country. I wonder why.
Disaster in a developed country or a well organized plan of violence? I noticed different countries warring right now. I think the in out group means survival or it’s opposite a horrific death of utter torture. There is no place left to go.
I’m currently living abroad, but your videos make me SO excited to move back home and start my own community based projects! I know it won’t be easy, but even just the idea that we could get more in touch with the environment we live in and the peoples that live beside us gives me the encouragement to try! All power to all the people 💕
As an aspiring author I relate to this discussion so much. I have so much anger for what we do to our world but we also create art, literature, we make huge selfless sacrifices for those we love, we are curious and want to explore and it feels wrong to perpetuate the "we are cancer/virus" narrative or saying that we are forever doomed to be soulless consumers. There's so much more to humanity, we all just need to learn and help each other learn how to nurture those better sides of ourselves.
We ARE inherently capable of strong community, making of beautiful creation, so never trust someone who tells you otherwise. They are lying to you and themselves.
I am crying actual happy tears at the optimism inherent in these these truths. Thank you for reminding me, in my old age, of the possibilities for human greatness. We'll never know unless we try!
Your channel is what turned me towards anarchism. Your videos paint what I’d consider to be the best possible future outcome for the world, not utopic but tangible, positive organization of human society. Between solar punk and commons and library economies and liberation from oppressive powers, it’s just too good of a potential to settle for alternatives that shrug at injustices or hierarchies as necessary
Video after video, you exceed expectations. I think it's really great to cover topics multiple times over because you synthesize your ideas and find new ways of discussing said topics. Much love :)
You are good at accents! It took me a few sentences to realise you were doing the fake accents in the musical chairs (except for the Haiti character and the commentator I think - done by an African American), I can detect some of your natural vowels slipping through there. I would still love to know where your accent comes from, like I have said in another comment (I do not expect you to have read it) it sounds like a mixture of a Caribbean accent and Welsh.
Thank you! Yeah the second commentator and Haitian character are done by COLORMIND. I'm born, raised, and living in Trinidad, so that's where my accent comes from
@@Andrewism And hello from New Zealand. I was first exposed to Trinindad, like most people I expect, as a pre-schooler listening to my father's steel drum band record. Sorry, it is such a cliche I guess, but I love the sound, always have. About the only other thing I know about Trinidad is that the two main ethnicities originated in India and Africa.
First video I've seen. Really curious what your ideas are about this topic. I always found this interesting. I think man has a preferred state. The human brain wants certain things socially that lead to concepts like rights. Being a group species. We need each other. Human nature to me, is really just a simplistic reduction of what the brain does or prefers. It's the brain. Most prefer peace. Most prefer stable families. Most prefer freedom. A lot of what we think is bad is really just the few taking advantage of the many. Taking advantage of our nature.
thanks for your videos for giving more perspectives and words (animist for example) for the things i stand for. i don't think i would describe myself as an anarcist, but that is maybe because of miscommunication and the we have different understandings of the word. but that is most conflict
I appreciated the point about how it's impossible to make observations about general human behavior when we live in an overtly capıtalist system. I have noticed that context is often removed from discussions- like ' x happened and that is bad ' why did X happen? Why was that bad? Who defines what is bad and good and what even is X? I feel like there are so many questions people never ask. A question I have for you, if you have time, is how do we pass on information about societal reorganization in a thoughtful way? One of your videos talks about how we should avoid sharing information that is a liabilıty to others, and obviously there have been bad actors in the past who prevented large scale systematıc change by passing information on to authorı tıes. What are your thoughts on navigating the need for unity and openness & the need to protect ourselves, eachother and the mọvement? Thank you for this video! I am so excited to see what videos you have planned this year. Your videos are always masterpieces imo.
I'm currently reading "The dawn of everything, a new history of humanity" which covers the same theme and i was so excited to be able to watch your video on the topic!!
Fascinating essay, your understanding of HUMAN NATURE is very intellectual, yet you used simple words to articulate your ideas and thoughts in a straightforward manner. Keep it up!
İt's 3.30 AM, I'm hitting a blunt cause I can't sleep and this is just what I needed. The more I listen to amdrewism 's videos, the more I think this is my favourite channel on yt
12:15 After hearing the name I absolutely lost it while riding the tram, good job! 17:15 The word "mythology" is very apt here, since "mythology" (or "myth") can be thought of as this kind of pre-science, pre-philosophy package of stories, which explain everything. Morality, ontology, cosmology, social stability, politics, education, religion (in the modern sense), the meaning of life - all of that comes undifferentiated in myths. And the most important is that you are in this story as well - so, living mythically, you look at the sun, and remember the origin of the world, the cycle of human life, what is good, and, most important, what you should do next. Similarly, when you look at a self-help video, or an ad, or an election speech, you know who humans are, how your country came to be, how the market created this world around you, and your place in all this - that next you should work harder, spend more, and go vote for the reasonable candidate. Then, when your cycyle of life progresses, you'll give your children education for a good job, and you yourself will retire, and reap the benefits of your earlier labor. For that is living in harmony wiith human nature. Alternately, unlike the chump from the previous paragraph, you could be one of the winners, the go-getters, with a natural human bloodlust, competitiveness, and the desire for more, which drives progress and innovation. For that is living in harmony with human nature too. Dang... With all this moral progress, it still seems like the old-timey myths were somehow better than the new ones, when it came to human nature🤔
One could argue that it is human nature to steal from others. And I would answer that yes it is human nature to hunt and to gather. The problem is our current system that allows others to own excessive unused assets and then calls it a crime when someone other than the owner chooses to use them.
I watched an economics video recently that said economics is a science that seeks to solve the problem of infinite desires vs limited resources. But there is science that shows that humans get very little happiness out of money and things once their needs have been met. How do we find ourselves trying to find a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. I don't know anybody with infinite desires, it is only the sick few who think they can own anything and everything.
I agree with all that and at the same time I feel like human nature doesn't need to be evil for it to be a problem. The issue isn't that human are naturally oppressive, it's that oppression isn't against our nature either. I'm like, anarchist in theory in that I really vibe with anarchist ideas and an anarchist society would be very close to what I see as an ideal society. But I've never seen a strong case as to how to preserve such a society from hierarchical structures and power accumulation. Political ideas seeking hegemony do not need to be common they just need to exist and maybe the first tyrant will be pushed back against, maybe the tenth but since there is no structure in place to stop attempts at becoming a tyrant (be it by individuals or groups I'm talking in a broad sense) it's a never ending battle and it just takes one failure for all the progress done to be ereased and for new structure of powers to emerge and start seeking hegemony. I know wondering how to preserve a peaceful egalitarian world seems like it's thinking a bit too far when we don't even really know how to get there yet, but considering how experimentation systematically get crushed by states and I doubt we'll be able to establish worldwide anarchy instantly so an anarchist society will necessarily have to coexist for a time with other structures of power I feel like knowing how to not be overtaken by these is an essential part of the process. And I just don't really know what we can do about that. I know I'm a bit far off the topic of the video and also probably a bit too pessimistic considering the optimistic vibe of this channel but I dunno, that's where that line of thinking led me and I thought I'd share.
No, you aren't wrong in thinking this way. This is the fundamental issue. Human capacity for peace and egalitarianism can't be debated. The whole problem is that our capacity for violence and greed can arise spontaneously. Can arise, period. If can arise once, it can arise again, and until that is able to somehow be controlled, even if it's "beaten back," so to speak, through incredible effort and sacrifice, who is to say that the cancer won't return? It then becomes an endless, vicious, and ultimately meaningless cycle, a striving for a world which cannot be attained. Until we are able to consistently beat the worst parts of our nature, none of what we strive for has any meaning at all.
@@atinyleaf5014 I wouldn't say it's meaningless, it's still worth doing even if it means the progress is temporary the people who would live in this better world are worth fighting for. But it's certainly discouraging to know any progress can be undone and we haven't figured out any way to preserve the world we strive for if we do get there.
*How Human Nature Works* Human nature is the desire to receive, also called “desire to enjoy,” and it functions by receiving what is beneficial to itself and rejecting what is harmful. Everything in our lives is built upon this calculation where we first try to distance ourselves from harm, and then seek how to draw ourselves closer to what is beneficial. Human nature also includes a multilayering of systems that work simultaneously on still, vegetative, animate and human levels. One of those systems is our bodily one, which operates involuntarily. If our bodies are healthy, then they know what is good for them and draw that goodness to themselves. After the bodily system, there is the emotional system, which also functions relatively according to instinct. From the emotional system, we move to the mind, and from the mind to the intellect, and so on. That is, we have systems over systems that concurrently work on receiving what is beneficial and rejecting what is harmful. Such is human nature and the essence of our lives. Our every desire, thought and action operates according to the calculation, “How can we receive what is most beneficial to us and reject what is harmful?”
Whenever people bring up "human nature" and selfishness, destruction, etc I mention the millions of years of cooperation and harmony we lived in with eachother and nature. I don't usually get a response, and when I do it's usually a division
Acting as if violence and warfare isn't something just as common, both in the archaeological record and in other animals. Like Andrewism says at the beginning, humans both create and destroy. They're capable of the most charitable acts, while at the same time being capable of genocide. Both are just as natural
It isn't the supposed violence from a lack of states that I fear. It's how much violence it will inflict upon, and how much must be used in any attempt to bring it down. How do we keep that process from getting out of hand and destroying whatever world we want to create?
So, I've been thinking a little about the "nature verses nurture debate" & the entire framing seems fundamentally, self-evidently flawed. Human nature is inherently nurturing, however it's not simply divinely good. We are "only" human: beautiful, dirty apes. But I think a big factor at the center of the dispute is the very different learned definitions of what constitutes human nature, & that's why I like this video so much. Thanks for articulating all this.
This is one of our capacities. I think we should be cautious not to reimplement the fallacy of human nature to our liking. Humans are capable of great altruism and great evil. Great neutral even. We have a choice. One thing which I think is amazing is how people have self-consciously changed their social arrangements through countless revolutions throughout written history and long before that. We're not just passive automatons carrying out a genetic program: we're actually in control of our destiny. That doesn't mean we should be blindly optimistic about humanity. As Gramsci said: we must have pessimism of the intellect and optimism of the will.
10:29 nice musical chairs skit, script, and acting 4:27 I do think reflection is important for morality. Such as thinking about treating others how you want to be treated or that what you're doing may be hypocritical. Cause some people lack awareness of those things, or close their minds to others criticizing them and refuse to reflect on it. 4:42-4:50 Why can't individuals and humanity be both good and bad? Why do some people have to fight that it's only either, or vilify all people? Ironically, the one who vilifies or hates all people sound like that bad person, and hypocritical cause they often exclude themselves in the "all people are bad". How does beating down everyone help? 15:12 Yeah, suddenly people can cooperate and be charitable during disaster, (or Christmas), so why not anytime and always?
Do you have a source for Aristotle that only men can be mimetic (among other stuff)? I can't find it and it sounds weird that Aristotle would use ανήρ (man) instead of άνθρωπος (human).
It's all Greek to me. I haven't ready the original sources but he might have been talking about humanity and the sources translated it as just man? Not sure. I couldn't mention Aristotle and his gang without mentioning the misogyny though, so I just worked it into the sentence.
Wow… I pressed on this video not expecting much, but was rewarded by a wonderful, detailed, nuanced exploration of human nature and interrogation into our preconceived notions about it! Thank you for this gem of a video! Hope you keep creating such videos for ever!
My brother used to say this kinda stuff all the time. He was going through a Joe Rogan, women are shit phase, and said it was the fundamental nature of men to be dominant and do bad stuff. It’s weird, I felt this way for a bit, but it washed over me pretty quickly. If there’s anybody out there needing advice, just be empathetic. And be sure in yourself. When he talked about that stuff, I felt like he was a bit insecure about it, as I was as well.
Hay que empezar a hacer películas utópicas en vez de distópicas. Lo único que consiguen tantas películas, series y novelas sobre futuros distópicos es acostumbrarnos a que el futuro será terrible y eso lleva a la inacción y la pasividad. Si hiciéramos películas basadas en futuros optimistas y guays motivaríamos a mucha gente. El cine es poderoso.
Mutual struggle, selfishness, greed and competition, is the best evolutionary strategy in envireonmentˋs of scarcity! Cooperation, love and compassion, Especially for strangers, is the best evolutionary strategy for envireonmentˋs of abundance! We currently live in an envireonement of abundance, wich we have created for ourselves, With our Technology! But we live in an economic system, built for an envireonment of scarecity! And one wich inevitably produces inequalities, that dont have anything to do With distributing limited resources to the pepole who are best at using it, despite what some American conservative May tell you! And it inevitably produces an envireonment of abundance, through technological progress, at the same time as the it becomes an unjust inherited hiearchy!
The fact that people appeal to human nature when we’re actually in the unique position of being the only animal we know of that can actually consciously consider our nature and choose to defy it is what always gets me. The very fact that you can even look me in the eye and say “human nature” means you can also choose to do better
not sure if I missed it, but what was the definition of human nature you were trying to break away from? or the common conception of it in a hypercapitilist structure? you mentioned a philosopher who called it inherently evil, and mentioned some people thought it was inherently bad (original sin etc) but I was wondering in clear definite terms what u conceptualize as the restrictive conception of human nature?
Well, I'm not Andrew, but I have a fairly similar philosophy, so maybe while you wait, my answer can be of some small use. Human nature (in the sense of necessary aspects of psychology), if it exists at all, consists of two things only: sociality and adaptability. We are social creatures whose only means of survival is collaboration with others. We are also very effective at adapting to our environments, doubly so because of the malleability of our social structures. The insistence on treating anything beyond that as absolutely fundamental to human psychology is merely status quo propaganda. In other words, it's not a singular concept of human nature. It's the idea that human nature is a fixed thing at all, or even a slightly stable thing.
if i follow correctly (and maybe i don't lol i'm not always the brightest), good human nature (which from what i understand is kind of the root of many ideas of anarchy) is poisoned by the state and society's hierarchies, and without that control we could change into a way of living that is better for our people and our environment. Personally I don't agree, but i do think a utopian society like the one andrew speaks of is possible someday. i do find these videos incredibly inspiring though, i actually love watching them. maybe if i was born in a different country or a different time i would be an anarchist too.
Happy new year! Those of you who have been here from the very beginning may recall that I've already done a video on the subject, back in 2020. That video is now unlisted (but still accessible through one of my playlists). With over two years of experience making videos now, I realised I had a bit more to say and I wanted to say some of the things I already said differently. Hope you all enjoy it!
Empathy for others especially in the group is such a basic human emotion that is even primary to mammals and other animals in general and quite possibly all of life.
I think Empathy is a fundamental block for life, but division reduces that. The further Alien a thing seems to be, the less imulsively-empathic something becomes. Fear kicks in with the Alien, and further examination grants points of connection in order to increase empathy.
In-groups and out-groups. All the way down.
May I suggest looking up the course Human Behavioral Biology by Robert Sapolsky? Those insights changed my outlook on humanity.
What do you mean when you say alien? An alien as in a being from another planet, an alien concept?
I’m confused as to what you mean.
I would not conclude all life my friend, that's a broad assumption and leap which portrays single called organisms as either exempt or not alive, furthermore animals which developed with a seperate form of neurological evolution sometimes lack emotions to begin with.
Barely 12 seconds into the first video of the first 11 days of new year and Drew already hitting us with a full on identity crisis. Lets get into it.
Idk, i think they’ve given us a really good idea to consider: Arguing any case on the basis of “Human Nature” quickly devolves into fallacy. Each argument presented as “Human Nature” is just an examination of the trending behaviors in a societal and cultural overlap. So if we’re arguing “human nature”, we’re revealing something about ourselves, not Humans overall.
While there's no shortage of philosophers of Anarchism, quite few can put into words this incredibly complex theme and make it sound easy to understand and listen. Love you.
Love how I get two notifications for Andrew; one for being mentioned in the description and one for post notifications. It's like two alarms 😅
"The world will descend into chaos without the state!"
"... did the state tell you that?"
I say that State IS the chaos.
This is a solid analysis. I am reminded of the quote from the introduction of Davids Wengrow and Graeber's The Dawn of Everything; "It follows that arguing about whether humans are fundamentally good or evil makes about as much sense as arguing about whether humans are fundamentally fat or thin."
EDIT: Wow! I did not notice The Dawn of Everything was a source for the video when I wrote the comment, but now I can see how some of the themes came up in the video. Again, I really dig the excellent analysis.
The musical chairs bit was brilliant
Glad you enjoyed it!
I was thinking (before empire started talking) that one could sit on the other one's lap. There ARE enough seats for everyone!
Yeah the likeness of mr. Beast in the first announcer and the sardonically unself-aware plug in for the charity had me rolling!
Empire was a construct, an illusion. Empire never was. Civilians were. Mom Dad and kids. Dad dad and kids, mom nom and kids, single female student, single male Apple Store employee, dentist, police officer and kids, teacher and kids… An entire society. There was no empire here.
"I am because we are" is a beautiful phrase.
It's charming but very shallow
@@FirstnameLastname-z8m how so?
'I am because we are' is a loose translation of Ubuntu. In Zulu Ubuntu, Ngumuntu Ngabantu or in Shona Munhu mhunu nekuda kwevanhu, literally translates to a person is a person because of other people. I cannot exist as a person without the society around me. The philosophy itself is not shallow because people are actually living it.
@@tmaposa You can definitely exist as a person without the society around you.
@@tmaposa Foolishness. Methodological individualism tells us that groups never act- only individuals within groups. Every action is based on an individual’s subjective interpretation of reality- no group has ever killed another group only individuals choosing to kill other individuals. Collectivism can never be true because our actions are always the product of individual choice.
‘We are not hateful creatures,
We are good. Our goodness screams for peace.
Everything that’s happened can be felt.
Each mouth deserves to speak
Whichever words come to it in the throws of truthful feeling.
But instead
We plunge to numbness.
It’s much safer, safety’s so appealing’
Radical Empathy, Kae Tempest.
I struggle fully accepting that humans have an engrained nature towards empathy, I struggle with the logic of that, but I adore the sentiment. So much of what we think is natural is only necessary because we are forced into action and belief. Beneath the confines of the systems of our upbringing, there is an empathy and a desire for peace that is constantly crushed and rejected because it is so difficult to enact in our societies. Thank you for this video, so far it’s been great, I’m sure it’ll be enlightening by the end :)
Why do you think there's no ingrained empathy in humans? dolphins are also empathetic and they still rape eachother to death. This "either or" view of nature being good or bad is limiting when in reality life is all genres at the same time.
@@xxCrapNamexx I agree. Human nature (and all of nature to that point) is neither moral or immoral it is amoral. Nature is survival and animals and people will do anything to survive- good and bad. Every genocide has started with a majority believing that their survival was threatened by the existence of another group. Humans make decisions based on their interpretation of how best to survive. This is why value is subjective. One person feels they must get rich to survive and the other feels they must institute socialism. Both want survival, but their subjective and individual experiences determine what they think the best solution is. Human nature is individualism.
Just a quick note that while the notion of "ubuntu philosophy" is first developed in the 50s. Ubuntu is an age old cosmology, carried within oral history traditions. Its earliest refrences in text appear in the early 19th century.
Xx from 🇿🇦
always love your work
Thanks for the reference. I'm familiar with Ubuntu as a name for the Linux system, but had no idea it was a philosophical term. It's a wonderful concept and something people should be more aware of.
Our greatest evolutionary strength is our ability to cooperate. Does that make it part of human nature? I would say yes.
Humans evolved like no other species to develop an intricate and complex form of communication which is language. Our languages are evidence of a very long time of cooperation that became more and more sophisticated. Language is used by all species, yes. However, I have a sense that it was our use of it as a deception, by which I mean that the inherent limitations to language could be exploited because of the power it has over us. The British enforced english on all colonised indigenous peoples on the lands they stole.
Plato said that human laws became essential after we broke from the natural laws that had formerly limited the scope of our civilizing. Oligarchs desiring to spend billions on colonizing Mars is the apex of that alienation. 🤓
I think you are too optimistic with regard to Mars population. Humanity won’t have the numbers.
Re read your text. Got ya. 🙂
Great video! I learned about the Akan philosophy of personhood in college and it's really great to hear about the parallels found in other distinct cultures! The Kropotkin quote was sick too!
The gentleness of the vocal delivery in combination with the beautiful art truly makes this channel stand out. Amazing work!
The belief in a rigid human nature is one of those bedrocks of hierarchical thinking that falls apart on closer inspection yet is so easily promoted.
When we hear news about a catastrophe the focus lies heavily on the institutional response as well as opportunistic crime. The reasons for the crime and the many acts of kindness and cooperation are little more than footnotes, if that.
Hmm… Strangely enough that narrative does sometimes change when a disaster happens in a developed country. I wonder why.
Disaster in a developed country or a well organized plan of violence? I noticed different countries warring right now.
I think the in out group means survival or it’s opposite a horrific death of utter torture.
There is no place left to go.
We are born of one breath, one word
We are all one spark, eyes full of wonder
Beautiful; thank you.
holy shit the musical chairs bit is insane
thank you for summing up Animism so well, i hadnt realized that that was the right word for how i feel
I’m currently living abroad, but your videos make me SO excited to move back home and start my own community based projects! I know it won’t be easy, but even just the idea that we could get more in touch with the environment we live in and the peoples that live beside us gives me the encouragement to try! All power to all the people 💕
Such a sane wonderful idea…
As an aspiring author I relate to this discussion so much. I have so much anger for what we do to our world but we also create art, literature, we make huge selfless sacrifices for those we love, we are curious and want to explore and it feels wrong to perpetuate the "we are cancer/virus" narrative or saying that we are forever doomed to be soulless consumers. There's so much more to humanity, we all just need to learn and help each other learn how to nurture those better sides of ourselves.
We ARE inherently capable of strong community, making of beautiful creation, so never trust someone who tells you otherwise. They are lying to you and themselves.
I am crying actual happy tears at the optimism inherent in these these truths. Thank you for reminding me, in my old age, of the possibilities for human greatness.
We'll never know unless we try!
Your channel is what turned me towards anarchism. Your videos paint what I’d consider to be the best possible future outcome for the world, not utopic but tangible, positive organization of human society. Between solar punk and commons and library economies and liberation from oppressive powers, it’s just too good of a potential to settle for alternatives that shrug at injustices or hierarchies as necessary
We seek safety but at the same time we are the reason none of us are safe.
Video after video, you exceed expectations. I think it's really great to cover topics multiple times over because you synthesize your ideas and find new ways of discussing said topics. Much love :)
"Reciprocity, not extraction." Excellent video essay! The Musical Chairs Death Battle was smack on target, and the Chairs for Africa as the sponsor!
9:25 mr beast reference!!
Inspirational my dude 🙏 you make the complex common sense in the best way
Your videos are like poetry. ❤
The philosophy. the possibilities. the music. Music? Musical chairs.
You are good at accents! It took me a few sentences to realise you were doing the fake accents in the musical chairs (except for the Haiti character and the commentator I think - done by an African American), I can detect some of your natural vowels slipping through there. I would still love to know where your accent comes from, like I have said in another comment (I do not expect you to have read it) it sounds like a mixture of a Caribbean accent and Welsh.
Thank you! Yeah the second commentator and Haitian character are done by COLORMIND. I'm born, raised, and living in Trinidad, so that's where my accent comes from
@@Andrewism It is amazing how similar some of your vowels are to Welsh, in words like, well, "word" for example.
@@Andrewism And hello from New Zealand. I was first exposed to Trinindad, like most people I expect, as a pre-schooler listening to my father's steel drum band record. Sorry, it is such a cliche I guess, but I love the sound, always have. About the only other thing I know about Trinidad is that the two main ethnicities originated in India and Africa.
First video I've seen. Really curious what your ideas are about this topic. I always found this interesting.
I think man has a preferred state. The human brain wants certain things socially that lead to concepts like rights. Being a group species. We need each other. Human nature to me, is really just a simplistic reduction of what the brain does or prefers. It's the brain. Most prefer peace. Most prefer stable families. Most prefer freedom. A lot of what we think is bad is really just the few taking advantage of the many. Taking advantage of our nature.
I've always believed it is our altruism that has allowed us to survive the worst that those in power throw at us.
thanks for your videos for giving more perspectives and words (animist for example) for the things i stand for. i don't think i would describe myself as an anarcist, but that is maybe because of miscommunication and the we have different understandings of the word. but that is most conflict
You should read up on it. It does not mean chaos.
I appreciated the point about how it's impossible to make observations about general human behavior when we live in an overtly capıtalist system. I have noticed that context is often removed from discussions- like ' x happened and that is bad ' why did X happen? Why was that bad? Who defines what is bad and good and what even is X? I feel like there are so many questions people never ask.
A question I have for you, if you have time, is how do we pass on information about societal reorganization in a thoughtful way? One of your videos talks about how we should avoid sharing information that is a liabilıty to others, and obviously there have been bad actors in the past who prevented large scale systematıc change by passing information on to authorı tıes. What are your thoughts on navigating the need for unity and openness & the need to protect ourselves, eachother and the mọvement?
Thank you for this video! I am so excited to see what videos you have planned this year. Your videos are always masterpieces imo.
I'm currently reading "The dawn of everything, a new history of humanity" which covers the same theme and i was so excited to be able to watch your video on the topic!!
Well I guess I've just discovered a new book I want to read thanks to you, friend!
The entirety of the Human Experience cannot and must not be merely I fight you and you fight me.
The African head sculptures are amazing
I really love the art used in your videos and love that you credit them at the end.
This was gorgeous! Thank you so much...
Great video as always comrade!
some amazing artwork in this one!
16:03 mmm, yes, splendid and indeed scrumptious use of captions, please do carry on
I really needed this dose of hope. Thank you.
9:25 suddenly mr. beast. this weirdly seems like something slightly more absurd than what he already does
but only slightly
Fascinating essay, your understanding of HUMAN NATURE is very intellectual, yet you used simple words to articulate your ideas and thoughts in a straightforward manner. Keep it up!
Thiiiiis is what I needed with my lunch. Thanks!
Enjoy!
Just discovered your channel and my god, I can already tell I'm going to be obsessed. Hope it keeps growing!
İt's 3.30 AM, I'm hitting a blunt cause I can't sleep and this is just what I needed. The more I listen to amdrewism 's videos, the more I think this is my favourite channel on yt
12:15 After hearing the name I absolutely lost it while riding the tram, good job!
17:15 The word "mythology" is very apt here, since "mythology" (or "myth") can be thought of as this kind of pre-science, pre-philosophy package of stories, which explain everything. Morality, ontology, cosmology, social stability, politics, education, religion (in the modern sense), the meaning of life - all of that comes undifferentiated in myths. And the most important is that you are in this story as well - so, living mythically, you look at the sun, and remember the origin of the world, the cycle of human life, what is good, and, most important, what you should do next.
Similarly, when you look at a self-help video, or an ad, or an election speech, you know who humans are, how your country came to be, how the market created this world around you, and your place in all this - that next you should work harder, spend more, and go vote for the reasonable candidate. Then, when your cycyle of life progresses, you'll give your children education for a good job, and you yourself will retire, and reap the benefits of your earlier labor. For that is living in harmony wiith human nature.
Alternately, unlike the chump from the previous paragraph, you could be one of the winners, the go-getters, with a natural human bloodlust, competitiveness, and the desire for more, which drives progress and innovation. For that is living in harmony with human nature too.
Dang... With all this moral progress, it still seems like the old-timey myths were somehow better than the new ones, when it came to human nature🤔
closed captions 🔥
One could argue that it is human nature to steal from others.
And I would answer that yes it is human nature to hunt and to gather.
The problem is our current system that allows others to own excessive unused assets and then calls it a crime when someone other than the owner chooses to use them.
you listing names is so impressive. i love your video and am happy to learn some more on your channel
Your video essays always manage to hit hard.
I watched an economics video recently that said economics is a science that seeks to solve the problem of infinite desires vs limited resources. But there is science that shows that humans get very little happiness out of money and things once their needs have been met. How do we find ourselves trying to find a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. I don't know anybody with infinite desires, it is only the sick few who think they can own anything and everything.
First Nations people had a concept for it called Wetiko.
Yet another banger. Thank you for posting
YESYESYES Tayo COLORMIND.!!! Great job!!!💙💙💙
I agree with all that and at the same time I feel like human nature doesn't need to be evil for it to be a problem. The issue isn't that human are naturally oppressive, it's that oppression isn't against our nature either.
I'm like, anarchist in theory in that I really vibe with anarchist ideas and an anarchist society would be very close to what I see as an ideal society. But I've never seen a strong case as to how to preserve such a society from hierarchical structures and power accumulation.
Political ideas seeking hegemony do not need to be common they just need to exist and maybe the first tyrant will be pushed back against, maybe the tenth but since there is no structure in place to stop attempts at becoming a tyrant (be it by individuals or groups I'm talking in a broad sense) it's a never ending battle and it just takes one failure for all the progress done to be ereased and for new structure of powers to emerge and start seeking hegemony.
I know wondering how to preserve a peaceful egalitarian world seems like it's thinking a bit too far when we don't even really know how to get there yet, but considering how experimentation systematically get crushed by states and I doubt we'll be able to establish worldwide anarchy instantly so an anarchist society will necessarily have to coexist for a time with other structures of power I feel like knowing how to not be overtaken by these is an essential part of the process. And I just don't really know what we can do about that.
I know I'm a bit far off the topic of the video and also probably a bit too pessimistic considering the optimistic vibe of this channel but I dunno, that's where that line of thinking led me and I thought I'd share.
No, you aren't wrong in thinking this way. This is the fundamental issue. Human capacity for peace and egalitarianism can't be debated. The whole problem is that our capacity for violence and greed can arise spontaneously. Can arise, period. If can arise once, it can arise again, and until that is able to somehow be controlled, even if it's "beaten back," so to speak, through incredible effort and sacrifice, who is to say that the cancer won't return?
It then becomes an endless, vicious, and ultimately meaningless cycle, a striving for a world which cannot be attained. Until we are able to consistently beat the worst parts of our nature, none of what we strive for has any meaning at all.
@@atinyleaf5014 I wouldn't say it's meaningless, it's still worth doing even if it means the progress is temporary the people who would live in this better world are worth fighting for.
But it's certainly discouraging to know any progress can be undone and we haven't figured out any way to preserve the world we strive for if we do get there.
this is a great video. loved it all, and as always i love what you do
".. the somehow impoverished people of Africa" omfg im dead
*How Human Nature Works*
Human nature is the desire to receive, also called “desire to enjoy,” and it functions by receiving what is beneficial to itself and rejecting what is harmful. Everything in our lives is built upon this calculation where we first try to distance ourselves from harm, and then seek how to draw ourselves closer to what is beneficial.
Human nature also includes a multilayering of systems that work simultaneously on still, vegetative, animate and human levels. One of those systems is our bodily one, which operates involuntarily. If our bodies are healthy, then they know what is good for them and draw that goodness to themselves. After the bodily system, there is the emotional system, which also functions relatively according to instinct. From the emotional system, we move to the mind, and from the mind to the intellect, and so on. That is, we have systems over systems that concurrently work on receiving what is beneficial and rejecting what is harmful.
Such is human nature and the essence of our lives. Our every desire, thought and action operates according to the calculation, “How can we receive what is most beneficial to us and reject what is harmful?”
Whenever people bring up "human nature" and selfishness, destruction, etc I mention the millions of years of cooperation and harmony we lived in with eachother and nature.
I don't usually get a response, and when I do it's usually a division
Acting as if violence and warfare isn't something just as common, both in the archaeological record and in other animals. Like Andrewism says at the beginning, humans both create and destroy. They're capable of the most charitable acts, while at the same time being capable of genocide. Both are just as natural
nice argument, horever, look up what chimps (our ancestors BTW) do
@@emanueleromano2633 humans are more similar to bonobos than chimps
I love this perspective
Maby your best Work jet, thank you for sharing, much Love❤️
I really loved the in depth analysis!
Great video!
banger as usual!!
love you videos, and how this one put a lot of thoughts into actual words and inspiration. wish you the best
I love you and your channel
Very powerful! Thank you!
I love the graphics!
4:00, you are a shining beacon of REN, Andrewism.
Another banger
It isn't the supposed violence from a lack of states that I fear. It's how much violence it will inflict upon, and how much must be used in any attempt to bring it down. How do we keep that process from getting out of hand and destroying whatever world we want to create?
thanks for your work!❤️🏴🖤
So, I've been thinking a little about the "nature verses nurture debate" & the entire framing seems fundamentally, self-evidently flawed. Human nature is inherently nurturing, however it's not simply divinely good. We are "only" human: beautiful, dirty apes.
But I think a big factor at the center of the dispute is the very different learned definitions of what constitutes human nature, & that's why I like this video so much. Thanks for articulating all this.
Great stuff as always
human nature is perseverance through community
This is one of our capacities. I think we should be cautious not to reimplement the fallacy of human nature to our liking. Humans are capable of great altruism and great evil. Great neutral even. We have a choice. One thing which I think is amazing is how people have self-consciously changed their social arrangements through countless revolutions throughout written history and long before that. We're not just passive automatons carrying out a genetic program: we're actually in control of our destiny. That doesn't mean we should be blindly optimistic about humanity. As Gramsci said: we must have pessimism of the intellect and optimism of the will.
10:29 nice musical chairs skit, script, and acting
4:27 I do think reflection is important for morality. Such as thinking about treating others how you want to be treated or that what you're doing may be hypocritical. Cause some people lack awareness of those things, or close their minds to others criticizing them and refuse to reflect on it.
4:42-4:50 Why can't individuals and humanity be both good and bad? Why do some people have to fight that it's only either, or vilify all people? Ironically, the one who vilifies or hates all people sound like that bad person, and hypocritical cause they often exclude themselves in the "all people are bad". How does beating down everyone help?
15:12 Yeah, suddenly people can cooperate and be charitable during disaster, (or Christmas), so why not anytime and always?
commenting for engagement because more people need to hear this...
Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name!
Very well put! Keep it up!!
Do you have a source for Aristotle that only men can be mimetic (among other stuff)? I can't find it and it sounds weird that Aristotle would use ανήρ (man) instead of άνθρωπος (human).
It's all Greek to me. I haven't ready the original sources but he might have been talking about humanity and the sources translated it as just man? Not sure. I couldn't mention Aristotle and his gang without mentioning the misogyny though, so I just worked it into the sentence.
Wow… I pressed on this video not expecting much, but was rewarded by a wonderful, detailed, nuanced exploration of human nature and interrogation into our preconceived notions about it!
Thank you for this gem of a video!
Hope you keep creating such videos for ever!
Not the mister beast 💀💀💀
My brother used to say this kinda stuff all the time. He was going through a Joe Rogan, women are shit phase, and said it was the fundamental nature of men to be dominant and do bad stuff. It’s weird, I felt this way for a bit, but it washed over me pretty quickly. If there’s anybody out there needing advice, just be empathetic. And be sure in yourself. When he talked about that stuff, I felt like he was a bit insecure about it, as I was as well.
Thank you for the video
Hay que empezar a hacer películas utópicas en vez de distópicas.
Lo único que consiguen tantas películas, series y novelas sobre futuros distópicos es acostumbrarnos a que el futuro será terrible y eso lleva a la inacción y la pasividad.
Si hiciéramos películas basadas en futuros optimistas y guays motivaríamos a mucha gente. El cine es poderoso.
That was an amazing video
Thank you.
🥺🥺🥺I don’t have words just lots of !!!! 🌻💛🌻💛💛💛💛💛💛!!!!!!!!!!
Whyyy....why? You tell me that it's human nature.
Human nature was always just a easy explication for things that are not intelligents at all.
What coalition are you in ? And how could we help in anyway in it?
Im trynna start reading up on liberation stuff, where do I go
Mutual struggle, selfishness, greed and competition, is the best evolutionary strategy in envireonmentˋs of scarcity! Cooperation, love and compassion, Especially for strangers, is the best evolutionary strategy for envireonmentˋs of abundance! We currently live in an envireonement of abundance, wich we have created for ourselves, With our Technology! But we live in an economic system, built for an envireonment of scarecity! And one wich inevitably produces inequalities, that dont have anything to do With distributing limited resources to the pepole who are best at using it, despite what some American conservative May tell you! And it inevitably produces an envireonment of abundance, through technological progress, at the same time as the it becomes an unjust inherited hiearchy!
The fact that people appeal to human nature when we’re actually in the unique position of being the only animal we know of that can actually consciously consider our nature and choose to defy it is what always gets me. The very fact that you can even look me in the eye and say “human nature” means you can also choose to do better
Bro the enlightenment era got everything wrong about human nature. Holy moly we progressed in spite of liberalism.
Glad you're back! I think you should be interviewed by Russel Brand, get your word out to a bigger circle. :)
not sure if I missed it, but what was the definition of human nature you were trying to break away from? or the common conception of it in a hypercapitilist structure?
you mentioned a philosopher who called it inherently evil, and mentioned some people thought it was inherently bad (original sin etc)
but I was wondering in clear definite terms what u conceptualize as the restrictive conception of human nature?
Well, I'm not Andrew, but I have a fairly similar philosophy, so maybe while you wait, my answer can be of some small use. Human nature (in the sense of necessary aspects of psychology), if it exists at all, consists of two things only: sociality and adaptability. We are social creatures whose only means of survival is collaboration with others. We are also very effective at adapting to our environments, doubly so because of the malleability of our social structures. The insistence on treating anything beyond that as absolutely fundamental to human psychology is merely status quo propaganda.
In other words, it's not a singular concept of human nature. It's the idea that human nature is a fixed thing at all, or even a slightly stable thing.
if i follow correctly (and maybe i don't lol i'm not always the brightest), good human nature (which from what i understand is kind of the root of many ideas of anarchy) is poisoned by the state and society's hierarchies, and without that control we could change into a way of living that is better for our people and our environment. Personally I don't agree, but i do think a utopian society like the one andrew speaks of is possible someday. i do find these videos incredibly inspiring though, i actually love watching them. maybe if i was born in a different country or a different time i would be an anarchist too.
nice brother!