Just for Conversation, It’s a Killer Theory

The May 20 commentary by professor David Buss on murder being “in our blood” not only belabors the obvious, it tends to justify murder as inevitable. After all, he tells us, “murder can’t be solved by wishing away undesirable aspects of human nature” or by blaming it on poverty, child abuse, the media or parents.

So then what? Are we stuck with it?

He forgets to mention two crucial points: Compassion, protection and care are also inborn. But for the persistence and predominance of these positive factors, we would all be dead long since.

And as long as mass murder in the form of wars is sanctioned as acceptable national policy, it will be well-nigh impossible to convince deeply troubled people that individual murder is not an answer to their personal problems.

Jean Gerard

Los Osos

Buss tells a pretty good “just so story” about why some of us kill: It’s in the genes. In other words, killing had a reproductive advantage during our evolutionary history.

The evidence? His own personal observations and the discovery resulting from seven years of “research,” that 91% of men and 84% of women have fantasized about killing someone.

Not only that, but Buss also says that most of us don’t kill -- you guessed it -- because natural selection has selected self-defensive strategies: We will attempt to kill those who try to kill us. Therefore, we’re likely to be more cautious when contemplating killing someone.

But one can make the case that any behavior has had an evolutionarily reproductive advantage; hence, the “just so story.”

The problem is that killing, like most behaviors, is extremely complex and caused by many factors. Obviously we are genetically (evolutionarily) predisposed to learn an almost infinite range of behaviors, including killing.

The “it’s in the genes” theory is too simplistic and ignores the complex learning from birth that determines, ultimately, who will kill and won’t kill and under what circumstances.

Hank Schlinger

Lecturer in psychology

Cal State Los Angeles

and Cal State Northridge

Even the Bible discerned the basic human imperative to kill for self-preservation: the 6th commandment, in its original Hebrew, actually states, “Thou shalt not murder.”

Ed Brand

Santa Clarita