In the light of darkness: A case for an alcohol state
Take away love, take away peace, take away sanity, take away joy, take away life, take away hope, all i beg of you is to give me truth. This is my final assertion, the ultimate resolve of a questionable hypothesis, the prevailing thought of a revered principle, the central thesis of an illusive question. Of all the intrinsic values that define
( Read more... )
But just so we're clear on what we disagree with... and so i can continue talking :P ... i don't believe there is such a thing as human nature. That is to say, sure, we have basic instincts from our reptilian and mammalian heritage, but this is not to say that these define us. Our nature is to have no nature... our environment largely influences who we are along with large doses of acting as if we know who we are or want to be.
Humanity, to me, are virtues we strive to uphold. They are the traits that we see as being 'humane', that is, empathetic and sympathetic. Basically the traits that rise us up above the throngs of animals and give us the ability to deal with situations in new, social and inventive ways.
I don't think it's an erroneous hypothesis just because holding a definition of humanity that defeats itself in circular logic makes it sound ridiculous. Given the above definitions it is perfectly acceptable to call someone inhumane for acting like an animal.
Furthermore, and back to the original point of the post, it does not seem right to gather all of the characteristics that some generic human could possibly express and call this 'humanity', as not all people express all of those characteristics. Does this make them somehow less than human? Is their 'humanity' lacking, somehow, by this definition?
Also, you say 'genuine' characteristics... why implies that when people are not being genuine (which seems to be quite often) they are not being 'human' or 'humane'. Aren't acting and lying - the arts of deception - human traits as well?
Which brings me back full circle and the the crux of our disagreement: I believe that being inebriated breaks down the masks that people wear in order to cover their true selves. A violent person, who in every day life tries to behave in ways that mask their violent nature in order to benefit them socially, will be more violent when inebriated, usually to their social disadvantage. This could be said to be especially true in the cases of people who physically abuse their partners.
Although, admittedly, the cause of the violence could be altogether something quite different. Perhaps they are naturally paranoid or defensive or lack fibre... and thus become violent at the drop of a hat whilst inebriated.
And, finally, if we are to take your definition of humanity then being, or not being, inebriated does no make us more or less 'human'... as we express those characteristics in both states of mind. If those characteristics were mostly revealed by an inebriated state then sober people would have to somehow be 'inhuman'.
Reply
Leave a comment