Are Humans Inherently Evil?
8. Yes: We Are Naturally Aggressive
Aggression is a funny thing. There is no one single way to measure it, like blood pressure or weight, and it can manifest in many forms.
How acceptable aggression is to us is highly contextual. You'll think that the guy who is telling you that he's going to pound you into mince for spilling his drink is probably overreacting, but if a boxer were to refuse to punch his opponent in the jaw, you'd think he was being a wimp.
Males aggression is seen as one of the dominant driving forces for mating success throughout the animal kingdom, evident in everything from a pair of rucking stags, to a couple of blokes having a punch up in a car park whilst a woman screams "leave him, it's not worth it!". It is a successful trait that has been passed through our evolutionary history.
Throughout history, there have been countless examples of using violence and aggression as a form of entertainment. Even now, when we consider ourselves to be civilised, chardonnay sipping sophisticates, we will regularly televise someone knocking seven bells out of a fellow human in front of a cheering crowd.
Whether we are actively participating or passively observing, aggressive behaviour provides a catharsis for us an a very basic level.