[ExI] experiment regarding ethical behaviors vs status:

[Stefano Vaj]

On 26 March 2012 02:28, The Avantguardian <avantguardian2020 at yahoo.com>wrote:

> So society deems cannibalism acceptable under duress but evil when at
> leisure.
>

Actually, in anthropological terms, several societies admit or encorage
cannibalism, but almost invariably it has therein a ritual and symbolic,
rather than nutritional, purpose.

As mentioned another time, in fact, to eat members of your own species is a
good idea only inasmuch as their meat is perfectly sterile or you do not
have any other choice.

OTOH, I am not aware that widespread ethical systems have much to say on
the subject unless you do that deliberately in order to express contempt
for the deceased, to desecrate his or her corpse, etc.

It does not defy my intuition at all. People don't achieve status by being
> nice, they achieve status two ways: by being ruthless or by inheriting it
> from somebody who was.


Mmhhh. Sociability and popularity and empathy and ability to cooperate in
the group's shared interests against other groups may actually be a part of
the cocktail - unless and until they do not detract to other more important
factors. :-)

-- 
Stefano Vaj
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