Stories About Normal and Moral Behaviors
It is often assumed that what is considered normal behavior is also moral and what is considered abnormal behavior is also immoral. This assumption seems based on the idea that human beings are essentially "good" and that when we see what we might consider "evil" we are seeing the unusual or the deviant. I suggest that these assumptions are defense mechanisms and represent our need to escape from our own and societal acts that might be considered evil. Our behaviors are shaped by evolution and our need to continue eating before we end up being eaten. We will discuss how our animal evolution has created our sense of morality and how our sense of morality involves protecting our kin and tribe while vanquishing all competitors.