I think love and co-operation is our natural state. Speaking for my own non-religious upbringing that was how it was in our house and that is how it is today with my own family. We feel love towards each other because of our mammalian biology. We co-operate because it makes it easier to survive. Read Terence Mckenna's treatise on the archaic revival about how we really are and how the dominator culture, which is associated with religion fucked it all up.
I completely disagree and believe you're extremely naive to human nature. Humans as a natural state are tribal and violent. Just look at cultures dating back to the dawn of time. Even among seemingly same peoples like the Native Americans there was constant war and slavery divided between tribal groups, because each tribe or group wants the resources and power to help their own tribe survive and flourish at the expense of others.
We even see it in modern times, humans naturally will divide themselves into tribes. Even this forum is itself a tribal group.
Sure within a tribe humans can cooperate, as in your own family or group because it can be beneficial. But this again stems from deriving a benefit from the relationship, and even within families there are many who selfishly exploit for their own gain.
It's only within religious frameworks that you see truly selfless behavior where people sacrifice at their own detriment to help others.
To say "love" is a natural state of being is just really out of touch, hippie new age viewpoint completely detached from reality.
I think love and co-operation is our natural state. Speaking for my own non-religious upbringing that was how it was in our house and that is how it is today with my own family. We feel love towards each other because of our mammalian biology. We co-operate because it makes it easier to survive. Read Terence Mckenna's treatise on the archaic revival about how we really are and how the dominator culture, which is associated with religion fucked it all up.
I completely disagree and believe you're extremely naive to human nature. Humans as a natural state are tribal and violent. Just look at cultures dating back to the dawn of time. Even among seemingly same peoples like the Native Americans there was constant war and slavery divided between tribal groups, because each tribe or group wants the resources and power to help their own tribe survive and flourish at the expense of others.
We even see it in modern times, humans naturally will divide themselves into tribes. Even this forum is itself a tribal group.
Sure within a tribe humans can cooperate, as in your own family or group because it can be beneficial. But this again stems from deriving a benefit from the relationship, and even within families there are many who selfishly exploit for their own gain.
It's only within religious frameworks that you see truly selfless behavior where people sacrifice at their own detriment to help others.
To say "love" is a natural state of being is just really out of touch, hippie new age viewpoint completely detached from reality.
Actually there is no evidence the earliest known civilizations had any fortifications; Catal Huyuk.