Page 308 - The Social Animal

290 The Social Animal

how should we proceed? It is tempting to search for simple solu-
tions. In the early 1970s, no less an expert than a former president
of the American Psychological Association suggested that we de-
velop an anticruelty drug to be fed to people (especially national
98
leaders) as a way of reducing violence on a universal scale. The
quest for such a solution is understandable and even somewhat
touching, but it is extremely unlikely that a drug could be devel-
oped that would reduce cruelty without completely tranquilizing
the motivational systems of its users. Chemicals cannot make the
fine distinctions that psychological processes can. Gentle, peace-
loving people (like Albert Einstein) who are also energetic, cre-
ative, courageous, and resourceful are produced by a subtle
combination of physiological and psychological forces, of inherited
capacities and learned values. It is difficult to conceive of a chem-
ical that could perform as subtly. Moreover, chemical control of
human behavior has the quality of an Orwellian nightmare. Whom
could we trust to use such methods?
There are probably no simple, foolproof solutions. But let’s spec-
ulate about some complex and less foolproof possibilities based upon
what we’ve learned so far.

Pure Reason I am certain we could construct a logical, reasonable
set of arguments depicting the dangers of aggression and the misery
produced (not only in victims but also in aggressors) by aggressive
acts. I’m even fairly certain we could convince most people that the
arguments were sound; clearly, most people would agree that war is
hell and violence in the streets is undesirable. But such arguments,
no matter how sound, no matter how convincing, probably would
not significantly curtail aggressive behavior. Even if convinced that
aggression, in general, is undesirable, individuals will behave aggres-
sively unless they firmly believe aggression is undesirable for them.
As Aristotle observed more than 2,000 years ago, many people can-
not be persuaded by rational behavior: “For argument based on
knowledge implies instruction, and there are people whom one can-
99
not instruct.” Moreover, because the problem of the control of ag-
gression is one that first occurs in early childhood—that is, at a time
when the individual is too young to be reasoned with—logical argu-
ments are of little value. For these reasons, social psychologists have
searched for alternative techniques of persuasion. Many of these have