Nice quotation

“The weight of evidence for an extraordinary claim must be proportioned to its strangeness.”

- Pierre-Simon Marquis de Laplace (1749-1827)

Or as Carl Sagan put it: “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”.

The posturing and posing of men

I am reliably informed that if you throw a number of chimpanzees together they will posture, pose and even fight among one another as they try to establish a pecking order – a hierarchy of who is superior to whom. Chimps will puff out their chests to try to make themselves look bigger and more imposing than they actually are. They will “speak” loudly and try to assert dominance by force.

We all know this happens in the playground too. To speak frankly, from childhood right up until employment, the order favours those who do not have any qualms inflicting actual bodily harm on others: punching people in the face, breaking noses, knocking out teeth, pulling knives. It boils down to that, and it is as simple as that. If you don’t understand that, you’ve never been in a comprehensive school and you need to read Lord of the Flies.

But this kind of behaviour, the behaviour of chimps, also occurs in adult society. In nightclubs, in work situations and, especially, on sports fields. It can take a more sophisticated form, involving language and insinuation, ugly jewellery and big cars, but it doesn’t always. I have never liked it, I have always thought it transparent and ridiculous, I do not do it, and I want absolutely no part of it. It may be a distinct turn-off to many women, but it is as if I have had that part of my mind – that aggressive competitiveness – surgically removed. It’s called civilisation.

That’s not to say I am not utterly determined to excel. I am happy to compete against nature (though we will usually lose) and I am absolutely determined to compete against my own limits. I see nothing to be gained from competing with others. Sometimes it happens inevitably, but it is not something to be celebrated, not something worthy of idiotic posture and pose. Not by a civilised person, at any rate.

There is more to be gained from modesty and mutual co-operation. Only people who feel threatened puff out their chests, start posturing and posing, and competing with those around them. Only – essentially – inferior people. Others, who feel secure, just stand there observing, analysing, and wondering why this person is trying to prove a point in such a transparent and ridiculous manner.

So men, you don’t need to behave like chimpanzees. Yes, sure, we are descended from the same ancestors as chimpanzees, but the whole point is we are supposed to be superior to them: i.e. more civilised. There is no need for the primitive behaviour. No need for the blind competitiveness. Think about just being genuine about your skills and weaknesses. Think about teaming up. Think about mutual benefit. Otherwise you might be defeated by those, more civilised, who do.

Related article: Argument from ego