I recently read a book entitled “Man the Hunted: Primates, Predators, and Human Evolution” by Donna Hart and Robert W. Sussman.  It investigates the distant history of our ancient forbearers, and might help us understand our current state of being.  The book’s authors challenge the belief that human beings are descended from hunters, and that we are natural meat eaters.  By citing fossil evidence dating back millions of years and integrating observations of primate behavior to construct an explanation of human evolution, the book concludes that we were largely hunted rather than hunters, and prey rather than predators.

Cultural assumptions and prejudices in western society along with faulty science have bolstered the idea that we evolved as a carnivorous hunting species.  This notion may be based on the assumption that our current violent habits and behaviors are appropriate and “normal” for our species.  We callously exploit and slaughter billions of animals for food in the U.S. each year..  And if we feel guilty about the suffering we cause others, it may be strangely comforting to justify it as natural.  

But, Hart and Sussman make a compelling case that early humans were primarily vegetarian and that our ancestors were killed and consumed by various predator species. And their objective assessment of the biological and historical evidence affirms those conclusions. 

When humans consume diets rich in animal foods, as is common in affluent countries, we face serious health problems.  Dr. Colin Campbell of Cornell University conducted the world’s most comprehensive study to compare diet and health, and he concluded, “We’re basically a vegetarian species and should be eating a wide variety of plant foods and minimizing our intake of animal foods.”

Hart and Sussman write, “There’s something about the pessimistic image of killer apes, naked apes, war-like apes, cannibalistic apes that seems a comfortable, albeit ugly, judgment on humanity.”  Perhaps this is comfortable because it comports with our habits and behavior. If we are descended from a lineage of predators, naturally violent and murderous, then killing other animals could be attributed to “human nature,”and we could feel less culpable for our behavior.  But the authors ask, “…if we evolved from sociopaths, why do we forge any complaints about historical or modern examples, such as Caligula, Ivan the Terrible, Hitler or Pol Pot? By this rationale aren’t they doing what comes naturally?”

Rather than evolving as sociopaths, I think human beings evolved in cooperative social groups who helped each other survive and avoid danger. Primates and other animals can be seen today exhibiting techniques for avoiding predation, such as sounding alarm calls to alert others when danger is present.  Animals use different calls to communicate different kinds of threats, and it is possible that such warnings in our early ancestors developed into more advanced communications and eventually language. 

Who we are today is the result of many years of evolution, both physical and cultural, and in spite of many of our current behaviors, I do not believe we are naturally a cruel and murderous species.  Some miscreants act without conscience, but most human beings prefer to treat others with kindness. 

Our inherent aversion to cruelty can cause people to develop elaborate rationalizations or mechanisms for denial, including a skewed interpretation of human history.   But I believe that compassion and caring for others is built into our genetic code and inherent to humanity, and that keeps me hopeful.