14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most recurring aspects of science-fiction movies is the fact that they all feature a future in which human kind is either living in an Utopian dream, or has to live at least in a world that has learned to completely renounce war. As an example, the Star Trek series, both the original and the spin-offs, depicts the world of the 23rd century as an egalitarian one, where differences between individuals and groups are not reason of disagreements and fights. And while some criticize this aspect of the film as being too far-stretching, some psychologists argue that this objective may not be hard to accomplish.
“I do think humans might someday reach more peaceful coexistence if we don't destroy the planet first, though I doubt it will be utopia. If utopia does come, it won't be because human nature changes, or because some governmental authority or alien race forces it upon us, but because we manage to create new social structures more conducive to satisfying human needs and values,” Space quotes University of Illinois in Springfield (UIS) Emeritus Professor of Legal Studies and Psychology Dennis Fox as saying.
The main things standing in the way of humans creating the perfect society are their own minds, psychologists say. After thousands of years of evolution, humans have come to develop aggression as a “built-in feature,” a fact that is very helpful when protecting oneself from attacks, but not that much so when it comes to building a new society. New principles and new forms of cooperation are required in order to make a violent future impossible, experts add, and people need to renounce their old way of looking at things, as if everyone else was their enemy.
In addition, biologists contend, aggression is also rewarded in the brain by the increased production of the dopamine hormone, which is a pleasure hormone. “We learned from [...] experiments that an individual will intentionally seek out an aggressive encounter solely because they experience a rewarding sensation from it,” Vanderbilt University in Tennessee Professor of Pediatrics Craig Kennedy explains. “Humans are wired with great potentials for altruism, caring and compassion, but also for destructive competition and for killing,” Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center Psychologist Marc Pilisuk shares.
“If there is a common enemy around which humanity can unite, it is the institutions that protect privilege for an elite network with extraordinary power and minimal accountability. At present, hopes for peace look most promising in the decentralized myriad of creative local actions of people wanting leaders to respond to their true needs,” Pilisuk points out.
Experts also voice their hopes that the rest of the world could pick up the examples of non-violent nations and follow them to the letter. They argue that the emergence of war is strongly linked to the concept of a country, whereas, in an united world, one of the fundamental causes of conflict would disappear. “I'm hopeful for two reasons: 1.) Most people don't like to be dominated by the powerful. 2.) Although we don't have aliens to fight against, we do have nasty viruses and global warming that we have to unify to deal with,” Clark University Peace Studies Program Director, Psychologist Joseph de Rivera concludes.