The Causes Of Our Current Troubles - 1941

September 28, 1941 – ALES HRDLICKA, Anthropologist

An excerpt from a 1941 broadcast by anthropologist Ales Hrdlicka, examines the fundamental material causes of the prevailing global distress, which he describes as a pervasive illness affecting a large part of the world. Hrdlicka asserts that the current turmoil stems from humanity's imperfect and unfinished evolutionary state, noting that humankind is still young and close to its "savage ancestry." He outlines several core factors, including man's inherent imperfections, the wide range of inborn differences among individuals, and the physical and mental weakening of civilized populations over time. The author argues that civilization is merely an acquired "veneer" that must be cultivated through careful training and instruction of the young to counteract these innate flaws. Ultimately, Hrdlicka proposes that the only enduring solution to global conflict and "international piracy" is a fundamental change in the upbringing and education of children worldwide.

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The original speech text is provided below:

The Material Causes Underlying the Present World Troubles

A LARGE PART OF THE WORLD IS ILL

By ALES HRDLICKA, Anthropologist

Broadcast under the auspices of the Fight for Freedom Committee, Columbia Broadcasting System, September 28, 1941

To know the meaning of freedom, it is necessary

to try to understand the present horrible attack upon it.

Under the actual and ever increasing havoc in the

world, the mind of every normal man is burdened with

deep sorrow, distress, and apprehension, which dominate all

other concerns; and gropes for an answer as to why all this

has come, how in this time of the world it was possible, and

what will be the final results. To discuss at such time to a

general audience any lesser subject would seem trivial.

This does not mean that there is reason for outright pes-

simism. Humankind from its start has passed through crisis

after crisis, and it has not only survived them all, but in the

long run, even if not steadily or evenly, has progressed on its

way to its still distant and unknown but surely high goal.

It will survive now and will yet, like the phoenix, come out

from the fire cleaner and stronger. But individually one

cannot help but reflect on the vast crime and pity of it all,

and seek both the causes and the remedy.

Let us look closely at the facts.

A large part of the world is ill, terribly ill; ill on one

side with the destructive delirium of war and with the worst

that is in man let loose, and on the other side with dejection

and mental as well as physical suffering. Ideals, realiza-

tions that it took ages to reach or build, are tottering, or

being shackled; and to the peoples of Europe, above all to

the offenders, there is no true way out in sight, no clear star

of hope to which they could attach their souls.

Nor is the rest of humankind quite well, including our-

selves. Even in this country of countries there are cropping

up, under the increasing stresses, clouds of ignorance, selfish-

ness, bias, lack of cohesion.

What then is the matter with mankind. Is it unable to

carry on in its own progress? Has it become exhausted, like

an individual under at last an unbearable burden, by the

steady advance forward and upward, and is this a violent

disordered reaction?

An approach to an answer, if possible, can only be ex-

pected it would seem from science, and particularly from

that branch of research which deals, from normal as well

as medical points of view, with Man individually, with

human groups, with humankind in general. And this branch

perhaps may approximate an answer.

It should be realized by all those who ponder over present

conditions that Man is no special perfect creation, but,

though the highest, yet physically and especially mentally

still a very imperfect product of nature. This recognition is

now thoroughly demonstrable and however uncertain may

yet be some of the details, no rational doubt on the main

point is possible. Man therefore is still an unfinished, im-

perfect being, particularly intellectually; and for this reason

alone is subject to serious errors.

The second fact is that Mankind is still quite young. The

modern types of men have all come into being within the

last 30,000 years, which for a species is a short period; and

even of this barely one fifth has seen the development of

civilization. In the second place therefore Man is still near

to his savage ancestry and when the veneer of civilization

gives away under some stress, only too apt to revert.

The next factor is that men, naturally, are not equal

either physically, or in their strength, or mentally, but show,

as all other creatures do, a wide range of inborn individual

differences. In the third place, therefore, even under the

most normal conditions, there are wide differences in human

minds, as there are in the bodies; the direct consequence of

which, even if uncomplicated by other factors, is a large

variety of views and feelings on most subjects, which can

readily lead to antagonism.

And the fourth fact, and one of much consequence, is that

civilized man in the course of time has in many cases become

weakened or more or less deranged, physically as well as

mentally, through disease, strains, and other adverse agencies,

so that in the most civilized nations hardly a single individual

today may be said to be absolutely normal. This alone is

often sufficient for abnormal acts, which, if on the part of

an influential or especially clever individual, may lead to

grave results.

These are the basic sources of Man's differences in be-

havior, and they are sufficient for much trouble. There are

many contributary agencies, demographic, economic and

others, but they are secondary.

Thus man is not born perfect, or civilized, but an imper-

fect savage, and if left alone would remain such a savage.

Civilization is acquired. It may be defined as the art of

living, under the conditions of highly organized human so-

ciety, in conformity with its laws and to the best possible

both individual and general advantage.

But to live thus the little savage must be trained, trained

by the parents, the schools, the church, associations, all other

cultural agencies, in employment, and through general ex-

perience. As he is trained, indoctrinated and given examples

from the birth on, so will he develop, his innate individuality

furnishing only the coloring, flavoring and intensity.

It is thus that, under true enlightenment, are built up in

him inhibitions and safeguards against his imperfections,

and honesty, discipline, friendliness, civic virtue, with all the

rest of the attributes that distinguish real civilization. It is

thus also that, when the agencies acting upon him are un-

favorable, he develops blind selfishness, artificial greed for

possession and power, and viciousness, which lead him to be-

coming the cunning and ruthless criminal, the gangster,

local or international. And it is thus that under mischievous

plans, whole generations of youngsters can be fanaticized for

any plausible cause that is beyond their ready comprehension.

These are the truths. And from them arise with clearness

and force the precepts for the sanation and proper bringing

up of the little newborn more or less defective savage. Pre-

cepts for bringing him to and keeping him in the best possible

health, arming him with the needed inhibitions, safeguarding

him from untoward associations, furnishing him with healthy

vents for his animal exuberance, inculcating into him dis-

cipline, fairness, love of work, friendliness towards all of his

fellow beings, love of everything sound and beautiful; and

training him in a congenial and fitting occupation, which will

fill contentedly a large part of his life, and assure his ma-

terial needs.

That is the broad and only way towards raising a line

of really civilized beings, men and women who will approach

true freedom, true democracy, true devotion to their family

at large which is their country; beings fortified against their

imperfections, emancipated from savagery. Raise all human

beings thus and you will have world democracy, and as long

as such raising be kept on, freedom in the world from

rapacity and piracy, and a lasting wholesome peace.

To the extent to which these principles have failed to be

acted upon, or been preverted, to that extent the different

peoples of today, including our own, are defective. And it

is of but limited use to try to improve the adults by laws or

exhortation, their defects are already ingrained and largely

incurable. With imperfectly civilized human materials great

goals can be reached only under some great mental arousing,

otherwise only laborious and limited progress, with many

setbacks, is to be expected.

As in Medicine however so in Social Science the diagnosis

and even the cure of the case are but the first, though all

important, steps. The ultimate aim is the prevention of the

trouble for the future.

Already now and in many places, both here and abroad,

much thought is being given as to how, when the war

exhausts itself, to make a lasting peace. This is in much the

same class with the endeavor after a wave of crime to make

new laws. Both are necessary and the better they will be

the more effective. But neither touches the roots of the evil,

or can lastingly prevent its recurrence.

The present critical state of human affairs is due funda-

mentally to mental human defects, and to as yet imperfect

evolution and civilization. There is no cure for it except by

superior wisdom and conduct. To prevent its recurrence in

the future the only effective remedy in the long run will be

to so strengthen general civilization that no such series of

crimes may again be possible. And such strengthening must

be applied to the young, much more than to the older. If

all the advanced nations apply themselves, or be made to

apply, towards a genuinely humanitarian and otherwise per-

fected raising of the young, no more of such international

piracy and crime will be possible. The chief fruit of the

peace when this comes should be not merely a new political

League of Nations, but a League with full power to super-

vise a general enlightened humanitarian bringing up of the

child. After the current dire experiences the task should not

be impossible. There lies the road towards a true lasting

freedom....