In terms of Nature, what could be the reason for violence and disease to exist?

Question

I am looking for a scientific basis, so religious types can bother another question, (science obviously exists, and nature holds all in balance, so...).

My own personal idea is that violence (sketchy) and disease (firmer belief) are to prevent overpopulation. Disease does hit hardest in densely-populated areas, because of the distribution (seems obvious right?) Violence is a bit more difficult to define, and thus I am looking for ideas of the animal world to connect with.

Do not be afraid to use scientific jargon, as i like learning new vocab!

Answer 1

To answer your question, you need to understand that the purpose of life is to do it again. Every individual of every species is a biochemical machine that was selected for over billions of years of competition to best replicate and pass on a set of genes. The winners of this brutal competition get to copy their DNA and pass it on to the next generation for another round.

Diseases exist because organisms prey on other organisms. Phages on bacteria, bacteria on other bacteria and eukaryotes, and so on up the food chain. Humans are no different. We are an ecological niche that is a source of carbon that many microbes have adapted to using to make more of themselves. Those that are successful can cause disease, sometimes with extreme virulence but those that are most successful usually do not kill the host, at least not right away. Compare the success of CMV to Ebola virus. CMV can inhabit a human host for decades, be passed on, usually without ill effect, so that it can replicate and make more and more copies of itself. Nearly every human has CMV while Ebola is a flash fire that burns itself out.

There is the expression, “Nature, red in tooth and claw.” It is a contest to gather the most resources for yourself and those related to yourself (those that share some of your DNA). You don’t see a pack of predators politely going, after you, no…after you, no no I insist after you. Those best able to gain resources are more likely to survive to pass on the DNA to the next generation. Violence can be an effective means to acquire resources.

Answer 2

Violence among people usually results from a lack of resources, or control of resources. So in a sense, it is nature's way of controlling the population. If you watch animal planet, Meerkat Manor is a good example of a society that will resort to violence, even among the family, to ensure that there are not too many mouths to feed. They must have a territory large enough to support the members, and overpopulation, or encroachment by another family will result in pups being killed,or "war" with the neighbors.
Disease is definately a way for nature to balance the population. It's nature's way of 'culling' the weakest members of a population.
Not only does this increase resources for the strong, it also ensures that a healthy gene pool will result. This "survival of the fittest" mechanism has been rather diluted by advances in medicine in most developed countries, but with the emergence of new diseases, it's only a matter of time until we fall behind.

Answer 3

The only problem with your hypothesis is that there are plenty of diseases that are not life threatening. Moreover, if that were truly the case, there would be way fewer people than the 6 billion-plus that we have now.

The notion that nature holds all in balance is a myth. Earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes are not balancing types of events. Animal populations swing wildly depending on food supply and predators. While the dinosaurs lasted over 100 million years, they did not live in balance with mammals, since mammals did not get big until the dinosaurs got wiped out.

Even simple biological responses are not balanced and tend toward over-reaction. Consider the response to the common cold virus. The runny nose preciptates a cough, which causes more mucus flow, which causes more coughing. Hardly a balanced reaction.

Answer 4

Violence is a consequence of our existence. i.e. we wouldn't be here if we were not violent. Survival of the fittest and all that. If, for instance, there were an organism that was totally non-violent/non-aggressive, then another violent/aggressive organism could easily take a limited resource such as food or water or shelter or oil, etc. etc. The non-violent organism would potentially die and not pass on its passive genes.

Disease or infectious disease can be thought to be population controlling but it is merely a consequence of another organism (virus, bacteria or parasite) trying to survive the best it can. Actually, it is very bad for the infectious agent to kill its host with wreckless abandon since that will limit its ability to spread its genes. It would rather live with the host and let the host spread it to as many other hosts as possible. It will therefore be the winner and be what exists.

Answer 5

Violence is a manifestation of territorialism. One group will try to control the valuable resources. In that respect, we are not much different from wolves, or some types of insect.

We co-evolved with our diseases. We adapt to the diseases around us. This explains why the diseases introduced into the New World by European explorers were so devastating (and it wasn't a one way process). Why is avian flu so deadly in man?

Disease gets worse as people get crowded together, so it certainly is an impetus to kill your neighbor and take over his land.

Answer 6

( a.)
Violence is own-species competition. Rabbits , doves , pigeons , sparrows(sparrows will band and fight an occasional crow) , bush babies and some cyprinids (goldfish , carps , barbus)and livebearers(fish) will fight nothing but themselves. (With the intent to kill. The sparrow knows he cannot kill the crow ,, and has no intention to kill the crow ,, but sparrows will kill one another.)

( ** surprisingly this doesn't happen with insects much_)(Peasefull insect are peaseful_but , mammals and raptors can be homicidal.)

Own species feces and dung is highly repulsive. And in some species toxic to themselves only.
Own-species plants can "poisonous" to one another.
Darwinism at it's most convincing !!

( b.)
To one species , all other species are fair game for food , housing(ticks)(tubercolosis lives on our spine for whole life time.) , transport , shelter , anything.

You and I , and all of us has (right at this moment) has on our persons 6 species of mites in our skin , 5 OR 6 species of fungus ..THAT GROWS NOWHERE BUT IN OUR SKIN. There were there eversince we were born.

Diseases look to us as prey , food or housing , , like we go prospecting for petroleums , and resources.

( a. & b.)
It's not a myth.

( **)
If you hear that Evolution and Life has intelligence ,, it's path of least resistance(mechanics)(flow of water) ,, game theory (math)
No morals ,, no ethics.

( **crop diseases)
Text book answer for maximum population density for crop is environmental pathology .(Most crops are low-product in countries where the are indegenious.) because the local flora carries diseses ,, specific to this guy.

Diseases also need food ,, and food bunched together on a farm is just too good to let go.

Every wild form has to rush ,, because every year winter comes. It sees a lot of food it picks up speed (thinking that the winter will kill his food.) (Which is a natural respond.)

In a weed itself can use up 15-20% of food ,, just to fight pest and diseases.

( **Exceptions ,,)

Arachnid and Aranda orchids cannot be spaced closer than 6" in full sunlight ,, without the crop witholding flowers to race one another for the Sun.

The oil palm is plagued by heterosis in Africa , country of origin. Too many alleles ,, Too much genetic options(pollen is air bourne.)(But , today they have the recent best clones.)(The best oil palms were rarely African palms.)

( ##)
The earliest known example of violence is penile-fencing in sea-slugs. Sea slugs are more primitive than prawns ,, prawns are more primitive than insects.

( #)
Nimrod's answer also good. The way he say "do it again .. .. for another round." is wonderful.

Answer 7

human beings are animals, consequently we do have an instinctual side to us. human beings have been combating wars on account that we've been in this Earth. i ought to circulate on and on concerning the undesirable issues approximately human beings, yet i don't experience like it stunning now. on the top of the story, I do think of we are able to stay with out violence. You mentioned that nature is violent and that i believe that. only look on the countless climate we get. Nature will not be advantageous. As human beings, we are able to ought to combat Nature, and we are continuously going to combat one yet another. As an entire, i think of we are able to stay with out conflict ( not unavoidably fist fights or verbal fights... no one is appropriate ). If that occurs, it is going to take an prolonged time and we are able to ought to conform out of it. human beings can stay with out violence; they simply pick to. they don't understand the different existence. we are able to all be downright nasty at cases.

Answer 8

Think of Darwin: the origin of species and survival of the fittest. Violence and aggression are means of getting rid of something or some one who would eliminate you, and thereby compromise your ability to pass on your genes. In doing this he/she/it will increase the probability of passing on his/her/its genes. This is so even with disease - the biological entities that cause disease are striving for survival, to pass on their genes,