INTRODUCTION

This is a book of whys. They are simple whys, relevant whys, and necessary whys. Why do humans behave as they do? Why do humans think as they do? Why do humans believe as they do? Some of these beliefs are so silly, so absurd, so ludicrous—in and of themselves—that they are unbelievable. Yet we believe, and the question must be why. Why, for example, would anyone believe in astrology? We have the birth dates of many people, both famous and not so. There is absolutely no pattern to the dates or times. Not the slightest sign of clustering to show even the tiniest indication that birth time was all or even a small part of one’s life cycle.

Besides, a more logical point at which one would expect astrological intercession is conception. This is, after all, an exact time—a specific day, hour, minute, and second. But except for petri dishes, such knowledge is unavailable, so birth time, even though it can vary, is the basis for modern astrological signs. And so we believe in the unbelievable, content that we know the unknowable, and proud that we are born in the sign of the lion or the ram or the virgin. This is delusion on a grand scale. There is yet another aspect of astrology that must be considered. How does it actually work? How is our birth impacted by the stars? Do we, at birth, give off some type of radiation that is noted and replied to by the stars? The only problem with this concept is that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. It would take eighty years for a round trip to a star forty light-years away. By then, our future would be over. Perhaps the stars emit a ray or a beam that registers upon the newborn and fixes its future. If such is the case, then we ought to be able to detect such a beam or ray. Further, we ought to be able to record its variations as different individuals are born. And we ought to be able to analyze, understand, and duplicate the beam or ray to make us all healthy, wealthy, and wise. Don’t think it’s gonna happen.

Our delusions are many and varied. Yet all stem from a single basic human misconception. We believe that we are special. We believe we are unique, one of a kind, different, extraordinary; and so it is necessary that we demonstrate this condition by validating its veracity. The stars move for us. The planets position themselves for our benefit. The universe applies its total concentration to the birth of each and every one of us. That’s how special we are.

We believe in ESP, UFOs, and a host of other entities with different acronyms—each special, each kept from the general public by a secretive and unscrupulous bureaucracy. We believe that our fate is in the cards and that Miss Cleo can pinpoint the reasons for our ups and downs. And Miss Cleo is big business. The company she was part of was recently forced to give up $500 million in billings because of false and defective advertising. A lot of people gave Miss Cleo a call and got fleeced. Why do so many of us believe that we are special? different? unique? Why is it so hard for most of us to accept the fact that we are evolved animals? Why do so many of us prefer dreams and delusions to reality? Should we rationalize the impossible in an attempt to confirm the contention that we are special, or is it better to discover the truth and know that we are not?

There is danger in rationalizing the impossible, and we fail utterly to see that.

Why do we have war? Why does capitalism work? Why doesn’t socialism work? Why did North America (excluding Mexico) develop so differently from South and Central America (including Mexico)? Both continents were discovered at the same time and were settled by Europeans. Today, the United States is the strongest, safest, wealthiest country in the world while Central and South America, including Mexico, wallow in poverty and chaos. And the question must be why. Until very recently, all these countries were dictatorships while the United States was never a dictatorship. This has a great deal to do with why there is a difference.

Why do we have dictators? Why is Africa, today, a bloody mess of dictatorships, filled with killing and hate, greed and corruption ? The answer is simple, and the European colonists had nothing to do with it. Why do we have dictatorships in Southeast Asia, in the Middle East, and in China? We recently passed a little-noted but rather important threshold. It seems that for the first time in the world today, there are more people who are free than there are in chains. But the questions still must be, why is anyone anywhere subjected to a dictatorship?

In the United States, one of the most common impossibilities that we try to rationalize is the unsupported assertion that the Christian Bible is, in fact, a reasonable explanation of how we got here, and why. This patently false absurdity is called creationism. Because it is such a widespread and pervasive delusion, it will be dealt with in some detail in this volume. While researching the premise for this manuscript, I have had an opportunity to read creationist literature and the scientific refutation of this nonsense. In all this research, not once have I come across anything that would give some indication as to why anyone would believe such a patently false absurdity, and very little on why it is so important that we have an accurate and rational explanation of human behavior. This is really the key. If we are to address the ills of mankind, we must proceed from reality rather than from dreams.

How powerful is creationism as a force for blinding mankind? Ask Kurt Wise. Mr. Wise is one very smart man with a degree in geophysics from the University of Chicago and a PhD in geology from Harvard. Mr. Wise is a creationist. In spite of his learning and, even more important, in spite of his observations, he believes that the Biblical explanation is the only way to go. In fact, Mr. Wise has stated, “If all the evidence in the universe turns against creationism, I would be the first to admit it, but I would still be a creationist.”

Now this is delusion on a grand scale. The geologic column is the very thing that totally gives the lie to creationism. It is there, in place, telling stories for intelligent, rational, unbiased individuals. These stories scream evolution and unequivocally deny creation. But here is an individual able to wall off sections of his mind and believe even if all the evidence is to the contrary. And the question still must be, why. Why would an intelligent, educated individual clutch this delusion to his bosom? The answer is actually as mundane and as delusional as creationism. This is the way to get into heaven. By believing, one is saved. Questioning leads to hell, and that is motivation enough for most.

Harmless, you say. What harm can come from believing? Well, in Mr. Wise’s case, you are right. But you might be interested to know that the perpetrators of the 9/11 mass murder did what they did in the name of religion and for a reward of seventy-two virgins. Yes, that’s right. Each of those idiots who hijacked the planes and flew them into the World Trade Center did so because they had been promised the services of seventy-two virgins in heaven. Islamic fascination with virginity will be dealt with in more detail later. Suffice to say, such fascination runs deep in the Muslim world and profoundly influences the treatment of females throughout Islamic countries. Getting back to the virgins. It does not seem to me that these guys have really thought the whole virginity concept through. Not meaning to be disrespectful to the ladies, but good sex is as much experience as it is ability.

Virgins with little or no experience just lay there. After the tenth virgin, the whole concept begins to pall; after the fifteenth or twentieth, the job becomes a chore—on the same plane as mucking out stables; and, I suspect, virgins thirty through seventy-two remain in perpetuity just that, virgins. They are a bit silly and rather quaint, some of these beliefs and mostly harmless, except for the human element. It is, on the other hand, no coincidence that inhuman acts can be committed only by humans. And that is the rub. I don’t care what these guys believe; but when they say that they are right and everybody else is wrong, when they say they have not just a responsibility to convert the great unwashed masses but a mandate to do so, I get upset. This has been the story of God and mankind down through time. I am right and you are wrong, and I have the right to convert you or kill you. And the question still must be why.

Here’s an interesting why. Why are some people homosexuals? Homosexuality is genetic, and homosexuals rarely have children. How then is the genetic predisposition for homosexuality passed on? There are reasons why we behave as we do, and these reasons are rooted in our genetic past. We will not come to a better understanding of why we do the things we do by ducking into the closet of delusion. “It is that way because God did it that way” is not an explanation. Nor can we begin to address the problems of human behavior based on such an explanation. Why do pundits maintain that we are monogamous when, in fact, 85 percent of the world’s cultures are polygamous? Additionally, all the cultures in the world experience adultery, prostitution, and promiscuity. “Well,” the pundits say, “we are partially monogamous.” That is like saying a little bit pregnant or slightly dead. We either are, or we are not, monogamous. The evidence, including our behavior, that we are not, is overpowering and will be spelled out in detail. We will also delve into the reasons why monogamy has been imposed upon the female by the male philogynist. The reasons for this state of affairs have nothing to do with sex and have everything to do with dominance.

Why do we have war? Why are some individuals virtual dynamos of aggression while others are as pacifist as toast? Why is it that honest, just, and nice individuals can easily kill others in the heat and carnage of war where the enemy is clearly designated then go back to civilian life affected to a greater or lesser degree by the experience but not adversely influenced by the killing? Why is it so easy to get the population of a country to go to war? Germany had no problem putting together several armies during World War II. Neither did Japan. Nobody questioned these actions, certainly not enough to put any kind of brake on the mad dreams of Hitler or Tojo. Perhaps if these people had questioned their leader’s behavior, they would not have suffered the retribution that they did. Leaders cannot lead followers who will not follow is a truism that needs to be understood by all the citizens of the world. It is also true that we get exactly the kind of government that we deserve.

Why do we have crime? Is it really the fact that some mother didn’t breast-feed or that some male looked sideways at a vulnerable young child? Is it really true that if we are flooded with love during our formative years, we will be nice, kind, altruistic, honest, and loving? Interestingly enough for some, this is indeed true. Perhaps even for a majority of individuals, it is true. But for everyone? No. And the reasons are buried in our evolutionary past. You see, at one time, crime really did pay. Why doesn’t rehabilitation of criminals work? Actually, it does—sorta, kinda. Just enough to continue to give us hope that all will become susceptible, and not just the measly few we see today. Rehabilitation doesn’t work very well because some individuals are wired to act “normal,” and we find that offensive.

Why do so many teenage males form gangs? Why are so many of these gangs Hispanic and Black? What is so attractive about rebelling against what we euphemistically call societal norms? Is it possible that these individuals are acting normally? Is it possible that they are behaving in accordance with millions of years of genetically selected behavior patterns? If this is true, then society will not easily be able to rid the world of gangs. This is the main reason such explanations are rejected by the leftist liberal elite. If teenage bonding patterns among males are genetically influenced, then all their sophisms about nice, kind, loving, gentle, caring, and compassionate upbringing go right out the window. In short, they lose their rationale for the perfectibility of mankind. Why are there so many dictatorships in the world today? Why has the history of the world been a history of dictatorships? They have been called king, emperor, caesar; and even today, one dictator refers to himself as “El Maximo Leader.” Why should such individuals exist in the first place? Why is it so important for social groups to establish lines of authority? Why is it that every culture ever studied consists of a dominance system? Why is it that every communist dictatorship that has ever been established has had to build walls around itself to keep people in? Why is it that capitalist democracies have to build walls around themselves to keep people out? There is a message here, and it has nothing to do with the welfare of mankind and everything to do with the dominance of men.

Speaking of communism, why doesn’t it work? If we are really kind, caring, altruistic, naturally moral, and pacifist then communism should work. Each individual should gladly give of himself to the extent that he is able and take only what is needed to survive. But it doesn’t work that way. Every communist country in the world has become a dictatorship. Some still are. Not once has communism been able to demonstrate that it is superior to capitalism. And yet, if we are really nice, communism should work. So the question remains why.

On a lighter note, why do pubescent females go gaga over rock stars? Why do we find sporting contests so entertaining? Why do sports stars find it so easy to “score.” I’ll bet Magic Johnson has asked himself that question a million times. Why do we gamble? take drugs? risk our lives with everything from bungee jumping to mountain climbing? In short, why do so many of us act the way we do? Why do we have high-risk takers, CEOs, criminals, scientists, and, most of all, politicians? There are answers to all these whys. They are simple, relatively straightforward, and, most importantly, evolutionary in origin. There are two fundamental characteristics that define the human animal. The first is dominance. All social animals form dominance systems for good, sound evolutionary reasons. We are social animals, and we form dominance systems. The other defining characteristic of the human animal is its ability to delude itself. This is a function of intelligence, and it is the single most serious fl aw in the human animal. Dominance drives us—at least some of us—and delusion blinds most of us.

That is what this book is all about.

Back to top