Revenge?

[xXKanpekiXx]

Is vengeance a natural human reaction? A wrongdoing rewarded with payback? A need to assert ourselves as dominant and/or righteous? What is it?

I believe that vengence is the human way to assert oneself as a higher authority. We always have some justification, no matter how convincing it may be, all to dissillusion ourselves to how selfish and immature we are being.

[BrightNoon]

I think the ability to desire vengeance is one of the most important human attributes. Very noble. An eye for an eye. Its the behavior of an animal that is reflective and values itself.

[Abolitionist]

Originally Posted by xXKanpekiXx

Is vengeance a natural human reaction? A wrongdoing rewarded with payback? A need to assert ourselves as dominant and/or righteous? What is it?

I believe that vengence is the human way to assert oneself as a higher authority. We always have some justification, no matter how convincing it may be, all to dissillusion ourselves to how selfish and immature we are being.

yeah aggression against those we percieve to have hurt us is definately natural

to regain our own sense of dominance without our own subjective context that was threatened

[Spasiangirl]

Originally Posted by xXKanpekiXx

Is vengeance a natural human reaction? A wrongdoing rewarded with payback? A need to assert ourselves as dominant and/or righteous? What is it?

I believe that vengence is the human way to assert oneself as a higher authority. We always have some justification, no matter how convincing it may be, all to dissillusion ourselves to how selfish and immature we are being.

Vengeance is indeed a natural human reaction. Nice people have thoughts about vengeance once in awhile.

[rambo]

Retribution is a natural reaction to compensate/recover a loss. We are use to a certain state/amount and when that is taken way or altered, we tend to try to repair it or justify it in any form whether it is an eye for an eye or whatever it may be.

[Abolitionist]

natural isn't always good it seems

[Jay]

Spasiangirl
“ Vengeance is indeed a natural human reaction. Nice people have thoughts about vengeance once in awhile.”


Is it possible to freely choose to negate those thoughts, to not entertain them or feed them?

[BrightNoon]

Originally Posted by rambo

Retribution is a natural reaction to compensate/recover a loss. We are use to a certain state/amount and when that is taken way or altered, we tend to try to repair it or justify it in any form whether it is an eye for an eye or whatever it may be.

Even though that is probably the most common intellectual explanation, and always the motive in the law (at least until 'rehabilitation' came into fashion), I think actually the instinct for revenge is agressive, not defensive. It might be in reaction, but it is desireable in itself. A willful creature always requires a venue for testing his will or strength. Humans like to conquer.

Interestingly, Nietzsche thought revenge was based in sadism. He referenced the creditor-debtor relationship as the basis for revenge. Think of the Merchant Of Venice and the pund of flesh; not useful in any way, not compensatory, unless...the compensation is enjoying the suffering of the victim. Something to think about.

By the way, for anyone interested in these sorts of questions (origin of pity, origin of christian love, etc.), The Geneology of Morals is the perfect book to read. Be prepared though for a shock, unless of course your an immorial swine like me.

[Didymos Thomas]

Revenge? It's pure ego - delusional. Revenge will not lead to anything positive.

I agree, to an extent, with Neitzsche - revenge is sadism. But it is also masochism. Sure, revenge is natural, but as Abolitionist points out not all natural reactions are "good".

[BrightNoon]

How could revenge be masochistic?

Why is the egoist delusional, especially when taking revenge? I would say that false humility, pity, bitterness and self-abnegating asceticism are delusional. Why do practitioners of those nasty arts need to delude themselves; because they cannot bear to look at themselves. Those who are wretched, ugly, weak or stupid like to discount the importance of happyness, beauty, strength or cunning. They make a virtue out of their deficiencies in compensation.

Just a thought...