Peace, love, creativity: Hope of mankind; Natural and unnatural violence, part one

From the Great Hall of the Cooper Union in New York City. National Educational radio presents the Cooper Union forum series on peace love and creativity the hope of mankind. Here now is the chairman of the Cooper Union forum Dr. Johnson. The Fairchild Good evening ladies and gentlemen welcome to the Cooper Union. Farai this is your Jeremy Johnson the fair it's speaking to you from the great hall of the Cooper Union where we are continuing with our program on peace loving the creativity the hopes of mankind the subject for discussion this evening has to do with natural and unnatural violence and I was pure is Dr. Black to be just his aura origin was in Poland in Warsaw. He has done a great deal of medical work in Zurich Switzerland of course and he has worked

in the end. And in addition to Warsaw he is a fellow in psychiatry at Bellevue Hospital in New York City has been on those from the rehabilitation clinic New York hospital and he is present time and its preceptor the Institute of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Hospital. He's also a clinical professor of psychiatry at Downstate Medical Hospital. In addition to all this I do not say this lightly. In addition to all this he is the author of several books. Psychotherapy or psychosis I call for specialized techniques and psychotherapy was author of a book which will be out in the very near future and I recommend that you look for it which has to do with the topic of this evening.

Hatred and violence and it is also the author of a book which has something to do with the topic the same thing called dictators and disciples. I am very delighted that Dr shall speak and come here to the Cooper Union to speak on this topic of natural violence of mankind. Dr shocking Atlanta. PB Thank you Dr. Fenner. Ladies and gentleman I am very proud and happy to be able to speak to you in D.C.. Used to use. When we make a brief survey of contemporary life. Most here and abroad and the international scene we are almost in deeply impressed and shocked by the prevalence of violence. Indeed we must all agree that the violence

poisons the atmosphere of our society. Violence or acts. Some of our city's violent racial riots disrupt public life and threw in our commerce industry property and human life. And the international scene as you know violence erupts all the time under various guises ideological political social economic and in our own generation our lifetime. We the crime of genocide on an unprecedented scale. You know this is a modern time it didn't exist many years ago. And there's also the unique phenomenon of massive fixated the nation of political enemies of

supposed enemies in concentration camps. Now one has to ask oneself might he be. That we are so shocked and strong for us because of our bias. He started a cult perspective. Isn't it true that the turbulent history of man throughout millenia and centuries in fact the whole recorded history of mankind is full of violence of all star wars of conquest conquests wars of for any Jews and political persecution which the persecution of the witches and murders of kings of statesmen. Could it be then that the only difference is that in the past

meant to create more or less for granted and when we learned feast obvious children at least when I did history was full of murders of wars and such events. If so then if it is our own in case it is our own problem that we ask why violence. What are the motives for that. If so then shouldn't be conclude that violence is inherent in man or secrete through the violence you seen here in History of men and every violent is natural to men. Should it be true that obviously our topic of this even English passion wouldn't make much sense. And we

could a drawer and spend at least you can spend the rest of the evening in a more pleasant way. However I must disappoint you. I cannot promise you such luck. What is this whole question about the distinction between natural and unnatural violence of man. If we turn if we turn away from violence on a large scale worried me explain and even excuse and drafty fight by ideological motives and humanitarian considerations such as social justice fight for equality of men fight for economic freedom the War of the classes French Revolution and so on and so forth where you might say dish is natural. That can be no progress

in any important way. Violence still are in things our deepest conscience will not tell us that surely not every act of violence can be can see that as natural. Would anybody agree that teachers who murdered eight nurses in Chicago community to a matter of natural violence could anybody agree with Hitler who burned millions of Jews Gypsies Poles etc was indulging in natural violence or to take a much example would many already agree that a boy who sets fire to a church a temple or a community building commits an act of natural violence. Obviously we are doing we share norms of behavior. We charring not merry with the law and social order

but with the benefit concept of humanity of men of what men ece of men should be. We need to react today maybe unfortunately but we are very far away from this conception of the story the loss of personal antiquity who talks that the needs of men and of the universe lie in reason. What we call natural impulse to them was contrary to the true rational nature of men. Key Carol believed in the law of life. Coincident with the moral work order which we universal value duty deterrent means. The course of the study and return to the relations of our national beings to each other. This concept of the natural law as you know was taken over and developed by Chris shampoo lot of hers and she and theologians.

However we now have a time. Too sophisticated. Or our experience has made us much too bitter and too sour. We can no longer share these optimistic believe in the natural low in the natural rational nature of men. In this modern era. You know we are more aware of the power rational foresees in the mind of men remaining clarity and conscious and yet his behavior. Now we must come to the conclusion that this so-called natural law indignation nature of men remains at best an ideal to be forgiven for and never taken for granted. It can be no doubt that in this like in any other area of this science of men insight into the dynamics of men be men to behave you

can be or must be the necessary help in the process of what has been called Khomeini zation a beauty for war into use by the late tired of the shot into the grave. Jeffrey we call our hero John Palen Ptolemy's. He spoke of the coming easy sion of men. That piece of the process of this subhuman creature to pre human ancestor are becoming men. If so then we might perhaps as a working concept come forward with an idea that the concept of men as serial human being is an idea a concept which does not exist just like we not only know from elementary mathematics that's ideal straight line that ideas center idea triangle do not exist. Their

idea by definition and whatever line can be drawn empirically what of a triangle can be your own empirical approach is this idea of more or less but can never I think the complete idea completely. If so oh we must then come to the conclusion that violence and such to be true derives from the essence of man as a creature. If you have like some of the deep unconscious forces studying in man and if so our objective must be to understand it and to see. To eat or to think about it. How this process of communication can be made easy. How can be made with less victims and less suffering. This

summer creeps are brought. I visited maybe of the heaps of tents of people stand the church Santa Maria de la saluting in Venice which greets you whenever you look across the Grand Canal and around it which greets you. We've seen the beautiful shrine in White House. When you walk into the sack resisting that charge Santa Maria the last salute you are impressed by sweeping things all of which represent three acts of homicide or prospective Murder City very important events of history of men. The first of these paintings represents what was perhaps the first case of recordings of Marriner recorded history. We seize the moment when hanging sleigh he said but I'll tell you a bit I don't have to

remind you of that. And the second painting we see is a sacrifice of a Brown. Itif the painter represents a battery or at the moment when he has bombed his beloved son Isaak puts him and put him under par and he's ready to sacrifice theme to The Lord of hosts. And very moment however as you all remember I'm sure that appears to mean get Messenger of God and offer it as a substitute for slaying his own son Civic Opera scheme as a substitute a young and so I brought him to untie his beloved son Isaac. Finally if you perceive and look at the feeling

which is you know in me in an Italian church sometimes requires quite a bit of effort and strain and you proceed. You see desert painting and the same painting represents a young royal shepherd. If you true King David of Israel slaying the Giant where live. All each of these attempted or perpetrated acts of promise. He set out with deep symbolic meaning and had implications for our problem. All of them could obviously become see that natural at this second stage of evolution of men to whom jam packed and much of our own epoch. Part and parcel. It's a matter of fact of every epoch in presidencies. It is easy for you to realize even without my pointing it out explicitly that all these three have a

deep relevance for some of the roots of violence in man. In the case of Cain one may reach certain general conclusions when commenting on a project people love as a possible source of frustration and hatred. Spinoza defined hate as sadness accompanied by the idea of external cause. And the Indians say teaching that you punish shat described as one of the greatest sources of misery. In general frustration is not doubt an all important source of course. And in some individuals or social groups becomes a very temporal volcano of the production about these late night individuals frustration of love and of emotions in general. Depends by and large and demands and expectation.

Interview of the psychoanalysis. The development of what's be called object relations you object. Proceeds from the primitive view of the value of the person met merrily its full feeling are often exaggerated in insatiable needs taught the concept of a person as an independent human being who is not and can never be the object of our exclusive possession. It should be ab use the form of the more primitive idea of a person as a death being mainly or rather slowly to fulfill our needs and desires. That such a concept is a source of an easy for us creation and consequently for the acting out the violence of people in this way an object of worship. We'll until this won't reach until this

moment was an object of an so called Love changes so rapidly into the object of wrath and destruction and it is perhaps not surprising that the need to have sexual love such that sexual love recedes tendency to absolute process even if it is particularly up to violent for restoration. Which time and to gain a result only two acts of this tracking violence. It is also understandability certain societies and separate periods of historical development. The climate is a given which is especially conducive to such crimes of passion and offended pride and honor. Of course it may

seem more natural for a generous has been to kill his wife in some villages of Sicily or Calabria then Mattie Stepanek when it should have been in scariest day in other parts of Westchester County. If you know the new Will is still considered illegitimate in some Latin American countries. And when you saw Rama and Juliet you remember the new Will is very important and even so it is prohibited by that you can Verona there at present that it's up to two feuding and warring families still engage in duels and cue each other. However you may object and to Nike that I don't laugh it's not the only situation not only human Suman situation which often is the basis for the restoration of violins.

Whenever an individual maybe can see that a prototype property of another human being. Oftener than you think or fish fish them. The frustration of the owner may lead to violence and this naturally may lead to violence to frustration of the server. This holds true in his story for early Asian sheep prevailing between a man and woman. Parents and children. The Master and the slave. The manufacturer and the worker. You realizing that when you take an integral view of human history that there were periods and asked these societies where the woman was the property of the men much where I'm told. Fortunately the best situation or not so long ago maybe it was natural that the child was a property of the parent. Well today more often than not the parent because of property of the child.

And I don't have to tell you about the implications of this for Arnie in the economic system. In a totality in the totalitarian system regime the individual is considered the property of the state so the state is entitled to impose a control on a second. And he's thinking in feeling I'm his dreams and his dreams and his creativity. It you not have to go to fiction where such system is described. Because I own they have provided us and still do provide us with examples. You open the paper and you see they can press her in Moscow anymore so discussions are going to come in time and if the writer permitted to write what she wants to write a poet to sing his piece of his poems. The painter to

paint the way he wants to paint regardless of whether it is the cross of the proletariat or whether it doesn't. You know this discussion go on all the time. In the course of events the oppressor death develops quite naturally diphtheria of the prince. Violence on both sides and wraps with the beaking wishing to destroy the act is one of oppression and misery. A plan anticipate her avenge and acting out in retaliation from his victim. Consequently both the press and the victim are lacking to engage in acts of violence sometimes to prevent violence which supposedly may happen to them because they are possessed of a kind of paranoia fear of persecution. And if you look at the recent letters for friends families by standing

daughters alone we have as you will see examples of this paranoia. Every potential enemy every potential adversary has to be eliminated distraught because if not he will destroy the tyrant himself. So in a totalitarian regime violence is natural in the frame of the system of the time of revelation from which it is born yet to be shrew it is not natural in this perspective of what we consider truly human men men. It's in our interest an idea for this reason. Sometimes the discussion or race or discussion with representatives such as system is impossible because he's violent it's unnatural to him. He's not entitled. He has an obligation to destroy and Robespierre was sending people to the guillotine. He didn't feel that he was

acting out some of his sudden impulses. He was absolutely convinced that he was doing the good things for the salvation of liberty for the salvation of French Revolution and for the salvation of the French. And you perceive we see these inspection of a feeling of a last salute then you come to another aspect of violence you see young Davy slaying Goliath and this kind of violence which is perpetrated in the defense of defense of the country defense of the nation defense of the territory perhaps is closest to our heart and therefore seems more natural to principles and which is better. This act of homicide are simple enough. There is a principle of self preservation and the defense of the nation and of the territories.

In addition and this is very important you must remember these principles receive the highest relieve your sanction because it is the law or God himself who gives the victory in the hands of little David against the superior material force of Goliath in this way. This particular act of slaying of the side receives the highest religious things. The principle of self-preservation calls for aggression in defense of the integrity of identity substance or territory. Spinoza says and I quote Each thing in so far as you can see any self and then of course to persevere in it to be. This is the famous concept of course you know as our callers call nutters. We all know that the principles of self preservation is basic for the animal work and in the primitive form it expresses itself not only in the

fight for human life against that active enemy but thousands a more subtle form which has been understood better understood in the light of formic of more recently cited observation studies of so-called apology that these students of animal instinct and behavior have shown that even small animals are not just to be pre-date of lions and so on but small animals. The singing bird maps out a very small territory for himself which he defends and he defends it especially against member of you so must be he is vicious what scientists call referred to as that into a specific god. This little territory for the little of which the little bird has mapped out in the forest organisms is of particular importance to him at some emotionally significant time so he's alive. Like for instance the mating

the mating season. He defends it is a great strength. Sometimes violent sometimes he even lets himself to be killed in the struggle.