Competition—the Struggle for Excellence or Victory?

[PrimateScientist]

I'd just like to add a few words of my own opinion.

Competition is actually a passive process. Everyone and everything competes at some level whether they are aware of it or not. The active competition of sports and war is actually aggression, and is certainly learned. The problem I see with aggressive competition is the desire to eliminate. Diversity is the key to evolution. Thus I feel the aggressive motivations should be replaced with a desire to enhance diversity. At the least, diversity should take priority to aggression.

[Venom]

Welcome to ABC, Primate Scientist

Interesting post!

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Thus I feel the aggressive motivations should be replaced with a desire to enhance diversity. At the least, diversity should take priority to aggression.

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How do you propose doing this? [img]/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[PrimateScientist]

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How do you propose doing this?

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Shrug. There are many angles. Many may feel aggression in order to prevent any instance where they may fail to acheive the utmost pleasure in any given situation.

However, consider suicide bombers. This is a practice used by several cultures in war and terrorism. They have some motivation to destroy themselves, rather than compete or survive. This illustrates the fact that aggression is learned.

The art and science of persuasion and human motivation is a complex topic indeed. [img]/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Down 2 Die]

I believe that competition is more a struggle for excellence than victory. If you look at it from a basic instinct, survival standpoint, we are obviously in a constant competition with the world, whether it be to eat, have shelter, get a new job, further our education, mate.. These are all things that typically take some time or effort. People who are given everything (spoiled) at a young age will have a lesser concept of survival, thus a greater need to remain as the best (or victorious) would ensue. Surely the people of the world who rummage through tons of garbage to find food aren't doing it to beat their neighbor. They do it as a means of survival. This can show that the concept of victory is one that is learned, whereas excellence (which to some humans would mean eating or survival) is an idea present in the human mind from birth.