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ARE humans, by nature, good or evil? The question has split opinions since people began philosophising. Some, like the followers of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, say we are a naturally peaceful species corrupted by society. Others side with Thomas Hobbes and see us as a naturally violent species civilised by society. Both perspectives make sense. To say that we are both “naturally peaceful” and “naturally violent” seems contradictory, however. This is the paradox at the heart of my new book.
The paradox is resolved if we recognise that human nature is a chimera. The chimera, in classical mythology, was a creature with…
