Instincts can be both beneficial and harmful from "summary" of The Human Instinct by Kenneth R. Miller
Instincts, those deep-seated behaviors that guide us in various aspects of our lives, are complex and multifaceted. They can indeed be both a blessing and a curse, depending on the situation at hand. On the one hand, instincts have played a crucial role in our survival as a species, helping us navigate the challenges of the natural world and ensuring our continued existence. For example, the instinct to seek out food when hungry or to protect our young from harm has been vital in ensuring the propagation of our genes. However, there is a darker side to instincts as well. In modern society, where many of the threats faced by our ancestors have been mitigated or eliminated, our instincts can sometimes lead us astray. Take, for instance, the instinct to hoard resources in times of scarcity. While this may have been essential in the past when food was scarce, in a world of abundance, it can lead to greed and selfishness, causing harm to others and to society as a whole. Moreover, our instincts can also be exploited and manipulated by external forces for their own gain. Advertisers, politicians, and other influencers often tap into our primal instincts to fear, desire, and belong in order to sell us products, garner our support, or sway our opinions. In this way, our instincts can be used against us, leading us to make decisions that are not necessarily in our best interests.- While instincts have served us well in many ways throughout our evolutionary history, they are not always reliable guides in the complex and rapidly changing world we find ourselves in today. It is important for us to be aware of our instincts, to critically evaluate their influence on our thoughts and actions, and to strive to harness them for good rather than allowing them to lead us astray.
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