THE “HUMAN NATURE” MYTH Of all the vulgar modes of escaping from the consideration of the effect of social and moral influence on the human mind, the most vulgar is that of attributing the diversities of conduct and character to inherent natural differences. —John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy PLAYING THE “HUMAN NATURE” CARD Those who argue most vigorously that competition is desirable are often the same people who assert that it is part of human nature: it is not only good that we try to best each other; it is inevitable. Strictly speaking, of course, the second contention cancels out the first. There is little point to debating whether we should be what we unavoidably are. From the perspective of a critic of competition, though, it is necessary to demonstrate that we do not have to be competitive before showing why we ought not to be. This chapter’s task, then, is to scrutinize the widely accepted but rarely defended claim that competition is inevitable.
