I get it – you use cruelty-free shampoo, randomly quote Gandhi, and never honk your horn. Violence, however, remains an undeniable feature of society. So, what does this tell us about the “human condition”? Philosopher Thomas Hobbes suggested our natural state is “solitary, poore, nasty, [and] brutish.” Rousseau took a more optimistic view, believing we are born “gentle” and then “corrupted” by society. Most succinctly, Mike Tyson opined that “Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth.”

But what does science tell us? The ubiquity of violence suggests it might have played a central role in our species’ evolution. IMPORTANT: knowing where we come from does NOT justify acting like a degenerate asshat. Understanding the natural forces that have shaped humans, however, can help us develop educational and therapeutic tools to nurture our better angels.

At our April salon, drop in to see what condition our condition is in. Evolutionary biologist Dr. Jeremy Morris will explore anatomical features of humans (and other species) that likely evolved as adaptations to aggressive behavior. A professor at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Jeremy’s