by Daddyif the question is: can a world of only sociopaths exist?
that would be like an ecosystem where only lions existed... there must be prey or the predator dies...
This.
Also, without predators, prey would die out. They'd grow overpopulated and plunder the enviroment, like the human species has done. Predators, as mean and scary as they can be, provide a service called population control.
by Daddyif the question is: can a world of only sociopaths exist?
that would be like an ecosystem where only lions existed... there must be prey or the predator dies...
You can't compare a lion that preys on others solely for the purpose of survival to a human that does not need to prey on others in order to survive. Since most of us do not kill each other for food, we are not likely to die out due to lack of human prey.
As long as people exist, there will always be someone to prey on, even if that means preying on other sociopaths.
This is what would destroy a sociopathic society:
I know because I have all of those traits.
by Thrill Kill
by Daddyif the question is: can a world of only sociopaths exist?
that would be like an ecosystem where only lions existed... there must be prey or the predator dies...
You can't compare a lion that preys on others solely for the purpose of survival to a human that does not need to prey on others in order to survive. Since most of us do not kill each other for food, we are not likely to die out due to lack of human prey.
As long as people exist, there will always be someone to prey on, even if that means preying on other sociopaths.
This is what would destroy a sociopathic society:
- lack of remorse or guilt
- callousness and lack of empathy
- parasitic lifestyle
- poor behavioral controls
- lack of realistic long-term goals
- impulsivity
- irresponsibility
- criminal versatility
I know because I have all of those traits.
Sounds like the average teenager..or better yet, 16-24 yr old male
No question that in a world populated solely with predators, the predators would prey on each other till the last one is standing. Right now we have a world that, while not completely populated by sociopaths, is pretty clearly controlled by them. Irresponsibility and poor impulse control have caused people in power to plunder the world, and foul what little they leave behind (http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1848433/the-ocean-is-broken/?cs=12). Callousness, lack of remorse, and parasitic tendencies have led directly to the aggressive fraud and theft of financial institutions (http://www.derivativesstrategy.com/magazine/archive/1997/1197fea5.asp). And now, with most of the prey consumed, the predators are apparently eating each other. (http://www.businessinsider.com/growing-gap-between-rich-and-super-rich-2012-9)
So I guess my question becomes, what does a sociopath think when s/he sees that s/he's next on the menu? Does the celebrated survival instinct kick in here? Is there any sense that you need to take some action to save your own life?
I suspect the answer falls under the heading, "Lack of Realistic Long-term Goals," since effective action requires all kinds of troublesome planning, not to mention committment. But I thought I'd ask the question.