Abstract

The present text deals with the chances and the preconditions for the ability of humans to act peaceful (understood as non-violent and fair mechanisms of conflict resolution). The causes for disputes, violence and war are discussed in relation to biological preconditions and sociocultural contexts. A methodological reflection on the ethical relevance of anthropology is the starting point of the discussion, followed by a debate on the ethical dimension of behavioral science approaches to aggression and the egoistic paradigm in evolutionary ethics which is then contrasted with the two major approaches in European conflict theories: struggle for survival (Hobbes) and the struggle for recognition (Hegel). The text concludes by illustrating that humans rely on legal codifications to foster peace due to anthropological reasons.

Keywords: Social cultural; Moral postulates; Morality; Aggression; Freud’s concept