_In Defense of Instinct_

What instincts do I think human beings possess?  First, I suggest
that humans incline instinctively to a crude Hobbesian egoism
, modified only to include concern for blood relatives.  Modern
humans rarely live exclusively by these instinctive drives, but
I find it interesting that no matter how altruistic an individual's
announced philosophy, his or her practical actions tend to focus
on personal and kin survival.

One argument for the existence of such an instinct in the existence
of hypocrisy.  Why is it that people say that they believe in
love and mercy, or even respecting the rights of others, but so
rarely practice it?  I think that it is because their drives
assert themselves vis-a-vis their conscious convictions.  In
particular, it is interesting to note that all over the world
and throughout history, people have been killing, looting, and
enslaving one another; and this tendency seems to have little
relation to the presence or absence of altruistic ethical philosophy.

This doesn't mean that our instincts determine our choices, any
more than discussing environmental influences on behavior
negates the freedom of the will.  What it _does_ mean is that
certain emotional attitudes and responses will rule us by default
if we don't try to live righteously.  (Nor does this mean that
we must _always_ control instinctive urges -- sometimes our
urges and what is right will coincide.)

I don't disagree with Rand's view that _sometimes_ our emotions
are determined by our moral values; but I don't think that moral
values are the _only_ source of emotions.  Some of them are
instinctive.
    --Bryan