The depressing news from Israel and Gaza is a reminder to us all of the destructive force of antagonistic tribes. As Dostoevsky said: ‘“People speak sometimes about the “bestial” cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel.”
The conflict in Palestine is doubly shocking because, in the West, group behaviour has become progressively more tolerant and humane since the end of the Second World War. In particular, women have gained a more important role in society and we have become less judgemental of minorities. No longer are divorcees, unmarried mothers, bastards and homosexuals stigmatised. We have set laws for discrimination on the grounds of gender, disability, race or religion.
This change in opinion is confirmed by the most recent results from the British Attitude Survey https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/21/britain-is-much-more-liberal-minded-than-is-was-40-years-ago-study-finds . One researcher described the change as a ‘near revolution’.
The only way to overcome tribal behaviours is by an appeal to common humanity. What is common humanity? This definition of values on the Humanist UK website sums it up for me.
In all our work, we strive to embody our values by:
- engaging in dialogue and debate rationally, intelligently, and with evidence;
- recognising the dignity of individuals and treating them with fairness and respect;
- respecting and promoting freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law;
- taking opportunities to combat all forms of prejudice and unfair discrimination;
- cooperating with others for the common good, including those of different beliefs;
- celebrating human achievement, progress, and potential;
- accepting that human beings are part of a wider natural world which must be treated sustainably for the sake of current and future generations.
There is no reason why both the religious and non-religious should not support these principles. It is impossible to see these concepts being adopted in Palestine right now. However, in Northern Ireland, which has similar intrinsically engrained problems, some progress has been made on these lines since the Good Friday Agreement.
If the world is to co-operate to overcome our common problems of climate change, habitat loss, and pollution we will need to exercise as much common humanity as possible. Tribal behaviours will condemn us all to a deteriorating world.
