ABSTRACT
The idea of human behavior as mechanical is seductive because it places the understanding of human complexity in the same theoretical basket as physics and chemistry. Bittersweet Destiny attempts to draw the Darwinian argument to its full conclusion, advancing the proposition that cause and effect work their magic on all features of human behavior. Courage is a human attribute as strong as any—an evolved characteristic that guided us through the bottleneck of human evolution. Courage is a deep-rooted response to injustices and personal dangers. It doesn't necessarily involve nepotistic acts, although nepotism may be at the bottom of it. War has always tapped into the bottom reservoirs of valor and courage. The expression of courage is so obviously innate that it seems mystical—it just happens, unthinking, un-inhibited, unreserved. Charles Darwin's and Alfred Wallace's agonies in the jungles of South America, Indonesia, and the Galapagos Is lands, set sail a wave of scientific discovery far beyond their concerns and hopes.
