ABSTRACT
Ancient people had recognized the existence of a fundamental dualism in man's nature. They knew that the equilibrium which permits humanity to survive in association with its animal instincts is exceedingly precarious. The awareness of a fundamental conflict between humanity and animality and the anguish generated by this conflict are reflected in the literatures of all people at all times. Human life has expressed itself in great ethical systems and in spectacular material achievements. A painful illustration of the role of social decisions in the quality of human life can be seen in the tragedy which is now destroying the small African tribe of the Iks in northern Uganda. Colin Turnbull, the American anthropologist who last studied the Iks, has concluded from the rapid degradation of their individual lives and of their social structure that their former pleasantness was not a spontaneous expression of their real nature but was rather an artificial, learned behavior.
