It Is Their Nature
It Is Their NatureIt Is Their NatureIt Is Their Nature Things have an essential nature which cannot be changed, even if doing so seems like it would benefit them. You've probably heard the story of The Scorpion & The Frog: One day, a scorpion asks a frog to carry him across a river. The frog is hesitant, because he knows that scorpions sting and kill frogs. The scorpion assures him that he won't sting, because then they'd both drown. The frog agrees and halfway across the river, the scorpion stings him. As the frog feels the v
Things have an essential nature which cannot be changed, even if doing so seems like it would benefit them.
You've probably heard the story of The Scorpion & The Frog:
One day, a scorpion asks a frog to carry him across a river. The frog is hesitant, because he knows that scorpions sting and kill frogs. The scorpion assures him that he won't sting, because then they'd both drown. The frog agrees and halfway across the river, the scorpion stings him. As the frog feels the venom coursing through his body, he asks the scorpion why he did it. The scorpion replies, "It's just in my nature."
But why? Your nature just got you killed you stupid scorpion.
It appears to go against Rational Self Interest at first. He could have acted differently and everything would have been fine.
I think this story only makes sense in the context of a model where one's nature is their existence. A smoker that quits smoking is no longer a smoker, they've lost that identity. You can't have a smoker that doesn't smoke.
Things lobby for their own existence, and the smoker doesn't want to stop existing.
The scorpion stung the frog because that's what scorpions do.
A scorpion that doesn't sting frogs is no scorpion at all.