(09-23-2019, 11:07 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: Hormones the cause of everything human and animal? I don't even think scientists would agree with such a one-cause interpretation... Jung certainly did not do this, and did not attribute human behavior to hormones.
I can't see concluding from the fact that progress moves in fits and starts, and that the arc of history is long, that hormones are in control. There's no QED there.
And again, NO, right-wing fear-mongers are not "populists." No. Populists are those who wish to restore and advance more political and economic power to the people, rather than a small elite. That has nothing to do with racist and ethnic scapegoating.
I'll answer your three points in order.
1. I'll say this again: hormones influence/control every single action, reaction, thought and dream. I'm not saying that they cause everything, not at all, but they influence everything ('control' might sound a bit too harsh). Since testosterone is probably the best know hormone, I'll use that a a basic example for both mental and physical effects. If you have two very similar individuals, say twins, but the other has high and the other low testosterone levels, which one is more likely to be more sexually active and have more muscle mass? It is obviously the one with the higher testosterone levels. This is not always the case, as hormone levels do not dictate ones life, but the probability is set in the hormone levels you're given through biology. Now zoom your view out to the whole population, and you will see the individual differences are ironed out, and the generation with higher testosterone levels is likely to be more sexually active and have more muscle mass.
Do you now see my point of generational hormone levels influencing generational behavior, thus traits, perhaps even the archetypes, which are defined by distinctive behavioral patterns? Humans are not the only species to have a history defined by cyclical hormones. Look at the animal cycles and remember that they too have generations with distinctive behavioral patterns, and one could call those archetypes also.
(As for Jung, had almost no knowledge of hormones since he passed away in 1962. Jung understood and often said that nobody understands the human psyche, not even him, and this situation hasn't really changed during the past 60 years. But Jung understood that man is not in control of himself or his motives, and this is very clear from his writings, which is why he was very pessimistic about the future. You should see his last interviews where he talks about these issues, and nothing of what he says contradicts the generational hormone theory. In fact, much of it correlates with the generational hormone theory, as Jung understood the power of the unconscious, a part of the human psyche that is still poorly understood to this day. I'm sure Jung was open to all venues of information, since science provided/provides so few truths about the human psyche, but he did not cling to any one explanation too much, as he fully understood the deficiencies of his own knowledge, as did the Greek philosophers.)
2 & 3. If you doubt that hormone levels can be seen in historical group behavior, I suggest you read at least the chapter 2 of the generational hormone theory. Like with testosterone hormone levels, if you expose the two men to sexual images, which one is more likely to respond to them? It's the one with higher testosterone levels. Now think of historical times when average oxytocin and vasopressin levels are high. These are the times when xenophobia and other populist tactics are more likely to gather votes than when the hormone levels are low. It's quite simple, you just have to go from individuals to larger groups (which irons out the individual differences) and then see what the hormone levels are.
The fact is that not all populist leaders use these tactics to appeal to these instinctual feelings of heightened xenophobia, anti-Semitism, territoriality, lower social hierarchy and other aspects that higher oxytocin and vasopressin hormone levels bring with them. But during 4th turnings there is a possibility for this, including the populist aspect of "restore and advance more political and economic power to the people", since those hormone levels are at their highest point during this particular turning. This can be achieved during other turnings also, but 4th turning is when large populations are instinctively primed for this sort of messaging without them even realizing it. Just like if a high testosterone individual is addicted to sex, he does not think "I'm doing this because I have high levels of testosterone", but instead the sexual thought are more prevalent and strong in his/hers mind, thus likely leading to this kind of behavior.
Generational hormone theory: https://jannemiettinen.fi/FourthTurning/