Is Degeneracy Human Nature?
I have been a major fan of world history for a very long time. Although I was introduced to world history in high school, it was presented to me in a way which made it very tedious and unexciting. This did not spark my interest until I was in college. In college, I dived in to a little bit of research about world history for essays research and naturally became interested. My real love of world history came from art school with Art History class. It was then I learned about the Sumerians and delved into the new world of cuneiform tablet translations. 2018 was a great years that peaked my fascination into cuneiform tablet translations. The information I could find weren't very detailed and things were still very roughly translated. As time went on, I found myself obsessed learning more along with learning more about other areas of history. In 2019 I was the Vice President of the Art History club and enjoyed learning more and sharing what I learned. I enjoy learning about every time period simply out of personal exploration and curiosity. Knowing what I know now, with the shaping of my own philosophy, I have to ask the question if degeneracy is part of human nature.
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Most of the world is against degenerate cultures and have an agenda to remove them from human existence. However, from my understanding it is embedded in the human behavior. If it is suppressed, it goes underground. If it goes into the mainstream, like in Sodom and Gomorrah, it becomes normalized and either becomes unfulfilling or leads to societal decay and unlawful deviancy. It is my opinion that the normal behavior of nature, and even outter space, is chaos. It is easy to destroy than it is to build.
Most of the world gets their values from religion. In the US it is the Judaic and Christian values. In these teachings, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah due to their deviant activities which were a sin to God. The primary reason is that it offends God, leads to further deviancy, and is the opposite to purity and innocence. There is also the original sin of Adam and Eve who ate of the forbidden fruit of knowledge. The path of degeneracy leads to the path towards Revelations at the end of the Bible when supposedly God returns to remove all evil from Earth or renews the Earth. The teachings of this belief goes to the Torah which can be traced to the Pentateuch. Dating beyond the Pentateuch is the laws of Ur-Nammu and the Enuma Elish along with the many cuneiform tablets scattered throughout the world painting a picture of a different world of pre-human civilization.
Daring to ask the question 'Is degeneracy human nature?' I have to visit to a period before the bible. In my research I have discovered that in the Babylonian times, prostitution was a common activity. People would perform public lewd activities and have brothels with respected prostitutes. Prostitution was also a common activity and occurrence in temples and rituals. Isthar (Inana) was the God of fertility and war. There would be nude offerings along with celebrations involving ritualized mating as depicted in the time period's hymns and songs.
Dating before the Babylonian times, were the Sumerian, Akkaidian, Vinca and Ubaid cultures. There are Cuneiforms of the Sumerian culture explaining humans were made for many tasks. Some for mining, others for tracking stars. The humans were made from the wild-men who roamed the lands along mixed with the DNA of a slain lower god. There were many iterations and prototypes. Some even erased completely (there is a cuneiform that depict humans who no longer were desired were sent to a mountain and disposed of). The Duranki, Agigi, and Apkolu found sexual interest with humans and also mated with them. Among the humans created, Adapa was said to be the greatest human ever made, given the name as the first human sage or wisdom-giver gaining the label of Prince Adapa (As depicted in tablets of creation). The cuneiform (from all over the world, including private collections, like the Lichtenstein collection) depicts all sorts of humans. Humans who bred too fast and humans who could not even breed at all. They discuss prototypes of human giants, supposed human reptiles (Ubaid), and humans who were so frail, they could not even lift a shovel. Humans were both clothed and naked depending on tasks. They bred openly and publicly. To track the lineage of kingship from the God-rulers and their offsprings, the Sumerians created the Sumerian King's List. It wasn't until the laws of Ur-nammu (also later iterated by Hammurapi/ Hammurabi) when marriage became a method of tracking linage and a control of population sizes. From Eridu (The Ubaid people near Eridu) people spread out throughout the entire world as the Enki (Ea) discussed humans to be have freedom (because of his role in crating humans with Ningishzida) while Enlil wanted them to be controlled and removed to prevent chaos. In the final events of the Sumerian mythology, Enlil Floods the Earth (fed up with human noise) with the passing of Nibiru (Nibiri or Nubiana) having the Sumerian Gods leave Earth and Enki warning Utnopishtim (Noah) to build a coracle or ark to save his family. Utnopishtim survives, Enlil gets extremely angry, Enki convinces Anu (An) and the other Gods to let humans live and thrive. Enlil gives in and blesses humanity to thrive, giving humans dominion of the Earth (who later Marduk-Rah later uses as personal propaganda in the early Babylonian period).
Now the question still remains. Is degeneracy human nature? According to the early Sumerian cuneiform translations, humans were both animal-like and intelligent. Nudity and sexuality was normalized until the effects of the laws of Ur-Nammu which structured marriage. Prostitution was still considered a sacred activity and rite. Prostitution, I believe, was the first integration of degeneracy into early society so that ladies and young men could obtain and attract customers. Otherwise it would be difficult to know what they early humans ever did. The gods behaved as normal humans did with their association with each other. It's likely they had their own spicy interests. Inanna's temples found in Ain-Dara and in Uruk likely had all sorts of spicy rituals which would likely be considered taboo and degenerate today, yet served a great purpose to celebrate the celestial order of the stars and planets.
The following is a list of items I found throughout history that depicts the degenerate nature of cultures and societies:
1. Sex with Strangers in Babylon: In ancient Babylon, women visited temples to have spicy activities with a stranger as a religious rite, seen as a normal part of honoring the gods and accepted by society without shame.
2. Temple Prostitution in Babylon: Temples in Babylon hosted ritual intimacy as worship, where adults engaged in intercourse to please deities, making it a communal and spiritual practice rather than taboo.
3. Sin of Chastity in Babylon: Refusing spicy activities was considered sinful in Babylonian culture; adults, including married ones, often participated in casual or paid encounters openly.
4. Debauched Dinners in Babylon: Babylonian dinner parties frequently turned into group explicit activities, with guests undressing and engaging in group spicy activities, viewed as a standard social entertainment.
5. Consecration of Marriage in Babylon: Marriages in ancient Babylon required sexual intercourse to be official; without it, the union wasn't valid, emphasizing intercourse as essential to legal bonds.
6. Public spicy activities and intercourse was everywhere in Babylon: Babylonians had spicy activities openly in public spaces like streets, rooftops, and temples, with no cultural restrictions, showing sexuality as an everyday norm.
7. Marriage Markets in Babylon: Adult women were auctioned in markets to men as wives, followed by intercourse to seal the marriage, treating pairing as a public and economic event.
8. Homosexuality in Babylon: Same-sex acts, including anal intercourse, were practiced openly without stigma in Babylon, used for pleasure and contraception in both homo and hetero contexts.
9. Legalized Prostitution in Rome: Prostitution was legal and widespread in ancient Rome, with adults frequenting brothels publicly, integrating it into daily urban life as a normal outlet.
10. Erotic Art in Roman Households: Upper-class Romans displayed explicit sexual paintings and mosaics in homes, depicting various adult acts, reflecting acceptance of visual erotica in respectable society.
11. Oral Sexual Depictions in Pompeii: Bathhouse art in Pompeii showed adults engaging in oral sexual activities, designed to entertain and normalize such practices in public spaces.
12. Group Sexual activities in Roman Art: Pompeian frescoes illustrated group sexual activities with multiple adult partners in various combinations, portraying it as a common theme in entertainment and decor.
13. Mirrored Bedrooms for Voyeurism: Roman elites like Horace used mirrored rooms during sexual activities with prostitutes to view acts from all angles, highlighting innovative adult pleasures.
14. Emperor's Sexual Manuals and Art: Tiberius decorated bedrooms with erotic paintings, sculptures, and manuals to inspire adult sexual activities in imperial circles.
15. Lupercalia Festival Nudity: During Rome's Lupercalia, adults participated in nude rituals with sexual symbolism to promote fertility, a state-supported event.
16. Floralia Nude Dancing: The Floralia festival featured adult prostitutes dancing nude, linking sexuality to religious prosperity in public celebrations.
17. Priapus Phallic Worship: Romans honored Priapus with phallic statues and rituals emphasizing lust, incorporating sexual threats in poetry as cultural humor. Not to mention cults of Boccus and Baal had their own spicy rituals. Phallic-shaped objects made of stone, bone, or leather found in the ruins of Pompeii, were used by women for personal pleasure in Roman times.
18. Venus Cult Sexuality: The cult of Venus tied adult reproduction and pleasure to state well-being, with rituals celebrating eroticism as vital.
19. Epicurean Casual Sexuality: Philosophers like Lucretius recommended casual sexual practices with prostitutes for tension release, promoting it as a rational adult pleasure.
20. Tribadism Among Roman Women: Women in Rome engaged in same-sexual acts like tribadism, documented in graffiti and literature as expressions of mutual desire.
21. Woman-on-Top Position in Rome: The "riding" position was popular in Roman art and advice, encouraging active female participation in heterosexual sexual activity.
22. Anal intecourse with Women in Rome: Roman women offered anal intercourse to avoid pregnancy, praised in poetry as a pleasurable alternative. They also used sheeps bladders for protection.
23. Irrumatio as Dominance: Forced oral sexual practices was boasted in Roman poems as a sign of virility, often in adulterous or punitive contexts.
24. Anal intercourse Popularity in Ancient Times: In Greco-Roman and Biblical eras, anal intercourse was common for contraception and pleasure among adults, seen as a standard heterosexual act.
25. Erotic Salads and Aphrodisiacs: Ancients used vegetables like lettuce or carrots as aphrodisiacs or applied olive oil topically during sexual activity, integrating food into adult intimacy.
26. Gladiators as Sexualized Symbols: Roman gladiators attracted adult female admirers for affairs, with graffiti showing their popularity as lovers in society.
27. Polysexuality in Rome: Emperors like Hadrian engaged in bisexual relationships, treating fluid adult attractions as normal in elite circles.
28. Kama Sutra Arts in India: Ancient India's Kama Sutra detailed 64 adult sexual techniques for pleasure, teaching nobility promiscuous skills as a life art. Through Kama Sutra, ancient Indian texts detailed diverse sexual positions, homosexuality, and group activities as normal explorations of pleasure.
29. Shunga Prints in Japan: Edo-period Japanese art depicted explicit adult sexual activities, including prostitution and fetishes, as aesthetic and social norms.
30. Etruscan Extramarital Sexual activity: Etruscan women freely had sexual engagments and intercourse outside marriage with orgiastic rituals, without stigma, differing from neighboring cultures.
31. Every culture has adult jokes or humor in nudity: Examples range from ancient Egyptian puns on phallic symbols in hieroglyphs to modern stand-up comedy routines about body parts in Western societies, or Japanese "ero-guro" art blending eroticism with humor.
32. Females like the attention and use it for attracting partners: Examples include women dressing provocatively at social events to draw eyes or using social media to post alluring photos for likes and messages. The same was done by the Romani gypsies in photos and drawings.
33. Roman sex chests for helping people get aroused in bed: Examples are the Roman "spintriae" tokens or decorated boxes containing erotic items like oils, phallic amulets, or illustrations used in bedrooms to enhance intimacy.
34. Pagan mating rituals, like running in the woods to mate with partners or near rivers: Examples include Celtic Beltane festivals with maypole dances symbolizing fertility or Greek Dionysian rites involving ecstatic chases and outdoor couplings to celebrate nature's cycles.
35. The story of Godiva and collecting taxes: Examples refer to the legend of Lady Godiva riding naked through Coventry to protest her husband's high taxes, inspiring peeping Tom folklore.
36. Renaissance art: Examples include Michelangelo's nude sculptures like David or Botticelli's Birth of Venus, depicting idealized naked bodies in religious and mythological contexts.
37. Throughout a large part of history, males prefer adult visuals where females prefer literature that excites the imagination and emotions: Examples are men often favoring pornographic images of gypsies, comics, and paintings for quick arousal, while women might choose erotic novels, like books from erotic novelist Eliza Haywood in the 1690s - 1750s for emotional buildup.
38. Ancient Greek Pederasty: In classical Greece, adult men mentored and had sexual relationships with adolescent boys as a normal rite of passage into manhood, seen as educational and socially accepted.
39. Dionysian group sexual activities in Greece: Followers of Dionysus engaged in ritualistic group sexual activity and ecstatic behaviors during festivals, blending religion and sexuality as a communal norm.
40. Sacred Prostitution in Ancient Greece: Temple prostitutes, or hierodules, offered sexual services as acts of worship to gods like Aphrodite, considered a holy duty.
41. Viking Funeral Sexual Rituals: In Norse culture, when a chief died, an encaptured or servant girl would have intercourse with multiple men before being sacrificed and buried with him, as described in historical accounts.
42. Norse Premarital Intercourse: Vikings encouraged sexual relations before marriage for both men and women, with no stigma, focusing on practical concerns like unwanted pregnancies rather than morality.
43. Homosexuality in Viking Myths: Norse gods like Loki engaged in same-sexual acts and gender fluidity, reflecting acceptance in folklore and possibly society.
44. Geisha Mizuage Ceremony: In traditional Japanese geisha culture, a young maiko's virginity was auctioned to the highest bidder as a rite of passage into full geisha status.
45. Oiran Courtesans in Japan: High-ranking courtesans, distinct but related to geisha world, provided sexual entertainment and companionship as a respected profession in Edo period.
46. Mayan Genital Bloodletting: Mayan elites pierced their genitals in blood rituals to communicate with gods, mixing pain, sexuality, and spirituality as a normal religious practice.
47. Mayan Homosexual Practices: Same-sex relations were depicted in Mayan art and codices, often accepted among nobility and warriors as part of social bonds.
48. Polynesian Premarital Sexual Education: In pre-contact Hawaii, young people learned about intercourse through direct observation and practice in communal family homes, with open attitudes toward exploration.
49. Tahitian Arioi Society: In Polynesia, the Arioi performed erotic dances and engaged in group sexual activities as part of religious and entertainment rituals, without marriage or children.
50. Marquesan Polyandry: Polynesian women in the Marquesas Islands often had multiple husbands, with sexual relations shared openly as a cultural norm for resource sharing.
51. Hawaiian Mahu Tradition: In Polynesia, mahu (third-gender individuals) engaged in same-sex relationships and cross-dressing, fully integrated and respected in society.
52. African Widow Cleansing: In some East African tribes like the Luo, widows had ritual intercourse with a relative or cleanser to purify them before remarrying, seen as essential for spiritual health.
53. Maasai Sexual Initiation: Maasai girls in Kenya underwent rites involving sexual instruction and relations with moran (warriors) as preparation for adulthood.
54. Sambia Boy Insemination: In Papua New Guinea (often grouped with islander or African influences), boys ingested procreation seminal fluids from older men in rituals to gain manhood and strength.
55. Wodaabe Wife-Stealing Festival: In Niger's Wodaabe tribe, men competed in beauty contests where married women could choose new sexual partners, normalizing extramarital affairs.
56. Roman Imperial group sexual activities: Emperors like Caligula hosted lavish group sexual events, with relations of family and bisexuality common among elite, viewed as displays of power.
57. Ancient Egyptian family sexual relation practices: Pharaohs married siblings or young individuals to preserve divine bloodlines, as in the case of Tutankhamun, normalized in royal culture.
58. Egyptian self-pleasuring Myth: The god Atum created the world through self-pleauring practices, leading to public fertility rituals involving similar acts.
59. Indian Devadasi System: In ancient India, women dedicated to temples as devadasis provided sexual services to priests and devotees as a form of worship.
61. Chinese Concubinage: Emperors and nobles kept multiple concubines for sexual variety, with practices like foot-binding enhancing erotic appeal.
62. Medieval European Brothels: Church-regulated public bathhouses in Europe doubled as brothels, where prostitution was accepted and taxed as a social necessity.
63. Celtic Fertility Rites: Pre-Christian Celts engaged in seasonal group sexual activities during festivals like Beltane to ensure crop fertility, blending sexuality with nature worship.
64. Aztec Ritual Prostitution: In Mesoamerica, young women served as temple prostitutes to honor gods, with sexual acts part of religious offerings.
65. Inuit Wife-Sharing: In Arctic cultures, husbands offered wives to guests for sexual hospitality, strengthening alliances and survival bonds.
66. Amazonian Yanomami Polygamy: South American tribes practiced polygyny with shared sexual access, including group relations during festivals.
67. Charles D'eon De Beaumont was a French diplomat for the British empire who would sometimes dress like female adopting a secret role as a female.
There are many considerable degenerate practices, lustful rituals, and fetishes throughout history. Although I aimed for 50 reasons, I kept adding more reasons from my findings. Furthermore, there are questions if it has perhaps led to a civilization's decay, deviancy, or downfall. Nevertheless, the presence of degernacy has been around throughout history. With many more items I have no mentioned.
What is degernacy for? What does it contribute to? Below I will mention some reasons why degeneracy might be used by humanity:
- Evolutionary survival instincts: Humans have strong urges to reproduce, leading to behaviors like casual sexual activities. Early hunter-gatherers mated frequently to ensure tribe survival.
- Curiosity about the body: People naturally explore their own and others' bodies from a young age. Often exploration after or because of the effects of puberty.
- Stress relief mechanism: Sexual activities release endorphins that reduce anxiety. People turning to intimacy during tough times like wars.
- Social bonding tool: Sharing intimate moments builds trust in groups. Ancient tribes using group rituals to strengthen community ties. People wanting greater bonds and freedoms with a more intimate community.
- Power dynamics in relationships: Dominance and submission play out in sexual contexts. Historical rulers having multiple partners to show status.
- Influence of hormones: Testosterone and estrogen drive risky behaviors. Teens experimenting due to puberty surges. Perhaps cycles or behavioral patterns due to sexual urges and hormones.
- Cultural taboos create allure: Forbidden acts become more tempting. Secret affairs in strict societies.
- Artistic expression: Degeneracy inspires creativity in art and music. Rock stars promoting wild lifestyles in songs. Artist moving culture forward or pushing the limits of artistic expression.
- Economic motivations: People trade intimacy for resources. Sugar daddy arrangements in modern times.
- Boredom avoidance: Routine life pushes people to seek thrills. Couples trying new kinks to spice up marriages. Seniors looking for more fulfilling experiences.
- Peer pressure effects: Groups encourage wild behavior for acceptance. College parties with drinking and hookups.
- Media glorification: Movies and ads make degeneracy seem normal. Hollywood films showing casual sex as fun despite permescuity.
- Genetic diversity drive: Mixing genes through varied partners benefits species. Animals like bonobos having frequent sex for alliances.
- Emotional coping strategy: Intimacy heals heartbreak or loneliness. Rebound relationships after breakups.
- Historical precedents: Many civilizations embraced open sexuality. Greek symposia with erotic discussions.
- Psychological escapism: Fantasies provide relief from reality. Role-playing games in bedrooms.
- Competition for mates: Humans show off to attract partners. Flaunting bodies on social media. Perhaps acts of narcisism for more popularity or to make other jelouse. Perhaps acts of rebellion or lacking in parental or mentor figures.
- Addiction potential: Pleasure centers in brain crave more. Porn habits escalating over time. Degenerative acts decay in deviancy and cave more things that are taboo and extreme.
- Ritualistic behaviors: Festivals often include uninhibited acts. Carnival celebrations with costumes and flirting.
- Influence of drugs/ alcohol: Substances lower inhibitions. Bar hookups after drinking. It could also be a result of decay by the frontal lobe on behalf of drugs and substances.
- Identity exploration: People test boundaries to find themselves. Coming out stories involving experimentation. People experiment with degeracy for discover, explore interests, or find their interest- limitations.
- Rebellion against norms: Breaking rules feels empowering. Youth subcultures promoting free love or promescuity.
- Health benefits claims: Some argue sexual activity improves well-being. Studies linking orgasms to better sleep.
- Technological enables: Apps make casual encounters easy. Dating sites for quick meetups.
- Universal across ages: From young to old, desires persist. Seniors in nursing homes forming relationships.
-Cure for lonliness: People seeking companionship with casual sexual behaviors. Old men seeking youthful partners.
-Spending money on interests: People spending money on spicy interests because of abundance. Millionairs hosting indecent parties.
-A result of bountiful culture or society: When people have more then they need, they are likely to experiment with sexual narratives and behaviors.
There are many reasons why degenerative spicy behaviors might be used by humans. I'm sure there is much more I am also not mentioning. In my observation, seeing the potential reasons why degeneracy is used, along with the existence of degeneracy throughout history, I personally think degeneracy seems to be highly likely a normal and natural human behavior. Thus we ask the question again, is degeneracy human nature? In my observation, it seems to be a normal yet unfavorable human behavior. Unfavorable because it reveals things about ourselves that we might not like, understand, know how to deal with, or agree with if we were completely honest with ourselves. People seem to originally derive from a non-monogamous nature (even Abreham of the Bible had many wives). With nature and the narrative or love and marriage (much of which became a mainstream narrative in the 80s and 90s), we can practice monogomy or serial monogomy which places these behaviors within cultural and religious acceptable values. Nevertheless, just because degeneracy seems highly likely to be human nature, it does not make it ethical. Religious communities might state reasons why it is unethical. Their beliefs are valid. It can be seen as sinful and offensive to God. Being that I am not too religious, I want to say there is a lack of ethics in degenerative beliefs and activities. I personally believe there is a lack of ethics, balance, discipline (personal and sexual), and often a lack of consent. It's my belief that people need to reexamine sexual behaviors and learn values that will not lead to degenerative sexual behaviors or a state of continuous decay and deviance. Furthermore, I think people should explore their interests to what they believe will lead to a more fulfilling or authentic life or lifestyle. This can make people unique. The reason I believe it requires these values is so that degenerate culture and activities do not lead to not only to societal decay but also contribute to civilizational collapse. Morality only seems to lead to one direction, which is decay, because there are no values which build and improve its structure. Perhaps the idea of degenerative laws could be an interesting idea to preserve the ethics in this narrative. I think it might prove useful that if degenerative culture or activities were to be normalized, that society would have to find out what is deemed ethical and culturally appropriate. Seeing that society cannot discuss the idea, I am led to believe society is not ready for this kind of feature in society. People still have a lot to learn, explore, and discover before they allow any degenerative version of society. I agree that if there is a version of society that accepts degenerate culture,it should be confined within its own zones and areas of privacy. In conclusion, people can debate whether degeneracy is a natural human behavior; if society can allow for versions of it to be socially acceptable; or if all forms of degeneracy should be censored, hidden, and banned completely.
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