# Ancient Aggression Meets Modern Technology by Stephen Hawking > “But humans still have the instincts, and in particular the aggressive impulses, that we had in caveman days. Aggression has had definite advantages for survival, but when modern technology meets ancient aggression the entire human race and much of the rest of life on Earth is at risk.” > **— Stephen Hawking**, *“What's happening in Syria is an abomination,” 2014* ## Sources and Context - **Authored op-ed:** [Stephen Hawking, “What's happening in Syria is an abomination,” *The Guardian* (February 17, 2014)](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/17/syria-abomination-human-intelligence-end-war). The packet begins in the middle of Hawking's second sentence. This version restores his preceding sentence and the whole conditional proposition. He was urging collective action to end the Syrian war and protect children, not arguing that inherited aggression makes war unavoidable. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] - **Article:** [[articles/Walking the Beautiful Path Through the Greatest Transformation in Human History|Walking the Beautiful Path Through the Greatest Transformation in Human History]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Stephen Hawking|Stephen Hawking]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “But humans still have the instincts, and in particular the aggressive impulses, that we had in caveman days. Aggression has had definite advantages for survival, but when modern technology meets ancient aggression the entire human race and much of the rest of life on Earth is at risk.” — Stephen Hawking, “What's happening in Syria is an abomination,” 2014 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-hawking-ancient-aggression-modern-technology ```