Special issue on the abuse and misuse of social agents

Extract

“You see, there’s a primal joy in hitting a thing in motion. It’s one of the oldest pleasures there is. Something moves, boo, you wing it. Beast, bird or human, the thing to do is to knock it down. It’s primal, Davy. It’s basic to the origin of the species.” – Don DeLillo, Americana

1 Introduction

Coming across an unknown creature generates anxiety. Its autonomy gives rise to fears; its agency requires vigilance. In the primitive world of predators and prey, it is wise to be leery of anything that moves and to learn as quickly as possible whether a creature is aggressive or possesses dangerous weapons of self-defence. What better way to find that out then to throw a rock at it from a safe distance to see how it reacts and what it is capable of doing to protect itself. Testing, teasing, and poking creatures is so crucial for human and animal survival that it is no wonder these behaviours are also pleasurable, as are play fighting and play chasing (for a review of the literature, see Aldis, 1975). Apparently an elementary predator–prey schema runs across cultures and most species (Lorenz, 1939).