Cannibalism is an act that is seen as barbaric. It is ironic that eating a portion of the women is seen as “charitable,” when in any other situation any act of cannibalism would be seen as immoral. The act of eating human flesh also stems from freewill. The Janissaries had the option to pick their fate by either: surrendering to their opponents, starving to death, or cannibalism. No human would choose such a painful way as starvation to die, and it is because humans possess freewill that the Janissaries are able to avoid starvation. This also illustrates the potential each human possesses to perform such horrors not only collectively, but also individually. Humans are in a “state of nature” when their bodies and minds are tested beyond constraints. And, as a reult we rely on our most primitive and barbaric instincts, to behave like what modern society would see as animalistic. When the situation comes down to a struggle for basic human needs a more “primitive” state of mind takes over in order to preserve life.

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