I refuse to hate people, it gives them power over my emotions and psyche. I may never speak to them or have anything to do with them, but hate is not in my heart.

Fear. People have fear, and fear leads to hate. (There are interim steps, but the ultimate outcome is hate.)

Misunderstanding, mostly.

Hate against groups? Or, hate against an individual? I assume you mean hate like racism and and whatever groups of people.

I think most people who hate are insecure, low self esteem, have a lot of fear, and want to feel better about themselves. Hate can stem from propping themselves up by looking down on others. Also, you can add in ignorance and inexperience.

I guess because we don’t see the world through their eyes.
Our views and opinions differ so much we can’t get along, the hater here always accuses me of being the hater not them.

Because, to one degree or another, we all have superiority complexes.

And it’s fun!

Everyone hates, one way or another, including you and me.

But most of the time we hate not for the sake of it, but because we think the people we hate do something wrong. It could be something against us or against someone else that we love, or even against things we consider “right”.

It’s actually not always bad. Do you hate Hitler? Serial killers? Corrupted politicians? That kind of hate sometimes is a good indication that we are angry about an injustice, and we don’t want it to continue.

And sometimes, we hate because we misunderstand each other. It happens all the time throughout history. Wars were fought because people misunderstood different cultures for example. That kind of hate is often destructive and need to be addressed through knowledge.

It’s really hard not to hate though. We are tribal creatures, and we are programmed since the dawn of humanity to fear strangers. It’s actually a survival tactics of the early humans, and it was good while it lasted. And as I said before, some hatred are actually justified.

To build upon what @Hawaii_Jake stated: Fear.

But what are people fearful of?

Loss of ego. People get so wrapped up in protecting their ego that they react negatively to any perceived threat.

When we let go of ego, we can be at peace and harmony because we are no longer threatened..

We are human.

No. We have a brain do not and need to accept everything. We also use that brain to control what we do when we feel hatred. It can be powerful fuel for a positive outcome.

In a word, Incompetence.

Perhaps. A form of balance. If one is capable of love, is one not also capable of hate?...

I should have been a little more specific when I asked this question to say: Why do we hate when we have no clear reason to?

@Dig_Dug there is no such thing as “no clear reason to”. Maybe to the outsider there is no reason, but to me there is a perfect reason. Maybe I do have a reason, but it’s so deeply embedded in my subconsciousness that even I don’t know it.

If I have no reason to love someone, I don’t hate them. I’m apathetic about them.

@Dig_Dug . With that modification of the question, I would veer towards tribalism. Most importantly. I would add that as Mimi eluded to, there is always a reason or rationalization/justification for hate. AND that “hate,” is a human construct.

Maybe in the current state of humanity, nationalism… Pride, and strict adherence to specific culture, and especially their respective religious saturation, can lead many to a sort of intolerance, and/or an unwillingness to coexist equally with others whose interests differ.
This type of thinking can parallel competition for resources.
Such behavior, is not exclusive to humans. At least, looking from the outside in.
Take lions and hyenas. If you have ever seen a lion kill a hyena, you could easily perceive that lions “hate” hyenas. In comparison to how a lion kills, to eat, versus the way it kills hyenas,(by my observation) there seems to be a distinct difference. Lions don’t even usually eat a hyena after killing them. Assuming that the lions have no level of more complex motivation other than instinct, it can be deduced that they are acting on a basic/primal strategy, of eliminating competitors to achieve success.

If we view hate through an evolutionary perspective, perhaps it is an adaptation by more complex creatures to give us the best opportunity for success by acting in a perceived beneficial way, without empathy?... Like when we train soldiers to shoot first ,reflexively, instead of thinking about it. Thus giving soldiers the likely advantage of success…
Intelligent/strategic/tactical decisions often only consider the variable of morality, if it is convenient…

If you want to dissect the sheer emotion of hate, I think it’s sadly a cousin of actions/behaviors, as most emotions lead to an almost involuntary action. That is, if we are going to give hate “emotional status” equivalent to love… Which I am inclined to, as both are emotional extremes…

So. The real depth of the question, as the op is/seems to be an empathetic observer, could be interpreted as a question of cause, and effect.

This is what perplexes me, I operate on emotions more than primal knee-jerk reactions. At least most of the time unless pushed to a breaking point. I try to consider what it is like to be “in their shoes” and from what they are coming from and how we can co-habitat to achieve a mutuality beneficial outcome.

While others seem to only want to attack and overtake for their own selfish needs. How they never consider other peoples needs or wants is beyond me and is so disheartening and embarrassing to even call them human beings. This is barbaric and I believe should NOT be tolerated in our modern society.

@Dig_Dug do you believe that is how most humans operate?

@Dig_Dug .Love your ideology. However. It is not how humanity is, or from a purely strategic perspective should be. It is humanity’s attempted (mostly successful,) domination of all things, that ironically give us the opportunity to even consider what we “should” be…

Emotions, are what currently separate us, from the “singularity.” AI, will likely be completely free of any moral restriction. Making humans, the ones to dominate.