Nicholas A. Christakis wrote a book titled "Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society," in which he makes the case for the goodness of human beings and their ability to work together to overcome differences. Reviews of the book heap praise on him and his theory. And they make him sound so optimistic that it's tempting to hope he's right. Here's an excerpt from the book found at the publisher's website:
As I write, the United States seems riven by polarities—right and left, urban and rural, religious and a-religious, insiders and outsiders, haves and have-nots. Analyses reveal that both political polarization and economic inequality are at century-long peaks.3 American citizens are engaged in vocal debates about their differences, about who can and should speak for whom, about the meaning and extent of personal identity, about the inexorable pull of tribal loyalties, and about whether the ideological commitment to the melting pot in the United States—and to a common identity as Americans—is feasible or even desirable.
Lines appear sharply drawn. It may therefore seem an odd time for me to advance the view that there is more that unites us than divides us and that society is basically good. Still, to me, these are timeless truths.
One of the most dispiriting questions I have encountered in my own laboratory research is whether the affinity people have for their own groups—whether those groups are defined by some attribute (nationality, ethnicity, or religion) or by a social connection (friends or teammates)—must necessarily be coupled with wariness or rejection of others. Can you love your own group without hating everyone else?
Yes, political divisions in the U.S. now could tear apart the fabric that once held us together. And one party's devotion to identity politics certainly doesn't help. But there's hope. Maybe there will come a time when we will all pull for each other rather than just our own tribe. Here's Christakis again:
Genes do amazing things inside our bodies, but even more amazing to me is what they do outside of them. Genes affect not only the structure and function of our bodies; not only the structure and function of our minds and, hence, our behaviors; but also the structure and function of our societies. This is what we recognize when we look at people around the world. This is the source of our common humanity.
Natural selection has shaped our lives as social animals, guiding the evolution of what I call a “social suite” of features priming our capacity for love, friendship, cooperation, learning, and even our ability to recognize the uniqueness of other individuals. Despite all the trappings and artifacts of modern invention—our tools, agriculture, cities, nations—we carry within us innate proclivities that reflect our natural social state, a state that is, as it turns out, primarily good, practically and even morally. Humans can no more make a society that is inconsistent with these positive urges than ants can suddenly make beehives.
I believe that we come to this sort of goodness just as naturally as we come to our bloodier inclinations. We cannot help it. We feel great when we help others. Our good deeds are not just the products of Enlightenment values. They have a deeper and prehistoric origin.
Well, he could be too optimistic. But it's reassuring to think he's right.
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3:36 PM 4/26/2019
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