The episode emphasizes how understanding our innate human drives and dispositions is critical, as awareness allows us to work with them constructively. In particular, humans have a "tribe drive" - an instinct to cooperate and identify with groups, even strangers. Figuring out the signals that activate this drive is an important mission. David Samson talks about the concept of tribalism and the role it plays in human behavior. He discusses the idea of evolutionary mismatch, where humans are evolved for a different environment than the one they currently live in. This episode explains that tribes are intersubjective belief networks that signal coalitionary alliances to bootstrap trust among strangers. Moreover, it explores the power of tribal signals, such as symbols, language, music, and ideology, in creating a sense of belonging and identity. Additionally, the episode emphasizes the importance of being conscious of our identity stack and the proportion of abstract tribes (e.g., political tribes) versus face-to-face community tribes in order to navigate the challenges of tribalism in the modern world.
David R. Samson
David R. Samson, Ph.D., is reshaping our understanding of human evolution. As an associate professor of Biological Anthropology at the University of Toronto, he investigates the major behavioral and physiological transitions that shaped our species. Bridging diverse fields from primatology to sleep science, his interdisciplinary research has been featured internationally by the BBC, Time, The New York Times, The Smithsonian, CBC, NPR, and National Geographic.Samson is the author of the groundbreaking book "Our Tribal Future: How to Channel Our Foundational Human Instincts into a Force for Good." He provides profound insights into how our primal tribal wiring can be harnessed as a force for unity, not division.Beyond academia, Samson pursues medieval martial arts as a distinguished member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. This gives him first-hand experience in channeling our innate tribal instincts.With his evolutionary expertise and diverse passions, Samson is illuminating new paths to overcome division and channel our tribal nature for the greater good.
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