Survival of the Friendliest

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For most of our species' 200,000-year existence, we cohabited with at least four other human types, all intelligent and inventive, yet they eventually went extinct. What enabled our survival? In engaging prose, Brian Hare, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, and his wife Vanessa Woods, a research scientist and journalist, present a compelling theory of "self-domestication." They argue that our success is not due to being the smartest or strongest, but rather our friendliness. This challenges the traditional view that equates evolutionary fitness with strength and aggression. Our ability to cooperate and empathize with others, seeing them as "one of us," has fostered innovation and cultural advancements. However, this gift of friendliness has a darker side; when we perceive others as different, we can disconnect from them emotionally, revealing our capacity for both tolerance and cruelty. To combat the rise of tribalism in contemporary society, Hare and Woods advocate for expanding our empathy to include those who do not resemble us. Their research, developed alongside cognitive evolution experts Richard Wrangham and Michael Tomasello, illuminates our evolutionary journey and the duality of our nature, addressing issues from genocide to innovation.