Tag Archives: Kin Selection

Good Advice from George Washington

Posted on March 29, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

Until quite recently, U.S. President George Washington was considered the ideal American: honest, brave, wise, and patriotic. None of that has changed. Washington offered some good advice about how to have a healthy society and a just government: “We must … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Political Science | Tagged Community, Evolution, George Washington, In-Group, Kin Selection, Out-Group, Social Conflict, Social trust | Leave a comment

Don’t “Other” Other People

Posted on January 10, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

Most people aren’t familiar with the idea of “othering,” but they are familiar with what it is. They’ve seen it. They’ve done it to other people, and they’ve had it done to them. To “other” a group of people is … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Political Science, Psychology, Science | Tagged Evolution, Group bias, In-Group, Kin Selection, Othering, Out-Group, Partisanship, Social Conflict | 1 Comment

America and China Can Work It Out

Posted on June 5, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Tensions between America and China are as predictable as they are, well, stupid. Their tensions are predictable for two reasons: The United States and China are rival world powers, vying with each other for status and influence in the world. … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Political Science | Tagged America, Balance of payments, China, Ethnocentricity, Free trade, Group bias, Han Chinese, International Trade, Kin Selection, Tariffs, Trade, Trade dispute | Leave a comment

Do WMDs Make Religion Too Risky?

Posted on March 27, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

On his blog, philosopher Eric Kaplan posed a serious question (paraphrased here): If our weapons can destroy all life on earth, can we still afford to believe in a God who plays favorites? People sometimes claim that God is “… … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy, Psychology | Tagged Aggression, Atheism, Belief in God, Kin Selection, Philosophy of Religion, Religion, Sapolsky, Steven Weinberg, Theism, War | 3 Comments

We Are What We Are

Posted on March 21, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

We are what we are. The only question is what we choose to do about it. When I worked on Capitol Hill, I knew a political writer who was a nasty, hateful person. Then he became a Christian. And — … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Human Relations, Judaism, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazim, DNA, Evolution, Globalism, Group behavior, Hillel, In-Group, Kin Selection, Moment Magazine, Nationalism, Open borders, Out-Group, Proxy variable, Yoram Hazony | Leave a comment

Oh Say, Kin You See?

Posted on October 25, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

Football player Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the American national anthem. And people on all sides of the political spectrum went nuts. Why? The most obvious reason is that they either endorse or dispute his complaint: “I am not … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged American Flag, Evolution, In-Group, Kaepernick, Kin Selection, National Anthem, Psychology, Tribal behavior, Tribe | Leave a comment

Fighting Racism Starts in the Heart

Posted on January 11, 2017 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: When we think of relations between Jews and African-Americans, we naturally think of our proudest moments. And we should. Abraham Joshua Heschel marched side-by-side with Martin Luther King in 1965, helping America … Continue reading →

Posted in Judaism, The Jewish Journal | Tagged Abraham Joshua Heschel, Affirmative Action, Altruism, Black-Jewish Alliance, Civil Rights Movement, Evolution, Fighting racism, Kin Selection, Martin Luther King, Racism, Shelby Steele, Social harmony, Sociobiology | Leave a comment

Ending the Violence, Part 2

Posted on December 27, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

My new blog post for The Jerusalem Post: As I discussed in last week’s blog post, human violence has some specific biological causes: kin selection, territoriality, and lack of empathy. We are created in God’s image spiritually, but our bodies … Continue reading →

Posted in Judaism, The Jerusalem Post | Tagged Aggression, Evolutionary Psychology, Intifada, Kin Selection, Peace, Public Choice, Talmud, Territoriality, Terrorism, Violence | Leave a comment

Ending the Violence, Part 1

Posted on December 19, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: “The road to disaster is paved with pleasant illusions, and the way to deal with evil is not to ignore it,”1 advised Abraham Joshua Heschel. The English philosopher Francis Bacon wasn’t Jewish, … Continue reading →