Red Brains, Blue Brains: #5: Paleopolitics

The first entry in the Red Brains, Blue Brains series - The Psychology of MAGA - explored the psychological and neurological foundations of political thought, highlighting how those who lean hard into authoritarianism and patriarchy are not simply advocating a particular worldview, but following impulses in their brains and social responses that create that worldview (as it is with all of us). The second entry - Authoritarian We Will Go - focused specifically on group instantiations and behaviors of the authoritarian mindset (the Far Right, Christian Nationalists, etc.).

The third volume, One Big Happy Family, circles back to the reality that all of us are nudged in this direction or that, when it comes to our political and social biases, by our genes and by the differences in our individual brains - and that this variety is a gift of nature, equipping the human tribe for optimum survival. The idea is to emphasize that our deep political divisions are ultimately foolish and even dangerous, and that we do better when we realize that we all see the world differently by nature's design, and that this truth should be celebrated, not denigrated.

These three short reads break down the One Big Happy Family concept. The first, Paleopolitics, offers a brief review of those brain differences that boost our survival potential, then revisits human history before the advent of agriculture and development of civilization, examining how human tribes governed themselves in the context of their cognitive variety - then leaping forward to more modern times, when Native Americans and other indigenous peoples gave us a first-hand view of just what that paleogovernance looked like.

The second short read, In a Purple World, goes into detail on where we went wrong, taking a hard look at what the introduction of property and ownership and inheritance did to the ancient human social order, bringing with them patriarchy, inequality, misogyny, social dominance - and war. Specifically, it examines just what happens in human societies when those with a particular worldview isolate themselves from those with different worldviews - and how technology, especially today, has worked against us.

Finally, the final short read - The Human Adventure - looks ahead, envisioning our potential for an abundant future... if we can get our act together, heal our divisions, and get back to working together for the common good, with particular attention to how technology can become our friend in that grand project.

Thank you for taking the time to pursue this important subject