Us and Them: Understanding Your Tribal Mind

Units of heredity transferred from parent to offspring that determine offspring characteristics.

Richard Dawkins’ theory that our genes’ desire to replicate motivates evolution.

The bell shape created by data points plotted in normal distribution.

A fixed and oversimplified idea of a person or thing often applied to groups.

Human-kind group members taking ownership of and further defining the group.

An accidental pairing of things with easily perceptible features causing erroneous grouping of the things as members of a group when the observed similar feature is actually arbitrary.

Recently originated, meaningless traditions that claim to be old and meaningful.

A human-kind division of people based on some easily observable physical characteristic, such as skin color.

A human-kind grouping comprised of people who believe, or who others believe, share a common cultural background and/or genetics. Most ethnic groups do not share such background. Belief in shared culture and background, not actual shared culture and background, creates ethnicity.

The rules that transform mental processes into perceptions, memories, emotions, intentions, and actions.

A vivid memory of the sights and sounds perceived while feeling strong emotions.

Social rules, knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, and customs for people in human societies.

A theory of evolutionary biology which advocates an evolutionary pattern of rapid speciation followed by long-term stability.

The theory that species’ traits are evolved adaptations.

The theory that varying scientific disciplines with contrasting theories can coexist.