Edward O. Wilson, a Harvard zoologist, has spent decades exploring what makes different species do what they do. He believes our deepest traits and tendencies are not implanted in our minds by culture but hardwired into our genes through millions of years of evolution making us into who we are, defining how we work, and shaping how we live. According to psychology and anthropology, he believes these following behaviors won’t change in any fundamental way:
- Tendency toward hierarchy
- Deep personal concern about status and recognition
- Great value placed upon self esteem as part of individual integrity
- Desire for a substantial degree of personal privacy, including private space
- Deep sexual and deep parental bonding
- Aversion to incestuous behavior
- Tribalism[i]
[i] Wilson, Edward, “Talking About Tomorrow,” Wall Street Journal, January 1, 2000, p. R16.