Have you ever wondered about the true nature of humanity? Are we born to be cooperative and altruistic, or are we fundamentally selfish competitors tamed by culture? This age-old question has profound implications for how we structure our societies, and the answer seems to be that we have evolved to be both.
🧠 The Social Brain and Invisible Rivalry
Our primate relatives, like chimpanzees and gorillas, often live in societies defined by aggressive dominance hierarchies. However, early humans evolved differently. The social brain hypothesis suggests our exceptionally large brains evolved to manage complex social systems. But this isn’t just for cooperation. Social scientist Jonathan R. Goodman argues we developed “invisible rivalry”—the ability to hide selfish intentions while maintaining a cooperative appearance. We evolved to compete in a cooperative world.
🎭 The Traitor’s Dilemma
Experiments show our dual nature in action. In one study, when given the option to secretly leave a cooperation game without their partner ever knowing, about a third of participants paid money to do so, hiding their selfish choice. This shows our capacity for betrayal when we can get away with it. This constant tension—the need to cooperate versus the temptation to betray—is a core part of the human experience.
🛡️ Our Cultural Immune System
Just as our bodies evolved an immune system to fight internal threats like cancer, our societies developed a “cultural immune system” to thwart our selfish tendencies. Institutions like religion, with its near-universal Golden Rule, and social norms about sharing resources (like the Maasai’s osotua system) evolved to bolster cooperation. Understanding that we are both cooperative and competitive by nature is key to building societies that can defend against the “enemy within” and promote our better angels.
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Goodman, Jonathan R. “The enemy within.” New Scientist, vol. 267, no. 3551, 12 July 2025, pp. 38-41.
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