Surprise Gift: How Inherited Generational Traits Underpin Our Societies, with Harvey Whitehouse

Renowned social anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse is Director of the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Oxford and has crisscrossed the globe, living in remote parts of Papua New Guinea as well as sitting down with militias during Libya’s Arab Spring uprising, in order to learn what it means to be a human. The groups that have largely been the focus of Whitehouse’s work could be an organised religion, a tribe or a kingdom – but perhaps key to them all are the concepts of inherited ritual, allegiances and bias. His latest book, Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World, asks a new question about how inherited frameworks inform these perspectives. As we face an era of environmental destruction, political destabilisation and wars fought by forces with ever deadlier arsenals, could the same evolutionary traits that have pushed the world towards ever more sophisticated societies now be failing us? Joining Whitehouse to talk about it for this episode is Brian Klaas, Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London and the author of books including Fluke and Corruptible. Klaas is also a writer for The Atlantic and you can read more of him on his substack, The Garden of Forking Paths. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/IS for £100 sponsored credit. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all of our longer form interviews and Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events - Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. ... Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices