The Survivor and the Thinker: The Evolutionary Hardware That Keeps Us Alive and Tears Us Apart

Moti Weizman’s The Survivor and the Thinker proposes that the brain’s evolution has hardwired it to cause humans to consistently behave with a tribal mentality. He suggests there are two systems in the brain: the Survivor and the Thinker, both of whom work to manage and protect these “tribes.”

The Survivor is emotionally designed to keep the tribe alive, and the Thinker is the logical reasoning engine. Weizman explains that although the Thinker believes it’s in charge, in reality, the Survivor sets the tribal path, while the Thinker is left to explain or defend the Survivor’s decision. Weizman posits that while humanity has long mistakenly believed that the Thinker is in charge and that all decisions are rational, life would run more smoothly if people would accept that logic takes the back seat to emotions.

This, notes Weizman, accounts, for example, for how such simple tribes as rabid football fandoms develop, as well as countries defined by borders, languages and customs. All of these, claims Weitzman, were designed by the brain’s Survivor and perpetuated by the Thinker.

He also notes that tribal mentality explains how otherwise intelligent, rational people cling to opinions even when confronted with absolute facts; for example, those who stubbornly back political candidates despite their obvious unsuitability to the role. Further, he notes that individuals who understand how this tribal behavior works can manipulate people to benefit an agenda.

Weizman’s theory is well-thought out and well-defended. The author explains that this type of tribal behavior is just one aspect of Survivor/Thinker evolution, and in a cogently written narrative, expertly gives many examples of how the vast global civilization operates on a cognitive design originally meant to maintain small-group unity. Ultimately, he deftly analyzes evolutionary forces that built the brain, and how they are still in control, perhaps explaining why society feels so broken even when we can’t figure out why.

The theory is intriguing, and the book is an absorbing read.