Our Tribal Future

Our Tribal Future by David R. Samson was excellently-researched, well-written, and very enjoyable book.

The book is both interesting and educational.
This is an extremely well researched book.
I’ve always been fascinated with this sort of stuff.
And if I’m being honest this opened my eyes to a whole new world.
The science, philosophy, ethics, and history of tribalism in very compelling and intriguing to me.
A very engaging and enjoyable book and one that I highly recommend reading.
The author has done a wonderful job bringing these ideas together and narrating their evolution while providing a comprehensive read for further reading.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC

Our Tribal Future informs us about the human nature of forming groups and how this need influences our behavior.  The word tribalism often brings about a bad connotation.  However, tribalism is a successful survival mechanism that is part of human evolution.  Samson explains our instinct to band together in tribes has brought humans together in remarkable ways.  With a complicated subject, Samson has broken down this complex subject into simpler sections with plenty of examples.  I was very intrigued by the guiding question of " How do we trust people who aren't family?"  When we feel like we are in a group with a commonality, humans can accomplish amazing things, but what brings us together as a group can also make us feel differently about other groups and can lead to hatred of anyone perceived as an other or outsider.  With this revelation, Samson also gives us the tools to look into ourselves to see our affiliations and how they are affecting our perceptions.  I enjoyed the  information on building your own tribe and the benefits of living in a tribe.  
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Contempt Is The Dissolver Of Unions. Yes, that is a particularly memorable line from the book - and a warning. Here, Samson discusses the history, biology, and sociology of our "Tribe Drive" - ongoing and apparently bleeding edge research in all three fields - and shows how it has brought us to where we are... and how we can better utilize it to achieve a more peaceable and prosperous future for all. Yes, some of this book is a touch... out there... for some, such as Samson's admitting to basing some of his thinking of this topic on his use of psychedelic mushrooms, peyote, and similar compounds. And yes, there are things here that partisans left and right will likely complain about - some legitimately, some less so. And yes, in ultimately recommending a form of at minimum confederation of federated governments - if not outright anarchism, which he discusses without ever using the term, yet never precludes that the groups he discusses could become official "governments" - perhaps Samson is even a touch idealistic. And yet, the documentation is solid at around 20% of the text (not counting footnote discussions at the end of each chapter, which may bump that to around 22-25% of the text). Further, the book lays bare in scientific terms that which I've largely understood and have been advocating at various points for the last 15 years or so, through my own active political activism days and into my efforts to promote reading and literacy now.

Overall an intriguing, thought out book and one that adds greatly to the overall conversation around groups, governments, coalitions, and politics, and thus one that anyone who seeks to truly understand and use these concepts truly needs to read and understand. Very much recommended.

This is an incredibly well-researched book about society and community. I was intrigued by this book in the context of the political polarization happening in the U.S. and after reading this book, I feel like I have a better understanding why we form "in-groups" and "out-groups" and the grounding in this from evolution as well as anthropology. I gained a new perspective on Leavitt Town - suburbs as a way to deal with (white) men returning from war by keeping them in a "controllable" space to contain the population. He also talks about loneliness by isolation and the negative physical and mental health impacts of this "disease" - which the Surgeon General is now writing extensively about. What I love about this book is he does not just lay out the challenges - he also identifies solutions and reflections that each of us can take to reduce social isolation (from co-housing and other ideas). Another part of the book I valued is about self-determination theory - there are three foundational elements to finding meaning at work -- 1) we want to feel competent in the work we are doing 2) that our life is being lived authentically and 3) that we feel socially connected. This is helpful advice to give to all of us and particularly for the generation just entering the workforce or graduating from college. The author also shares personal stories throughout that add depth and meaning to the content he is covering. I recommend this book. A very interesting read!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC and I left this honest review voluntarily.