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The Book of War: The Evolutionary Biology of Racism, Religious Hatred, Nationalism, Terrorism, and Genocide
Has the world gone crazy? The intractable MAGA-WOKE divide. The brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Hamas-Israel catastrophe. Iranian nuclear ambitions. Saber rattling China.
Today, more than ever we need to understand why we so often join together in groups to go to war.
The amount of effort and resources humans put into killing one another is utterly mind-boggling. A careful reading of our history shows that—after obtaining sustenance, mating, and rearing offspring—we invest most of our life energy in murderous, coalitional aggression. Up until now, there has been no sufficient explanation for this Human behavior appears to have been designed (shaped by natural selection) to include what is apparently the most maladaptive behavior imaginable.
Furthermore, the beliefs and reasoning that guide such horrific behavior have all the characteristics of psychotic delusions. So, how could it be that history demonstrates that our devotion to murdering one another based on utter nonsense has evolved and become part of the core of the human psyche?
Dr. Daniel Kriegman, a clinical psychologist and evolutionary biologist is the co-author of The Adaptive Design of the Human Psychoanalysis, Evolutionary Biology and the Therapeutic Process, an acclaimed "brilliantly argued book. The treatment of the biology is expert" (Robert Trivers) and considered "essential reading for anyone interested in the psychodynamics of the mind" (Irven DeVore, Chair, Dept. of Anthropology, Harvard University). Using a cutting-edge application of modern evolutionary biology, Dr. Kriegman presents the first complete answer to the conundrum of human inhumanity. The unavoidable conclusion is that we have been designed by millions of years of natural selection to join together in groups that use ethnocentric racism, religious, and quasi-religious systems of belief to guide organized, intergroup violence.
During the evolution of our species, such tribal madness and mass murder of outsiders can be shown to have been highly adaptive. As our species evolved, a tendency to denigrate and murder the subhuman “others” was reinforced when the winners (most often the perpetrators) survived, prospered, and went on to increase their lineage, while the losers were typically enslaved, decimated, and/or exterminated. The Book of War explains how the tendency to engage in murderous warfare based on our shared, tribal identities co-evolved alongside the burgeoning, symbol using, human brain.
Modern humans have been around for 100,000 years or so. Yet it is only with the relatively recent advent of Darwin’s theory of evolution that, for the first time, humanity has had what can be called a "scientific theory of creation." And it is just during the past 50 years that this powerful explanatory theory has been turned toward the study of human behavior. Today, the elaboration of the breakthrough explanations of evolutionary biology has provided a foundation for understanding much of why people believe and act as they do.
Yet, it is over just the past thirty years that many evolutionists have been turning to focus specifically on the violence that has been endemic in human history. Why are we so violent? Why do we spend so much of our life energy and resources on murdering one another? Why do we so readily form and hold the insane beliefs about US and THEM that facilitate such horrors? It is only in the last one ten-thousandth of our history that humanity has had a valid understanding of our delusional tendency to engage in tribal violence. We were designed (by natural selection) to be tribal supremacists who believe that we should replace them.
Today, more than ever we need to understand why we so often join together in groups to go to war.
The amount of effort and resources humans put into killing one another is utterly mind-boggling. A careful reading of our history shows that—after obtaining sustenance, mating, and rearing offspring—we invest most of our life energy in murderous, coalitional aggression. Up until now, there has been no sufficient explanation for this Human behavior appears to have been designed (shaped by natural selection) to include what is apparently the most maladaptive behavior imaginable.
Furthermore, the beliefs and reasoning that guide such horrific behavior have all the characteristics of psychotic delusions. So, how could it be that history demonstrates that our devotion to murdering one another based on utter nonsense has evolved and become part of the core of the human psyche?
Dr. Daniel Kriegman, a clinical psychologist and evolutionary biologist is the co-author of The Adaptive Design of the Human Psychoanalysis, Evolutionary Biology and the Therapeutic Process, an acclaimed "brilliantly argued book. The treatment of the biology is expert" (Robert Trivers) and considered "essential reading for anyone interested in the psychodynamics of the mind" (Irven DeVore, Chair, Dept. of Anthropology, Harvard University). Using a cutting-edge application of modern evolutionary biology, Dr. Kriegman presents the first complete answer to the conundrum of human inhumanity. The unavoidable conclusion is that we have been designed by millions of years of natural selection to join together in groups that use ethnocentric racism, religious, and quasi-religious systems of belief to guide organized, intergroup violence.
During the evolution of our species, such tribal madness and mass murder of outsiders can be shown to have been highly adaptive. As our species evolved, a tendency to denigrate and murder the subhuman “others” was reinforced when the winners (most often the perpetrators) survived, prospered, and went on to increase their lineage, while the losers were typically enslaved, decimated, and/or exterminated. The Book of War explains how the tendency to engage in murderous warfare based on our shared, tribal identities co-evolved alongside the burgeoning, symbol using, human brain.
Modern humans have been around for 100,000 years or so. Yet it is only with the relatively recent advent of Darwin’s theory of evolution that, for the first time, humanity has had what can be called a "scientific theory of creation." And it is just during the past 50 years that this powerful explanatory theory has been turned toward the study of human behavior. Today, the elaboration of the breakthrough explanations of evolutionary biology has provided a foundation for understanding much of why people believe and act as they do.
Yet, it is over just the past thirty years that many evolutionists have been turning to focus specifically on the violence that has been endemic in human history. Why are we so violent? Why do we spend so much of our life energy and resources on murdering one another? Why do we so readily form and hold the insane beliefs about US and THEM that facilitate such horrors? It is only in the last one ten-thousandth of our history that humanity has had a valid understanding of our delusional tendency to engage in tribal violence. We were designed (by natural selection) to be tribal supremacists who believe that we should replace them.
777 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 8, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 28, 2026
Very dense. Very insightful. Very timeless and timely. One could teach an entire course on the ideas expressed within. I will certainly need to reread this book again. But ... given the breadth and depth of discussion, I might need to wait.
March 10, 2026
Why “us vs. them” may be older than civilization
One of the most compelling aspects of this book is its attempt to explain human conflict through the lens of evolution. Instead of treating racism, nationalism, and religious hatred as purely cultural problems, the author suggests they may be rooted in survival strategies that shaped our species long before modern society existed.
The idea that organized violence between groups may once have been adaptive is deeply unsettling, but the book presents the argument with a wide range of historical and scientific perspectives.
I found the discussion of how belief systems reinforce group loyalty especially interesting. It raises difficult questions about how ideologies can unite people internally while simultaneously encouraging hostility toward outsiders.
Whether one agrees with every conclusion or not, the book provides a powerful framework for thinking about why human history has been so dominated by conflict.Daniel Kriegman
One of the most compelling aspects of this book is its attempt to explain human conflict through the lens of evolution. Instead of treating racism, nationalism, and religious hatred as purely cultural problems, the author suggests they may be rooted in survival strategies that shaped our species long before modern society existed.
The idea that organized violence between groups may once have been adaptive is deeply unsettling, but the book presents the argument with a wide range of historical and scientific perspectives.
I found the discussion of how belief systems reinforce group loyalty especially interesting. It raises difficult questions about how ideologies can unite people internally while simultaneously encouraging hostility toward outsiders.
Whether one agrees with every conclusion or not, the book provides a powerful framework for thinking about why human history has been so dominated by conflict.Daniel Kriegman
March 10, 2026
This book takes on one of the biggest questions imaginable: why do humans devote so much time, energy, and resources to killing each other?
Kriegman’s answer is both fascinating and disturbing. Drawing on evolutionary biology, he argues that many of the psychological mechanisms that drive tribalism and warfare were shaped through natural selection. Groups that organized effectively and defeated their rivals survived and reproduced, reinforcing the traits that made such conflicts possible.
What makes the book particularly compelling is its exploration of belief systems. Religious and ideological identities, the author argues, can function as powerful tools for creating group cohesion and motivating collective action.
The result is a challenging and provocative work that forces readers to reconsider some deeply held assumptions about human nature.
Kriegman’s answer is both fascinating and disturbing. Drawing on evolutionary biology, he argues that many of the psychological mechanisms that drive tribalism and warfare were shaped through natural selection. Groups that organized effectively and defeated their rivals survived and reproduced, reinforcing the traits that made such conflicts possible.
What makes the book particularly compelling is its exploration of belief systems. Religious and ideological identities, the author argues, can function as powerful tools for creating group cohesion and motivating collective action.
The result is a challenging and provocative work that forces readers to reconsider some deeply held assumptions about human nature.
March 10, 2026
This is a challenging and ambitious book that attempts to explain why violence between groups has been such a persistent feature of human history.
The author argues that our tendency to divide the world into “us” and “them” is not simply a cultural habit but may be the product of millions of years of evolutionary pressure. In early human societies, groups that could organize and defend themselves against rivals often survived, while others disappeared.
What I appreciated most about the book is its willingness to confront uncomfortable ideas. The suggestion that many ideological beliefs function like collective delusions designed to strengthen group identity is both provocative and thought-provoking.
Whether one agrees fully with the argument or not, the book offers a powerful framework for understanding the deep psychological roots of conflict.
The author argues that our tendency to divide the world into “us” and “them” is not simply a cultural habit but may be the product of millions of years of evolutionary pressure. In early human societies, groups that could organize and defend themselves against rivals often survived, while others disappeared.
What I appreciated most about the book is its willingness to confront uncomfortable ideas. The suggestion that many ideological beliefs function like collective delusions designed to strengthen group identity is both provocative and thought-provoking.
Whether one agrees fully with the argument or not, the book offers a powerful framework for understanding the deep psychological roots of conflict.
May 21, 2026
I honestly didn’t expect this book to stay in my mind the way it did. The sections discussing tribal identity and the psychological tendency to divide people into “us” and “them” felt incredibly relevant to what we see happening around the world today. Dr. Kriegman approaches the subject of war and human conflict from an angle that is both unsettling and fascinating. I appreciated how the book combines psychology, evolutionary biology, and history to explain behaviors that often seem irrational on the surface. This is not light reading, but it is the kind of book that genuinely makes you think differently afterward.
May 21, 2026
This book made me pause several times just to think about the arguments being presented. I especially appreciated how Dr. Kriegman connected evolution, psychology, and organized violence in a way that felt thoughtful rather than sensationalized. Some sections are definitely dense, but I never felt the author was talking down to the reader. What stood out most to me was the idea that many of the destructive patterns we see in modern society may have deep evolutionary roots. Whether you agree with every conclusion or not, the book raises important questions that are difficult to ignore.
May 21, 2026
What stood out to me most was the argument that warfare and tribal aggression may be deeply tied to human evolution itself. The author combines history, psychology, anthropology, and biology in a way that feels ambitious and carefully researched. I found the parallels between ancient tribal behavior and current political and ideological divisions especially interesting. At times the material becomes academically heavy, but overall I found it rewarding because the book challenges the reader to think seriously about why human societies continue repeating cycles of conflict and violence.
May 21, 2026
I picked this up because of the current political climate, and it ended up being far more insightful than I expected. The discussions surrounding tribal thinking, ideology, and collective violence felt disturbingly relevant to modern events. What I appreciated most was that the author does not reduce these issues to simple political opinions. Instead, he examines the deeper psychological and evolutionary forces that may shape the way humans form groups and justify conflict. This is a serious nonfiction work that requires patience, but the ideas are powerful and thought provoking.
May 21, 2026
This is the kind of nonfiction book that stays with you long after you finish it. I found the exploration of group identity and the psychology behind war especially compelling. Dr. Kriegman clearly invested an enormous amount of research into this work, and while some parts are intellectually demanding, the overall argument is fascinating. I also appreciated that the book feels timely without trying too hard to be political. It examines human conflict at a deeper level and raises uncomfortable but important questions about the nature of tribalism, violence, and human behavior itself.
August 11, 2024
I received a complementary copy of this title through a Goodreads giveaway. This was quite the tome. It is readily apparent that the author is passionate about the multitude of subjects presented. The points of view are presented in a manner that was thoroughly researched. The length may be a little daunting for some, but the manner of presentation was easy to understand and follow. I would highly recommend for anyone with the desire to either read a point of view that matches their own or in opposition. Overall a great experience.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews