Humans are obligatorily interdependent because their evolved traits require group living

Evidence

Most behavioral scientists today accept the basic premise that human beings are adapted for group living. Even a cursory review of the physical endowments of our species—weak, hairless, extended infancy— makes it clear that we are not suited for survival as lone individuals, or even as small family units. Many of the evolved characteristics that have permitted humans to adapt to a wide range of physical environments, such as omnivorousness and tool making, create dependence on collective knowledge and cooperative information sharing. As a consequence, human beings are characterized by obligatory interdependence (Caporael & Brewer, 1995), and our evolutionary history is a story of coevolution of genetic endowment, social structure, and culture. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2503

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to discussions of evolutionary psychology and cooperation in other social science books I’ve read on reputation and trust. — connects to: Healthy living systems circulate collaborative intelligence that fails when beings see themselves as superior. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 1763