Path breaking book by Paul Lawrence

Book review:

Being Human: A Darwinian Theory of Human Behavior
by Paul R. Lawrence

Being human: A Darwinian theory of human behavior by Paul R. Lawrence is nothing short of a revelation to researchers concerned with the current state of affairs. Not that it gives concrete hints at what to do specifically to prevent environmental destruction or social inequities, but rather that it provides something far more important: a rigorous concept of human nature, which informs us in many insightful ways how to build societal institutions to ensure human flourishing in a sustainable manner.

The book is structured in four parts in which the first two parts are dedicated to the formulation of the Renewed Darwinian (RD) Theory and the latter two parts examine the application of the theory with regard to political, economical and societal problems.

In the first part, the author is presenting his own model of human motivation as an introduction. Based on his work in ‘Driven’ (with Nitin Nohria) the four innate motivational drives, the drives 1) to aquire 2) to bond 3) to comprehend, and 4) to defend are presented. He then relates his work to research across the scientific disciplines and proposes an enlarged model of human behavior as a consequence. In this model, checks and balances of the basic motivational drives ( akin to a moral compass) become essential to human survival. In the second part Darwin’s theories of human development are revisited and debunked of popular misconceptions. Lawrence uses these theories (theories of natural, sexual and group selection) to interpret human development over historic periods. As the drives to acquire and defend have been present in early human species (and animals), the drives to bond (Homo erectus) and to comprehend (homo sapiens) have only rather recently developed in human history. These developments can be retraced in the human brain (prefrontal cortex) and are largely credited with giving humans a better fit for survival. Lawrence’s argument is that only with the balanced satisfaction of all four drives can a human being develop and society evolve and flourish. So far, so good. Not all is well with human development as a certain percentage of people (around 1%) has remained undeveloped, namely does not possess a drive to bond or a drive to comprehend (Correct?), but are rather driven by an unchecked drive to acquire. These people are what psychologist call psychopaths (economists free riders), and much of the harm done throughout human history can be attributed to these people.

After specifying the renewed Darwinian (RD) theory of human behavior as a parsimonious and testable theory, the author proceeds to interpret political, economical, and societal developments with the RD lens. One of the main foci is the problem of free rider leadership. Lawrence presents several examples of psychopaths achieving positions of power causing extensive harm to society. As a solution to the problem of free rider leadership in the political arena he presents a checks and balance systems, which protects society from psychopaths. He views the U.S. constitution as such a system supporting human flourishing by keeping the four drives in balance. With regard to economic developments, Lawrence specifically examines the institution of the corporation. The corporation in his eyes reverses the achievement of institutional checks and balances by prioritizing the drive to acquire, as in the duty to maximize shareholder value, over all other drives. As such an imbalance is created; an imbalance that is exacerbated when free riders are in charge of such corporations. He further cites research that points to a large overrepresentation of psychopaths within current corporations, a hint toward an explanation of the dismal current state of affairs.

In part four, the most interesting part of this intellectual journey, the author lays out his recommendations to put humanity back on track. He outlines clearly, how we can build institutions that allow human beings to satisfy and balance their four motivational drives while being protected against the dangers of free riders. He starts by looking at the balanced self, a balanced family and a balanced community, then moves to the problems of balancing the corporation within the nation state. He then proposes several ways to institute international institutions based on the RD theory, echoing many recommendations of political scientists, to ensure human survival in the long run.

All in all, this book owes its genius not necessarily to the novelty of the presented facts, but rather the coherent presentation of these facts within a concise theory. The book is highly informative, eminently readable and of urgent need. While most social sciences are currently employing different assumptions about human nature there is almost no testable theory. As a result, human nature has remained rather mythical, allowing those sciences with the simplest explanations to gain power. This has contributed to an imbalanced view of human beings in the public policy process, which is largely influenced by economists and their assumptions of economic man.

Therefore “Being Human: A Darwinian Theory of human behavior” renders greatly needed service, as it allows proving and disproving assumptions that have long dominated social sciences for better and for worse. As such, the RD theory provides a crucial stepping stone in our endeavor to understand ourselves better, to build the best organizations possible and to understand how we can deal successfully with the current environmental and societal crises.
Therefore this is a work of greatest relevance and demands the attention of everyone concerned with the survival of our species.