As a biologist with a (relatively) late in life interest in history, it is
interesting to me that, as Nick Hudd has said, this topic links the two
subjects. We are innately co-operative (even apparently altruistic) with
people we identify as of our own community, but hostile to those who look or
sound different and who may be dangerous. Strong feelings of these sorts
aided survival. At first they were no doubt at the tribal level, but came to
involve class, nationality, race and religion and to do great damage,
especially as we became more efficient at killing.
Now we understand something of the genetic basis, perhaps eventually we will
be able to keep the good things and discard the bad; progress seems slow,
but I hope we are slowly shedding class, racial and religious prejudices and
that this is a welcome change in Britishness
Ernie Pollard
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