# Our Social Environment Can Restrain Tribalism by Allen Buchanan > “Groupishness is in our genes. We will always tend to divide the world into Us and Them and tend to think We are superior. But if we construct the right social environment, we can avoid tribalism in its more extreme, harmful forms.” > **— Allen Buchanan**, *MIT Press Reader interview, 2021* ## Sources and Context - **Original interview:** [Philip Laughlin, “Our Moral Fate: Allen Buchanan on Escaping Tribalism,” MIT Press Reader (February 16, 2021)](https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/our-moral-fate-allen-buchanan-on-escaping-tribalism/). Buchanan distinguishes an in-group tendency from an inevitable moral destiny; later he emphasizes moral flexibility and deliberate institution-building. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/Walking the Beautiful Path Through the Greatest Transformation in Human History|Walking the Beautiful Path Through the Greatest Transformation in Human History]] - **Article:** [[articles/Humans and AIs as Entangled Learning Systems|Humans and AIs as Entangled Learning Systems]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Allen Buchanan|Allen Buchanan]] - [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] - [[wiki/Dehumanization|Dehumanization]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Groupishness is in our genes. We will always tend to divide the world into Us and Them and tend to think We are superior. But if we construct the right social environment, we can avoid tribalism in its more extreme, harmful forms.” — Allen Buchanan, MIT Press Reader, 2021 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-allen-buchanan-environment-tribalism ```