Dialogue & conflict

Abstract

INTRODUCTION The human condition has been marked by intra-species conflict since the dawn of time. To ensure evolutionary survival, our ancestors competed not only with other species for food and shelter, such as other primate species. They also formed coalitions with other human beings to compete against other human coalitions for limited resources. As Charles Darwin (1859) famously noted: Competition is the driving force marking the evolution of species. In psychology, the inherent competitive attitude for resources marking the human condition has been elaborated in Realistic Conflict Theory (Campbell, 1965). This argues that our evolutionary baggage (i.e. the human genome) fosters intergroup hostilities as humans compete over what they perceive to be limited resources, even when these resources are in actual fact plentiful. Our natural competitive tendencies lead us to perceive threats when we encounter different others, and to take measures to protect ourselves from these perceived threats even if these might not be strictly necessary. President Trump’s strategy of calling a national emergency to fund the building of a wall with Mexico on the basis that ‘walls work’ provides an apt example. Walls work indeed, in maintaining a boundary between those who can and those who cannot make claims to resources (Sammut, Bauer, & Jovchelovitch, 2018).