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Evolutionary Psychology and International Relations, with Jeremy Garlick

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Evolutionary Psychology and International Relations, with Jeremy Garlick

Sinica Podcast

2025/03/21
Sinica Podcast

Sinica Podcast

2025/03/21
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

This week on the Sinica Podcast, I chat with Jeremy Garlick, Director of the Jan Masaryk Centre for International Studies, Prague University, and a scholar of China’s international relations. Jeremy is the author of the book Advantage China: Agent of Chang...

Highlights

In this episode of the Sinica Podcast, host Kaiser Kuo engages with Jeremy Garlick, a scholar of China’s international relations, to explore the intersection of evolutionary science and international relations (IR). Garlick, author of the Cambridge Element *Evolution in International Relations*, discusses how insights from evolutionary biology, psychology, and archaeogenetics can deepen our understanding of global political dynamics. The conversation traverses theoretical foundations, historical examples, and contemporary geopolitical challenges, offering a fresh lens through which to view state behavior and international cooperation.
00:08
The host reflects on the importance of bridging disciplinary gaps in international relations research.
14:10
China's holistic view of complex systems contrasts with American linear causality in IR
18:33
Modern evolutionary research focuses on shared human traits, not race or superiority
19:32
Neorealism, especially Kenneth Waltz's theory, is outdated and needs to be replaced.
25:38
Intergroup competition drives in-group cohesion, a trait built into humans by evolution
32:12
Catholicism's ban on cousin marriage contributed to Europe's individualistic cultural evolution.
36:50
Feminization of men over millennia improved cooperation and group cohesion
43:20
China prioritizes economic rights over civil and political rights, following Maslow's hierarchy.
45:17
Emotions guide decisions when rationality alone is insufficient.
56:31
Every country, regardless of size, seeks respect and status in the international hierarchy.
59:43
Nuclear weapons elevate a nation's status and serve as a deterrent in international relations.
1:01:33
Altruism in international aid is often veiled self-interest
1:06:05
Competition between the US and China is inevitable due to fear and mistrust.
1:11:09
Applying book theory to case studies like US-China relations was not fully explored.
1:12:51
Nations' conflicts can be understood and redirected through evolutionary perspectives on competition

Chapters

Interdisciplinary Insights in International Relations
00:00
Why Jeremy decided to apply an evolutionary framework to IR
06:13
Why evolutionary science hasn’t really been integrated into IR
15:34
How Jeremy views his project as refining the IR field
19:32
The risk of the misappropriation of Jeremy’s work, and the evolutionary elements of cooperation and intergroup competition
22:43
How to avoid the trap of viewing evolution as teleological
28:54
The idea of self-domestication
34:07
Morality and human rights
39:55
How emotions affect decision-making and diplomacy
45:17
Hierarchy and status-seeking in IR
50:32
Applying an evolutionary framework to the IR phenomena of alliances, nuclear deterrence, and strategic balancing
56:56
Altruism toward out-groups
1:01:31
The inevitability of competition with China
1:05:57
The intellectual challenges Jeremy faced while working on this project, and what he would develop further in the future
1:08:19
Jeremy’s thoughts on what IR as a discipline should address, integrating evolutionary science
1:12:51

Transcript

Kaiser Kuo: Welcome to the Sinica Podcast, a weekly discussion of current affairs in China. In this program, we'll look at books, ideas, new research, intellectual currents, and cultural trends. That can help us better understand what's happening in China'...