Evolutionary Psychology and International Relations, with Jeremy Garlick

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Mar 21, 2025

Jeremy Garlick, a scholar of China's international relations and Director at the Jan Masaryk Centre, discusses the intriguing intersection of evolutionary psychology and international relations. He delves into how evolutionary frameworks can refine our understanding of global dynamics, scrutinizes the competition between nations, particularly the U.S. and China, and highlights the influence of emotions in diplomacy. Garlick also tackles the complexities of cooperation, altruism, and the often-overlooked role of hierarchy among nations.

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INSIGHT

Anarchy in IR

Jeremy Garlick was puzzled by the concept of anarchy in IR theory, finding it inadequate to explain state behavior.
He questioned how anarchy, a void, could be a driving force and how it accounted for hierarchies and status.

ANECDOTE

Tang Shiping's Influence

Tang Shiping's book on evolution in IR inspired Garlick by tracing 10,000 years of history.
It described a shift from offensive to defensive realism, influenced by factors like nuclear weapons.

ANECDOTE

Initial Paper's Success

Garlick's initial paper on applying evolutionary frameworks to IR garnered significant views on Academia.edu.
This interest, and David Bjorklund's encouragement, led him to expand the paper into his book.

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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 Change in an Era of Global Disruption, but the book we're talking about this week is his new Cambridge Element titled Evolution in International Relations. It's a fascinating attempt to apply ideas from evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology, and archaeogenetics to further our understanding of how nations interact.

6:13 – Why Jeremy decided to apply an evolutionary framework to IR

15:34 – Why evolutionary science hasn’t really been integrated into IR

19:32 – How Jeremy views his project as refining the IR field

22:43 – The risk of the misappropriation of Jeremy’s work, and the evolutionary elements of cooperation and intergroup competition

28:54 – How to avoid the trap of viewing evolution as teleological

34:07 – The idea of self-domestication

39:55 – Morality and human rights

45:17 – How emotions affect decision-making and diplomacy

50:32 – Hierarchy and status-seeking in IR

56:56 – Applying an evolutionary framework to the IR phenomena of alliances, nuclear deterrence, and strategic balancing

1:01:31 – Altruism toward out-groups

1:05:57 – The inevitability of competition with China

1:08:19 – The intellectual challenges Jeremy faced while working on this project, and what he would develop further in the future

1:12:51 – Jeremy’s thoughts on what IR as a discipline should address, integrating evolutionary science

Paying It Forward: Richard Turcsányi

Recommendations:

Jeremy: The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich; and The Expanse novels by James S. A. Corey

Kaiser: Playground by Richard Powers

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