Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast) Peace with Luke Glowacki
Jan 13, 2026
Luke Glowacki, an anthropologist focusing on intergroup relationships and the evolution of peace, shares fascinating insights on the evolution of human behavior. He reframes peace as an evolutionary puzzle, emphasizing cultural technologies that facilitate cooperation. Glowacki discusses the distribution of conflict and compares human raids to phenomena observed in species like mongooses. He also highlights the challenges of sustaining peace in tribal contexts and the vital role of moral narratives in enabling or preventing violence. Plus, learn about his impactful Omo Valley Research Project.
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Peace As A Cultural Technology
- Peace requires explanation as much as war because humans uniquely tolerate strangers and negotiate group-level relations.
- Luke frames peace as a cultural technology built on norms and enforcement that unlocked positive-sum intergroup exchange.
Multiple Pathways To Lethal Violence
- Lethal intergroup violence often follows imbalance-of-power dynamics where attackers face low risk.
- Banded mongooses show an alternate pathway: benefits (access to mates) can drive lethal fights even without large power asymmetries.
Why Imbalance Of Power Predicts Raiding
- The imbalance-of-power hypothesis explains coalitionary intergroup killing when fission–fusion social structure creates lone vulnerable individuals.
- Territory tied to reproductive payoff plus fusion–fission dynamics predict where lethal coalitionary aggression evolves.
