Some seek tribalism.
Others seek truth.

Tribes can serve a great purpose.

They can meet the psychological and physical needs of their members, providing them with a sense of belonging and maybe even a full-stomach. Tribes also provide their members with a coherent story to live from, removing much of the uncertainty that comes with being human.

Truly, tribes can serve a great purpose.

It would be unfair and untrue to paint all tribes as malevolent.
Similarly, it would be unfair and untrue to paint all tribes as benevolent.

While tribes are able to give us a reality to live from,
they seem unable to usher us into reality itself.

Tribalism is a massive hurdle in pursuing truth.

Reason Number One: Tribalism leaves little room for individuals to be individuals.

How can we pretend to be objective when our tribe naturally nudges us towards conformity in both action and thought?

It is the function of a group to attract and maintain alike members. In some cases, to have unalike members defeats the purpose of the group.

What is a Cubs fan club if it is full of Cardinals fans?
What is a knitting club if it is full of people who have never knit?

Groups, if they are to remain, better have members who share some common interest. By itself, a tribe of similar members is not an issue.
The problem arises when tribes, as they seem designed to do, strive for conformity, not unity.

It is not always enough to be similar or have some commonalities.
Differences can weaken and even threaten the identity of the group.

To deviate away from what the group believes, is dangerous.

Still, it is nowhere near as dangerous as being swept up in groupthink.

In groupthink, we are no longer pressed to think for ourselves; the individual’s responsibility is absorbed by the group.
We are discouraged from engaging in critical thinking.

To differ with the group is to defy it, disrupting the group’s harmony.
We are discouraged from being honest with ourselves and others.

To differentiate yourself from the group is to step out of line, potentially leading us to being on the outside looking in.
We are discouraged from being ourselves.

Tribes have a way of purifying and chiseling individuals to match the group ideal.
An individual runs the risk of losing themselves within a group that subtly hints at or outrightly demands conformity.

Reason Number Two: Tribalism locks others out.

How can we pretend to be objective when there is only one story being told?

While the silence of other views may bring psychological and existential peace, it does not provide an accurate view of the world.

Undergirding the whole thing is a quiet fear being expressed through control.

At its core, it is a fear of ideas.
Ideas that are not mine.
Not ours.

Fear that if I expose myself to these ideas, then my beliefs and stability may crumble.
Fear of the world being unthinkably different than how I conceptualize it.
Fear of these ideas forcing disruptive change.

Our beliefs, as Kathryn Schulz wrote in Being Wrong, serve as a membership card into our community. We have much more to lose than just our inner stability; we can lose our very sense of belonging!

Never underestimate the effect your tribe is having on you.

There are plenty of different ways to see and understand life.

There are an estimated 4,300 religions in the world.

Life is rarely as simple as we like to imagine.

Inevitably, with such great differences in the stories being told, there will be topics tribes simply do not agree on.

Rarely does it stop at disagreement, though.
It is not enough to state we see life differently.
It is not enough to state our tribes have contrasting beliefs and values.

We make favorable judgments of our group while making negative judgments of others. The Social Identity Theory is clearly at play here. We boost our group’s collective and our own self-esteem at the expense of the other.

The other, the one who is not like us, seems to always be evaluated as less than us.
Labels like heretic, infidel, and heathen may be thrown around flippantly.
It is not enough to dehumanize and demonize outsiders.
Violent syntax can lead to violent actions.

Spin the Wheel of Religions (or Ideologies, if you prefer).
It does not matter what religion it lands on.
There is likely a deep history of violence.

Consider the Church during the Inquisition.
In Spain alone, 32,000 heretics were put to death.
Let me rephrase that: 32,000 people with differing views than the Church were murdered.

Some were burned.
Some were drowned.
Some were poisoned

It does not take much for a tribe to justify their acts of violence.
When it is done by them, it is just.
When it is done to them, it is wicked.

While tribes lock others out, they also lock you in.

Reason Number Three: Tribalism locks you in.

How can we pretend to be objective when our environment is tailormade to us holding onto this very set of beliefs?

Tribes create boundaries for their members, making clear what is acceptable and what is not. There are routines, rituals, and boxes its members are expected to check off. Think of it like playing a (not-so-fun) game of follow the leader.

This goes far deeper than how one should live in the moral sense.

There is certain information members should not expose themselves to.
This means there are books, authors, speakers, friend groups, different forms of media that are off-limits. Tribes may maintain a level of control by limiting the information their members consume.

With individuals not engaging in critical thinking, other voices being locked out, and group norms firmly in place, an echo chamber is almost certainly up and running.

Think of an echo chamber as confirmation bias lived out.
You are endlessly being told the same story you are already telling yourself.

“The constant assertion of belief is an indication of fear.”
– Jiddu Krishnamurti

Our echo chambers reveal our collective craving for a coherent story to live from.
Again, undergirding the whole thing is fear.

For fringe members: what an odd place to be.

Do I belong here?
Am I in or out?
Can I take the good and leave the bad?

I can empathize with you.

There is greater agency the farther you are from the center of a tribe. The gravitational pull is not quite as strong, but once again: never underestimate the effect your tribe is having on you.

Tribes can serve a great purpose.

Tribes can bring the utmost good into the world at an individual and collective level.
It would be unfair and untrue to paint them as entirely bad or good.

Truly, tribes can serve a great purpose.

We simply must see the effect tribalism has on our concept and pursuit of truth.

Some seek tribalism.
Others seek truth.