Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.” (Isaiah 49:23)
Human hierarchies are a complicated thing. There are rarely clear ladders of ascension, with one individual per distinct rung. Chicken hierarchies: simple. Some primate hierarchical relations, simple as well.
You are exalted far above all gods. (Psalms 97:9)
In the above Bible verse, we see that one agent is first in line, no questions. But beneath that first rung, what? The truth: human beings often do not stand alone. Rather, their relationships to others will inform where they stand. A relationship with one on a higher rung can help elevate and maintain your own position. As the “those who hope in me” line from the opening verse illustrates.
In terms of primate behavior — and human beings are primates, their deities having the concerns and behaviors of primates — there is a notable difference between coalition and alliance: the terms for relationships advantageous to social functioning and position.
“Coalition is defined as two or more individuals joining forces against one or more individuals joining forces against one or more conspecific rivals. Now, there are many examples of coalitions in mammals and birds. However, coalitions among chimpanzees, adult males in particular, are exceptional in their frequency, complexity and flexibility. Some coalitions are so persistent that one may well call them alliances.” (1)
As for human beings, do we form coalitions or alliances? Both. Watch one episode of Survivor and you will see that our we are social opportunists. During one social event/interaction (on one issue?) we can side with and support person X. The next moment/issue, person Z. But then there certainly are those lasting relationships we remain relatively true to. We support and defend those individuals, almost without exception, we have crucial relationships with. Spouse, parent-child . . . ?
Chimpanzees, too, readily form coalitions and even lasting alliances. As Franz de Waal has noted, “A male chimpanzee’s position in the hierarchy often depends much more on his cooperative alliances with other males than is the case with male baboons.” (2)
Another noted primatologist, Allison Jolly, almost under-states the case with this conclusion: “People are not less likely to form alliances than chimpanzees.” (3)
Within a single pack of primates you will find a number of unwritten “pacts.” Sometimes blood is indeed thicker than water. But human alliances go much farther. To non-blood, close associates and more. How far to they extend? At minimum to group level. Other people are perceived as being “in group” or out. Psychological studies have found that something as basic as eye color can be used to identified cohorts.
In one study researchers found that in a rural Caribbean village adult males in two-men teams competing at a game of dominoes experienced higher testosterone and cortisol levels when competing against men from outside their village compared to when playing against village cohorts.(4)
Is it any wonder the Bible god of the Old Testament has different laws and sentiments for “one of mine” (the Israelites) and others? The commandment “do not kill” is a perfect example. For it is meant as “Do not kill a cohort – but thine enemies, have at it.”
In the following number of Alpha posts I will be exploring topics including these: the evolutionary origins of these types of social pacts, the social functions they serve, and how they are manifest in the Bible.
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(1) Nishida, T., and Hosaka, K., “Coalition strategies among adult male chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania” in McGrew, W. C. , Marchant, L. F. & Nishida, T., Great Ape Societies, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1996, p. 114
(2) de Waal, F. B. M., (ed.), Tree of Origin: What Primate Behavior Can Tell Us About Human Social Evolution, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2001, P. 23
(3) Jolly, A. Lucy’s Legacy, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1999, p. 410
(4) Wagner, J. D., Flinn, M. V., & England, B. G., “Hormonal response to competition among male coalitions,” in Evolution and Human Behavior, Volume 23, Issue 6, November 2002, Pages 437 442.
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