Book Review: The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous, by: Joseph Henrich
If you’ve ever wondered how Western culture, language, and technology came to have the prominent role it has worldwide, the answer may be literally WEIRD from a reading of Joseph Henrich’s book. WEIRD in this case is an acronym for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic—essentially Europe and the continents Europeans dominated starting before and especially after the Enlightenment. The essence of this richly researched work is that the Catholic Church’s Marriage and Family Program (MFP) upended the tribal moorings of northern Europe by forbidding marriage within extended families—this destroyed the tribal ruling classes, and established an individualism that replaced the traditional extended family based relationships that were and are standard throughout the rest of the world. When literacy increased due to scripture reading encouraged by the Reformation, the MFP effect expanded and accelerated first in Europe, and then worldwide as Europeans took their individualism and technology to distant places where they traveled and settled.
Tribal cultures are not inclined to develop technology or pursue outside learning due to its disruptive effects on the status quo of the ruling tribal elite. Conversely, WEIRD cultures embrace technology and place fewer barriers to its implementation—this produces a different kind of elite, one not based solely on familial relationships. WEIRD cultures develop superior construction and medical techniques—and superior weapons. The WEIRD approach to world problems can on the surface bring health and prosperity to non-WEIRD populations. It also can be equally disastrous to a non-WEIRD culture when it’s in an unequal relationship with a WEIRD culture—examples are the less than productive results from WEIRD attempts at communication in Vietnam, South America, Afghanistan, and Iraq (add your own examples to this list). The forced suppression of tribal cultures by WEIRD cultures is rightly condemned, and WEIRD countries such as the US are barely beginning to recognize the chauvinism of Manifest Destiny.
However, Henrich’s description of tribal communities indicates that not all is a perfect life in non-WEIRD communities. In a tribal culture, one’s family is a foundation and a shield against outside attacks—it’s also a confining boundary against seeking a better life. Some non-WEIRD societies were also enaged in inter-tribal wars, and their traditions included brutal initiation rites—most of them are by nature authoritarian at all levels.
WEIRD societies have produced both beneficial and detrimental effects on both themselves and non-WEIRD societies. Without the MFP being imposed on the European tribes, it’s likely that the American continents would still be ruled by Native Americans, and many of the world’s wars would have been much less deadly (if they occurred at all)—conversely none of us would have the advanced medicine, transportation, communication, and creature comforts we take for granted today.
Between the two (WEIRD vs. non-WEIRD) it may be a matter of pick your poison—or more likely, which lifestyle has been allotted to you by life’s circumstances. Recently, with the advancement of authoritarianism (including in parts of Europe and America), the world may begin to become less WEIRD—consider the Russian invasion of Ukraine and how authoritarian obedience impaired their military execution (a fortunate development for democracy). Other authoritarian nations also don’t innovate as much as they import—or steal (as authoritarian societies are by their nature hamstrung from innovation). As of now, it appears to be too early to know whether democracy will be able to hold its own against the current advancement of autocracy.
The ultimate question is whether a society can be WEIRD without being a hegemon (military, economic, or cultural) over non-WEIRD societies (both inside and between nations). I think the answer to that is yes—and due to their superior technology, the WEIRD societies have it in their power to make the decision to do so. Those of us in WEIRD societies are under the imperative to advance that ethos—doing so may be the key to holding off 21st Century autocracy, for the well being of both WEIRD and non-WEIRD societies.
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