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Profs & Pints: Primates and Conflict

Profs and Pints presents: Primates and Conflict, a look at how monkey and ape behavior helps explain human tribalism and warfare, with primatologist Laura Martínez Íñigo, postdoctoral researcher at Howard University and former instructor at England's University of Lincoln.

Human history is replete with wars and genocides that have decimated millions and devastated nations. On a daily basis, we see conflicts between sympathizers of different political parties, or even just between fans of rival sports teams. Our minds seem ready to categorize people into groups, and push people to join with us against those we often dehumanize as "them," How did we get here?

Come hear that question tackled by Laura Martínez Íñigo, whose interest in primates has led her to follow monkeys and apes through jungles, swamps, and snowy mountains in Africa and Asia. She'll show us how the study of monkeys and apes help us to understand where our tendency for warfare and tribalism may have come from, what factors contribute to peace and war in nature, and the curious link connecting within-group love and between-group hostility.

Like us, most other primates live in groups, and when they meet their neighbors things can get pretty ugly. While fights between monkey groups are common, they rarely end in fatalities. Nonetheless, one of our closest and smartest living relatives, the chimpanzee, seems to actively seek opportunities to kill members of other groups.

Is intelligence the evil in both of us? Well, Bonobos, as related to us as chimpanzees and similarly gifted, often mingle peacefully with other groups for days of play and sex. So what is it, then, that triggers violence?

In looking at the behavior of other primates, you'll walk out with a better understanding of our place in nature. Maybe, the next time that you catch yourself acting tribal, you will choose not to be chimp-like, and instead tap into our ability to make peace. (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15, save $2 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please arrive in plenty of time to place any order and be seated and settled before the talk begins.)