Humanity has never really gotten above simple tribalism. What is nationalism — to which we are all addicted — but a modern version of ancient tribalism?
We all seek the protection of belonging to a group, even if this is pure fantasy. [providing little or no true protection.
Tribalism is our human heritage. We cannot escape it.
Henry's Views 
You’re right—nationalism is just tribalism with a flag and a PR team. The borders change, the language evolves, but the instinct remains: us vs. them. Safety in numbers. Identity in contrast.
But just because it’s heritage doesn’t mean it has to be destiny. The first step out of tribalism is seeing it for what it is. Naming the instinct doesn’t erase it—but it gives us the chance to choose something better.
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Well, to see all of humanity as one’s “family” is certainly a higher level of ethics than tribalism and/or nationalism, but few if any achieve that really and truly.
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Absolutely!
The gap isn’t a lack of moral blueprints—we’ve had Kant’s imperative (and the Stoics before him) urging us to treat every person as an end for centuries.
What’s scarce is the daily discipline to act on that insight. Overcoming tribal reflexes isn’t a single epiphany; it’s the slow, deliberate work of expanding who we mean by “us” whenever the instinct to draw a line appears, laying foundations for something better—and reinforcing them, Roman‑road style, to last.
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I think the goal might be both. One cannot escape tribalism and nationalism because that comes down to one’s own survival, so to think one can simply negate that is foolishness. On the other hand, one could also simultaneously hold the more humanitarian view that all people are one’s brothers. No reason why one cannot entertain both points of view, even though at times when the crunch comes, they may be in conflict over a particular situation, so that then, for whatever that circumstance may be, one has to make a choice.
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