Mark Edge Show - Andrew Heaton , Comedian & Author

Andrew Heaton's book *Tribalism is Dumb* reframes political polarization not as a failure of ideology, but as a biological inevitability—humans are innately tribal, not reactive to enemies, but proactively seeking them. Drawing on evolutionary anthropology, Heaton argues that our species survived near-extinction events in small, resource-scarce groups, creating an instinct to defend our 'team' at all costs. What’s changed in the last 20 years isn’t politics—it’s technology. Social media rewards extremism, amplifying fringe voices and eroding shared reality, much like the printing press destabilized Europe’s religious monopoly. Heaton warns that political parties have become the last remaining tribal identity in a society stripped of community, turning policy debates into holy wars. The solution? Not ideology, but systems that channel tribal energy into healthier outlets like sports, while accepting that no one will agree on everything. The book isn’t a fix—it’s a decoder ring for why your uncle became a monster at Thanksgiving.