Pascal Boyer - Minds Make Societies (Yale University Press, 2018) ****

 In stark contrast to pop-scientists such as Yuval Noah Harari, there are also real scientists who think and substantiate their thoughts with references and facts. Evolutionary psychologist Pascal Boyer is such a scientist, and in "Minds Make Societies", he tries to create a framework from which to evaluate how science can get a grasp on the complex and ever-changing nature of our societies, by integrating knowledge from a variety of scientific disciplines. 

He asks the critical questions:

1. What is the root of group conflict? 

2. What is information for?

3. Why are there religions? 

4. What is the natural family? 

5. How can societies be just? 

6. Can human minds understand societies? 

Boyer looks at the framework to reconcile different disciplines by giving examples of why this is needed to fully grasp the reality we observe. He is also cognizant of the need to identify our own biases and perspectives while doing so, and humble enough to recognise that we are only at the very beginning of understanding the processes that determine such a complex subject matter as societal evolution. 

The challenge of real scientific thought is that it is very difficult to translate into a narrative that gets understanding among larger groups of readers. Harari has all the answers and that possibly sells better than Boyer who has all the questions, but chances are that only the latter is in a scientifically credible position.