Sunday Platform - Curt Collier: The Biology of Political Conflicts

Recent work of noted evolutionary biologists suggest that what may drive our political conflicts may have less to do with ideas and more to do with deep-seated survival skills. Evidence for this is seen in field observations of species closely related to humans, but sociologists also spot this same behavior within humans as well. While biology drives most of human behavior, as is often the case, “biology is not destiny.” How can we ameliorate our biological drive towards conflicts with others, and might other biological drives be used to counter this challenge?

Curt Collier is the National Youth Programs Director for Groundwork USA, an organization created by the National Park Service and the EPA. He has created a number of award-winning programs that bring new audiences into the national parks and has created a number of career pipelines for youth of color to enter conservation related fields. Annually, Collier oversees corps and training programs in Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks, as well as youth programs in Gateway National Recreation Area in New York. He served as an Ethical Culture leader for over 20 years at Societies in St. Louis, Riverdale-Yonkers, and for the New York Society.