By Michael
I recently finished a book by Robert Wright entitled Why Buddhism Is True… a very daring title, I thought. The book has been out for a few years and was a New York Times bestseller, but I only encountered it recently.
What I found most interesting is how Wright focuses on the philosophical side of Buddhism— in particular meditation, over the non–overtly religious, supernatural, or metaphysical elements—and shows how they reflect a lot of modern psychology and evolutionary psychology.
Wright himself practices within the Mahayana tradition (Vipassana) that uses a very guided meditative process, more contemplative in style. In the book, he connects his experience of meditation with larger Buddhist ideas:
- That suffering is everywhere
- That how we perceive suffering is what makes it worse for us
- That there truly is no separate self, and that we are all deeply interconnected
He then relates these themes to evolutionary psychology: the idea that our minds developed to get our genes into the next generation. From a purely “hard science” point of view, that’s the basic logic of why our minds work the way they do. The survival and spread of our genes—and the genes of your closest kin—are what mattered most in the environment in which our minds evolved.
One of the ideas he discusses is what in psychology is sometimes called the “modular theory of mind.” We tend to live as if there were a single executive “CEO” in the head, sitting in a chair, making all the decisions:
“That guy cut me off in traffic. Therefore he’s bad. He’s a jerk.”
But many of these reactions aren’t really conscious, deliberate decisions. They’re old modules firing—patterns that made perfect sense 500,000, 50,000, or 10,000 years ago.
For example, in a small tribal community, if someone disrespected you, that might seriously harm your chances of having a successful genetic future. If you were shunned, your tribe might not support you or your offspring. So an intense reaction to disrespect—anger, defensiveness, the urge to retaliate—could actually be beneficial in that setting.
Fast forward to today. Someone cuts you off in traffic and your whole system lights up: “What a horrible person!” You rage – cursing them and their lineage.
But, viewed through this evolutionary lens, you can see we’re looking at life through an outdated filter. That driver probably isn’t your mortal enemy. They’re likely just late for work and didn’t see you in the mirror.
Buddhist practice invites us to notice this:
- Why do I think this way?
- Where does this reaction come from?
- Is this thought really true?
When we examine these automatic responses, we begin to see that much of our suffering is tied to old mental habits that no longer fit our world. Wright argues that our minds evolved to operate under conditions very different from those we live in now, and that our unexamined reactions are often mismatched to modern life.
He also connects this to the wider world—tribalism, for instance. Our deep tendency to divide people into “us” and “them” is rooted in the idea that “they” are competing with “us” for resources: food, safety, territory, the survival of our kin. In an ancestral environment, that might have made some sense. But in our global, interconnected world, those same instincts can be dangerous.
Toward the end of the book, Wright suggests that, as a species, we may need to “put away childish things”—to recognize that these old mental programs got us to where we are, but may not be what we need going forward. Becoming aware of how our minds actually function can benefit us both as individuals and as a species.
As a mediator, I found it a fascinating read. Wright weaves his personal experience of practice into the discussion, so those of us who sit can recognize a lot of what he describes from our own cushions.
In the end, I thought he made a very strong case for his provocative title: Why Buddhism Is True, at least from this particular, limited angle of evolutionary psychology and contemplative practice. If you’re interested in such things, I’d recommend seeking it out.
You can find the book here:
Why Buddhism Is True by Robert Wright
Hakone Zendo 