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The early development of WEIRD is somewhat more complicated. Anthropologist Peter Frost has been studying this for decades and took a part in the debate on how it developed based on the genetic and historical research. My belief is that Western Hunter-Gatherer genes have a lot to do with it. It can be amplified by the elite, but it’s already there for them to exploit.
Another thing that complicates the picture is the Northumbrians who settled the Backcountry of America. Midtermed “Scot-Irish”, they were the most warlike of all English regional cultures during to 700 years of uncertain borders between England and Scotland. The thing is that they were both highly individualistic (they preferred a hermitage-type settlement and were self-starters) and also highly clannish (they lived within 5 hours’ march from each other). Which fits what we know about the early European warrior cultures on the marches.
The elite-common struggle is the ancient one, going back to the very first tribal kings, and it involves a lot of trade-offs. They need a king to lead the clans in war once population density reaches a certain point. But the clans’ independence can be a problem as Richard III found out when the powerful Percy family defected to Henry Tudor in the middle of battle. This can make for political instability that can undercut a great power like the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth where the aristocracy’s Golden Liberty undercuts any serious attempt to fight a war. Machiavelli discussed this conflict between the elite and the people in great detail. Both authority and a decentralized system are the goods we wanted to cultivate. We need an elite and we need intermediary institutions such as the clan, temple, fraternity, guild, and militia to check the elite. Individualistic attitude is needed to create men of strong will to challenge both bad kings and bad ideas to create an advanced society. We also need a tribal attitude to create the civil goods such as law and bridge, and eventually to escape Earth altogether to ensure the survival of our civilization against the Poo World and the aristocracy who love them.