How unique are people?

Quora Question:  How unique and similar are people?

If you’re like most people you don’t think you’re like most people. Even when people think they are different they usually think this for very similar reasons. Even when people do their own thing, they do so in remarkably similar ways.

The fact of the matter is that within a narrow range of possibilities we have far more in common than most people think. But, we are not wired up to see things in terms of what we share with others who are different than us but to focus on those differences. So, it’s difficult to overcome the cognitive bias towards seeing and emphasizing these differences.
But, if you can do so you will discover the underlying commonality. The key is not to get lost in the differences but to see those differences as variations in a fairly narrow range of possibilities.

To begin to see this examine a universal need such as eating. Yes, there is quite a bit of variation in what people eat across cultures and times. But, begin to look for common themes and practices and you will begin to see how alike we are.

Another way to begin to see similarities is to have a thoughtful discussion with someone who disagrees with you on some issue. it could be any issues: abortion, immigration, climate change.

Again, instead of focusing on the differences which are obvious look for the similarities which are sometimes below the surface. Look for fundamentals.

For example, even though you disagree do you understand how their reasons lead them to come to a different conclusion. In other words, if you believed their premises would you understand how they came to their different conclusion? If so, then you share a similar logic since you understand what they are thinking.

Often this is the case with disagreements about issues. We share the same ways of reasoning and the same biases. We come to different conclusions not because we fundamentally disagree but because we draw a conclusion from different starting points. Those are often due to accidents of circumstance, experience, and environment.
They are rarely due to fundamental differences.

At the biological level, the similarities become stronger, not weaker. Genetically we are virtually identical with only a small amount of difference accounting for the differences we see in observable variations.

So, why are there so many variations? Most of the differences can be attributed to differences in environment, culture, and upbringing.

Two groups of people with identical languages, religions, eating habits, and political beliefs can develop a wide range of variations just by being separated in space and time. In other words, given enough time and separation in geography, those two identical groups will develop in different ways and ultimately diverge in their cultural practices.

But, even after that divergence, there will be underlying and fundamental similarities that persist. We just have to look for them.

A few books that might provide more insight into some of these points include:

Leonard Mlodinow The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
Dan Ariely Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions