Anecdotally, it seems to me that across tribes and families, people are less likely to try to occupy a niche that already looks filled. (Which of course would be a matter of individual advantage, not tribal advantage!) Some of the people around me may have failed to enter their area of greatest comparative advantage, because even though they were smarter than average, I looked smarter.
Example anecdote: A close childhood friend who wanted to be a lawyer was told by his parents that he might not be smart enough because “he’s not Eliezer Yudkowsky”. I heard this, hooted, and told my friend to tell his parents that I said he was plenty smart enough. He became a lawyer.
Anecdotally, it seems to me that across tribes and families, people are less likely to try to occupy a niche that already looks filled. (Which of course would be a matter of individual advantage, not tribal advantage!) Some of the people around me may have failed to enter their area of greatest comparative advantage, because even though they were smarter than average, I looked smarter.
Example anecdote: A close childhood friend who wanted to be a lawyer was told by his parents that he might not be smart enough because “he’s not Eliezer Yudkowsky”. I heard this, hooted, and told my friend to tell his parents that I said he was plenty smart enough. He became a lawyer.
THAT had a tragic ending!