Animal behaviorists know that every species is predisposed to certain kinds of social interaction. Chickens have their pecking order. Wolves pair up but run in packs.
Elephant matriarchs lead the herd while adult males wander off to attend to their own concerns.
Honeybees sacrifice their lives to the well-being of the hive and the reproductive efforts of one queen. Our evolutionary history is one of social primates that underwent a profound transition toward learning, culture, awareness and choice. Evolutionary behaviorists tend to focus on our primate heritage, observing chimpanzees and baboons to look for the origins of human social behavior. But somehow, the superior intellect of an Al Gore doesn't necessarily lead to social or political dominance, as we have seen. The assertion of dominance among beasts of lesser brain is a fairly straightforward physical contest.