An explanation of blame and guilt

I just read Blame Turned Upside Down¹ by Robert Wright. I don’t think i have ever felt quite so uncomfortable while reading as i did during that essay. Its thesis is easy to apply to daily life and it quite handily explains the reactions of myself, and others, to many situations i have experienced. It is profoundly discomforting that people’s behaviors and feelings are dominated by a set of ancient heuristics. Particularly when that person is me.