Studies in archaeology and anthropology describe the origins of Homo sapiens in Africa and how soon, in historical terms, we moved out of the continent into the Middle East, and on to inhabit the rest of the world. The scientific reports seem to dwell almost entirely on from where and when we originated. Today, in contradiction, there are detention camps full of refugees fleeing persecution; governments are rushing to build fences to keep out ‘illegal immigrants’; we worry about our borders and ‘boat people’, and the media encourages debate about the dangers of overpopulation. Everywhere, people on the move are seen as a problem.

A more important aspect of human evolution is the kind of animal we have become. We left behind the trees and jungles inhabited by our primate ancestors and ventured out onto the plains. Evolution has provided us with a vertical stature, long legs and bipedal gait, strong arms and shoulders, and above all a brain which can analyse situations, solve problems and plan a future. Humans are capable of moving long distances to find new resources, escape threats and to carry the means of survival with them. Prehistorical and historical evidence highlights the frequent movements of both small and large numbers of people across continents and oceans. We are migrant animals, only settling where there are reliable resources and when we feel safe from threat. However, the constant movement of people around the world over many thousands of years has resulted in the interchange of ideas, uptake of new technology and, ultimately, modern civilisation.

Modern nations and governments resist or highly control the entry of outsiders, as a stable population is believed essential for economic activities – work and the accumulation of wealth. Newcomers are regarded as disruptive and unlimited immigration threatens resources. Narrow nationalism and racial hatred are some of the outcomes of these policies.

We need a new political philosophy which regards migration, both inward and outward, as inevitable, valuable and essential to the further development of world peace and prosperity.