This chapter confronts a disturbing but necessary idea: human beings are not naturally rational or virtuous, but evolved organisms shaped by survival, status, and social adaptation. What we like to think of as flaws—bias, overconfidence, group loyalty, and self-deception—are in fact features of an evolutionary design optimized for endurance rather than truth. Introducing the concept of the Rational Real, the chapter shows why moral ideals and policy ambitions often fail when they ignore biological constraints. Human behavior is revealed as deeply mimetic, driven by prestige, imitation, and tribal dynamics—patterns that shape not only everyday life but also academia itself. The social sciences, the chapter argues, are not immune: they mirror the same conformity pressures and moralized narratives they seek to explain. By grounding social analysis in evolutionary reality, this chapter strips away comforting illusions about rationality and progress. What emerges is a sobering but powerful insight: understanding human limits is not pessimism, but the starting point for more resilient institutions, better policy, and a more honest social science.