#54 Robin Hanson: The Elephant in the Brain, Selfishness and Prosociality, Social Progress
Dr. Robin Hanson is an Associate Professor of Economics at George Mason University and a research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University. He’s also the author of books like The Age of Em, and The Elephant in the Brain.
In this episode, the conversation centers around the book The Elephant in the Brain. We talk about subconscious motivations; selfishness and prosociality; rationalizations; strong and weak social norms; personality variability and hidden motivations; conspicuous consumption; prestige status; bragging and self-esteem; costly signaling; self-deception; the social role of laughter; the limits of comedy; the social importance of gossip; the prosociality of nepotism; the social aspects of advertising; art and conspicuous signaling; charity, waste, and effective altruism; the social value of education; conspicuous effort and waste in medicine; the narrative of the self; enlightened self-interest; being humble; individual vs collective change; niche communities; capitalism and social progress; and related topics.
Time Links:
The elephant in the brain
Evolutionary perspectives on hidden motives
The Dissenter strikes back on disagreeable ends
Rationalizations
Selfishness and prosociality
We can get away with violating weak norms
Bragging about positive motivations
Adding personality variability to the picture
Conspicuous consumption
Signaling positive personality traits through material means
Prestige status
– Bragging and self-esteem
The drawbacks of costly signaling
Self-deception
The interpreter module
Norms as rationalizations
The social role of laughter
The limits of comedy
The social importance of gossip
The prosociality of nepotism
The social aspects of advertising
Art and conspicuous signaling
Charity, waste, and effective altruism
The social value of education
Thought experiment on a society of inconspicuous consumption
Conspicuous effort and waste in medicine
Reactions to the book
The narrative of the self
Enlightened self-interest
Being humble
Balance between subconscious drives and exerting control over them
Individual vs collective change
Niche communities
Modern life and personal identity
Capitalism and social progress
Where can you follow Dr. Hanson’s work?
O Dr. Robin Hanson é um Professor Associado de Economia da George Mason University e um investigador associado do Future of Humanity Institute da Universidade de Oxford. É também o autor de livros como The Age of Em, e The Elephant in the Brain.
Neste episódio, a conversa é centrada no livro The Elephant in the Brain. Falamos sobre motivações subconscientes; egoísmo e prossocialidade; racionalizações; normas sociais fortes e fracas; variabilidade de personalidade e motivações escondidas; consumo conspícuo; status de prestígio; relação entre gabarolice e autoestima; sinalização dispendiosa; autodeceção; o papel social do riso; os limites da comédia; a importância social da fofoquice; a prossocialidade do nepotismo; os aspetos sociais da publicidade; arte e sinalização conspícua; caridade, desperdício, e altruísmo efetivo; o valor social da educação; esforço conspícuo e desperdício na medicina; a narrativa do “eu”; interesse próprio iluminado; ser-se humilde; mudança individual vs coletiva; comunidades nicho; capitalismo e progresso social; e tópicos relacionados.
Follow Dr. Hanson’s work:
Faculty page: https://economics.gmu.edu/people/rhanson
Book The Age of Em: https://ageofem.com/
Book The Elephant in the Brain: http://elephantinthebrain.com/
Twitter handle: @robinhanson