The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday LifeOxford University Press, 01/12/2017 - 288 من الصفحات Human beings are primates, and primates are political animals. Our brains, therefore, are designed not just to hunt and gather, but also to help us get ahead socially, often via deception and self-deception. But while we may be self-interested schemers, we benefit by pretending otherwise. The less we know about our own ugly motives, the better - and thus we don't like to talk or even think about the extent of our selfishness. This is "the elephant in the brain." Such an introspective taboo makes it hard for us to think clearly about our nature and the explanations for our behavior. The aim of this book, then, is to confront our hidden motives directly - to track down the darker, unexamined corners of our psyches and blast them with floodlights. Then, once everything is clearly visible, we can work to better understand ourselves: Why do we laugh? Why are artists sexy? Why do we brag about travel? Why do we prefer to speak rather than listen? Our unconscious motives drive more than just our private behavior; they also infect our venerated social institutions such as Art, School, Charity, Medicine, Politics, and Religion. In fact, these institutions are in many ways designed to accommodate our hidden motives, to serve covert agendas alongside their "official" ones. The existence of big hidden motives can upend the usual political debates, leading one to question the legitimacy of these social institutions, and of standard policies designed to favor or discourage them. You won't see yourself - or the world - the same after confronting the elephant in the brain. |
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... keep such concepts at bay. Of course, no work like this comes together without a community of support. We're grateful for the advice, feedback, and encouragement of a wide network of colleagues, friends, and family: • Our book agent ...
... keep such concepts at bay. Of course, no work like this comes together without a community of support. We're grateful for the advice, feedback, and encouragement of a wide network of colleagues, friends, and family: • Our book agent ...
الصفحة 4
... keep or improve their position in the hierarchy, whether by dominance displays, squabbles over territory, or active confrontations. None of these behaviors is surprising to find in a species as social and political as ours. What's ...
... keep or improve their position in the hierarchy, whether by dominance displays, squabbles over territory, or active confrontations. None of these behaviors is surprising to find in a species as social and political as ours. What's ...
الصفحة 5
... keep “us,” our conscious minds, in the dark. The less we know of our own ugly motives, the easier it is to hide them from others. Self- deception is therefore strategic, a ploy our brains use to look good while behaving badly ...
... keep “us,” our conscious minds, in the dark. The less we know of our own ugly motives, the easier it is to hide them from others. Self- deception is therefore strategic, a ploy our brains use to look good while behaving badly ...
الصفحة 6
... suite of them, along with various mechanisms for keeping them unconscious. But although the explanations in this book. Figure 1. The Elephant in the Brain. Figure 2. Human Ancestors' Brain Volume Over Time (de Miguel. 6 Introduction.
... suite of them, along with various mechanisms for keeping them unconscious. But although the explanations in this book. Figure 1. The Elephant in the Brain. Figure 2. Human Ancestors' Brain Volume Over Time (de Miguel. 6 Introduction.
الصفحة 7
Hidden Motives in Everyday Life Kevin Simler, Robin Hanson. keeping them unconscious. But although the explanations in this book may seem Freudian at times, we ... keep our thoughts pure and chaste. “We” don't always know INTRODUCTION 7.
Hidden Motives in Everyday Life Kevin Simler, Robin Hanson. keeping them unconscious. But although the explanations in this book may seem Freudian at times, we ... keep our thoughts pure and chaste. “We” don't always know INTRODUCTION 7.
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