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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الصفحة 1
... patients spend so much on medical care ? To get healthier : That's their one and only goal , right ? Maybe not ... patients and policymakers are far less eager to pursue them . Patients are also easily Introduction.
... patients spend so much on medical care ? To get healthier : That's their one and only goal , right ? Maybe not ... patients and policymakers are far less eager to pursue them . Patients are also easily Introduction.
الصفحة 2
... Patients are also easily satisfied with the appear- ance of good medical care , and show shockingly little interest in digging beneath the surface - for example , by getting second opinions or asking for outcome statistics from their ...
... Patients are also easily satisfied with the appear- ance of good medical care , and show shockingly little interest in digging beneath the surface - for example , by getting second opinions or asking for outcome statistics from their ...
الصفحة 3
... patient's health insurance in the first place . Each of these parties is hoping for a bit of loyalty in exchange for their support . But the net result is that patients end up getting more medicine than they need strictly for their ...
... patient's health insurance in the first place . Each of these parties is hoping for a bit of loyalty in exchange for their support . But the net result is that patients end up getting more medicine than they need strictly for their ...
الصفحة 74
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