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 vii
... Behavior 17 2 Competition 25 3 Norms 43 4 Cheating 59 5 Self- Deception 73 6 Counterfeit Reasons 91 PART II Hidden Motives in Everyday Life 7 Body Language 111 8 Laughter 129 9 Conversation 149 10 Consumption 169 11 Art 187 12 Charity ...
... Behavior 17 2 Competition 25 3 Norms 43 4 Cheating 59 5 Self- Deception 73 6 Counterfeit Reasons 91 PART II Hidden Motives in Everyday Life 7 Body Language 111 8 Laughter 129 9 Conversation 149 10 Consumption 169 11 Art 187 12 Charity ...
الصفحة 4
... behaviors is surprising to find in a species as social and political as ours. What's interesting is how people obfuscate all this social competition by dressing it up in clinical business jargon. Richard doesn't complain about Karen by ...
... behaviors is surprising to find in a species as social and political as ours. What's interesting is how people obfuscate all this social competition by dressing it up in clinical business jargon. Richard doesn't complain about Karen by ...
الصفحة 5
... behavior. We'll be forced to distort or deny any explanation that harks back to our hidden motives. Key facts will remain taboo, and we'll forever be mystified by our own thoughts and actions. It's only by confronting the elephant, then ...
... behavior. We'll be forced to distort or deny any explanation that harks back to our hidden motives. Key facts will remain taboo, and we'll forever be mystified by our own thoughts and actions. It's only by confronting the elephant, then ...
الصفحة 8
... behaviors and how little we're consciously aware of what's going on. These behaviors include laughter, blushing, tears, eye contact, and body language. In fact, we have such little introspective access into these behaviors, or voluntary ...
... behaviors and how little we're consciously aware of what's going on. These behaviors include laughter, blushing, tears, eye contact, and body language. In fact, we have such little introspective access into these behaviors, or voluntary ...
الصفحة 9
... behavior— why we bought that new car, say, or why we broke off a relationship— we mostly portray our motives as ... behaviors. But few have taken the logical next step of using those insights to study our institutions. The point is, we ...
... behavior— why we bought that new car, say, or why we broke off a relationship— we mostly portray our motives as ... behaviors. But few have taken the logical next step of using those insights to study our institutions. The point is, we ...
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