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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... look good, rather than good decisions.” —Hugo Mercier, Research Scientist, French Institute for Cognitive Sciences “A thoughtful examination of the human condition.” —David Biello, Science Curator at TED; author of The Unnatural World ...
... look good, rather than good decisions.” —Hugo Mercier, Research Scientist, French Institute for Cognitive Sciences “A thoughtful examination of the human condition.” —David Biello, Science Curator at TED; author of The Unnatural World ...
الصفحة
... look at how we deceive ourselves in order to deceive others.” —Ramez Naam, author of Nexus “A provocative and compellingly readable account of how and why we lie to our rivals, our friends, and ourselves.” — Steven Landsburg, Professor ...
... look at how we deceive ourselves in order to deceive others.” —Ramez Naam, author of Nexus “A provocative and compellingly readable account of how and why we lie to our rivals, our friends, and ourselves.” — Steven Landsburg, Professor ...
الصفحة ix
... look long and intently at our selfish motives, at what we've called “the elephant in the brain.” Even we, the authors of a book on the subject, are relieved for the chance to look away, to let our minds wander to safer, more comfortable ...
... look long and intently at our selfish motives, at what we've called “the elephant in the brain.” Even we, the authors of a book on the subject, are relieved for the chance to look away, to let our minds wander to safer, more comfortable ...
الصفحة x
... look for a “PhD advisor.” Kevin is also particularly grateful for the support of his parents, Steve and Valerie, and his wife Diana. • Finally, Kevin would like to thank Lee Corbin, his mentor and friend of 25 years. This project would ...
... look for a “PhD advisor.” Kevin is also particularly grateful for the support of his parents, Steve and Valerie, and his wife Diana. • Finally, Kevin would like to thank Lee Corbin, his mentor and friend of 25 years. This project would ...
الصفحة 3
... sessions. Interviews began to look like thinly veiled initiation rituals. The company logo took on the character of a tribal totem or religious symbol. But the biggest revelation from Boehm's book concerned social status. INTRODUCTION 3.
... sessions. Interviews began to look like thinly veiled initiation rituals. The company logo took on the character of a tribal totem or religious symbol. But the biggest revelation from Boehm's book concerned social status. INTRODUCTION 3.
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