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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... .” — Zach Weinersmith, author of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal “This book will change how you see the world.” —Allan Dafoe, Professor of Political Science, Yale University “A captivating book about the things your brain does not.
... .” — Zach Weinersmith, author of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal “This book will change how you see the world.” —Allan Dafoe, Professor of Political Science, Yale University “A captivating book about the things your brain does not.
الصفحة vii
... 149 10 Consumption 169 11 Art 187 12 Charity 205 13 Education 225 14 Medicine 241 15 Religion 261 16 Politics 283 17 Conclusion 303 Notes 315 References 353 Index 385 PREFACE Although Robin has blogged on related topics for over Contents.
... 149 10 Consumption 169 11 Art 187 12 Charity 205 13 Education 225 14 Medicine 241 15 Religion 261 16 Politics 283 17 Conclusion 303 Notes 315 References 353 Index 385 PREFACE Although Robin has blogged on related topics for over Contents.
الصفحة 12
... politics, we're quick to point out when others' motives are more selfish than they claim. But in other areas, like medicine, we prefer to believe that almost all of us have pretty motives. In such cases, we can all be quite wrong ...
... politics, we're quick to point out when others' motives are more selfish than they claim. But in other areas, like medicine, we prefer to believe that almost all of us have pretty motives. In such cases, we can all be quite wrong ...
الصفحة 19
... political function of grooming also explains why grooming time across species is correlated with the size of the social group, but not the amount of fur.14 Larger groups have, on average, greater political complexity, making alliances ...
... political function of grooming also explains why grooming time across species is correlated with the size of the social group, but not the amount of fur.14 Larger groups have, on average, greater political complexity, making alliances ...
الصفحة 20
... politics explains why the geladas spend those additional, seemingly unnecessary 90 minutes. COMPETITIVE ALTRUISM Before we move on to human behavior, here is one more quick example. The Arabian babbler, famously studied by Amotz Zahavi ...
... politics explains why the geladas spend those additional, seemingly unnecessary 90 minutes. COMPETITIVE ALTRUISM Before we move on to human behavior, here is one more quick example. The Arabian babbler, famously studied by Amotz Zahavi ...
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