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 ix
... 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 topics . We're quite ...
... 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 topics . We're quite ...
الصفحة 4
... beings , are a species that's not only capable of acting on hidden motives - we're designed to do it . Our brains are built to act in our self - interest while at the same time trying hard not to appear selfish in 4 Introduction.
... beings , are a species that's not only capable of acting on hidden motives - we're designed to do it . Our brains are built to act in our self - interest while at the same time trying hard not to appear selfish in 4 Introduction.
الصفحة 5
... selfishness — the selfish parts of our psyches . But it's actually broader than that . Selfishness is just the heart , if you will , and an elephant has many other parts , all interconnected . So throughout the book , we'll be using ...
... selfishness — the selfish parts of our psyches . But it's actually broader than that . Selfishness is just the heart , if you will , and an elephant has many other parts , all interconnected . So throughout the book , we'll be using ...
الصفحة 6
... Selfishness Politics Sex Figure 1. The Elephant in the Brain . Introspection Human behavior is rarely what it seems - that's the main lesson here . Of course , we're hardly the first people to make this point . Thinkers across the ages ...
... Selfishness Politics Sex Figure 1. The Elephant in the Brain . Introspection Human behavior is rarely what it seems - that's the main lesson here . Of course , we're hardly the first people to make this point . Thinkers across the ages ...
الصفحة 11
... impor- tant things they're judging is our motives . Why do we behave the way we do ? Do we have others ' best interests at heart , or are we entirely selfish ? 2. Because others are judging us , we're eager to INTRODUCTION 11.
... impor- tant things they're judging is our motives . Why do we behave the way we do ? Do we have others ' best interests at heart , or are we entirely selfish ? 2. Because others are judging us , we're eager to INTRODUCTION 11.
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actually advertise altruism ancestors animal apparatchik Arabian babbler asked babblers behavior beliefs benefit better body language bowerbird brains Bryan Caplan Chapter charity cheating coalitions competition consider conspicuous conspicuous consumption consumers costs course CRIMESTOP Do-Right donate effect elephant especially evolutionary psychology example explain fact feel forager friends function Geoffrey Miller give going grooming Haidt Hajj hidden motives human Ibid important incentives individual laugh laughter less listeners look loyalty male mates medicine Miller minds norms ourselves patients peers percent person play political Press Secretary prestige primates prosocial puzzles reasons religion religious Robert Trivers Robin Hanson self-deception selfish signal simply social social grooming someone spend split-brain status Steve Jobs there's things tion Trivers typically voters voting we’re what's words Zhao Gao