Podcast appearances and mentions of michael tomasello

Happy holidays, friends! We will be back with a new episode in January 2025. In the meantime, enjoy this favorite from our archives! ----- [originally aired Jun 14, 2023] Have you heard of Octopolis? It's a site off the coast of Australia where octopuses come together. It's been described as a kind of underwater "settlement" or "city." Now, smart as octopuses are, they are not really known for being particularly sociable. But it seems that, given the right conditions, they can shift in that direction. So it's not a huge leap to wonder whether these kinds of cephalopod congregations could eventually give rise to something else—a culture, a language, maybe something like a civilization.  This is the idea at the center of Ray Nayler's new book, The Mountain in the Sea. It's both a thriller of sorts and a novel of ideas; it's set in the near future, in the Con Dao archipelago of Vietnam. It grapples with the nature of intelligence and meaning, with the challenges of interspecies communication and companionship, and ultimately with what it means to be human.  Here, Ray and I talk about how he got interested in cephalopods and how he came to know the Con Dao archipelago. We discuss some of the choices he made as an author—choices about what drives the octopuses in his book to develop symbols and about what those symbols are like. We consider the major human characters in his book, in particular two ambitious researchers who embody very different approaches to understanding minds. We also talk a fair bit about AI—another central character in the book, after all, is a super-intelligent android. Along the way, Ray and I touch on Arrival, biosemiotics, the nature of symbols, memory and storytelling, embodiment, epigenetics, cephalopod camouflage, exaptation, and the sandbox that is speculative fiction.  This episode is obviously something a little different for us. Ray is a novelist, after all, but he's also an intellectual omnivore, and this conversation, maybe more than any other we've had on the show, spans three major branches of mind—human, animal, and machine. If you enjoy this episode, note that The Mountain in the Sea just came out in paperback, with a jaw-droppingly cool cover, I'll add. I highly recommend that you check it out. One more thing, while I have you: If you're enjoying Many Minds, we would be most grateful for your help in getting the word out. You might consider sharing the show with a friend or a colleague, writing us a review on Apple Podcasts, or leaving us a rating on Spotify or Apple. All this would really help us grow our audience.  Alright friends, on to my conversation with Ray Nayler. Enjoy!    A transcript of this episode is available here.     Notes and links 8:30 – For the review of The Mountain in the Sea in question, see here.  14:00 – Con Dao is a national park in Vietnam. 17:00 – For our previous episode about cephalopods, see here. 19:00 – For a book-length introduction to biosemiotics, see here.   24:00 – A video of Japanese macaques washing sweet potatoes.  26:30 – For discussion of the human case, in which environmental pressures of some kind may have propelled cooperation, see our episode with Michael Tomasello.  29:00 – A popular article about RNA editing in cephalopods.  35:00 – A video of the “passing cloud” phenomenon in cuttlefish. A brief article about the phenomenon. A video showing other forms of camouflage in octopuses. 41:00 – An experimental exploration of the movement from “iconic” to “symbolic” communication in humans.  44:00 – A popular article about the communication system used in the movie Arrival.  49:00 – One source of inspiration for Ray's book was Eduardo Kohn's How Forests Think.  1:00:00 – An article on the idea of “architects” and “gardeners” among writers.  1:05:00 – Ray's story ‘The Disintegration Loops' is available here. 1:11:00 – Ray's story ‘The Summer Castle' is available here.  1:13:00 – A popular article about the phenomenon of highly superior autobiographical memory. An essay about the idea that faulty memory is a feature rather than a bug. 1:18:00 – Ray's story ‘Muallim' is available here.   Recommendations Ways of Being, by James Bridle Living in Data, by Jer Thorp   Follow Ray on Twitter.   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala. Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com.   For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.

Simon DeDeo's inquiry takes on the most immense topics: astrophysics, history, epistemology, culture. He brings the precision of a physicist, the capability of a data scientist, and the sensibility of a philosopher to thinking about how we live our lives; and his polymathic life might be the example we need to make sense of the world we are walking into, one requiring an evolution to our way of studying and understanding.Origins Podcast WebsiteFlourishing Commons NewsletterShow Notes:David Spergel (08:40)The Santa Fe Institute (14:10)The Village Vanguard in New York City (16:30)The Applicability of Mathematics as a Philosophical Problem by Mark Steiner (24:30)Murray Gell-Mann (25:00)"The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences" by Eugene Wigner (26:00)"The civilizing process in London's Old Bailey" Klingenstein et al (27:30)Michael Tomasello (31:50)Michael Palmer "Lies of the Poem" (34:50)Phenomenology of Spirit by Hegel (37:20)Gregory Bateson "Where is the mind?" (40:20)The CANDOR corpus (42:50)Judith Donath on Origins (48:10)Marshall McLuhan (49:00)Science of Science (49:10)"New and atypical combinations: An assessment of novelty and interdisciplinarity" (49:10)Helen Vendler (51:20)The Anxiety of Influenceby Harold Bloom (53:00)C Thi Nguyen on Origins (57:00)The Scientific Landscape of Human Flourishing (58:00)eudaimonia (58:30)thumos (59:00)Lightning Round (01:04:50)Book: American Pastoral by Philip Roth Passion: exerciseHeart sing: narrativeScrewed up: teaching and mentoringFind Simon online:WebsiteLogo artwork by Cristina GonzalezMusic by swelo on all streaming platforms or @swelomusic on social media

The idea of a "maternal instinct"—the notion that mothers are wired for nurturing and care—is a familiar one in our culture. And it has a flipside, a corollary—what you might call “paternal aloofness.” It's the idea that men just aren't meant to care for babies, that we have more, you know, manly things to do. But when you actually look at the biology of caretaking, the truth is more complicated and much more interesting. My guest today is Dr. Sarah Blaffer Hrdy. She is Professor Emerita of Anthropology at the University of California, Davis and the author of the new book,  Father Time: A Natural History of Men and Babies. In it, she examines paternal care, the biology that supports it, and the norms and practices that sometimes suppress it. In this conversation, Sarah and I set her new book, Father Time, in the context of her four previous books. We discuss the surprising prevalence of male care in fish and amphibians. We talk about how Charles Darwin noted the plasticity of caretaking in animals, only to ignore that plasticity when talking about humans. We consider how time in intimate proximity with babies activates capacities for nurturing—not just in fathers, but in caretakers of all kinds. Along the way, we touch on langurs and owl monkeys; emus and cassowaries; cichlid fish and fairy shrimp; prolactin and oxytocin; patriarchy and patriarchal notions. We talk about what seems to be distinctive about the human capacity for care; and about what happens when males spend too much time competing for status, and not enough time snuggling babies. You'll probably get a sense for this from our conversation, but there are very few researchers who take both biology and culture as seriously as Sarah Blaffer Hrdy does. She does not shy away from digging deep into either domain. And she does not shy away from trying to trace the tangled links between the two. Alright friends, I hope you enjoy this one. On to my conversation with Dr. Sarah Blaffer Hrdy.   A transcript of this episode will be available soon.   Notes and links 3:00 – A classic paper on male parental care in fishes.   7:00 – Dr. Hrdy's previous books include The Langurs of Abu, The Woman that Never Evolved, Mother Nature, and Mothers and Others. 13:00 – A academic article  on “cooperative breeding” in birds. 16:30 – The full text of Charles Darwin's book, The Descent of Man. 21:00 – Read about Caroline Kennard and her correspondence with Darwin here. 23:30 – A review of a recent book on Nancy Hopkins and her (quantitative) efforts to expose sexism at MIT. 26:00 – The 2014 paper on the brains of fathers in different caretaking roles. 37:00 – A paper by Larry Young and a colleague on the role of ancient peptides (like oxytocin) in sociality. 40:00 – The lab of Dr. Lauren O'Connell, who studies physiology and social behavior in poison dart frogs. 42:00 – A review of paternal care in primates. 47:00 – For more on Michael Tomasello's “mutualism hypothesis”—and a lot else—see our earlier episode with Dr. Tomasello. 49:00 – For more on the costliness of the human brain, see our earlier episodes here and here. 58:00 – The 2007 study by Esther Herrmann, Michael Tomasello, and colleagues on the human specialization for social cognition. 59:00 – A study of children's early “ostensive gestures” of showing and offering. 1:02:00 – An obituary for the ethnographer Lorna Marshall. 1:09:00 – An overview of ostracods and the traces they leave in the fossil record.   Recommendations The Parental Brain, Michael Numan Silas Marner, George Eliot Endless Forms Most Beautiful, Sean Carroll Your Inner Fish, Neil Shubin Brave Genius, Sean Carroll   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation to Indiana University. The show is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala. Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com.    For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Twitter (@ManyMindsPod) or Bluesky (@manymindspod.bsky.social).

Hosts Will Larry and Chad Pytel interview Brock Dubbels, Principal UX and AI Researcher at CareTrainer.ai. Brock discusses how CareTrainer.ai leverages AI to address the current care crisis in elderly populations. He highlights the growing demographic of individuals over 70 and the significant shortage of caregivers, exacerbated by COVID-19. CareTrainer.ai aims to alleviate this by automating routine tasks, allowing caregivers to focus on building meaningful relationships and providing personalized, compassionate care. The platform utilizes AI to manage tasks such as documentation, communication, and monitoring, which helps caregivers spend more time engaging with patients, ultimately enhancing the quality of care and reducing caregiver burnout. Brock elaborates on the specific tasks that CareTrainer.ai automates, using an example from his own experience. He explains how AI can transform transactional interactions into conversational ones, fostering trust and authenticity between caregivers and patients. By automating repetitive tasks, caregivers are freed to engage more deeply with patients, encouraging them to participate in their own care. This not only improves patient outcomes but also increases job satisfaction and retention among caregivers. Brock mentions the alarming attrition rates in caregiving jobs and how CareTrainer.ai's approach can help mitigate this by creating more rewarding and relational caregiving roles. Additionally, Brock discusses the apprenticeship model CareTrainer.ai employs to train caregivers. This model allows new caregivers to learn on the job with AI assistance, accelerating their training and integrating them more quickly into the workforce. He emphasizes the importance of designing AI tools that are user-friendly and enhance the caregiving experience rather than replace human interaction, and by focusing on customer obsession and continuously iterating based on feedback, CareTrainer.ai aims to create AI solutions that are not only effective but also enrich the entire caregiving profession. CareTrainer.ai (https://www.caretrainer.ai/) Follow CareTrainer.ai on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/caretraining-ai/). Follow Brock Dubbels on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brockdubbels/). Visit his website: brockdubbels.com (https://brockdubbels.com/). Follow thoughtbot on X (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Transcript: WILL:  This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Will Larry. CHAD: And I'm your other host, Chad Pytel. And with us today is Brock Dubbels, Principal UX and AI Researcher at CareTrainer.ai, which is transforming health care and caregiving with a human-first approach to artificial intelligence. Brock, thank you for joining us. BROCK: Hey, thanks for having me, guys. I'm excited to talk about this. CHAD: Brock, let's get started with just diving into what CareTrainer.ai actually does. You know, so many businesses today are getting started with or incorporating artificial intelligence into their product offerings. And I know that it's been something that you've been working on for a long time. So, what is CareTrainer? BROCK: Well, CareTrainer is an opportunity in the midst of a crisis. So, right now, we have what's called a care crisis for the elderly populations. If you were to look at the age of the North American population and look at it over the next 10 years, about 65% of our population will be over the age of 70. And right now, we are understaffed in caregiving by almost 20%. Caregivers, especially after COVID, are leaving at about a 40% clip. And enrollment in these care programs is down 9%, but yet that older population is growing. And in the midst of this, we've just recently had an executive order called the Older Americans Act, which states that we actually have to reduce the ratio of caregivers to patients, and we need to give more humane interaction to the patients in these facilities, in homes and help them to retain their dignity. Many of them lose their identity to diagnosis, and they're often referred to as the tasks associated with them. And what CareTrainer attempts to do is take many of the tasks out of the hands of the caregivers so that they can focus on what they're good at, which is building relationships, learning and understanding, acting with curiosity and compassion, and demonstrating expert knowledge in the service to caring for patients, either in homes, facilities or even post-acute care. WILL: You mentioned your hope is to take some of the tasks away from the caregivers. Can you go a little bit deeper into that? What tasks are you referring to? BROCK: Let's think about an example. My mom was a public health nurse, and she worked in child maternal health. And these were oftentimes reluctant counseling sessions between she and a young mother or a potential mother. And if she were sitting there with a clipboard or behind a computer screen and looking at the screen, or the clipboard, and doing the interview with questions, she would probably not get a very good interview because she's not making a relationship. It's not conversational; it's transactional. And when we have these transactional relationships, oftentimes, we're not building trust. We're not expressing authenticity. We're not building relationships. It's not conversational. And we don't get to know the person, and they don't trust us. So, when we have these transactional relationships, we don't actually build the loyalty or the motivation. And when we can free people of the tasks associated with the people that they care for by automating those tasks, we can free them up to build relationships, to build trust, and, in many cases, become more playful, expose their own vulnerability, their own past, their own history, and, hopefully, help these patients feel a little bit more of their worth. Many of these people worked meaningful lives as school teachers, working at the fire department, working at the hardware store. And they had a lot of friends, and they did a lot for their community. And now they're in a place where maybe there's somebody taking care of them that doesn't know anything about them, and they just become a person in a chair that, you know, needs to be fed at noon. And I think that's very sad. So, what we help to do is generate the conversations people like to have, learn the stories. But more importantly, we do what's called restorative care, which is, when we have a patient who becomes much more invested in their own self-care, the caregiver can actually be more autonomous. So, let's say it's an elderly person, and, in the past, they wouldn't dress themselves. But because they've been able to build trust in a relationship, they're actually putting on their own blouse and slacks now. For example, a certified nursing assistant or a home health aide can actually make the bed while they're up dressing because the home health aide or certified nursing assistant is not dressing them or is not putting the toothpaste on the toothbrush. So, what we're doing is we're saying, "Let's get you involved in helping with restorative care." And this also increases retention amongst the caregivers. One of the things that I learned in doing an ethnography of a five-state regional healthcare system was that these caregivers there was an attrition rate of about 45% of these workers within the first 30 days of work. So, it's a huge expense for the facility, that attrition rate. One of the reasons why they said they were leaving is because they felt like they weren't building any relationships with the people that they were caring for, and it was more like a task than it was a care or a relationship. And, in fact, in many cases, they described it as maid service with bedpans for grumpy people [chuckles]. And many of them said, "I know there's somebody nice down there, but I think that they've just become a little bit hesitant to engage because of the huge number of people that come through this job, and the lack of continuity, the lack of relationship, the lack of understanding that comes from building a relationship and getting to know each other." And when we're talking about taking the tasks away, we're helping with communication. We're actually helping with diagnosis and charting. We're helping with keeping the care plan updated and having more data for the care plan so that nurse practitioners and MDs can have a much more robust set of data to make decisions upon when they meet with this patient. And this actually reduces the cost for the care facilities because there's less catastrophic care in the form of emergency rooms, prescriptions, assisted care, as well as they actually retain their help. The caregivers stay there because it's a good quality of life. And when those other costs go down, some of the institutions that I work for actually put that money back into more patient care, hiring more people to have more meaningful, humane interactions. And that's what I mean about taking the tasks off of the caregiver so that they can have the conversations and the relational interactions, rather than the transactional interactions. CHAD: One thing I've heard from past guests and clients that we've had in this space, too, is, to speak more to the problem, the lack of staff and the decline in the quality of care and feeling like it's very impersonal causes families to take on that burden or family members to take on that burden, but they're not necessarily equipped to do it. And it sort of causes this downward spiral of stress and quality of care that impacts much bigger than just the individual person who needs the care. It often impacts entire families. BROCK: Oh yeah. Currently, they're estimating that family, friends, and communities are providing between $90 and $260,000 worth of care per person per year. And this is leading to, you know, major financial investments that many of these people don't have. It leads to negative health outcomes. So, in a lot of ways, what I just described is providing caregiver respite, and that is providing time for a caregiver to actually engage with a person that they're caring for, teaching them communication skills. And one of the big things here is many of these institutions and families are having a hard time finding caregivers. Part of that is because we're using old systems of education in new days that require new approaches to the problem. And the key thing that CareTrainer does is it provides a guided apprenticeship, which means that you can earn while you learn. And what I mean by that is, rather than sitting in a chair in front of a screen doing computer-based training off of a modified PowerPoint with multiple-choice tests, you can actually be in the context of care and earning while you learn rather than learning to earn. CHAD: Well, at thoughtbot, we're a big believer in apprenticeships as a really solid way of learning quickly from an experienced mentor in a structured way. I was excited to hear about the apprenticeship model that you have. BROCK: Well, it's really exciting, isn't it? I mean, when you begin looking at what AI can do as...let's call it a copilot. I thought some of the numbers that Ethan Mollick at Wharton Business School shared on his blog and his study with Boston Consulting Group, which is that an AI copilot can actually raise the quality of work, raise the floor to 82%, what he calls mediocrity. 82% was a pretty good grade for a lot of kids in my classes back when I was a Montessori teacher. But, in this case, what it does is it raises the floor to care by guiding through apprenticeship, and it allows people to learn through observation and trial and error. And people who are already at that 82nd percentile, according to Mollick's numbers, increase their productivity by 40%. The thing that we're not clear on is if certain people have a greater natural proficiency or proclivity for using these care pilots or if it's a learned behavior. CHAD: So, the impact that CareTrainer can have is huge. The surface area of the problem and the size of the industry is huge. But often, from a product perspective, what we're trying to do is get to market, figure out the smallest addressable, minimum viable product. Was that a challenge for you to figure out, okay, what's the first thing that we do, and how do we bring that to market and without getting overwhelmed with all the potential possibilities that you have? BROCK: Yeah, of course. I start out with what I call a GRITS model. I start out with, what are my goals? Then R, let's review the market. How is this problem being addressed now? I, what are my ideas for addressing these goals, and what's currently being done? And T, what tasks need to be completed in order to test these ideas? And what steps will I take to test them and iterate as far as a roadmap? And what that allowed me to do is to begin saying, okay, let's take the ideas that I can bring together first that are going to have the first initial impact because we're bootstrapping. And what we need to be able to do is get into a room with somebody who realizes that training caregivers and nursing is something that needs a review, maybe some fresh ideas. And getting that in front of them, understanding that that's our MVP 1 was really important. And what was really interesting is our MVP 2 through 5, we've begun to see that the technology is just exponential, the growth and progress. Our MVP 2 we thought we're going to be doing a heck of a lot of stuff with multimedia reinforcement learning. But now we're finding that some of the AI giants have actually done the work for us. So, I have just been very happy that we started out simple. And we looked at what is our core problem, which is, you know, what's the best way to train people? And how do we do that with the least amount of effort and the most amount of impact? And the key to it is customer obsession. And this is something I learned at Amazon as their first principle. And many of the experiences that I brought from places like Amazon and other big tech is, how do I understand the needs of the customer? What problems do they have, and what would make this a more playful experience? And, in this case, I wanted to design for curiosity. And the thing that I like to say about that is AI chose its symbol of the spark really smartly. And I think the spark is what people want in life. And the spark is exploring, and it's finding something. And you see this kind of spark of life, this learning, and you discover it. You create more from it. You share it. It's enlightening. It's inspirational. It makes people excited. It's something that they want to share. It's inventing. It's creation. I think that's what we wanted to have people experience in our learning, rather than my own experience in computer-based training, which was sitting in front of a flashified PowerPoint with multiple choice questions and having the text read to me. And, you know, spending 40 hours doing that was kind of soul-killing. And what I really wanted to do was be engaged and start learning through experience. And that's what came down to our MVP 1 is, how do we begin to change the way that training occurs? How can we change the student experience and still provide for the institutional needs to get people on the floor and caring for people? And that was our first priority. And that's how we began to make hard decisions about how we were going to develop from MVP 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 because we had all the big ideas immediately. And part of that is because I had created a package like this back in 2004 for a five-state regional care provider in the Midwest. Back then, I was designing what could only be called a finite game. I'm designing in Flash for web. I'm doing decision trees with dialogue, and it's much like a video game, but a serious game. It's getting the assessment correct in the interactions and embedding the learning in the interaction and then being able to judge that and provide useful feedback for the player. And what this did was it made it possible for them to have interactive learning through doing in the form of a video game, which was a little bit more fun than studying a textbook or taking a computer-based test. It also allowed the health system a little bit more focus on the patients because what was happening is that they would be taking their best people off the floor and taking a partial schedule to train these new people. But 45% of those that they were training were leaving within the first 30 days. So, the game was actually an approach to providing that interaction as a guided apprenticeship without taking their best people off the floor into part-time schedules and the idea that they might not even be there in 30 days. So, that's kind of a lot to describe, but I would say that the focus on the MVP 1 was, this is the problem that we're going to help you with. We're going to get people out of the seats and onto the floor, off the screen, caring for people. And we're going to guide them through this guided apprenticeship, which allows for contextual computing and interaction, as we've worked with comparing across, like, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, Grok, trying these different approaches to AI, figuring out which models work best within this context. And, hopefully, when we walk in and we're sitting with an exec, we get a "Wow," [laughs]. And that's the big thing with our initial technology. We really want a wow. I shared this with a former instructor at the University of Minnesota, Joe Gaugler, and I said...I showed him, and he's like, "Wow, why isn't anybody doing this with nursing and such?" And I said, "Well, we are," you know, that's what I was hoping he would say. And that's the thing that we want to see when we walk into somebody's office, and we show them, and they say, "Wow, this is cool." "Wow, we think it's cool. And we hope you're going to want to go on this journey with us." And that's what MVP 1 should do for us is solve what seems like a little problem, which is a finite game-type technology, but turn it into an infinite game technology, which is what's possible with AI and machine learning. WILL: I love, you know, you're talking about your background, being a teacher, and in gaming, and I can see that in your product, which is awesome. Because training can be boring, especially if it's just reading or any of those things. But when you make it real life, when you put someone, I guess that's where the quote comes from, you put them in the game, it's so much better. So, for you, with your teacher background and your gaming background, was there a personal experience that you had that brought out your passion for caregiving? BROCK: You know, my mom is a nurse. She has always been into personal development. By the time I was in sixth grade, I was going to CPR classes with her while she was [inaudible 19:22] her nursing thing [laughs]. So, I was invited to propose a solution for the first version of CareTrainer, which had a different name back in 2004, which we sold. That led to an invitation to work and support the virtual clinic for the University of Minnesota Medical School, which is no longer a thing. The virtual clinic that is the medical school is still one of the best in the country, a virtual stethoscope writing grants as an academic for elder care. And I would have to say my personal story is that at the end of their lives, I took care of both my maternal grandmother in her home while I was going to college. And then, I took care of my paternal grandfather while I was going to college. And, you know, those experiences were profound for me because I was able to sit down and have coffee with them, tell jokes, learn about their lives. I saw the stories that went with the pictures. And I think one of the greatest fears that I saw in many of the potential customers that I've spoken to is at the end of a loved one's life that they didn't learn some of the things that they had hoped from them. And they didn't have the stories that went with all the pictures in the box, and that's just an opportunity missed. So, I think those are some of the things that drive me. It's just that connection to people. And I think that's what makes us humane is that compassion, that wanting to understand, and, also, I think a desire to have compassion and to be understood. And I think that's where gaming and play are really important because making mistakes is part of play. And you can make lots of mistakes and have lots of ways to solve a problem in a game. Whereas in computer-based training and standardized tests, which I used to address as a teacher, there's typically one right answer, and, in life, there is rarely a right answer [laughs]. CHAD: Well, and not really an opportunity to learn from mistakes either. Like, you don't necessarily get an opportunity on a standardized test to review the answers you got wrong in any meaningful way and try to learn from that experience. BROCK: Have you ever taken one of those tests and you're like, well, that's kind of right, but I think my answer is better, but it's not here [laughter]? I think what we really want from schools is creativity and innovation. And when we're showing kids that there's just a right answer, we kind of take the steam out of their engine, which is, you know, well, what if I just explore this and make mistakes? And I remember, in high school, I had an art teacher who said, "Explore your mistakes." Maybe you'll find out that their best is intentional. Maybe it's a feature, not a bug [laughs]. I think when I say inculcate play or inspire play, there's a feeling of psychological safety that we can be vulnerable, that we can explore, we can discover; we can create, and we can share. And when people say, "Oh, well, that's stupid," and you can say, "Well, I was just playing. I'm just exploring. I discovered this. I kind of messed around with a little bit, and I wanted to show you." And, hopefully, the person backs off a little bit from their strong statement and says, "Oh, I can see this and that." And, hopefully, that's the start of a conversation and maybe a startup, right [laughs]? CHAD: Well, there are so many opportunities in so many different industries to have an impact by introducing play. Because, in some ways, I feel like that may have been lost a little bit in so many sort of like addressing problems at scale or when scaling up to particular challenges. I think we trend towards standardization and lose a little bit of that. BROCK: I agree. I think humans do like continuity and predictability. But what we find in product is that when we can pleasantly surprise, we're going to build a customer base, you know, that doesn't come from, you know, doing the same thing all the time that everybody else does. That's kind of the table stakes, right? It works. But somebody is going to come along that does it in a more interesting way. And people are going to say, "Oh." It's like the arts and crafts effect in industrialization, right? Everybody needs a spoon to eat soup, a lot of soup [laughs]. And somebody can make a lot of spoons. And somebody else says, "Well, I can make spoons, too." "And how do I differentiate?" "Well, I've put a nice scrollwork design on my spoon. And it's beautiful, versus this other very plain spoon. I'll sell it to you for a penny more." And most people will take the designed thing, the well-designed thing that provides some beauty and some pleasure in their life. And I think that's part of what I described as the spark is that realization that we live in beauty, that we live in this kind of amazing place that inspires wonder when we're open to it. MID-ROLL AD: When starting a new project, we understand that you want to make the right choices in technology, features, and investment but that you don't have all year to do extended research. In just a few weeks, thoughtbot's Discovery Sprints deliver a user-centered product journey, a clickable prototype or Proof of Concept, and key market insights from focused user research. We'll help you to identify the primary user flow, decide which framework should be used to bring it to life, and set a firm estimate on future development efforts. Maximize impact and minimize risk with a validated roadmap for your new product. Get started at: tbot.io/sprint. WILL: You mentioned gamifying the training and how users are more involved. It's interesting because I'm actually going through this with my five-year-old. We're trying to put him in kindergarten, and he loves to play. And so, if you put him around a game, he'll learn it. He loves it. But most of the schools are like, workbooks, sit down; focus, all of those things. And it probably speaks to your background as being a Montessori teacher, but how did you come up with gamifying it for the trainee, I guess you could say? Like, how did you come up with that plan? Because I feel like in the school systems, a lot of that is missing because it's like, like you said, worksheets equal that boring PowerPoint that we have to sit down and read and stuff like that. So, how did you come up with the gamifying it when society is saying, "Worksheets, PowerPoints. Do it this way." BROCK: I think that is something I call the adult convenience model. Who's it better for: the person who has to do the grading and the curriculum design, or the kid doing the learning? And I think that, in those cases, the kid doing the learning misses out. And the way that we validate that behavior is by saying, "Well, you've got to learn how to conform. You've got to learn how to put your own interests and drives aside and just learn how to focus on this because I'm telling you to do it." And I think that's important, to be able to do what you're asked to do in a way that you're asked to do it. But I think that the instructional model that I'm talking about takes much more up-front thought. And where I came from with it is studying the way that I like to learn. I struggled in school. I really did. I was a high school dropout. I went to junior college in Cupertino, and I was very surprised to find out that I could actually go to college, even though I hadn't finished high school. And I began to understand that it's very different when you get to college, so much more of it is about giving you an unstructured problem that you have to address. And this is the criteria under which you're going to solve the problem and how I'm going to grade you. And these are the qualities of the criteria, and what this is, is basically a rubric. We actually see these rubrics and such in products. So, for example, when I was at American Family, we had this matrix of different insurance policies and all the different things in the column based upon rows that you would get underneath either economy, standard, or performance. And I think it was said by somebody at Netflix years ago; there's only two ways to sell bundled and unbundled. The idea is that there were these qualities that changed as a gradient or a ratio as you moved across this matrix. And the price went up a little bit for each one of those qualities that you added into the next row or column, and that's basically a rubric. And when we begin to create a rubric for learning, what we're really doing is moving into a moment where we say, "This is the criteria under which I'm going to assess you. These are the qualities that inform the numbers that you're going to be graded with or the letter A, B, or C, or 4, 3, 2, 1. What does it mean to have a 4? Well, let me give you some qualities." And one of the things that I do in training companies and training teams is Clapping Academy. You want to do that together? WILL: Yeah, I would love to. BROCK: Would you like to try it here? Okay. Which one of you would like to be the judge? WILL: I'll do it. BROCK: Okay. As the judge, you're going to tell me thumbs up or thumbs down. I'm going to clap for you. Ready? [Claps] Thumbs up or thumbs down? CHAD: [laughs] WILL: I say thumbs up. It was a clap [laughs]. BROCK: Okay. Is it what you were expecting? WILL: No, it wasn't. BROCK: Ah. What are some of the qualities of clapping that we could probably tease out of what you were expecting? Like, could volume or dynamics be one? WILL: Yeah, definitely. And then, like, I guess, rhythm of it like music, like a music rhythm of it. BROCK: Okay. In some cases, you know, like at jazz and some churches, people actually snap. They don't clap. So, hands or fingers or style. So, if we were to take these three categories and we were to break them 4, 3, 2, 1 for each one, would a 4 be high volume, or would it be middle volume for you? WILL: Oh, wow. For that, high volume. BROCK: Okay. How about rhythm? Would it be 4 would be really fast; 1 would be really slow? I think slow would be...we have this cultural term called slow clapping, right [laughter]? So, maybe that would be bad, right [laughter]? A 1 [laughter]? And then, style maybe this could be a non-numerical category, where it could just be a 1 or a 2, and maybe hands or slapping a thigh or snapping knuckles. What do you think? WILL: I'm going off of what I know. I guess a clap is technically described as with hands. So, I'll go with that. BROCK: Okay, so a 4 would be a clap. A 3 might be a thigh slap [laughter]. A 2 might be a snap, and a 1 would be air clap [laughter]. WILL: Yep. BROCK: Okay. So, you can't see this right now. But let's see, if I were to ask you what constitutes a 12 out of 12 possible, we would have loud, fast, hand-to-hand clap. I think we could all do it together, right [Clapping]? And that is how it works. What I've just done is I've created criteria. I've created gradients or qualities. And then, we've talked about what those qualities mean, and then you have an idea of what it might look like into the future. You have previewed it. And there's a difference here in video games. A simulation is where I copy you step by step, and I demonstrate, in performance, what's been shown to me to be accurate to what's been shown to me. Most humans don't learn like that. Most of us learn through emulation, which is we see that there's an outcome that we want to achieve, and we see how it starts. But we have to improvise between the start and the end. In a book by Michael Tomasello on being human...he's an anthropologist, and he studies humans, and he studied other primates like great apes. And he talks about emulation as like the mother using a blade of grass, licking it, and putting it down a hole to collect ants so that she can eat the ants. And oftentimes, the mother may have their back to her babies. And the babies will see the grass, and they'll see that she's putting it in her mouth, but they won't see the whole act. So, they've just [inaudible 33:29] through trial and error, see if they can do it. And this is the way an earlier paper that I wrote in studying kids playing video games was. We start with trial and error. We find a tactic that works for us. And then, in a real situation, there might be multiple tactics that we can use, and that becomes a strategy. And then, we might choose different strategies for different economic benefits. So, for example, do I want to pay for something with pennies or a dollar, or do I want a hundred pennies to carry around? Or would I rather have a dollar in a game, right? We have to make this decision of, what is the value of it, and what is the encumbrance of it? Or if it's a shooting game, am I going to take out a road sign with a bazooka when I might need that bazooka later on? And that becomes economic decision-making. And then, eventually, we might have what's called top site, which is, I understand that the game has these different rules, opportunities, roles, and experiences. How do I want to play? For example, Fallout 4 was a game that I really enjoyed. And I was blown away when I found out that a player had actually gone through the Final Boss and never injured another non-player character in the game. They had just done the whole thing in stealth. And I thought that is an artistic way to play. It's an expression. It's creative. It's an intentional way of moving through the game. And I think that when we provide that type of independent, individual expression of learning, we're allowing people to have a unique identity, to express it creatively, and to connect in ways that are interesting to other people so that we can learn from each other. And I think that's what games can do. And one of the hurdles that I faced back in 2004 was I was creating a finite game, where what I had coded in decision trees, in dialogue, in video interactions, once that was there, that was done. Where we're at now is, I can create an infinite game because I've learned how to leverage machine learning in order to generate lots of different contexts using the type of criteria and qualities that I described to you in Clapping Academy, that allow me to evaluate many different variations of a situation, but with the same level of expectation for professionalism, knowledge and expertise, communication, compassion, curiosity. You know, these are part of the eight elements of what is valued in the nursing profession. And when we have those rubrics, when we have that matrix, we begin to move into a new paradigm in teaching and learning because there's a much greater latitude and variety of how we get up the mountain. And that's one of the things that I learned as a teacher is that every kid comes in differently, but they're just as good. And every kid has a set of gifts that we can have them, you know, celebrate in service to warming up cold spots. And I think that sometimes kids are put into situations, and so are adults, where they're told to overcome this cold spot without actually leveraging the things that they're good at. And the problem with that is, in learning sciences, it's a transfer problem, which is if I learn it to pass the test, am I ever going to apply it in life, or is it just going to be something that I forget right away? And my follow-ups on doing classroom and learning research is that it is usually that. They learned it for the test. They forgot it, and they don't even remember ever having learned it. And the greatest gift that I got, having been a teacher, was when my wife and I would, I don't know, we'd be somewhere like the grocery store or walking out of a Target, and a couple of young people would come up and say, "Yo, Mr. Dubbs," And I'd be like, "Hey [laughs]!" And they're like, "Hey, man, you remember when we did that video game class and all that?" And I was like, "Yeah, you were so good at that." Or "Remember when we made those boats, and we raced them across the pool?" "Yeah, yeah, that was a lot of fun, wasn't it?" And I think part of it was that I was having as much fun doing the classes and the lessons as they were doing it. And it's kind of like a stealth learning, where they are getting the experience to populate these abstract concepts, which are usually tested on these standardized choice tests. And it's the same problem that we have with scaling a technology. Oftentimes, the way that we scale is based on conformity and limited variation when we're really scaling the wrong things. And I think it's good to be able to scale a lot of the tasks but provide great variety in the way that we can be human-supported around them. So, sure, let's scale sales and operations, but let's also make sure that we can scope out variation in how we do sales, and how we do customer service, and how we do present our product experience. So, how do we begin to personalize in scope and still be able to scale? And I think that's what I'm getting at as far as how I'm approaching CareTrainer, and how I'm approaching a lot of the knowledge translation that we're doing for startups, and consulting with larger and medium-sized businesses on how they can use AI. CHAD: That's awesome. Bringing it back to CareTrainer, what are some of the hurdles or cold spots that are in front of you and the business? What are the next steps and challenges in front of you? BROCK: I think the big thing is that I spend a good two to three [laughs] hours a day reading about the advances in the tech, you know, staying ahead of the knowledge translation and the possible applications. I mean, it's hard to actually find time to do the work because the technology is moving so fast. And, like I said, we were starting to build MVP 2, and we realized, you know what, this is going to be done for us in a little while. You know, it'd be cool if we can do this bespoke. But why not buy the thing that's already there rather than creating it from scratch, unless we're going to do something really different? I think that the biggest hurdle is helping people to think differently. And with the elder care crisis and the care crisis, I think that we really have to help people think differently about the things that we've done. I think regulation is really important, especially when it comes to health care, treatment, prescription safety. I think, though, that there are a lot of ways that we can help people to understand those regulations rather than put them in a seat in front of a monitor. CHAD: I think people respond to, you know, when there's a crisis, different people respond in different ways. And it's a natural tendency to not want to rock the boat, not introduce new things because that's scary. And adding more, you know, something that is scary to a difficult situation already is hard for some people. Whereas other people react to a crisis realizing that we got into the crisis for a reason. And the old ways of doing things might not necessarily be the thing to get us out of it. BROCK: Yeah, I totally agree. When I run into that, the first thought that comes to my head is, when did you stop learning [laughs]? When did you stop seeking learning? Because, for me, if I were to ever stop learning, I'd realize that I'd started dying. And that's what I mean by the spark, is, no matter what your age, as long as you're engaged in seeking out learning opportunities, life is exciting. It's an adventure. You're discovering new frontiers, and, you know, that's the spark. I think when people become complacent, and they say, "Well, this is the way we've always done it," okay, has that always served us well? And there are a lot of cultural issues that go with this. So, for example, there are cultural expectations about the way kids learn in class. Like, kids who come from blue-collar families might say, "Hey, you know what? My kid is going to be doing drywall, or he's going to be working fixing cars, or he's going to be in construction, or why does he need to do this? Or why does she need to do that? And, as a parent, I don't even understand the homework." And then, there are the middle-class folks who say, "You know what? I'm given these things. They need to be correct, accurate, and easy to read. And that's my job. And I don't see this in my kids' curriculum." And then, there are the creatives who say, "Hey, you know, this has nothing to do with where my kid is going. My kids are creative. They're going to have ambiguous problems that they have to come up with creative solutions for." Then you get to the executive class where, like, these elite private schools, where they say, "My kid is going to be a leader in the industry, and what they should be doing is leading groups of people through an activity in order to accomplish a goal." And those are four different pedagogical approaches to learning. So, I'm wondering, what is it that we expect from our caregivers? And I've got kind of a crazy story from that, where this young woman, [SP] Gemma, who was a middle school student, I gave her the option, along with my other kids, to either take a standardized test on Greek myths, or they could write their own myth. And she wrote this myth about a mortal who fell in love with a young goddess. Whenever they would wrap and embrace and kiss, a flame would occur. One day the mother found out and says, "Oh, you've fallen in love with a mortal. Well, here you shall stay. This shall be your penance." And she wrapped her in this thread, this rope, and dipped them in wax so they would be there forever. But then the flame jumped to the top, and that is how candles were created. And I read that, and I was...and this is, like, you know, 30 years ago, and I still have this at the top of my head. And I was like, "Gemma, that was amazing. Are you going to go to college?" And she says, "No." "No? Really? What are you going to do?" "I want to be a hairstylist." And, in my mind, my teacher mind is like, oh no, no, no, no. You [laughs] need to go to college. But then I thought about it. I thought, why wouldn't I want a smart, skilled, creative person cutting my hair? And, you know, people who cut hair make really good money [laughter]. And the whole idea is, are we actually, you know, empowering people to become their best selves and be able to explore those things? Or are we, you know, scaring them out of their futures with, you know, fear? Those are the big hurdles, which is, I'm afraid of the future. And the promise is, well, it's going to be different. But I can't assure you that it's not going to come without problems that we're going to have to figure out how to solve. And there are some who don't want the problems. They just want how it's always been. And I think that's the biggest hurdle we face is innovation and convincing people that trying something new it may not be perfect, but it's a step in the right direction. And I think Hans Rosling in Factfulness said it very well. He said, "Things are better than they were before, but they're not great." Can we go from good to great? Sure. And what do we need to do? But we always are getting better, as long as we're continuing to adapt and create and be playful and look at different ways of doing things because now people are different, but just as good. CHAD: Brock, I really appreciate you stopping by and bringing your creativity, and energy, and playfulness to this difficult problem of caregiving. I'm excited for what the future holds for not only CareTrainer but the impact that you're going to have on the world. I really appreciate it. BROCK: Well, thank you for having me and letting me tell these stories, and, also, thanks for participating in Clapping Academy [laughter]. WILL: It was great. CHAD: If folks want to get in touch with you or follow along with you, or if they work in a healthcare organization where they think CareTrainer might be right for them, where are all the places that they can do that? BROCK: You can reach me at brock@caretrainer.ai. They can express interest on our website at caretrainer.ai. They can reach me at my personal website, brockdubbels.com, or connect with me on LinkedIn, because, you know, life is too short not to have friends. So, let's be friends [laughs]. CHAD: You can subscribe to the show and find notes for this entire episode along with a complete transcript at giantrobots.fm. WILL: If you have questions or comments, email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. CHAD: You can find me on Mastodon at cpytel@thoughtbot.social. WILL: And you can find me on Twitter @will23larry. This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. CHAD: Thank you again, Brock. And thank you all for listening. See you next time. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at: referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions.

You are driving a car. The brakes stop working. To your horror, you are approaching a busy street market. Many people might be killed if you run into them. The only way to prevent a catastrophe is by turning fast to the right. Unfortunately, a lonely pedestrian might be killed if you do so.  Should you turn? Many people say you should. After all, killing one is better than killing many. But following the same logic, would you kill an individual to collect their organs for people in dire need of one? In this case, too, you would kill one to save many. Yet very few are willing to do so. Why? These are variations of the infamous “trolley problems”. Originally formulated half a century ago, these trolley problems continue to elicit heated conversations. They have a whole ⁠meme culture⁠ built around them. Yet for years, I was not convinced of their value. They seemed to squeeze ethics into narrow funnels of “yeses" and "noes", neglecting much of real life's texture. I have changed my mind. And I've done so largely thanks to Peter Railton. A professor of philosophy at UC Michigan, Railton used to share my scepticism about the trolley problems. But he, too, changed his mind. Having in-depth conversations about them with his students, Railton came to see these problems as revealing some important about morality. Combined with recent evidence from psychology and neuroscience, Railton believes that these insights can reveal a lot about the human mind more generally. I will let him tell you why. SUPPORT Do you like On Humans? You can become a member of the generous group of patrons at Patreon.com/OnHumans! MENTIONS Names: Philippa Foot; Judith Tarvis Johnson; Joshua Greene; Daniel Kahnemann; Amos Trevsky; Antonio Damasio; John Stuart Mill; Michael Tomasello; Philip Kitcher (see episode 2); Oliver Scott Curry; David Hume Dilemmas & games: Trolley problems (Switch, Footbridge, Loop, Beckon, Wave), Gummy Bear task (from Tomasello et al.); Gambling Tasks (from Damasio et al.); Ultimatum Game Terms: Utilitarianism; consequentialism; deontology; rule utilitarianism; trait utilitarianism; virtue & character ethics Articles: Links to academic papers and more can be accessed via OnHumans.Substack.com. Keywords: ethics, moral philosophy, morality, moral progress, trolley problem, morality, moral psychology, fMRI, neuroscience, cross-cultural psychology, behavioural economics, comparative psychology, gay rights, moral anthropology, cultural anthropology, philosophical anthropology, sharing, sociality, cooperation, altruism, prosociality, utilitarianism, deontology, consequentialism, virtue ethics, Chinese philosophy, daoism, taoism, Confucianism

Professor Roy F. Baumeister is one of the world's most prolific and influential Psychologists. He has published over 700 scientific works, including over 40 books, and is one of the most highly cited scientists alive today. In 2013, he received the highest award given by the Association for Psychological Science, the William James Fellow award, in recognition of his lifetime achievements. As of 2024, He holds affiliations with Harvard University, Constructor University Bremen, Florida State University, BetterUp, Inc., and the University of Bamberg. Additionally, Baumeister serves as the president-elect of the International Positive Psychology Association. He is a Fellow of both the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and the Association for Psychological Science. His 2011 book "Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength" (with John Tierney) was a New York Times bestseller. Some of his other works include: "The Self Explained: Why and How We Become Who We Are" (2022), and his upcoming book "The Science Of Free Will: Bridging Theory & Positive Psychology" (2024). TIMESTAMPS: (0:00) - Introduction (0:13) - The Self Explained: Why And How We Become Who We Are (6:45) - Addressing Free Will Skeptics (11:38) - The Science Of Free Will: 1) The Moral Agent; 2) The Economic Agent; 3) The Information Agent (17:26) - Free Will Books: Robert Sapolsky (Determined), Kevin Mitchell (Free Agents), Daniel Dennett & Gregg Caruso (Just Desserts) (21:49) - Morality & Determinism (30:05) - Ego Depletion Theory (42:31) - Positive Psychology & Negativity Bias (52:43) - Willpower (59:11) - Language, Meaning, & Uncertainty (1:08:00) - Roy's Willpower! (1:15:10) - Roy's Recommendations: Immanual Kant, Sigmund Freud, David Buss, Michael Tomasello, Francis Fukuyama (1:19:55) - Conclusion EPISODE LINKS: - Roy's Website: https://roybaumeister.com - Roy's Publications: https://tinyurl.com/k94wzzwd - Roy's Books: https://tinyurl.com/2evz225h - The Science of Free Will: https://tinyurl.com/t9sjykzs - Roy Baumeister v Robert Sapolsky Debate: https://youtu.be/xeb98U9d1hg?feature=shared - Noam Chomsky: https://youtu.be/ZYiv790TfzI?feature=shared - Kevin Mitchell: https://youtu.be/UdlkYGbuD7Q?feature=shared - Gregg Caruso: https://youtu.be/YztCgd-CqtA?feature=shared - Randolph Nesse: https://youtu.be/wOuX0JYtxhc?feature=shared CONNECT: - Website: https://tevinnaidu.com - Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drtevinnaidu - Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drtevinnaidu - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtevinnaidu - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtevinnaidu ============================= Disclaimer: The information provided on this channel is for educational purposes only. The content is shared in the spirit of open discourse and does not constitute, nor does it substitute, professional or medical advice. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening/watching any of our contents. You acknowledge that you use the information provided at your own risk. Listeners/viewers are advised to conduct their own research and consult with their own experts in the respective fields.

Thank you to the folks at Sustain (https://sustainoss.org/) for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast! CHAOSScast – Episode 75 In this episode, host Georg is joined by CHAOSS members, Sean, Nicole, Matt, Elizabeth, and Dawn. Today, they delve into the CHAOSS Project's goals for 2024 and beyond, highlighting efforts to establish CHAOSS metrics and models as formal international standards. The conversation covers their potential ISO standardization, strategies to grow the user community, the importance of increasing collaboration within the CHAOSS contributor community, and enhancing software contributions, acknowledging the need to value non-code contributions. They also touch on the importance of community engagement and the utility of hosted software solutions to make CHAOSS tools more accessible. We are all excited to see where this new journey takes us, and we would love for you to be a part of this journey. Hit download now to hear more! [00:02:57] The first goal discussed is to establish CHAOSS metrics and metrics models as formal international standards. Matt explains the intention to turn CHAOSS metrics into ISO standards and the early stages of this process with the Joint Development Foundation. [00:04:37] Dawn adds that having ISO standards will lend more legitimacy and visibility to their metrics. Georg differentiates between de facto standards and the goal of achieving de jure international standards. [00:06:42] The second goal is creating outreach processes and plans to promote CHAOSS and grow the user community. Nicole talks about increasing awareness and visibility of the CHAOSS Project, developing key messages, a marketing plan, and a roadmap for engagement. [00:10:20] Sean emphasizes the importance of deliberate and consistent communication. Elizabeth looks forward to sharing their outreach strategies with other open source communities. Dawn discusses focusing on user communities to distinguish them from contributors and to support user growth. [00:12:42] The third goal is to increase collaboration within the CHAOSS contributor community, with Elizabeth noting the importance of focusing on both user and contributor communities. She discusses different ways to enhance software contributions within CHAOSS and highlights the challenge of recognizing and appreciating non-code contributions, which will be a focus area for improvement. [00:14:37] Elizabeth talks about strengthening visibility and explicit partnerships with other communities and organizations, attending more events to evangelize CHAOSS and attract new community members, encouraging blogging among community members to support outreach and contribution growth, with a shoutout to Gary White's work at Verizon, and mentorship programs within CHAOSS. [00:16:41] Sean agrees on the interconnected nature of efforts to foster community engagement. Elizabeth notes that non-code contributors like project managers and community managers bring valuable skills to the community, Nicole echoes the importance of non-code contributions, Matt reflects on the complexity of community engagement. [00:20:00] Georg appreciates the ‘Chaotic of the Week' feature for its community-building benefits. He then brings up the topic of the fourth goal which is to provide hosted software as a service for consuming CHAOSS metrics, and Sean discusses the goal of providing hosted solutions to facilitate access to CHAOSS software and metrics, mentioning a survey that highlighted installation difficulties, and highlights the OSS Compass Project. [00:23:50] Dawn supports the idea of SaaS solutions for the CHAOSS software to allow less technical users to trial and decide on the best fit for their needs, Matt highlights the benefit of SaaS solutions in reducing resource constraints for different types of organizations engaging with CHAOSS metrics and models, and Georg discusses the synergy between providing hosted SaaS offerings and creating outreach processes to grow the CHAOSS user community. [00:25:15] Georg brings up the fifth goal and that is how do we provide guidance to use it and the goal is to use driven data insights to provide recommendations that help people generate new insights for their communities. Dawn shares her thoughts and mentions collaborating with various context working groups to understand their unique needs and to help interpret metric accordingly, and the creation of ‘insight guides.' [00:32:38] Dawn mentions the formation of a new data science working group with plans to involve the community in writing insight guides. Georg shares insights from a study on project health metrics and their correlation with usage data. [00:34:42] The sixth goal is discussed to evolve data policies to accommodate emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, recognizing that this an area not yet fully addressed, but is important for the future. Value Adds (Picks) of the week: [00:37:10] Georg's pick is a research project he did with Sophia Vargas on metrics. [00:37:42] Dawn's pick is an article published in ACM, called “Beyond the Repository.” [00:38:28] Nicole's pick is the book, Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. [00:39:29] Sean's pick is the book, Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny by Michael Tomasello. [00:40:15] Matt's pick is his family coming home for the holidays. [00:40:41] Elizabeth's pick is reading about this fascinating expedition into the Cyclops Mountains. Panelists: Georg Link Dawn Foster Matt Germonprez Sean Goggins Nicole Huesman Elizabeth Barron Links: CHAOSS (https://chaoss.community/) CHAOSS Project X/Twitter (https://twitter.com/chaossproj?lang=en) CHAOSScast Podcast (https://podcast.chaoss.community/) podcast@chaoss.community (mailto:podcast@chaoss.community) Georg Link Website (https://georg.link/) Dawn Foster X/Twitter (https://twitter.com/geekygirldawn) Matt Germonprez (https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-information-science-and-technology/about/faculty-staff/matt-germonprez.php) Sean Goggins (https://www.seangoggins.net/) Nicole Huesman X/Twitter (https://twitter.com/uoduckswtd) Elizabeth Barron X/Twitter (https://twitter.com/elizabethn) Joint Development Foundation (https://jointdevelopment.org/) Metrics for OSS Viability by Gary White-CHAOSS Blog (https://chaoss.community/author/garywhite/) CHAOSSweekly (https://chaoss.community/chaossweekly-dec-04-08-2023/) Augur NEW Release v0.60.2 (https://github.com/chaoss/augur) Augur Documentation (https://oss-augur.readthedocs.io/en/main/) OSS Compass Project Information-GitHub (https://github.com/oss-compass/compass-projects-information) “Beyond the Repository” written by Amanda Casari, Julia Ferraioli, and Juniper Lovato (https://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=3595879) Shoe Dog by Phil Night (https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Memoir-Creator-Nike-ebook/dp/B0176M1A44) [Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny by Michael Tomasello](https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Human-Ontogeny-Michael-Tomasello/dp/0674248287/ref=ascdf0674248287/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=560440526833&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7443607677783591544&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010778&hvtargid=pla-917360857147&psc=1&mcid=467c9a8960753e1993ff8ab6ba397646&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4NWrBhD-ARIsAFCKwWvOoZUOZjxfkIWB-bYvoppVmHMZFXFSvh-PSKvYKp2RjwXE4hQN60waArfvEALwwcB)_ Expedition Cyclops (https://www.expeditioncyclops.org/)

In unserer ersten Folge suchen wir eine Antwort auf die Frage, was eine Sprache ist und welche Merkmale sie ausmachen. Dabei entdecken wir, was Sprache mit Zeichen verbindet, welche Rolle eine angeborene Grammatik dabei spielt und warum Kultur und Geschichte einen großen Einfluss auf unsere Sprachfähigkeit ausübt. Kommt mit auf unsere gemeinsame Reise! Ein Podcast von Anton und Jakob.Twitter/X: @sprachpfadeMastodon: @sprachpfade@mastodon.social___Die für die Folge verwendete Literatur: Corbin, Sam (2023): For Fans Seeking Community, Nonsense Starts the Conversation. The New York Times. Zugriff am 12.10.2023, 16:25 über: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/crosswords/building-community-constructed-languages.html. Hoffmann, Ludger (Hrsg.) (2019): Sprachtheorien. In ebd. (Hrsg.), Sprachwissenschaft: ein Reader (De Gruyter Studium). 4., aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage. Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter, 1–21. Ibbotson, Paul & Michael Tomasello (2017): Ein neues Bild der Sprache. In Spektrum der Wissenschaft 2017(3), 12–17. Lobin, Henning (2018): Digital und vernetzt: Das neue Bild der Sprache. Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler. Saussure, F. (2019): Grundfragen der allgemeinen Sprachwissenschaft. In Ludger Hoffmann (Hrsg.), Sprachwissenschaft: ein Reader (De Gruyter Studium). 4., aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage. Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter, 39–57. Tomasello, M. (2019): Die kulturelle Entwicklung des menschlichen Denkens: Kulturelle Kognition. In Ludger Hoffmann (Hrsg.), Sprachwissenschaft: ein Reader (De Gruyter Studium). 4., aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage. Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter, 130–146.Weinert, Sabine & Hannelore Grimm (2018): Sprachentwicklung. In Ulman Lindenberger & Wolfgang Schneider (Hrsg.), Entwicklungspsychologie. 8. vollständig überarbeitete Aufl. Weinheim: Beltz, 445–469. ___Gegenüber Themenvorschlägen für die kommenden Ausflüge in die Sprachwissenschaft und Anregungen jeder Art sind wir stets offen. Wir freuen uns auf euer Feedback! Schreibt uns dazu einfach an anton.sprachpfade@protonmail.com oder jakob.sprachpfade@protonmail.com eine E-Mail.

Wes, Dylan, and guest Chris Heath continue to discuss The Evolution of Agency (2022) in light of our interview with the author. We relate examples from the book of animals of various levels of complexity making deliberative decisions, exhibiting rationality, experiencing causality, or otherwise engaging in agentive behaviors. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsor: Learn about St. John's College at sjc.edu/pel.

On The Evolution of Agency (2022), with the author, and guest panelist Chris Heath. What is human agency? How would we determine whether an animal is a legitimate agent, as opposed to just acting automatically? Tomasello investigates this by thinking about what capabilities and behaviors constitute agency and the degree to which near-human animals have these. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsor: Learn about St. John's College at sjc.edu/pel.

Continuing on Michael Tomasello's "Language Is Not an Instinct" (1995) and Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition (2003), as contrasted with Chomsky universal grammar (the flag that Steven Pinker continues to carry). With guest Christopher Heath. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and a supporter-exclusive Nightcap discussion about cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, and more. Learn about the online Core Philosophy Texts course Mark is running this fall at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

Moralen utmärker människan och har sin grund i evolutionära processer. Farshid Jalalvand, skribent och forskare i molekylär mikrobiologi, reflekterar över varifrån vi fått vår godhed. ESSÄ: Detta är en text där skribenten reflekterar över ett ämne eller ett verk. Åsikter som uttrycks är skribentens egna. Ursprungligen publicerad 2020-02-25.”Samhället kunde inte ha gått framåt utan det moraliska sinnet, lika lite som en bikupa kunde ha bildats utan binas instinkter”, klottrade en 29-åring Charles Darwin i sin dagbok 1838. Vilken målande beskrivning! –Människor behöver moral för att kunna leva ihop – på samma sätt som insekter behöver instinkter för att verka i sina samhällen. Men om moralen uppkommer instinktivt eller är inlärd har varit ämne för debatt sedan åtminstone medeltiden. Vissa menar att moralen är en del av vår kultur, andra att den kommer från Gud och vissa att den är en konsekvens av det ekonomiska systemet. Men kanske är det helt enkelt brist på mat som ligger bakom framväxten av människans moral.När jag ser tillbaka på vår arts historia slås jag ofta av samma tanke. Människan framstår som en komapatient som vaknat upp med total minnesförlust. Hon vet inte vem hon är eller var hon kommer ifrån. Hon stiger upp och inspekterar sina förmågor. Och hon tänker: ”Wow, jag måste vara någon sorts Gud!”.Det metaforiska uppvaknandet var det som brukar kallas ”den kognitiva revolutionen”, det vill säga när den förhistoriska människan utvecklade en kraftig förmåga till abstrakt tänkande. Och ända sedan skriftkonstens uppkomst har vi kunnat följa vår patients besatthet vid att distansera sig från biologin. Aristoteles, till exempel, sa under antiken att människans rationalitet höjde henne över djuren. Under medeltiden påstod den inflytelserika kristna filosofen Thomas av Aquino att människans odödliga själ separerade henne från djur. Och under renässansen förklarade René Descartes att människan, till skillnad från djur, bestod av två skilda substanser – ett rationellt sinne och en biologisk kropp.Alla dessa teorier ställdes på sitt huvud av Darwins och Alfred Russel Wallaces evolutionsteori på 1800-talet. Och vår patient fick i och med det för första gången möjlighet att placera sig själv rätt i historien. Hon var en apa – förvisso en rationell apa – men ändå en apa, i en lång led av andra apor.Upplysningsfilosofen Immanuel Kant påstod att det som utmärkte denna apa var moralen, medan David Hume tyckte att det var hennes förmåga att känna sympati. Ny forskning visar att Darwin, Kant och Hume alla hade rätt om människans natur.Evolutionsprocesser består, enkelt sagt, av två steg. Naturen skapar variation, och miljön avgör vilken variant som överlever och fortplantar sig. Dessa processer har också skapat vår arts instinktiva moraliska sinne, enligt till exempel utvecklingspsykologen Michael Tomasello.Förhistoriska människor existerar inte längre och är därmed svåra att studera. Men det finns många utförliga beteendestudier på vår nära biologiska släkting schimpansen och mänskliga barn i åldrarna 6 till 36 månader. Forskare anser att dessa barn är så små att de främst agerar enligt medfödda instinkter. Och de har funnit tydliga bevis på att barn, till skillnad från schimpanser, har utbredd medkänsla och aversion mot individer som utför våld. Barn hjälper andra på bekostnad av sig själva. Barn har ett sinne för vad som är rättvist och orättvist. Barn kan motstå sina mest själviska impulser. Grunderna för det vi vanligtvis menar med moralisk beteende tycks alltså vara medfödda. Men frågan är varför och hur de uppkom.Forskare tror att de människolika apor som var våra förfäder ursprungligen levde i dominansstyrda hierarkiska grupper, i likhet med de samhällen schimpanser och gorillor skapar. Men för ca 2 miljoner år sen förändrades klimatförhållandena i Afrika. De frukter som utgjorde våra förfäders basföda försvann. Med all sannolikhet dukade de allra flesta i arten under. Det enda sättet att överleva tycks ha varit att i grupp jaga större byten, eller att stjäla byten från stora rovdjur som lejon. Detta kunde endast göras om flera individer samarbetade effektivt. Tomasello lägger fram det han kallar ”theory of interdependence” – teorin om ömsesidig beroende – som säger att våra förfäder, till skillnad från schimpanserna, blev absolut beroende av varandra för att få mat. Och de som kunde samarbeta bäst överlevde.Alla djur föds med instinktiva beteenden som antagligen drivs av känslor. En av de starkaste biologiska impulserna är att känna sympati för sin avkomma. Men det har alltid funnits naturliga variationer i förmågan hos olika individer. För vissa apmänniskor verkar det som att sympatin slagit slint och börjat rikta sig brett – mot andras barn, mot vuxna, mot artfränder. Dessa individer klarade sig bättre i den nya ekologiska verkligheten. Att kunna bilda emotionella band till de man var beroende av för att få mat medförde nämligen att man hjälpte varandra under tider av nöd. Detta ledde till större framgång för gruppen – och därför större chans att överleva för individen. De som kände mer sympati kunde alltså få fler barn.”Medkänsla är grunden för moralen”, skrev filosofen Arthur Schopenhauer och de flesta evolutionspsykologer instämmer – en större förmåga till sympati har varit avgörande för moralens framväxt. Men det behövdes fler inslag för att bygga ut det moraliska ramverket. En annan psykologisk förmåga som är bra för samarbete är förmågan att kunna sätta sig i någon annans situation – empati. De hungrande människoaporna var ju beroende av att väljas som jaktpartner av andra – annars svalt de ihjäl. Man kan tänka sig att de som själviskt roffade åt sig jaktbytet inte blev frågade att följa med nästa gång. De som kunde känna igen när andra och de själva betedde sig orättvist – och kunde lägga band på sina mest extrema själviska impulser – blev valda som partners, fick mat och fick barn. Det lönade sig evolutionärt att ha ett samvete.När människoaporna efter en tid ökade i antal splittrades de i mindre grupper. De började konkurrera stam mot stam, om mat och utrymme. Antagligen var det nu olika kulturer växte fram – tillsammans med det som beteendevetare kallar ingrupp- och utgruppmentalitet – vi och dom, med andra ord. Det moraliska beteende som tjänat arten under evolutionen reserverades nu i hög grad för den egna gruppen. Vi har avhumaniserat varandra ungefär lika länge som vi har älskat varandra.Alla dessa beteenden och instinkter som visat sig vara evolutionärt fördelaktiga har stannat kvar hos oss – onekligen med lite variation mellan individer. De stöts och blöts mot kulturella och sociala koder och de förutsättningar en individ har att förhålla sig till. Men det är rätt talande att vi än idag härleder de flesta av våra moraliska normer till sympati och rättvisa. Biologin förknippas ibland med något som är lite smutsigt, djuriskt och rått. Men det är också till den vi måste vända oss om vi vill förstå våra mest civiliserade och ädla handlingar.Farshid Jalalvand, skribent och forskare i molekylär mikrobiologiLitteraturNicholas A. Christakis. Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society. Little, Brown Spark, 2019.Michael Tomasello. A Natural History of Human Morality. Harvard University Press, 2016.

Have you heard of Octopolis? It's a site off the coast of Australia where octopuses come together. It's been described as a kind of underwater "settlement" or "city." Now, smart as octopuses are, they are not really known for being particularly sociable. But it seems that, given the right conditions, they can shift in that direction. So it's not a huge leap to wonder whether these kinds of cephalopod congregations could eventually give rise to something else—a culture, a language, maybe something like a civilization.  This is the idea at the center of Ray Nayler's new book, The Mountain in the Sea. It's both a thriller of sorts and a novel of ideas; it's set in the near future, in the Con Dao archipelago of Vietnam. It grapples with the nature of intelligence and meaning, with the challenges of interspecies communication and companionship, and ultimately with what it means to be human.  Here, Ray and I talk about how he got interested in cephalopods and how he came to know the Con Dao archipelago. We discuss some of the choices he made as an author—choices about what drives the octopuses in his book to develop symbols and about what those symbols are like. We consider the major human characters in his book, in particular two ambitious researchers who embody very different approaches to understanding minds. We also talk a fair bit about AI—another central character in the book, after all, is a super-intelligent android. Along the way, Ray and I touch on Arrival, biosemiotics, the nature of symbols, memory and storytelling, embodiment, epigenetics, cephalopod camouflage, exaptation, and the sandbox that is speculative fiction.  This episode is obviously something a little different for us. Ray is a novelist, after all, but he's also an intellectual omnivore, and this conversation, maybe more than any other we've had on the show, spans three major branches of mind—human, animal, and machine. If you enjoy this episode, note that The Mountain in the Sea just came out in paperback, with a jaw-droppingly cool cover, I'll add. I highly recommend that you check it out. One more thing, while I have you: If you're enjoying Many Minds, we would be most grateful for your help in getting the word out. You might consider sharing the show with a friend or a colleague, writing us a review on Apple Podcasts, or leaving us a rating on Spotify or Apple. All this would really help us grow our audience.  Alright friends, on to my conversation with Ray Nayler. Enjoy!   A transcript of this episode will be available soon.    Notes and links 8:30 – For the review of The Mountain in the Sea in question, see here.  14:00 – Con Dao is a national park in Vietnam. 17:00 – For our previous episode about cephalopods, see here. 19:00 – For a book-length introduction to biosemiotics, see here.   24:00 – A video of Japanese macaques washing sweet potatoes.  26:30 – For discussion of the human case, in which environmental pressures of some kind may have propelled cooperation, see our episode with Michael Tomasello.  29:00 – A popular article about RNA editing in cephalopods.  35:00 – A video of the “passing cloud” phenomenon in cuttlefish. A brief article about the phenomenon. A video showing other forms of camouflage in octopuses. 41:00 – An experimental exploration of the movement from “iconic” to “symbolic” communication in humans.  44:00 – A popular article about the communication system used in the movie Arrival.  49:00 – One source of inspiration for Ray's book was Eduardo Kohn's How Forests Think.  1:00:00 – An article on the idea of “architects” and “gardeners” among writers.  1:05:00 – Ray's story ‘The Disintegration Loops' is available here. 1:11:00 – Ray's story ‘The Summer Castle' is available here.  1:13:00 – A popular article about the phenomenon of highly superior autobiographical memory. An essay about the idea that faulty memory is a feature rather than a bug. 1:18:00 – Ray's story ‘Muallim' is available here.   Recommendations Ways of Being, by James Bridle Living in Data, by Jer Thorp   Follow Ray on Twitter.   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala. Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com.   For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.

We humans are social animals—and that takes work. As we move through the world, we have to navigate around other people's desires, needs, and beliefs. Much of this work happens in conversation—through our words, our glances, our gestures. It happens in countless different situations, according to different norms and systems. Human social interaction is, in short, a multi-layered, delicate dance. But it's also not the only kind of social interaction out there. Apes, dogs, and other social species also have to negotiate with others and sometimes with humans. There's not just one species of conversation, in other words—there are many.  My guest today is Dr. Federico Rossano, Associate Professor of Cognitive Science and Director of the Comparative Cognition Lab at the University of California, San Diego. Throughout his career, Federico has studied social interaction from a number of different angles, in a range of different settings, and across different species—including humans, bonobos, orangutans, and most recently dogs.   Here, we discuss the field of conversation analysis and how Federico got started in it. We talk about his early work on how people use gaze in conversation, and how the use of gaze differs across cultures. We discuss how Federico ported some of the tools of conversation analysis over to study social interaction in apes. We also talk about his new line of research on how dogs use soundboards to communicate with their human caretakers. This work has been attracting a lot of buzz and also a bit of pushback, so we dig into the controversy. Along the way, we touch on: Umberto Eco; platypuses; how much work it takes to simply come across as ordinary; the concept of the human interaction engine; the Clever Hans effect; the impossible task; and why many scientists are so skittish about animal language research. This episode is not just about different forms of conversation. It is itself a different form of conversation—at least for us. This was our first ever in-person interview, something we expect to do a bit more of going forward. Alright friends, on to my real-life, 3d, face-to-face chat with Dr. Federico Rossano. Enjoy!   A transcript of this episode will be available soon.   Notes and links  4:00 – The classic 1964 paper, ‘The Neglected Situation,' by Erving Goffman. 6:00 – An obituary for the novelist and semiotician, Umberto Eco, who died in 2016. His best-loved novel, perhaps, is The Name of the Rose. He's also the author of a book of essays called, Kant and the Platypus: Essays on Language and Cognition. 17:30 – The classic paper, ‘On doing “being ordinary”', by Harvey Sacks.   20:00 – A brief introduction to Conversation Analysis.  32:00 – Dr. Rossano's work on gaze is summarized in his 2012 chapter, ‘Gaze in Conversation.' His work on questions in Italian is here.  35:30 – The quote from Georg Simmel is as follows: “[T]he totality of social relations of human beings, their self-assertions and self-abnegation, their intimacies and estrangements, would be changed in unpredictable ways if there occurred no glance of eye to eye.”  39:50 – Dr. Rossano's work on gaze across cultures is described here.  43:00 – Dr. Rossano did his postdoctoral work with Michael Tomasello, who joined us for a previous episode.  47:00 – Dr. Rossano's work on bonobo interaction is here and here.  56:00 – Dr. Rossano's original work on food sharing in orangutans is here. A more recent paper on food sharing is here. 1:05:00 – The idea of the “human interaction engine” was first proposed by Stephen Levinson in 2006.  1:10:30 – See the recent theme issue on ‘Revisiting the human “interaction engine”'. Dr. Rossano's contributions to the issue are here and here. 1:18:00 – Dr. Rossano's work on dogs has been done in coordination with the company FluentPet. FluentPet makes the pet-friendly buttons (aka soundboards) made famous by Bunny, the “talking dog of TikTok.” 1:23:30 – For an insider's view of what happened in the original “animal language” studies, see a paper by Irene Pepperberg here.  1:27:30 – A recent review by Dr. Rossano and colleagues about the use of “augmented interspecies communication devices” like the soundboards he and colleagues are currently studying.  1:38:30 – The “impossible task,” a widely used task in comparative psychology, was first described in 2009. 1:44:45 – A recent podcast discussed the “animal language” debates in detail. Dr. Rossano was featured on the show.    1:57:30 – A paper in which Charles Goodwin discussed the case of his father, Chil, is here.   Dr. Rossano recommends:  Sequence Organization in Interaction, by Emanuel Schegloff Lectures on Conversation, by Harvey Sacks Roots of Human Sociality, edited by Stephen Levison and Nick Enfield Origins of Human Communication, by Michael Tomasello   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala. Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com.  For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.

Let's face it, we're all a little bit self-involved. It's not just that we spend a lot of time thinking about ourselves. There's another layer to it: we spend a lot of time thinking about what other people think about us. We take pains to present ourselves in the best possible light; we fret over whether we made a good impression; and we do our best to shape and manage our reputations. It's honestly hard to imagine not doing any of this—seeing ourselves from the outside can feel like pure reflex. But what are the deeper origins of this tendency? When does it arise in childhood? What are the underpinnings and consequences of reputational thinking? My guests today are Dr. Mika Asaba, a postdoc in the Psychology Department at Yale University, and Dr. Hyo Gweon, Associate Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Together, Mika and Hyo recently published a paper about reputational thinking in young children.   In this conversation, we talk about the broader context of this research and lay out some concepts central to it, like “self-presentational behavior" and "theory of mind." We walk through four experiments in which 3- and 4-year-old children showed a clear interest in their reputations. They strategically communicated to certain people—or about certain events—to make sure they came across well. We then consider the provocative possibility that humans are especially motivated to think about others' minds when those other minds are thinking about us. We discuss whether similar reputation-related behaviors might be present in other species, and how reputational thinking might vary across cultures. Finally, we touch on a few ways Hyo and Mika are hoping to extend this work into new terrain.  Honestly I got excited about this paper just by reading the first few sentences of the abstract. It takes on such an obviously big and rich and fascinating research question. That basic reflex—to see ourselves through the eyes of others—feels so elemental and so critical to understanding the human mind. Alright friends, without further ado, here's my conversation with Dr. Mika Asaba & Dr. Hyo Gweon. Enjoy!    A transcript of this episode is available here.   Notes and links 4:30 – Both Dr. Asaba and Dr. Gweon spent time in Rebecca Saxe's lab at MIT.  7:00 – The website for Dr. Gweon's ‘Social Learning Lab' at Stanford. A recent review article by Dr. Gweon describing her lab's research program. 9:30 – A recent review chapter by Dr. Asaba and Dr. Gweon about how children learn about themselves through praise. 13:00 – In a recent follow-up study to the main paper discussed in this episode, Dr. Asaba, Dr. Gweon, and colleagues examined whether children would demonstrate their competence to a puppet. 15:00 – One of the most influential studies of “theory of mind” capacities in young children, which pioneered the “false belief” paradigm, is here. A meta-analysis of some of the early work on theory of mind; a more recent review article. We discussed “theory of mind” at some length in our recent episode on stories.  19:00 – The paper by Dr. Asaba and Dr. Gweon reporting the four experiments we discuss appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). It is available here.  36:00 ­– See our earlier episode with Michael Tomasello. 40:00 – A recent review on the personality dimension of “conscientiousness.”    Recommendations  ‘Achieving a good impression: Reputation management and performance goals,' by Kayla Good and Alex Shaw  ‘Planning with theory of mind,' by Mark Ho, Rebecca Saxe, and Fiery Cushman    Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala. You can subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you like to listen to podcasts.  **You can now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here!** We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com.  For updates about the show, visit our website (https://disi.org/manyminds/), or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.

Turquia encara um cenário ‘não tão complexo' quanto a Síria em relação à ajuda humanitária internacional https://cbn.globoradio.globo.com/media/audio/399821/turquia-encara-um-cenario-nao-tao-complexo-quanto-.htm Erdogan falhou na prevenção a terremotos na Turquia e deve enfrentar custo político; leia análise https://www.estadao.com.br/internacional/erdogan-falhou-na-prevencao-a-terremotos-na-turquia-e-deve-enfrentar-custo-politico-leia-analise/ 1755 Lisbon earthquake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1755_Lisbon_earthquake Michael Tomasello on The Social Origins of Cognition and Agency https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2023/01/30/225-michael-tomasello-on-the-social-origins-of-cognition-and-agency/ The Race to Cooperation with David Sloan ... Read more

Human beings have developed wondrous capacities to take in information about the world, mull it over, think about a suite of future implications, and decide on a course of action based on those deliberations. These abilities developed over evolutionary history for a variety of reasons and under a number of different pressures. But one crucially important aspect of their development is their social function. According to Michael Tomasello, we developed agency and cognition and even morality in order to better communicate and cooperate with our fellow humans. Support Mindscape on Patreon.Michael Tomasello received a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Georgia. He is currently the James Bonk Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience and Director of the Developmental Psychology Program at Duke University. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Among his awards are the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association, the Wiley Prize in Psychology, and the Heineken Prize for Cognitive Science. His newest book is The Evolution of Agency: Behavioral Organization from Lizards to Humans.Web siteDuke web pageGoogle Scholar publicationsWikipediaAmazon author page See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The month before I began my PhD, in October 2019, I sat down with an idea. The concept was to reach out to people I admired—mostly academics and authors—and ask them about the decisions they made when they were in my position. What did they do when they were grad students that set them up for success later on? Sure, I wanted to know about their success, in some sort of career-prestige sense. But I also wanted to understand how they thought about what it means to make a substantive contribution to their field, whatever that may have looked like to them. I envisioned it as a podcast, which I called Cognitive Revolution.I produced about 90 episodes of Cognitive Revolution. Toward the end, I began to feel like I'd learned what I wanted to from that line of questioning. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with a podcast that represented the dimension of growth I would pursue in my next phase. But eventually I came up with Meaning Lab: a cognitive science perspective on the mechanisms of meaning in work, life, and relationships. I've done about ten Meaning Lab episodes now. I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it.But to mark my 100th podcast episode, I wanted to do a retrospective on what I learned interviewing scientists about the “personal side of their intellectual journey”—as I framed the tagline of the show. I got to talk to so many of my heroes. I got to talk to people who were great scientists, but not well known outside of their immediate discipline. I got to talk to people who were both accomplished scholars and well-known to a broader audience. I tried to talk to different people from different backgrounds, and to explore stories told by everyone from established tenured professors who came from academic families, to first gen college students from an array of backgrounds who more or less stumbled into research and found they were good at it. People were incredibly generous with their time. And I'm honored to have had the pleasure to talk with them and learn from their experience.Overall, what stands out to me is that there's no one path to success. Not in academia. Not in writing. Not in making a living from ideas. Not in, as far as I can tell, any aspect of life. For everyone I talked to who said doing X worked for them, there was another person who said they got to where they are by doing not-X. Sure, there were trends and consistencies—and I try to get at some of them in the lessons below. But the overarching point is that you have to figure out what works for you. You can't take a strategy from a successful person you look up to and apply it blindly. You're a unique individual with your own strengths and weaknesses. Your success as a scholar depends, in large part, on learning to use them to your advantage.Another point was how just about every single person I talked to—especially the big-name scholars who seem to have everything all figured out—admitted to feelings of uncertainty early on in their career. The vast, vast majority went through significant patches of their journey where they weren't sure if they were going to make it. But they stuck with it, and eventually they got to the other side. Personally, I identify with these kind of doubts more than I do the concept of “imposter syndrome.” To be honest, I don't really care if I belong right now, right here, in this room. Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. Whatever. I'm more concerned about whether what I'm doing is going to end up being worthwhile in the long run. Am I continuing to grow and get better? I can survive being bad at something now, if I know I'll be good at it later on. It meant a lot to know that when I'm feeling that burden of doubt, pretty much everyone I look up to felt some version of it when they were in my shoes.Thanks to everyone who took the time to come on my show. I learned something from every one of you. What follows are some of my favorite clips from scientists I talked to. It doesn't include segments from some of my favorite conversations in general—mostly with people who were authors than scientists. And instead of short, snappy sound bites, I opted for longer clips, so you could hear a bit more of the context and story behind the lesson. I hope you find something in here to help you on your own journey, whatever that may look like. If you're anything like me, I think you will.Here are my 12 lessons I learned from interviewing 90+ scientists about the personal side of their intellectual journey:12. There's no one right way to be productive; do what works for you. (from Paul Bloom)11. Sometimes your biggest setbacks become your most significant accomplishments. (from Chantel Prat)10. Being a good grad student is not the same thing as being a good professor. (from Nancy Kanwisher)9. Everyone has a CV of failures; but they only show you the one with the successes.(from Bradley Voytek)8. Write for an audience of smart, interested undergrads; anyone older than that is too set in their ways to truly be shaped by your work... Oh, and write from an outline.(from Michael Tomasello)7. Listening is one of the most undervalued skills in academia (and probably beyond); if you can master that, it'll take you far. (from Susan Goldin-Meadow)6. Even the most successful scholars were uncertain early on. (from Steven Pinker)5. Some of the most influential papers of all time were rejected in their first submission—rework and resubmit. (from Mark Granovetter)4. For some researchers the best part of their career will be their PhD and postdoc (because they want to get their hands dirty with the work); for some, they just need to survive that phase until they get a faculty job (because what they really want to do is run a lab). (from Weiji Ma)3. You don't need a grand plan; make the best decision you can at every juncture, and you'll get somewhere worth going. (from Linda B. Smith)2. You can be a traditional academic... or you can be an entrepreneur of knowledge.(from Wade Davis)1. Someone says you can't do it? F**k ‘em. There's no one path to success. (from Mahzarin Banaji) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit codykommers.substack.com/subscribe

Lorraine Daston, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). Historian of science Lorraine Daston's wonderful new book, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). is just out. Daston's earlier pathbreaking works include Against Nature, Classical Probability in the Enlightenment and many co-authored books, including Objectivity (with Peter Galison) which introduced the idea of historically changeable "epistemic virtues." In this Recall this Book conversation, Daston--Raine to her friends--shows that rules are never as thin (as abstract and context-free) as they pretend to be. True, we love a rule that seems to brook no exceptions: by the Renaissance, even God is no longer allowed to make exceptions in the form of miracles. Yet throughout history, Raine shows, islands of standardized stability are less stable than they seem. What may feel like oppressively general norms and standards are actually highly protected ecotopes within which thin rules can arise. Look for instance at the history of sidewalks (Raine has)! Raine, Elizabeth and John dive into the details. Implicit and explicit rules are distinguished in the case of e.g. cookbooks and monasteries--and then the gray areas in-between are explored. When students unconsciously ape their teachers, that is a tricky form of emulation--is it even possible to "follow but not ape"? Perhaps genres do this work: The Aeneid is not the Iliad and yet older writers are somehow internalized in the later ones. Mentioned in the Episode Karl Polanyi, 1944) The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, on the embeddedness of markets in norms and rules. John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (1690) denounces the "arbitrary will of another," an early case of seeing will simply qua will is unacceptable. Arnold Davidson sees genre variation (like Milton learning from Homer) also happening in musical invention. Michael Tomasello works on children's rule-following and enforcement against violations, Johannes Huizinga's Homo Ludens (1938) with its notion of demarcated "sacred spaces of play" is a touchstone of rule-following Lorraine and John both adore. Recallable Books The Rule of Saint Benedict (516 onwards) Irma Rombauer, Joy of Cooking (1931 onwards) As Elizabeth says, it's from following the rules that joy emerges.... Walter Miller's Canticle for Liebowitz Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground (1864) an instance of the notion that one establishes free will by caprice or defiance against natural laws ("damnit, gentleman, sometimes 2+2=5 is a nice thing too!") Read the transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Lorraine Daston, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). Historian of science Lorraine Daston's wonderful new book, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). is just out. Daston's earlier pathbreaking works include Against Nature, Classical Probability in the Enlightenment and many co-authored books, including Objectivity (with Peter Galison) which introduced the idea of historically changeable "epistemic virtues." In this Recall this Book conversation, Daston--Raine to her friends--shows that rules are never as thin (as abstract and context-free) as they pretend to be. True, we love a rule that seems to brook no exceptions: by the Renaissance, even God is no longer allowed to make exceptions in the form of miracles. Yet throughout history, Raine shows, islands of standardized stability are less stable than they seem. What may feel like oppressively general norms and standards are actually highly protected ecotopes within which thin rules can arise. Look for instance at the history of sidewalks (Raine has)! Raine, Elizabeth and John dive into the details. Implicit and explicit rules are distinguished in the case of e.g. cookbooks and monasteries--and then the gray areas in-between are explored. When students unconsciously ape their teachers, that is a tricky form of emulation--is it even possible to "follow but not ape"? Perhaps genres do this work: The Aeneid is not the Iliad and yet older writers are somehow internalized in the later ones. Mentioned in the Episode Karl Polanyi, 1944) The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, on the embeddedness of markets in norms and rules. John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (1690) denounces the "arbitrary will of another," an early case of seeing will simply qua will is unacceptable. Arnold Davidson sees genre variation (like Milton learning from Homer) also happening in musical invention. Michael Tomasello works on children's rule-following and enforcement against violations, Johannes Huizinga's Homo Ludens (1938) with its notion of demarcated "sacred spaces of play" is a touchstone of rule-following Lorraine and John both adore. Recallable Books The Rule of Saint Benedict (516 onwards) Irma Rombauer, Joy of Cooking (1931 onwards) As Elizabeth says, it's from following the rules that joy emerges.... Walter Miller's Canticle for Liebowitz Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground (1864) an instance of the notion that one establishes free will by caprice or defiance against natural laws ("damnit, gentleman, sometimes 2+2=5 is a nice thing too!") Read the transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Historian of science Lorraine Daston's wonderful new book, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). is just out. Daston's earlier pathbreaking works include Against Nature, Classical Probability in the Enlightenment and many co-authored books, including Objectivity (with Peter Galison) which introduced the idea of historically changeable "epistemic virtues." In this Recall this Book conversation, Daston--Raine to her friends--shows that rules are never as thin (as abstract and context-free) as they pretend to be. True, we love a rule that seems to brook no exceptions: by the Renaissance, even God is no longer allowed to make exceptions in the form of miracles. Yet throughout history, Raine shows, islands of standardized stability are less stable than they seem. What may feel like oppressively general norms and standards are actually highly protected ecotopes within which thin rules can arise. Look for instance at the history of sidewalks (Raine has)! Raine, Elizabeth and John dive into the details. Implicit and explicit rules are distinguished in the case of e.g. cookbooks and monasteries--and then the gray areas in-between are explored. When students unconsciously ape their teachers, that is a tricky form of emulation--is it even possible to "follow but not ape"? Perhaps genres do this work: The Aeneid is not the Iliad and yet older writers are somehow internalized in the later ones. Mentioned in the Episode Karl Polanyi, 1944) The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, on the embeddedness of markets in norms and rules. John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (1690) denounces the "arbitrary will of another," an early case of seeing will simply qua will is unacceptable. Arnold Davidson sees genre variation (like Milton learning from Homer) also happening in musical invention. Michael Tomasello works on children's rule-following and enforcement against violations, Johannes Huizinga's Homo Ludens (1938) with its notion of demarcated "sacred spaces of play" is a touchstone of rule-following Lorraine and John both adore. Recallable Books The Rule of Saint Benedict (516 onwards) Irma Rombauer, Joy of Cooking (1931 onwards) As Elizabeth says, it's from following the rules that joy emerges.... Walter Miller's Canticle for Liebowitz Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground (1864) an instance of the notion that one establishes free will by caprice or defiance against natural laws ("damnit, gentleman, sometimes 2+2=5 is a nice thing too!") Read the transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lorraine Daston, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). Historian of science Lorraine Daston's wonderful new book, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). is just out. Daston's earlier pathbreaking works include Against Nature, Classical Probability in the Enlightenment and many co-authored books, including Objectivity (with Peter Galison) which introduced the idea of historically changeable "epistemic virtues." In this Recall this Book conversation, Daston--Raine to her friends--shows that rules are never as thin (as abstract and context-free) as they pretend to be. True, we love a rule that seems to brook no exceptions: by the Renaissance, even God is no longer allowed to make exceptions in the form of miracles. Yet throughout history, Raine shows, islands of standardized stability are less stable than they seem. What may feel like oppressively general norms and standards are actually highly protected ecotopes within which thin rules can arise. Look for instance at the history of sidewalks (Raine has)! Raine, Elizabeth and John dive into the details. Implicit and explicit rules are distinguished in the case of e.g. cookbooks and monasteries--and then the gray areas in-between are explored. When students unconsciously ape their teachers, that is a tricky form of emulation--is it even possible to "follow but not ape"? Perhaps genres do this work: The Aeneid is not the Iliad and yet older writers are somehow internalized in the later ones. Mentioned in the Episode Karl Polanyi, 1944) The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, on the embeddedness of markets in norms and rules. John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (1690) denounces the "arbitrary will of another," an early case of seeing will simply qua will is unacceptable. Arnold Davidson sees genre variation (like Milton learning from Homer) also happening in musical invention. Michael Tomasello works on children's rule-following and enforcement against violations, Johannes Huizinga's Homo Ludens (1938) with its notion of demarcated "sacred spaces of play" is a touchstone of rule-following Lorraine and John both adore. Recallable Books The Rule of Saint Benedict (516 onwards) Irma Rombauer, Joy of Cooking (1931 onwards) As Elizabeth says, it's from following the rules that joy emerges.... Walter Miller's Canticle for Liebowitz Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground (1864) an instance of the notion that one establishes free will by caprice or defiance against natural laws ("damnit, gentleman, sometimes 2+2=5 is a nice thing too!") Read the transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Lorraine Daston, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). Historian of science Lorraine Daston's wonderful new book, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). is just out. Daston's earlier pathbreaking works include Against Nature, Classical Probability in the Enlightenment and many co-authored books, including Objectivity (with Peter Galison) which introduced the idea of historically changeable "epistemic virtues." In this Recall this Book conversation, Daston--Raine to her friends--shows that rules are never as thin (as abstract and context-free) as they pretend to be. True, we love a rule that seems to brook no exceptions: by the Renaissance, even God is no longer allowed to make exceptions in the form of miracles. Yet throughout history, Raine shows, islands of standardized stability are less stable than they seem. What may feel like oppressively general norms and standards are actually highly protected ecotopes within which thin rules can arise. Look for instance at the history of sidewalks (Raine has)! Raine, Elizabeth and John dive into the details. Implicit and explicit rules are distinguished in the case of e.g. cookbooks and monasteries--and then the gray areas in-between are explored. When students unconsciously ape their teachers, that is a tricky form of emulation--is it even possible to "follow but not ape"? Perhaps genres do this work: The Aeneid is not the Iliad and yet older writers are somehow internalized in the later ones. Mentioned in the Episode Karl Polanyi, 1944) The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, on the embeddedness of markets in norms and rules. John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (1690) denounces the "arbitrary will of another," an early case of seeing will simply qua will is unacceptable. Arnold Davidson sees genre variation (like Milton learning from Homer) also happening in musical invention. Michael Tomasello works on children's rule-following and enforcement against violations, Johannes Huizinga's Homo Ludens (1938) with its notion of demarcated "sacred spaces of play" is a touchstone of rule-following Lorraine and John both adore. Recallable Books The Rule of Saint Benedict (516 onwards) Irma Rombauer, Joy of Cooking (1931 onwards) As Elizabeth says, it's from following the rules that joy emerges.... Walter Miller's Canticle for Liebowitz Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground (1864) an instance of the notion that one establishes free will by caprice or defiance against natural laws ("damnit, gentleman, sometimes 2+2=5 is a nice thing too!") Read the transcript here.

Lorraine Daston, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). Historian of science Lorraine Daston's wonderful new book, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). is just out. Daston's earlier pathbreaking works include Against Nature, Classical Probability in the Enlightenment and many co-authored books, including Objectivity (with Peter Galison) which introduced the idea of historically changeable "epistemic virtues." In this Recall this Book conversation, Daston--Raine to her friends--shows that rules are never as thin (as abstract and context-free) as they pretend to be. True, we love a rule that seems to brook no exceptions: by the Renaissance, even God is no longer allowed to make exceptions in the form of miracles. Yet throughout history, Raine shows, islands of standardized stability are less stable than they seem. What may feel like oppressively general norms and standards are actually highly protected ecotopes within which thin rules can arise. Look for instance at the history of sidewalks (Raine has)! Raine, Elizabeth and John dive into the details. Implicit and explicit rules are distinguished in the case of e.g. cookbooks and monasteries--and then the gray areas in-between are explored. When students unconsciously ape their teachers, that is a tricky form of emulation--is it even possible to "follow but not ape"? Perhaps genres do this work: The Aeneid is not the Iliad and yet older writers are somehow internalized in the later ones. Mentioned in the Episode Karl Polanyi, 1944) The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, on the embeddedness of markets in norms and rules. John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (1690) denounces the "arbitrary will of another," an early case of seeing will simply qua will is unacceptable. Arnold Davidson sees genre variation (like Milton learning from Homer) also happening in musical invention. Michael Tomasello works on children's rule-following and enforcement against violations, Johannes Huizinga's Homo Ludens (1938) with its notion of demarcated "sacred spaces of play" is a touchstone of rule-following Lorraine and John both adore. Recallable Books The Rule of Saint Benedict (516 onwards) Irma Rombauer, Joy of Cooking (1931 onwards) As Elizabeth says, it's from following the rules that joy emerges.... Walter Miller's Canticle for Liebowitz Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground (1864) an instance of the notion that one establishes free will by caprice or defiance against natural laws ("damnit, gentleman, sometimes 2+2=5 is a nice thing too!") Read the transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lorraine Daston, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). Historian of science Lorraine Daston's wonderful new book, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). is just out. Daston's earlier pathbreaking works include Against Nature, Classical Probability in the Enlightenment and many co-authored books, including Objectivity (with Peter Galison) which introduced the idea of historically changeable "epistemic virtues." In this Recall this Book conversation, Daston--Raine to her friends--shows that rules are never as thin (as abstract and context-free) as they pretend to be. True, we love a rule that seems to brook no exceptions: by the Renaissance, even God is no longer allowed to make exceptions in the form of miracles. Yet throughout history, Raine shows, islands of standardized stability are less stable than they seem. What may feel like oppressively general norms and standards are actually highly protected ecotopes within which thin rules can arise. Look for instance at the history of sidewalks (Raine has)! Raine, Elizabeth and John dive into the details. Implicit and explicit rules are distinguished in the case of e.g. cookbooks and monasteries--and then the gray areas in-between are explored. When students unconsciously ape their teachers, that is a tricky form of emulation--is it even possible to "follow but not ape"? Perhaps genres do this work: The Aeneid is not the Iliad and yet older writers are somehow internalized in the later ones. Mentioned in the Episode Karl Polanyi, 1944) The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, on the embeddedness of markets in norms and rules. John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (1690) denounces the "arbitrary will of another," an early case of seeing will simply qua will is unacceptable. Arnold Davidson sees genre variation (like Milton learning from Homer) also happening in musical invention. Michael Tomasello works on children's rule-following and enforcement against violations, Johannes Huizinga's Homo Ludens (1938) with its notion of demarcated "sacred spaces of play" is a touchstone of rule-following Lorraine and John both adore. Recallable Books The Rule of Saint Benedict (516 onwards) Irma Rombauer, Joy of Cooking (1931 onwards) As Elizabeth says, it's from following the rules that joy emerges.... Walter Miller's Canticle for Liebowitz Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground (1864) an instance of the notion that one establishes free will by caprice or defiance against natural laws ("damnit, gentleman, sometimes 2+2=5 is a nice thing too!") Read the transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society

Lorraine Daston, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). Historian of science Lorraine Daston's wonderful new book, Rules: A Short History of What We Live by (Princeton UP, 2022). is just out. Daston's earlier pathbreaking works include Against Nature, Classical Probability in the Enlightenment and many co-authored books, including Objectivity (with Peter Galison) which introduced the idea of historically changeable "epistemic virtues." In this Recall this Book conversation, Daston--Raine to her friends--shows that rules are never as thin (as abstract and context-free) as they pretend to be. True, we love a rule that seems to brook no exceptions: by the Renaissance, even God is no longer allowed to make exceptions in the form of miracles. Yet throughout history, Raine shows, islands of standardized stability are less stable than they seem. What may feel like oppressively general norms and standards are actually highly protected ecotopes within which thin rules can arise. Look for instance at the history of sidewalks (Raine has)! Raine, Elizabeth and John dive into the details. Implicit and explicit rules are distinguished in the case of e.g. cookbooks and monasteries--and then the gray areas in-between are explored. When students unconsciously ape their teachers, that is a tricky form of emulation--is it even possible to "follow but not ape"? Perhaps genres do this work: The Aeneid is not the Iliad and yet older writers are somehow internalized in the later ones. Mentioned in the Episode Karl Polanyi, 1944) The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, on the embeddedness of markets in norms and rules. John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (1690) denounces the "arbitrary will of another," an early case of seeing will simply qua will is unacceptable. Arnold Davidson sees genre variation (like Milton learning from Homer) also happening in musical invention. Michael Tomasello works on children's rule-following and enforcement against violations, Johannes Huizinga's Homo Ludens (1938) with its notion of demarcated "sacred spaces of play" is a touchstone of rule-following Lorraine and John both adore. Recallable Books The Rule of Saint Benedict (516 onwards) Irma Rombauer, Joy of Cooking (1931 onwards) As Elizabeth says, it's from following the rules that joy emerges.... Walter Miller's Canticle for Liebowitz Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground (1864) an instance of the notion that one establishes free will by caprice or defiance against natural laws ("damnit, gentleman, sometimes 2+2=5 is a nice thing too!") Read the transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

Language—who can use it, and how well—has been in the news recently. If you haven't heard, a recent AI language model was released for public use. It's a chatbot from the company OpenAI called ChatGPT. And its capabilities are, to use a technical term, astounding. It can draft essays at an advanced undergraduate level on just about any topic. It can write a scene for a movie script along any premise you specify. It can plan a set of meals for you this week, provide the recipes, compile a shopping list, and tell you how what you're eating will affect your overall health and fitness goals. And in terms of grammar and sentence construction, it makes no mistakes. Literally none. This isn't your grandmother's chatbot.This episode is not about how ChatGPT works; it is about our current understanding of how language works. With advances in AI allowing us to create more sophisticated programs for using language, that understanding may change in the near future. But even with all the recent advances, the underlying logic behind how these kinds of programs work and what they can teach us about human language goes back decades in research on cognitive science and artificial intelligence. It seems like there's something about ChatGPT that understands the words it's using. The truth is we don't know yet. It's too soon to tell.What we do know is that we humans understand the words we use, and why we're capable of doing that is one of the great and fantastic puzzles of our species. My guest today, Gary Lupyan, is one of my favorite sources of insights about that puzzle. Gary is a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He studies language, particularly semantics, from a cognitive science perspective.This conversation is about Gary's point of view on language, words, and how we use them to both construct an understanding of the world and convey it to those around us. It's not necessarily about endorsing a big sweeping theory. But to put together some of the pieces of what we know, what we don't know, and what we may have misunderstood about language.For example, take the famous Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. This is the idea that language determines thought—that if you were to speak a language other than the one(s) already you do, it could potentially lead to an entirely different way of seeing the world. And really, the big picture of Sapir-Whorf has been settled. The truth, honestly, is not that exciting. Language does determine thought—but only a little, and not in any ways that can't be worked around. As Gary describes it, language is a system of categories. The language we speak can orient us toward different delineations of those categories with the world. But no language prevents us from seeing or comprehending any category outright. What's really fascinating here is not the broadest aspects of the overarching theory, but the implications for specific cases. There are versions of this that we touch on a lot throughout this conversation.But in terms of grand theories, a general theme emerged in our conversation of describing ideas about language on a spectrum: from Chomsky to Tomasello. Noam Chomsky you've probably heard of. He's one of the most prolific scholars of the second half of the twentieth century. He was a founding father of cognitive science, and to a large degree single-handedly determined the trajectory of linguistics for a period of almost thirty years. His most famous construction is "colorless green ideas sleep furiously." It's a totally legitimate English sentence, but one that expresses an illegitimate concept. It is representative of Chomsky's focus on structure: he didn't care about whether or not anyone had ever used that sentence; he just cared that it was possible to do so.Michael Tomasello, on the other hand, takes a usage-based approach to language. Mike has been a guest on this show and is another cognitive scientist who has had a big impact on my own thinking. He believes the way to make sense of language is as a tool, one that allows us to communicate with the other members of our species. Structure is important. But how language is used in real-life social settings is more important. Spoiler alert: both Gary and I are much more sympathetic to Tomasello's characterization of language than we are to Chomsky's. Nonetheless, both theoretical approaches offer important insights about language and the way we humans use it.The way I approached this conversation was essentially to ask Gary the biggest questions I could come up with about language: What's it for? How do words get their meanings? What was protolanguage like? What parts of language are determined by critical periods? Then just see where he takes it from there.Overall, this conversation was really a joy to have. We cover a lot of my favorite topics in cognitive science. Language is something I can get really worked up about, and it was fun to be able to talk about it with someone who is so much more knowledgeable than I am. For anyone who has ever used words or had words used on them, I think you'll find something to enjoy in this conversation.At the end of each episode, I ask my guest about three books that have most influenced their thinking. Here are Gary's picks:* Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychologyby Valentino Braitenberg (1984)A cult classic: the perfect book for thinking about thinking.* Consciousness Explainedby Daniel Dennett (1991)It's not about getting all the details right; it's about inspiring further thinking.* 4 3 2 1: A Novelby Paul Auster (2017)The most ambitious effort by a novelist at the top of his game. For students of the epic conceptual masterpiece.Honorable mention: My favorite book on Language, by Michael Tomasello, if you're interested in the technical details of what we talked about:* Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition(I hope you find something good for your next read. If you happen to find it through the above links, I get a referral fee. Thanks!) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit codykommers.substack.com/subscribe

------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter SubscribeStar: https://www.subscribestar.com/the-dissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/ Dr. Michael Tomasello is Emeritus Director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, and James F. Bonk Distinguished Professor at Duke University. His most recent book is The Evolution of Agency: Behavioral Organization from Lizards to Humans. In this episode, we focus on The Evolution of Agency. We talk about agency from an evolutionary perspective, focusing on the feedback control model of agency, and go through evolutionary history, touching on the first animate actors, the first goal-directed agents, the first intentional agents, the first rational agents, and the first socially normative agents. We talk about some representatives of each of them. We discuss where goals come from, the role of emotions, the understanding of agency in animals, social norms, and the role of culture in collective agency. We also discuss the aspects of sociality that are uniquely human. Finally, we talk about free will. -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, PER HELGE LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, HERBERT GINTIS, RUTGER VOS, RICARDO VLADIMIRO, CRAIG HEALY, OLAF ALEX, PHILIP KURIAN, JONATHAN VISSER, JAKOB KLINKBY, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, JOHN CONNORS, PAULINA BARREN, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ARTHUR KOH, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, SUSAN PINKER, PABLO SANTURBANO, SIMON COLUMBUS, PHIL KAVANAGH, JORGE ESPINHA, CORY CLARK, MARK BLYTH, ROBERTO INGUANZO, MIKKEL STORMYR, ERIC NEURMANN, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, BERNARD HUGUENEY, ALEXANDER DANNBAUER, FERGAL CUSSEN, YEVHEN BODRENKO, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, DON ROSS, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, OZLEM BULUT, NATHAN NGUYEN, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, J.W., JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, IDAN SOLON, ROMAIN ROCH, DMITRY GRIGORYEV, TOM ROTH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, ADANER USMANI, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, AL ORTIZ, NELLEKE BAK, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, NICK GOLDEN, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, EDWARD HALL, HEDIN BRØNNER, DOUGLAS P. FRY, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, DENISE COOK, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, TRADERINNYC, TODD SHACKELFORD, AND SUNNY SMITH! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, IAN GILLIGAN, LUIS CAYETANO, TOM VANEGDOM, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, VEGA GIDEY, THOMAS TRUMBLE, AND NUNO ELDER! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MICHAL RUSIECKI, ROSEY, JAMES PRATT, MATTHEW LAVENDER, SERGIU CODREANU, AND BOGDAN KANIVETS!

Welcome back, friends! Apologies for the brief delay in getting this episode out. We're now happily back on track and super stoked for what we have coming up—starting with today's episode. My guest is Dr. Michael Tomasello, a voraciously interdisciplinary thinker, an incredibly productive scientist, and a pioneer in the systematic comparison of chimpanzee and human capacities. Mike is a Distinguished Professor in the department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University, where also holds appointments in Evolutionary Anthropology, Philosophy, and Linguistics. He is the author of growing list of influential books, including the recent Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny and a new book coming out this fall titled The Evolution of Agency. In this conversation, Mike and I talk about how he came to study both children and chimpanzees. We discuss the challenges of working with each of these groups—and the challenges of comparing them. We talk about some of the key concepts that have figured prominently in Mike's work over the years—like joint attention and false belief—and well as some of the concepts he's been elaborating more recently—including norms, roles, and agency. We also discuss Vygotsky and Piaget; how humans got started down the path toward intense interdependence and cooperation; and what Mike thinks he got wrong earlier in his career. Lots in here, folks—let's just get to it. On to my conversation with Dr. Michael Tomasello. Enjoy!   A transcript of this episode will be available soon.   Notes and links 3:30 – Early in his career, Dr. Tomasello was affiliated with the storied Yerkes Primate Center. 5:00 – Major works by Lev Vygotsky (in translation) include Mind in Society and Thought and Language. 7:00 – A video about some of the early work of Wolfgang Kohler. 10:30 – Dr. Tomasello is the Emeritus Director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig. 17:00 – A chapter outlining some key results of “looking time” (or “preferential-looking”) experiments in developmental psychology. 21:00 – A recent article by Cathal O'Madagain and Dr. Tomasello about “joint attention to mental content.” 25:00 – A paper by Holger Diessel on demonstratives and joint attention. 25:00 – A video describing work that Dr. Tomasello and colleagues have carried out on chimpanzee theory of mind. A 2019 general audience article summarizing the state of this research. 28:00 – Dr. Tomasello's book on child development, Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny, was published in 2018. 31:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Tomasello on the importance of roles in human cognition and social life. 34:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Tomasello on the psychology behind the human sense of obligation. 35:00 – A paper of Art Markman and C. Hunt Stillwell on “role-governed categories.” 36:00 – A paper by Christophe Boesch on “cooperative hunting roles” among chimpanzees. 38:00 – A very recent paper by Dr. Tomasello, “What is it like to be a chimpanzee?” 39:15 – A study by Dr. Tomasello and colleagues about whether apes (and children) monitor their decisions. 40:45 – Dr. Tomasello's most cited book, The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition, was published in 2001. 43:00 – Dr. Tomasello's next book, The Evolution of Agency, will be published in September by MIT press. You can read more about Dr. Tomasello's work at his website.   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (DISI) (https://disi.org), which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from assistant producer Cecilia Padilla. Creative support is provided by DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd (https://www.mayhilldesigns.co.uk/). Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala (https://sarahdopierala.wordpress.com/). You can subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. **You can now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here!** We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com. For updates about the show, visit our website (https://disi.org/manyminds/), or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.

In Episode 55, Gregg welcomes Tyler Volk. Tyler is Professor Emeritus of Biology and Environmental Studies at New York University. He is the author of several books, including *Metapatterns Across Space, Time, and Mind*, and *From Quarks to Culture: How We Came to Be*. Across his professional life, he has developed a big picture view of the cosmos called "combogenesis" which maps 12 levels of complexity into three realms. In this episode, he and Gregg sync up this map with UTOK's Tree of Knowledge System, with the result being a clear synergy and a hopeful advance for how we might correspond the various Big History maps into a coherent integrated pluralism.   - - -

Die 55. Folge des Podcasts Fipsi, der als erster seiner Art den Dialog zwischen Philosophie und Psychologie anstrebt. Zum zweiten Mal besprechen Hannes Wendler und Alexander Wendt mit Hans-Peter Krüger die Perspektiven der Philosophischen Anthropologie. Dabei kommen sie auf Helmuth Plessner und Michael Tomasello zu sprechen.Auf YouTube finden Sie alle Episoden von Fipsi unter https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpIT6jK3mKTiQcXbinapKRbf39mLEpKWmAuf Spotify finden Sie Fipsi unter https://open.spotify.com/show/0il832RRDoPZPaNlC7vams?si=5KbdEcF1TImSHexKYGccfw&dl_branch=1Die Website der Arbeitsgemeinschaft: https://www.phi-psy.deMelden Sie sich mit Rückmeldungen und Anmerkungen gerne unter fipsi@phi-psy.deDiskutieren Sie mit uns auf Telegram: https://t.me/FipsiPPP oder https://t.me/PhiundPsyFür das Intro bedanken wir uns bei Estella und Peter: https://www.instagram.com/elpetera

This is Cognitive Revolution, my show about the personal side of the intellectual journey. Each week, I interview an eminent scientist, writer, or academic about the experiences that shaped their ideas. The show is available wherever you listen to podcasts.I am excited to introduce my first return guest on the show, Brian Christian. I knew from the very first time we talked that I wanted to do a part two with him. This wasn’t through any great feat of perspicacity. It was primarily because we didn’t even get the opportunity to talk about his latest book, The Alignment Problem. In the first conversation, we talked about Brian’s background in poetry and computer science. We talked at length about how he became a writer and the process behind his first book, The Most Human Human. Now in this conversation we go deep on The Alignment Problem. The book’s been out for more than a year now, and it’s gotten some pretty good coverage. One of my favorite interviews Brian did was with Ezra Klein, which is definitely worth checking out as well. I tried to get aspects of Brian’s work that haven’t been covered as much in previous discussions. Overall, the book is about the development of artificial intelligence, and throughout each chapter we see AI become increasingly capable of accomplishing more nuanced tasks—and, importantly, tasks which become increasingly embedded into the fabric of our society. Whereas a lot of my interviews on Cognitive Revolution go deep on an author’s backstory, this one is very much focused on content.And make sure to check out Brian’s new audiobook—Algorithms to Work By, available via Audible—when it comes out in February!Brian’s Books:The Alignment ProblemAlgorithms to Live ByThe Most Human HumanBooks we talked about: Michael Tomasello’s Cultural Origins of Human CognitionNick Bostrom’s Superintelligence (well, by implication… when we mentioned AI safety books that “hit you over the head” with their thesis)Like this episode? Here’s another one to check out:As well as my original conversation with Brian:I’d love to know what you thought of this episode! Just reply to this email or send a note directly to my inbox. Feel free to tweet the show @CogRevPod or me @CodyKommers. You can also leave a rating for the show on iTunes (or another platform). This is super helpful, as high ratings are one of the biggest factors platforms look at in their recommender system algorithms. The better the ratings, the more they present the show to new potential listeners.Also: If you’d like to unsubscribe from these weekly podcast emails, you can do so while still remaining on the email list that features my weekly writing. Thanks for following my work! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit codykommers.substack.com/subscribe

Happy Ghost Library Month, Brian! Are ghosts anarchists? Are chimps? Are human toddlers? Today is part two of our three part series exploring anarchism and its plausibility as a political model. Lindsey talks about her huge crush on developmental and comparative psychologist Michael Tomasello's research on the interdependence hypothesis. Bumper source, Nick Offerman on The Ezra Klein Show https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/12/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-nick-offerman.html Tomasello (2014) The Ultra-Social Animal https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.2015 Tomasello (2012) The Interdependence Hypothesis https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/668207 Aiello & Dunbar (1993) Estimated human group sizes based on neocortex size https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/204160 Kropotkin - Mutual Aid https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/petr-kropotkin-mutual-aid-a-factor-of-evolution Rebecca Solnit, Disaster Collectivism https://lithub.com/rebecca-solnit-how-to-survive-a-disaster/ Support the show at: www.patreon.com/fuppod Email us at FUPpod@gmail.com Facebook Discussion Group: www.facebook.com/groups/341683697248941 Twitter: What The FUP? Podcast (@FuPpod) / Twitter

In Episode 32, Gregg welcomes Dr. Darcia Narvaez. She is Professor Emerita in the Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, and has recently been identified as one of the top 2% of scientists worldwide. She is author of many excellent books and articles, including one of Gregg's all-time favorites, Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture, and Wisdom. In this episode, she describes her conception of the "Evolved Nest," which maps the key social, physiological, and ecological features that foster healthy human socio-emotional and moral development. They explore how this Nest aligns with the UTOK Tree of Life, and the implications for society and human development.  Darcia's Homepage: https://darcianarvaez.com/ Darcia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/morallandscapes Darcia's Moral Landscape PT Blog: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/moral-landscapes The Evolved Nest: https://evolvednest.org/ Breaking the Cycle - Reclaiming Our Humanity with Our Evolved Nest: https://breakingthecyclefilm.org/ the 6-min. Film is on YouTube with subtitles in 15 languages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_f4fzzFc8A --- Ressources mentioned in this episode:

We’d probably all like to be more persuasive. And there is one little sentence to tack on to the end of any request that is more likely to get people to do what you want. Listen as I begin this episode by revealing that one simple sentence. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10510974.2012.727941?journalCode=rcst20 Have you ever wondered, what makes you human? What is it about us that separates us from other earthly creatures? It’s a fascinating question that has been tackled by Michael Tomasello, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and author of a new book called Becoming Human (https://amzn.to/2I0HHdn). What is so interesting is how we wouldn’t be so human without our interaction with other humans. While we may like to think of ourselves as superior to other animals – it may be more about how we different rather than how we are better. Do you use mouthwash on a regular basis? Did you know the American Dental Association doesn’t recommend that? I’ll explain why killing those bad breath germs in your mouth could have some serious negative consequences. https://www.medicaldaily.com/antiseptic-mouthwash-raises-heart-attack-risk-blood-pressure-chlorhexidine-kills-good-bacteria-helps A lot of people swear by herbal remedies. A lot of other people prefer conventional medicine. Do herbal remedies actually work? And if so, which ones? Tieraona Low Dog, M.D. is a proponent of natural and herbal remedies and she wrote the forward to the new book, Nature’s Best Remedies (https://amzn.to/2tguq66) from National Geographic. She joins me to discuss the science behind some popular herbal remedies and offers help sorting out what works and what does not. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Backcountry.com is the BEST place for outdoor gear and apparel. Go to https://backcountry.com/sysk and use promo code SYSK to get 15% off your first full price purchase! Go Daddy lets you create your website or store for FREE right now at https://godaddy.com Go to https://RockAuto.com right now and see all the parts available for your car or truck. Write SOMETHING in their “How did you hear about us?” box so they know we sent you! Discover matches all the cash back you earn on your credit card at the end of your first year automatically and is accepted at 99% of places in the U.S. that take credit cards! Learn more at https://discover.com/yes Over the last 6 years, donations made at Walgreens in support of Red Nose Day have helped positively impact over 25 million kids. You can join in helping to change the lives of kids facing poverty. To help Walgreens support even more kids, donate today at checkout or at https://Walgreens.com/RedNoseDay. https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When do young children begin to cooperate and show signs of fairness? How does a shared experience influence a child's behaviour towards an adult? Why has our tendency towards cooperation not kept up with the development of our social society? Listen in as Sean finds out the answers to these questions and more with today's guest, Michael Tomasello. More episodes: https://bold.expert/podcasts Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning at bold.expert.Join the conversation on X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram.Subscribe to BOLD's newsletter.

------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ------------------Follow me on--------------------- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT Dr. Michael Tomasello is an American developmental and comparative psychologist, as well as linguist. He is Emeritus Director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, and professor of psychology at Duke University. Earning many prizes and awards from the end of the 1990s onward, he is considered one of today's most authoritative developmental and comparative psychologists. He's also the author of several books, including The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition (1999), A Natural History of Human Thinking (2014), A Natural History of Human Morality (2016), and Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny (2019). In this episode, we talk about developmental and comparative psychology, with a focus on Dr. Tomasello's latest book, Becoming Human. Topics include: comparative psychology, and how to compare ourselves to other primates; three types of morality (derived from kin selection; derived from interdependence; derived from culture); shared and collective intentionality; the development of institutions; the relationship between sociality and morality; natural and cultural morality; group selection; if human morality is innate; the importance of language; and studying isolated children. -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, PER HELGE LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, HERBERT GINTIS, RUTGER VOS, RICARDO VLADIMIRO, BO WINEGARD, CRAIG HEALY, OLAF ALEX, PHILIP KURIAN, JONATHAN VISSER, ANJAN KATTA, JAKOB KLINKBY, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, JOHN CONNORS, PAULINA BARREN, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ARTHUR KOH, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, MAX BEILBY, COLIN HOLBROOK, SUSAN PINKER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, PABLO SANTURBANO, SIMON COLUMBUS, PHIL KAVANAGH, JORGE ESPINHA, CORY CLARK, MARK BLYTH, ROBERTO INGUANZO, MIKKEL STORMYR, ERIC NEURMANN, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, BERNARD HUGUENEY, ALEXANDER DANNBAUER, OMARI HICKSON, PHYLICIA STEVENS, FERGAL CUSSEN, YEVHEN BODRENKO, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, DON ROSS, JOÃO ALVES DA SILVA, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, OZLEM BULUT, NATHAN NGUYEN, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, J.W., JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, IDAN SOLON, ROMAIN ROCH, DMITRY GRIGORYEV, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, TOM ROTH, YANICK PUNTER, AND ADANER USMANI! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, IAN GILLIGAN, SERGIU CODREANU, LUIS CAYETANO, MATTHEW LAVENDER, TOM VANEGDOM, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, VEGA GIDEY, AND NIRUBAN BALACHANDRAN! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MICHAL RUSIECKI, ROSEY, AND JAMES PRATT!

Autor: Hubert, Martin Sendung: Forschung aktuell Hören bis: 19.01.2038 04:14

Der amerikanische Psychologe und Anthropologe Michael Tomasello hat über Jahrzehnte experimentell Menschenaffen und Menschenkinder miteinander verglichen, um herauszufinden, was den Menschen eigentlich zum Menschen macht. In seinem neuen Buch präsentiert er seine Theorie der Ontogenese. Eine Rezension von Martin Hubert.

Dr Brian Hare is a scientist and the New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Dogs. He received his PhD from Harvard University and is now a Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University. Brian founded the Hominoid Psychology Research Group while at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, and subsequently founded the Duke Canine Cognition Center. His publications on dog cognition are among the most heavily cited papers on dog behaviour and intelligence. In this podcast, Brian talks about his new book, Survival of the Friendliest, which masterfully applies research on the psychology of dogs, chimps and bonobos to our understanding of human benevolence and cruelty. He explains why identifying with a group can result in hostility to others, and why species that find a way to cooperate tend to dominate. He also offers innovative solutions for reducing divisiveness and increasing cooperative behaviour in our contemporary society.  Here’s the outline of this interview with Brian Hare: [00:00:16] Book: The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think, by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods. [00:00:48] Book: Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity, by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods. [00:01:16] Shared intentionality. [00:05:18] Dognition assessment; online course. [00:07:29] Duke Canine Cognition Center publications. [00:13:45] Chimps and bonobos. [00:18:33] Analysis comparing chimps and bonobos on lethal aggression: Wilson, Michael L., et al. "Lethal aggression in Pan is better explained by adaptive strategies than human impacts." Nature 513.7518 (2014): 414-417. [00:19:58] Friendliness pays huge dividends. [00:24:32] Sue Carter, PhD on oxytocin. [00:25:27] Sexual behavior of bonobo females helps form alliances; Article: Parish, Amy Randall. "Female relationships in bonobos (Pan paniscus)." Hu Nat 7.1 (1996): 61-96. [00:27:24] Book: The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution, by Richard Wrangham. [00:31:08] Jane Goodall; Documentary: Jane. [00:31:18] Claudine Andre; Documentary: Bonobos: Back to the Wild. [00:32:23] Louis Leakey funded Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birutė Galdikas (The Trimates) to study hominids. [00:38:41] Books: The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man, by Charles Darwin. [00:39:45] Michael Tomasello, PhD. [00:47:14] Group identity. [00:53:47] Paul Bloom, PhD. [00:59:06] Increasing friendliness; Contact hypothesis. [00:59:41] Policy recommendations and innovations to increase friendliness. [01:06:40] Book: The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today, by David Stasavage. [01:09:17] Brian on Twitter. [01:09:52] Getting a dog: refer to the Humane Society website. [01:10:51] Hypoallergenic dogs have the same amount of dander; Study: Nicholas, Charlotte E., et al. "Dog allergen levels in homes with hypoallergenic compared with nonhypoallergenic dogs." American journal of rhinology & allergy 25.4 (2011): 252-256. [01:11:50] American Kennel Club.

Was macht den Menschen zu einem besonderen Lebewesen? Dazu gibt es viele Antworten und noch mehr Bücher. Der Neurowissenschaftler Michael Tomasello zeigt über hochinteressante Versuche, dass schon Babys mehr können als Menschenaffen. Von Volkart Wildermuth www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Buchkritik Hören bis: 19.01.2038 04:14 Direkter Link zur Audiodatei

Michael Tomasello is one of the most influential cognitive scientists of the twenty-first century. And yet I would still argue that he is still somehow under-appreciated. He's a truly independent thinker and throughout his career he has pursued ideas that don't fit neatly into any particular intellectual silo but make their presence felt across many of them. In this episode, we talk about the influence of Jerome Bruner, Lev Vygotsky, and Jean Piaget on Mike's thought, where anthropology went after the Cognitive Revolution, how he wrote his first book because he had nothing else going on, writing to shape the minds of young people, the role of outlines in writing, being "problem centered," and the intellectual freedom that comes with being outside of the establishment. More info available at codykommers.com/podcast. If you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing! You can follow me on Twitter @codykommers, and through my newsletter at codykommers.com/newsletter.

Moralen utmärker människan och har sin grund i evolutionära processer. Farshid Jalalvand, skribent och forskare i molekylär mikrobiologi, reflekterar över varifrån vi fått vår godhet. ESSÄ: Detta är en text där skribenten reflekterar över ett ämne eller ett verk. Åsikter som uttrycks är skribentens egna. Samhället kunde inte ha gått framåt utan det moraliska sinnet, lika lite som en bikupa kunde ha bildats utan binas instinkter, klottrade en 29-åring Charles Darwin i sin dagbok 1838. Vilken målande beskrivning! Människor behöver moral för att kunna leva ihop på samma sätt som insekter behöver instinkter för att verka i sina samhällen. Men om moralen uppkommer instinktivt eller är inlärd har varit ämne för debatt sedan åtminstone medeltiden. Vissa menar att moralen är en del av vår kultur, andra att den kommer från Gud och vissa att den är en konsekvens av det ekonomiska systemet. Men kanske är det helt enkelt brist på mat som ligger bakom framväxten av människans moral. När jag ser tillbaka på vår arts historia slås jag ofta av samma tanke. Människan framstår som en komapatient som vaknat upp med total minnesförlust. Hon vet inte vem hon är eller var hon kommer ifrån. Hon stiger upp och inspekterar sina förmågor. Och hon tänker: Wow, jag måste vara någon sorts Gud!. Det metaforiska uppvaknandet var det som brukar kallas den kognitiva revolutionen, det vill säga när den förhistoriska människan utvecklade en kraftig förmåga till abstrakt tänkande. Och ända sedan skriftkonstens uppkomst har vi kunnat följa vår patients besatthet vid att distansera sig från biologin. Aristoteles, till exempel, sa under antiken att människans rationalitet höjde henne över djuren. Under medeltiden påstod den inflytelserika kristna filosofen Thomas av Aquino att människans odödliga själ separerade henne från djur. Och under renässansen förklarade René Descartes att människan, till skillnad från djur, bestod av två skilda substanser ett rationellt sinne och en biologisk kropp. Alla dessa teorier ställdes på sitt huvud av Darwins och Alfred Russel Wallaces evolutionsteori på 1800-talet. Och vår patient fick i och med det för första gången möjlighet att placera sig själv rätt i historien. Hon var en apa förvisso en rationell apa men ändå en apa, i en lång led av andra apor. Upplysningsfilosofen Immanuel Kant påstod att det som utmärkte denna apa var moralen, medan David Hume tyckte att det var hennes förmåga att känna sympati. Ny forskning visar att Darwin, Kant och Hume alla hade rätt om människans natur. Evolutionsprocesser består, enkelt sagt, av två steg. Naturen skapar variation, och miljön avgör vilken variant som överlever och fortplantar sig. Dessa processer har också skapat vår arts instinktiva moraliska sinne, enligt till exempel utvecklingspsykologen Michael Tomasello. Förhistoriska människor existerar inte längre och är därmed svåra att studera. Men det finns många utförliga beteendestudier på vår nära biologiska släkting schimpansen och mänskliga barn i åldrarna 6 till 36 månader. Forskare anser att dessa barn är så små att de främst agerar enligt medfödda instinkter. Och de har funnit tydliga bevis på att barn, till skillnad från schimpanser, har utbredd medkänsla och aversion mot individer som utför våld. Barn hjälper andra på bekostnad av sig själva. Barn har ett sinne för vad som är rättvist och orättvist. Barn kan motstå sina mest själviska impulser. Grunderna för det vi vanligtvis menar med moralisk beteende tycks alltså vara medfödda. Men frågan är varför och hur de uppkom. Forskare tror att de människolika apor som var våra förfäder ursprungligen levde i dominansstyrda hierarkiska grupper, i likhet med de samhällen schimpanser och gorillor skapar. Men för ca 2 miljoner år sen förändrades klimatförhållandena i Afrika. De frukter som utgjorde våra förfäders basföda försvann. Med all sannolikhet dukade de allra flesta i arten under. Det enda sättet att överleva tycks ha varit att i grupp jaga större byten, eller att stjäla byten från stora rovdjur som lejon. Detta kunde endast göras om flera individer samarbetade effektivt. Tomasello lägger fram det han kallar theory of interdependence teorin om ömsesidig beroende som säger att våra förfäder, till skillnad från schimpanserna, blev absolut beroende av varandra för att få mat. Och de som kunde samarbeta bäst överlevde. Alla djur föds med instinktiva beteenden som antagligen drivs av känslor. En av de starkaste biologiska impulserna är att känna sympati för sin avkomma. Men det har alltid funnits naturliga variationer i förmågan hos olika individer. För vissa apmänniskor verkar det som att sympatin slagit slint och börjat rikta sig brett mot andras barn, mot vuxna, mot artfränder. Dessa individer klarade sig bättre i den nya ekologiska verkligheten. Att kunna bilda emotionella band till de man var beroende av för att få mat medförde nämligen att man hjälpte varandra under tider av nöd. Detta ledde till större framgång för gruppen och därför större chans att överleva för individen. De som kände mer sympati kunde alltså få fler barn. Medkänsla är grunden för moralen, skrev filosofen Arthur Schopenhauer och de flesta evolutionspsykologer instämmer en större förmåga till sympati har varit avgörande för moralens framväxt. Men det behövdes fler inslag för att bygga ut det moraliska ramverket. En annan psykologisk förmåga som är bra för samarbete är förmågan att kunna sätta sig i någon annans situation empati. De hungrande människoaporna var ju beroende av att väljas som jaktpartner av andra annars svalt de ihjäl. Man kan tänka sig att de som själviskt roffade åt sig jaktbytet inte blev frågade att följa med nästa gång. De som kunde känna igen när andra och de själva betedde sig orättvist och kunde lägga band på sina mest extrema själviska impulser blev valda som partners, fick mat och fick barn. Det lönade sig evolutionärt att ha ett samvete. När människoaporna efter en tid ökade i antal splittrades de i mindre grupper. De började konkurrera stam mot stam, om mat och utrymme. Antagligen var det nu olika kulturer växte fram tillsammans med det som beteendevetare kallar ingrupp- och utgruppmentalitet vi och dom, med andra ord. Det moraliska beteende som tjänat arten under evolutionen reserverades nu i hög grad för den egna gruppen. Vi har avhumaniserat varandra ungefär lika länge som vi har älskat varandra. Alla dessa beteenden och instinkter som visat sig vara evolutionärt fördelaktiga har stannat kvar hos oss onekligen med lite variation mellan individer. De stöts och blöts mot kulturella och sociala koder och de förutsättningar en individ har att förhålla sig till. Men det är rätt talande att vi än idag härleder de flesta av våra moraliska normer till sympati och rättvisa. Biologin förknippas ibland med något som är lite smutsigt, djuriskt och rått. Men det är också till den vi måste vända oss om vi vill förstå våra mest civiliserade och ädla handlingar. Farshid Jalalvand, skribent och forskare i molekylär mikrobiologi Litteratur Nicholas A. Christakis. Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society. Little, Brown Spark, 2019. Michael Tomasello. A Natural History of Human Morality. Harvard University Press, 2016.

------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ------------------Follow me on--------------------- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT Anchor (podcast): https://anchor.fm/thedissenter Dr. Thomas Scott-Phillips is a Senior Research Scientist in the Social Mind Center and the Department of Cognitive Science, at Central European University, Budapest. In particular he studies communication, and how it makes us human. His first book, Speaking Our Minds, was reviewed as “The most important and the best book ever written on the evolution of language” and “The best linguistics book I've read in 10 years”. He's written short pieces for outlets such as Aeon, Scientific American, The Conversation; and he has given public talks for TEDx, British Humanist Association, Skeptics In The Pub, Digital Science and others. His academic articles and broader interests span cultural evolution, primate communication, language acquisition, philosophy of language, and others. In this episode, we talk about language and communication. We start with communication from a biological perspective, and then establish a bridge with language, and talk about its evolutionary foundations and the cognitive mechanisms associated with it. We also refer to the cognitive and anatomical tools that an organism needs to produce language. We also address the cultural evolution of languages, and discuss cultural attraction theory and the study of language in the lab. We go through some social aspects of language, referring to Michael Tomasello's concept of shared intentionality, and phenomena like epistemic vigilance and the argumentative theory of reasoning. Finally, we talk about meaning. -- Follow Dr. Scott-Phillips' work: Faculty page: http://bit.ly/2k4mx2Q Personal website: http://bit.ly/2k02PoL Research works on ResearchGate: http://bit.ly/2lA03qV Speaking Our Minds: Why human communication is different, and how language evolved to make it special: https://amzn.to/2LKp9O6 Twitter handle: @tscottphillips -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, PER HELGE LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, HERBERT GINTIS, RUTGER VOS, RICARDO VLADIMIRO, BO WINEGARD, VEGA GIDEY, CRAIG HEALY, OLAF ALEX, PHILIP KURIAN, JONATHAN VISSER, DAVID DIAS, ANJAN KATTA, JAKOB KLINKBY, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, JOHN CONNORS, PAULINA BARREN, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ARTHUR KOH, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, MAX BEILBY, COLIN HOLBROOK, SUSAN PINKER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, PABLO SANTURBANO, SIMON COLUMBUS, PHIL KAVANAGH, JORGE ESPINHA, AND CORY CLARK! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, ROSEY, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, IAN GILLIGAN, SERGIU CODREANU, AND LUIS CAYETANO! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, MICHAL RUSIECKI!

Michael Tomasello calls in for an informative hour helping us understand the development of our species and the capabilities we grow into along the way. His new book "Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny" develops deep insights into the human trajectory. Listen in and check out Tomasello's website: https://psychandneuro.duke.edu/people/michael-tomasello Episode originally aired on October 25, 2019 at KZSU Stanford.  Guest: Michael Tomasello Host: Benjamin S. Woodford Cohost: Diego Sierra  

In this fascinating conversation with the evolutionary anthropologist Michael Tomasello, the Max Planck Institute scientist presents his new theory of how humans became such a distinctive species. Other theories focus on evolution. Here, Tomasello proposes a complementary theory of human uniqueness, focused on development. His data-driven model explains how those things that make us most human are constructed during the first years of a child’s life. Tomasello assembles nearly three decades of experimental work with chimpanzees, bonobos, and human children to propose a new framework for psychological growth between birth and seven years of age. He identifies eight pathways that starkly differentiate humans from their closest primate relatives: social cognition, communication, cultural learning, cooperative thinking, collaboration, prosociality, social norms, and moral identity. In each of these, great apes possess rudimentary abilities. But then, Tomasello argues, the maturation of humans’ evolved capacities for shared intentionality transform these abilities—through the new forms of sociocultural interaction they enable—into uniquely human cognition and sociality. The first step occurs around nine months, with the emergence of joint intentionality, exercised mostly with caregiving adults. The second step occurs around three years, with the emergence of collective intentionality involving both authoritative adults, who convey cultural knowledge, and coequal peers, who elicit collaboration and communication. Finally, by age six or seven, children become responsible for self-regulating their beliefs and actions so that they comport with cultural norms. Becoming Human places human sociocultural activity within the framework of modern evolutionary theory, and shows how biology creates the conditions under which culture does its work. Listen to Science Salon via iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Soundcloud. This Science Salon was recorded on February 19, 2019. You play a vital part in our commitment to promote science and reason. If you enjoy the Science Salon Podcast, please show your support by making a donation, or by becoming a patron.  

How do we actually learn to communicate? How is it different from how other animals learn it? Michael Tomasello explores what may be at the very heart of relating and communicating: shared attention. Alan Alda first met Michael when he interviewed him a few years ago in Leipzig, Germany. Michael was already doing experiments that studied the differences between how human children and chimps learn to communicate. He’s tracked the fascinating path humans take in learning to connect with one another – and we can learn a lot from it. Michael Tomasello heads up the world renowned Tomasello Lab at Duke University. His latest book, “Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny” offers a radical reconsideration of how we develop the qualities that make us human, based on Michael’s decades of cutting-edge experimental work when he was the head of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Support the show.

If you want to be more persuasive, there is one little sentence to tack on to the end of any request that is more likely to get people to do what you want. Listen as I begin this episode by revealing that one simple sentence. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10510974.2012.727941?journalCode=rcst20What makes you human? What is it about us that separates us from other earthly creatures? It’s a fascinating question that has been tackled by Michael Tomasello, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and author of a new book called Becoming Human (https://amzn.to/2I0HHdn). What is so interesting is how we wouldn’t be so human without our interaction with other humans. While we may like to think of ourselves as superior to other animals – it may be more about how we different rather than how we are better. Do you use mouthwash on a regular basis? Did you know the American Dental Association doesn’t recommend that? I’ll explain why killing those bad breath germs in your mouth could have some serious negative consequences. http://www.medicaldaily.com/antiseptic-mouthwash-raises-heart-attack-risk-bloodpressure-chlorhexidine-kills-good-bacteria-helpsA lot of people swear by herbal remedies. A lot of other people prefer conventional medicine. Do herbal remedies actually work? And if so, which ones? Tieraona Low Dog, M.D. is a proponent of natural and herbal remedies and she wrote the forward to the new book, Nature's Best Remedies (https://amzn.to/2tguq66) from National Geographic. She joins me to discuss the science behind some popular herbal remedies and offers help sorting out what works and what does not. This Week's Sponsors-LinkedIn. Go to www.LinkedIn.com/podcast to get $50 off your first job post-ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you.-Select Quote. Go to www.SelectQuote.com/something for your free quote today.-Calming Comfort. Go to www.CalmingComfortBlanket.com and use promo code : something - to get $15 off at checkout.-Care/Of Vitamins. For 50% off your first month of personalized Care/of vitamins, go to www.TakeCareOf.com and enter promo code: something50. -Trip Actions. Go to www.TripActions.com/something to complete a 30 minute demo and receive a $100Amazon gift card.-Geico. Go to www.geico.com for your free quote.-Postmates. For $100 free delivery credit, download the app and use the code: something.-Purple Get a free Purple pillow with the purchase of a mattress. Just text "Something" to 79-79-79.

Michael Tomasello, of the Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, discusses his article for the 2013 Annual Review of Psychology, titled "Origins of Human Cooperation and Morality." In this lecture, he shares footage of chimpanzees and of toddlers collaborating, showing that while cooperation exists among other primates, it is much more developed in our societies, even among very young humans. Children have a stronger sense of egalitarianism, and do a better job of suppressing their self-interest when they cooperate on a task. Not only that, they are capable of demonstrating norm-based group-mindedness, another form of collaboration.

Anatol ist Sprachwissenschaftler an der Uni Hamburg und Betreiber des Sprachlogs. In meiner Stichwortsammlung steht, dass wir auf Caféhausniveau und in unterschiedlichen Ausschweifungsgraden unter anderem gesprochen haben über: Lautfolgen, Blogspektogramm, Schplock, Parlamentsfernsehen, Michael Tomasello, Steven Pinker (“Wie das Denken im Kopf entsteht“*, “Der Sprachinstinkt“*), Ökonomie, unsichtbare Hände, Amtssprache, Statistik, Petitionen, Kulturverfall, Veränderung, Statistik, Verein deutsche […]