POPULARITY
Robert Bruce Adolph joined us for this short episode to talk about his book Surviving the UN: The Unexpected Challenge. Robert worked on assignments in many conflict areas in the world in the 1990s during his second career as a UN Chief Security Officer, following his retirement as US Army Special Forces Lieutenant-Colonel. He was present during the deadly bomb attack on the UN compound in Baghdad on 19 August 2003. Over two decades later, as we approach the anniversary of that horrific event, Robert Adolph talks about why he wrote the book and about learning from failure. Resources Adolph, Robert Bruce. (2020). Surviving the UN: The Unexpected Challenge. New Academia Publishing/Vellum. (Available at the UNOG bookstore) Website: Robert Bruce Adolph - https://robertbruceadolph.com/ Bob's book recommendation Pinker, Steven. (2012). The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. Penguin Books. Where to listen to this episode Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ Content Host: Amy Smith Speakers: Robert Bruce Adolph Production and editing: Amy Smith Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva *This episode was recorded online and we apologize for the low sound quality.
We all want to feel significant. This drive for significance ultimately fuels our cognition, emotions, and actions. Distinguished psychologist Arie Kruglanski discusses motivation, cognition, goal systems, radicalization, and his recent work on the ubiquitous quest for significance. Dr. Arie W. Kruglanski PhD is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Maryland. He directs a lab that studies human motivation as it affects thinking, feeling, and behavior. He is one of the leading voices in social psychology, being instrumental in understanding the motivation of uncertainty, goals, radicalization and most recently on our quest for significance. Arie has over 500 research papers and articles and has won numerous awards for his work. Arie explains to us that all human behavior is propelled by motivation, with motivation being the driving force behind cognition, emotions, and actions. He discusses how goals are represented cognitively but serve motivational needs. The conversation also touches on how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are not truly distinct, with all motivation coming from within but having different relationships to means and ends. A fascinating part of Arie's work is his research on radicalization. Having devised The 3 N Model of Radicalization, he expertly illustrates how our quest for significance can be misdirected into violent or suicidal behavior. But there is optimism in addressing radicalization through education and alternative significance pathways. Topics (4:34) Welcome to Arie and speed round questions. (6:06) The underlying thread through all of Arie's work. (12:21) Why people seek significance through violence. (15:51) How can individuals be radicalized to become suicide bombers? (19:40) The difference between basic needs and psychological needs. (25:30) All our goals go back to addressing our basic needs. (27:17) Why money is tied to significance (sometimes). (30:45) The means to the end is more important than the goal. (32:26) So does extrinsic motivation even exist? (34:13) The dichotomy between motivation and cognition. (37:23) The false assumption that attitudes predict behavior. (41:45) The 3 N Model of Radicalization. (45:08) How the internet has facilitated radicalization. (49:04) So how can people attain significance through positive means. (51:05) What music would Arie take to a desert island? (55:04) Grooving Session on the quest for significance. © 2023 Behavioral Grooves Links Arie Kruglanski: https://www.kruglanskiarie.com/ Arie Kruglanski's books: “Uncertain: How to Turn Your Biggest Fear into Your Greatest Power”: https://amzn.to/3EuPxGl “The Three Pillars of Radicalization: Needs, Narratives, and Networks”: https://amzn.to/3Ep0lGc “The Radical's Journey: How German Neo-Nazis Voyaged to the Edge and Back”: https://amzn.to/3L5W9i8 Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html Susan T. Fiske, “Social Beings: Core Motives in Social Psychology”: https://amzn.to/3EuQlLn Sir Angus Deaton's book, “Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism”: https://amzn.to/3sDXV3C Episode 276, How To Stay Motivated So You Exceed Your Goals | Ayelet Fishbach PhD: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/motivation-to-exceed-your-goals/ Scott Atran, “Talking to the Enemy: Violent Extremism, Sacred Values, and What It Means to Be Human”: https://amzn.to/3Pn5VPs Baumeister, R. F., Wotman, S. R., & Stillwell, A. M. (1993). Unrequited love: On heartbreak, anger, guilt, scriptlessness, and humiliation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.64.3.377 Dumb and Dumber clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX5jNnDMfxA Steven Pinker, “The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined”: https://amzn.to/47Wl0ir Episode 287, “Why Talking To Strangers Is Actually Good For Your Wellbeing | Nick Epley”: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/talking-to-strangers/ Robert Sapolsky, “Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst”: https://amzn.to/3L6lvN3 Behavioral Grooves Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves Musical Links Bach “Air on G String”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMkmQlfOJDk Miles Davis “So What”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNTltOGh5c
Jaran and Reagan are back to talk about Steven Pinker's "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined" and Alan Kreider's "The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire." You might hear us being unsure what to do with the arguments in these books. We'd love to hear your thoughts. The Better Angels of Our Nature: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13543093-the-better-angels-of-our-nature Do Humankind's Best Days Lie Ahead?: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29340854-do-humankind-s-best-days-lie-ahead The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26266696-the-patient-ferment-of-the-early-church Follow Jaran on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/74450648-jaran-miller. Follow Reagan on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/93683928-reagan-schrock. The music is from Blue Dot Sessions
How many nights have you spent up recently worried that AI is just gonna take your job? That's today's big question, and my guest is Dr. Mohammed AlQuraishi. Almost three years before chatGPT and New Bing really hit the scene, Mohammed showed up to a conference excited to share his life's work on protein folding, one of the biggest problems in biology.But Mohammad quickly discovered that Deep Mind or to be more specifically AlphaFold had solved the whole damn thing. Mohammad is an assistant professor in the Department of Systems Biology and a member of Columbia's program for mathematical genomics, where he works at the intersection of machine learning, biophysics and systems biology.Obviously, all this is more important and more relevant than ever before. Literally, it changes every week, so I'm excited to share this conversation from 2019 or a million years ago. The world and AI is moving so quickly, but it's messy and in many places it's moving faster than our societal and ethical guardrails can keep up.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at importantnotimportant.com/podcast.-----------INI Book Club:The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven PinkerFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Learn more at https://moalquraishi.wordpress.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/moalquraishi “The Future of Protein Science will not be Supervised”Chan Zuckerberg Initiative: chanzuckerberg.com Follow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane:
Episode Details & LinksToday I am joined by Matt and Bobby of the Twenty Sides Podcast to discuss their show and our main topic, creature centered campaigns.In knowledge check I'll be talking about the debate that violent games lead to violent behavior.Tricks of the Trade Information & LinksIn today's Tricks of the Trade, I have asked Matt and Bobby to share one idea each on a specific creature to use to build a campaign around. I also share an idea of my own. Guest Bio & LinksTwenty Sides, a fast-paced, story-driven, actual-play Dungeons and Dragons podcast, available on all podcast platforms.⬇️
David Buss is one of the founders of the field of evolutionary psychology, currently at the University of Texas at Austin. His primary research focus is on strategies of human mating, and he is most well-known for his studies on mate selection, tactics of mate attraction, infidelity, tactics of mate retention, tactics of mate poaching, and the mating emotions of jealousy, lust, and love.David has also authored several books for wide audiences, such as “The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating,” and most recently “When Men Behave Badly” and also textbooks such as “Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind.” This episode covers topics like freedom of sexual choice, error management in the sexual domain, jealousy, polyamory and online dating.Episode Quotes:Mating evolution and long-term relationshipsOn average, men find women to be more attractive than women find men. And we know that a lot of mating, historically, that has over evolutionary time has been hypergamous, that is women marrying up in SES (Socioeconomic status) and polygynous mating system allows that to some degree. And we know that women have evolved mate preferences for men who are high in status. And so you have, these online dating formats, women going after the top 20% of the guys. And so then there are 80% of the guys who experience few or no mating opportunities. And this is a big problem because that top 20% of the males who receive all the female sexual attention are typically unwilling to commit to a long-term mating relationship.Function of JealousyOne of the functions of jealousy is that it evolved to preserve paternity certainty, on the part of the investing male.On vulnerability and moving awaySo you take a young woman surrounded by close kin who function as body guards and deterring sexual aggression. And in the modern environment, ship them off a thousand miles away to a college or university, where they have no kin around and they lose also their friendship network that they previously had in their hometown. And so you stripped them of their body guards, and that makes them vulnerable.Show Links:Recommended Resources:Error management theory - WikipediaMartie G.Haselton, Ph.D. | University of California, Los AngelesThe Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven PinkerGuest Profile:Faculty Profile at University of Texas at AustinDavid Buss on LinkedInDavid Buss on TwitterDavid Buss on FacebookHis Work:Buss LabDavid Buss on Google ScholarWhen Men Behave Badly: The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment, and AssaultEvolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the MindThe Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human MatingWhy Women Have Sex: Understanding Sexual Motivations from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between)The Murderer Next Door: Why the Mind Is Designed to KillThe Dangerous Passion: Why Jealousy Is as Necessary as Love and Sex
The acclaimed Harvard psychology professor and popular author talks about his new book, "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined."
The Ukraine-Russia conflict has dominated headlines over the past few months, with countless theories and hypotheses being touted to explain Russia's aggression. Join us as we talk to one of the world's leading experts on violence and politics, Professor Chris Blattman. We start the episode with an explanation of why Chris chose to write his latest book Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace, and how he can apply the logic within to explain Putin's motivations and behavior. We learn why peace is a better driver for innovation and competition than war, and what Chris feels about the controversial observations made by John Mearsheimer about the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Tune in to learn what the George Washington example is, and the role of the COVID-19 pandemic in the rising levels of violence within the USA. We next move on to the role of CBT in reducing violence across the globe, with some insightful examples of Mr. Rogers-like personas across Africa who Chris has worked with. This episode is jam-packed with tons of fascinating insights into current affairs, how to best tackle poverty, theoretical debate and so much more. Join us today as we talk to a true role model and thought leader on another episode of the Charter Cities podcast. Key Points From This Episode: • An introduction to Chris Blattman, author, economist, political scientist, expert on violence, and seasoned peacebuilder. • The inspiration behind why Chris wrote Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace. • Chris's response to John Mearsheimer's observations on the Ukraine-Russia conflict. • Why Chris is content that his book was published before Russia invaded Ukraine. • The five logics of war applied to the Ukraine-Russia conflict: unchecked interests, intangible incentives, uncertainty, commitment problems, and misperceptions. • Why Chris feels that peace drives competition and innovation better than war. • The George Washington example: what it means and how it can be applied to other situations. • Why Chris is interested in applying Machiavellian logic to his research and blogging. • How the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted levels of violence within the USA, and why. • Why the Mr. Rogers principle is so effective, and examples Chris has come across in other countries. • CBT and how it can be applied to reduce poverty. • The monetary values associated with CBT across different cultures. • Why oversimplifying complex problems is bad for the solution, and why including locals in the solution is key to success. • An example of one of Chris' RCTs that failed! • Why Chris feels that he might have had a larger impact on society if he had moved into consulting in Africa. • The factors that helped to make the Harris School the success it is today. • Why Chris thinks giving cash is more effective at reducing poverty than other interventions. • How decentralizing power will be the ultimate solution to poverty. • Chris's thoughts on the Charter Cities Institute and goals. • Where Chris is now, and the issues he will be researching in the next five years. Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisblattman/ (Chris Blattman on LinkedIn) https://chrisblattman.com/ (Chris Blattman) https://chrisblattman.com/why-we-fight/ (Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace) https://www.amazon.com/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0143122010 (The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined) https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-tilley-obe-a242501b8/?originalSubdomain=uk (Charles Tilley on LinkedIn)...
On 'current history', or what might be going on out there. Subscribe at: paid.retraice.com Details: what's GOOT; current history; hypotheses [and some predictions]; What's next? Complete notes and video at: https://www.retraice.com/segments/re17 Air date: Monday, 7th Mar. 2022, 4 : 20 PM Eastern/US. 0:00:00 what's GOOT; 0:01:35 current history; 0:04:30 hypotheses [and some predictions]; 0:13:38 What's next? References: Allison, G. (2018). Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap? Mariner Books. ISBN: 978-1328915382. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781328915382 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781328915382 https://lccn.loc.gov/2017005351 Andrew, C. (2018). The Secret World: A History of Intelligence. Yale University Press. ISBN in paperback edition printed as "978-0-300-23844-0 (hardcover : alk. paper)". Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0300238440 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0300238440 https://lccn.loc.gov/2018947154 Baumeister, R. F. (1999). Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty. Holt Paperbacks, revised ed. ISBN: 978-0805071658. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780805071658 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780805071658 https://lccn.loc.gov/96041940 Bostrom, N. (2011). Information Hazards: A Typology of Potential Harms from Knowledge. Review of Contemporary Philosophy, 10, 44-79. Citations are from Bostrom's website copy: https://www.nickbostrom.com/information-hazards.pdf Retrieved 9th Sep. 2020. Bostrom, N. (2019). The vulnerable world hypothesis. Global Policy, 10(4), 455-476. Nov. 2019. https://nickbostrom.com/papers/vulnerable.pdf Retrieved 24th Mar. 2020. Bostrom, N., & Cirkovic, M. M. (Eds.) (2008). Global Catastrophic Risks. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0199606504. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0199606504 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0199606504 https://lccn.loc.gov/2008006539 Brockman, J. (Ed.) (2015). What to Think About Machines That Think: Today's Leading Thinkers on the Age of Machine Intelligence. Harper Perennial. ISBN: 978-0062425652. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0062425652 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0062425652 https://lccn.loc.gov/2016303054 Chomsky, N. (1970). For Reasons of State. The New Press, revised ed. ISBN: 1565847946. Originally published 1970; this revised ed. 2003. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=1565847946 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+1565847946 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=1565847946 Chomsky, N. (2017). Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power. Seven Stories Press. ISBN: 978-1609807368. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-1609807368 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-1609807368 https://lccn.loc.gov/2016054121 Cirkovic, M. M. (2008). Observation selection effects and global catastrophic risks. (pp. 120-145). In Bostrom & Cirkovic (2008). de Grey, A. (2007). Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime. St. Martin's Press. ISBN: 978-0312367060. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0312367060 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0312367060 https://lccn.loc.gov/2007020217 Deary, I. J. (2001). Intelligence: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford. ISBN: 978-0192893215. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0192893215 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0192893215 https://lccn.loc.gov/2001269139 Diamond, J. (1997). Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. Norton. ISBN: 0393317552. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=0393317552 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+0393317552 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=0393317552 Dolan, R. M. (2000). UFOs and the National Security State Vol. 1: An Unclassified History. Keyhole, 1st ed. ISBN: 0967799503. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=0967799503 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+0967799503 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=0967799503 Dolan, R. M. (2009). UFOs and the National Security State Vol. 2: The Cover-Up Exposed, 1973-1991. Keyhole. ISBN: 978-0967799513. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0967799513 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0967799513 Durant, W., & Durant, A. (1968). The Lessons of History. Simon and Schuster. No ISBN. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lessons+of+history+durant https://www.google.com/search?q=lessons+of+history+durant https://lccn.loc.gov/68019949 Dyson, G. (2015). Analog, the revolution that dares not speak its name. (pp. 255-256). In Brockman (2015). Dyson, G. (2020). Analogia: The Emergence of Technology Beyond Programmable Control. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 978-0374104863. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780374104863 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780374104863 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9780374104863 Dyson, G. B. (1997). Darwin Among The Machines: The Evolution Of Global Intelligence. Basic Books. ISBN: 978-0465031627. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0465031627 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0465031627 https://lccn.loc.gov/2012943208 Frank, R., & Bernanke, B. (2001). Principles of Economics. Mcgraw-Hill. ISBN: 0072289627. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=0072289627 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+0072289627 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=0072289627 Frankfurt, H. G. (1988). The Importance of What We Care About. Cambridge. ISBN: 978-0521336116. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0521336116 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0521336116 https://lccn.loc.gov/87026941 Gawande, A. (2014). Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. Metropolitan Books. ISBN: 978-0805095159. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780805095159 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780805095159 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9780805095159 Grabo, C. M. (2002). Anticipating Surprise: Analysis for Strategic Warning. Center for Strategic Intelligence Research. ISBN: 0965619567 https://www.ni-u.edu/ni_press/pdf/Anticipating_Surprise_Analysis.pdf Retrieved 7th Sep. 2020. Griffiths, P. J. (1971). Vietnam, Inc.. Phaidon, 2nd ed. ISBN: 978-0714846033. Originally published 1971. This edition 2006. Link and searches: http://philipjonesgriffiths.org/photography/selected-work/vietnam-inc/ Retrieved 10 Mar. 2022. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0714846033 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0714846033 https://lccn.loc.gov/2006283959 Hamming, R. W. (2020). The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn. Stripe Press. ISBN: 978-1732265172. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781732265172 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781732265172 Hawking, S. (2018). Brief Answers to the Big Questions. Bantam. ISBN: 978-1984819192. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781984819192 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781984819192 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9781984819192 Herrnstein, R. J., & Murray, C. (1996). The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life. Free Press. ISBN: 978-0684824291. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780684824291 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780684824291 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9780684824291 Johnson, S. (2014). How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World. Riverhead Books. ISBN: 978-1594633935. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781594633935 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781594633935 https://lccn.loc.gov/2014018412 Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 978-0374533557. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0374533557 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0374533557 https://lccn.loc.gov/2012533187 Kaplan, F. (2016). Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War. Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 978-1476763255. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781476763255 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781476763255 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9781476763255 Kelleher, C. A., & Knapp, G. (2005). Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah. Paraview Pocket Books. ISBN: 978-1416505211. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-1416505211 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-1416505211 https://lccn.loc.gov/2005053457 Keyhoe, D. (1950). The Flying Saucers Are Real. Forgotten Books. ISBN: 978-1605065472. Originally published 1950; this edition 2008. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781605065472 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781605065472 https://lccn.loc.gov/50004886 Kilcullen, D. (2020). The Dragons And The Snakes: How The Rest Learned To Fight The West. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0190265687. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780190265687 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780190265687 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9780190265687 Lazar, B. (2019). Dreamland: An Autobiography. Interstellar. ISBN: 978-0578437057. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780578437057 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780578437057 Lee, K.-F. (2018). AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN: 978-1328546395. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781328546395 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781328546395 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9781328546395 Mitter, R. (2008). Modern China: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, kindle ed. ISBN: 978-0199228027. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780199228027 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780199228027 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9780199228027 Nouri, A., & Chyba, C. F. (2008). Biotechnology and biosecurity. (pp. 450-480). In Bostrom & Cirkovic (2008). O'Donnell, P. K. (2004). Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs: The Unknown Story of the Men and Women of World War II's OSS. Free Press / Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 074323572X. Edition and searches: https://archive.org/details/operativesspiess00odon https://www.amazon.com/s?k=074323572X https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+074323572X https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=074323572X Ord, T. (2020). The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity. Hachette. ISBN: 978-0316484916. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0316484916 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0316484916 https://lccn.loc.gov/2019956459 Orlov, D. (2008). Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Example and American Prospects. New Society. ISBN: 978-0865716063. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780865716063 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780865716063 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9780865716063 Osnos, E. (2020/01/06). The Future of America's Contest with China. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/01/13/the-future-of-americas-contest-with-china Retrieved 22 April, 2020. Perlroth, N. (2020). This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race. Bloomsbury. ISBN: 978-1635576054. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-1635576054 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-1635576054 https://lccn.loc.gov/2020950713 Phoenix, C., & Treder, M. (2008). Nanotechnology as global catastrophic risk. (pp. 481-503). In Bostrom & Cirkovic (2008). Pillsbury, M. (2015). The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN: 978-1250081346. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781250081346 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781250081346 https://lccn.loc.gov/2014012015 Pinker, S. (2011). The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN: 978-0143122012. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0143122012 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0143122012 https://lccn.loc.gov/2011015201 Pogue, D. (2021). How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos. Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 978-1982134518. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781982134518 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781982134518 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9781982134518 Putnam, R. D. (2015). Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis. Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 978-1476769905. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781476769905 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781476769905 https://lccn.loc.gov/2015001534 Rees, M. (2003). Our Final Hour: A Scientist's Warning. Basic Books. ISBN: 0465068634. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=0465068634 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+0465068634 https://lccn.loc.gov/2004556001 Rees, M. (2008). Foreword to Bostrom & Cirkovic (2008). (pp. iii-vii). Reid, T. R. (2017). A Fine Mess: A Global Quest for a Simpler, Fairer, and More Efficient Tax System. Penguin Press. ISBN: 978-1594205514. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781594205514 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781594205514 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9781594205514 Retraice (2020/09/07). Re1: Three Kinds of Intelligence. retraice.com. https://www.retraice.com/segments/re1 Retrieved 22nd Sep. 2020. Retraice (2020/11/10). Re13: The Care Factor. retraice.com. https://www.retraice.com/segments/re13 Retrieved 10th Nov. 2020. Romm, J. (2016). Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0190250171. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780190250171 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780190250171 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9780190250171 Russell, S., & Norvig, P. (2020). Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. Pearson, 4th ed. ISBN: 978-0134610993. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0134610993 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0134610993 https://lccn.loc.gov/2019047498 Salter, A. (2003). Predators. Basic Books. ISBN: 978-0465071732. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0465071739 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0465071739 https://lccn.loc.gov/2002015846 Sanger, D. E. (2018). The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age. Broadway Books. ISBN: 978-0451497901. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780451497901 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780451497901 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9780451497901 Sapolsky, R. M. (2018). Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst. Penguin Books. ISBN: 978-0143110910. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780143110910 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780143110910 https://lccn.loc.gov/2016056755 Shirer, W. L. (1959). The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. Simon & Schuster, 50th anniv. ed. ISBN: 978-1451651683. Originally published 1959; this ed. 2011. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781451651683 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781451651683 https://lccn.loc.gov/60006729 Shorrocks, A., Davies, J., Lluberas, R., & Rohner, U. (2019). Global wealth report 2019. Credit Suisse Research Institute. Oct. 2019. https://www.credit-suisse.com/about-us/en/reports-research/global-wealth-report.html Retrieved 4 July, 2020. Simler, K., & Hanson, R. (2018). The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780190495992. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780190495992 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780190495992 https://lccn.loc.gov/2017004296 Spalding, R. (2019). Stealth War: How China Took Over While America's Elite Slept. Portfolio. ISBN: 978-0593084342. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780593084342 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780593084342 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9780593084342 Stephens-Davidowitz, S. (2018). Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are. Dey Street Books. ISBN: 978-0062390868. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780062390868 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9780062390868 https://lccn.loc.gov/2017297094 Sternberg, R. J. (Ed.) (2020). The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology) (2 vols.). Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed. ISBN: 978-1108719193. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781108719193 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781108719193 https://lccn.loc.gov/2019019464 Vallee, J. (1979). Messengers of Deception: UFO Contacts and Cults. And/Or Press. ISBN: 0915904381. Different edition and searches: https://archive.org/details/MessengersOfDeceptionUFOContactsAndCultsJacquesValle1979/mode/2up https://www.amazon.com/s?k=0915904381 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+0915904381 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=0915904381 Walter, B. F. (2022). How Civil Wars Start. Crown. ISBN: 978-0593137789. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0593137789 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0593137789 https://lccn.loc.gov/2021040090 Walter, C. (2020). Immortality, Inc.: Renegade Science, Silicon Valley Billions, and the Quest to Live Forever. National Geographic. ISBN: 978-1426219801. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781426219801 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+9781426219801 https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchArg=9781426219801 Zubrin, R. (1996). The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must. Free Press. First published in 1996. This 25th anniv. edition 2021. ISBN: 978-0684827575. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-0684827575 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-0684827575 https://lccn.loc.gov/2011005417 Zubrin, R. (2019). The Case for Space: How the Revolution in Spaceflight Opens Up a Future of Limitless Possibility. Prometheus Books. ISBN: 978-1633885349. Searches: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=978-1633885349 https://www.google.com/search?q=isbn+978-1633885349 https://lccn.loc.gov/2018061068 Copyright: 2022 Retraice, Inc. https://retraice.com
So often, when we think of the environment, we feel helpless. But that's not so. William and Pam discuss some what we can all do to help then William leads us in a meditation to give back to the Earth! Pam's InformationClasses: Information and Classes and Hidden Brook Farm full CalendarReiki from the Farm™ Website Sign up for our newsletter and register for our free monthly online Reiki share!Reiki from the Farm™ InstagramReiki from the Farm™ FacebookHidden Brook Farm Youtube channelemail: pam@hiddenbrook.caReiki Master Mentor new session starting in the fall: Learn more & registerWilliam's InformationWilliam's website is www.reiki.org and www.centerforreikiresearch.orgFacebook: International Center for Reiki Trainingbook: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven PinkerMeditation music Licensed from: Nate Miller https://www.emanate7.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/user/Emanate7thank you to Music from Pixabay for the intro musicInternational Center for Reiki TrainingPopular, respected International Reiki organization known for exceptional courses & support material
In this episode, I interview Michal Fux. In the episode, we talk about how her experiences in Northern Ireland and South Africa opened her eyes to her own biases and the oppressive structures she was made to believe are there to protect her. Books mentioned in the episode: 1) The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappé 2) The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined is a 2011 by Steven Pinker
Jerry's book Why Evolution Is True (2010) can be found here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/300564/why-evolution-is-true-by-jerry-a-coyne/ Faith vs Fact: Why Science and Religion Are Incompatible (2016) can be found here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/312382/faith-versus-fact-by-jerry-a-coyne/9780143108269/ Speciation (2004) by Jerry Coyne and H. Allen Orr can be found here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/speciation-9780878930890?cc=gb&lang=en& Jerry's blog: https://whyevolutionistrue.com/ Follow Jerry on Twitter @Evolutionistrue Further References Steven Pinker, Enlightenment Now (2018); The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (2011) Timestamps 3:30 Why Jerry wrote Why Evolution Is True 5:45 Public misperceptions of evolution 8:52 Evolution as a tinkerer: the example of hernias 11:08 Turtles, rhinos and tradeoffs 14:38 How mutation works 16:33 How speciation works (with an excerpt from Why Evolution Is True) 23:46 What people (including Darwin) misunderstand about speciation 28:38 Faith vs. Fact: why evolutionary biology has become the main political battleground of religion vs. science 33:42 A creationist road trip. 36:36 Scientists allying with religious groups. The work of the Templeton Foundation. 42:08 Belief in belief. 46:36 The biggest threats to rationality other than religion. 47:10 The argument from evil; rejection of vaccines 49:59 A reading from Evolution Is True
[Episode alt. title: Thank You Sky Daddy.] Val tells the incomplete story of “Allentown's prettiest widow” who was accused of poisoning her husband with strychnine in 1912. Leah asks hard-hitting questions like, “Has historical rat poison ever killed a single rat?” Old-timey snack johnnie cakes and modern food-adjacent items Diet Coke, Lean Cuisine, and Hemotogen candy also get mentions. ~ SHOW NOTES: Jim Thorpe (full name James Francis Thorpe) was the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States. He won two--in classic pentathlon and decathlon. In addition to his Olympic stardom, he was also a major-league baseball player, co-founder of the National Football League and even pro basketball player, a stunt performer, and Hollywood character actor. Jim was a Sac and Fox Indian, and when he died in 1953, his funeral was held where he was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Then his third wife Patricia made a deal with Mauch Chunk to have his body interred there. Jim's son Jack filed a lawsuit in 2010, but it was unsuccessful. Jim Thorpe's body remains in a Pennsylvania town he never visited. (Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, Wikipedia) You can find a short summary of the execution of the Molly Maguires on ExplorePAHistory.com, but there is plenty of in-depth reading about that period in history. A thing I meant to mention about the Molly Maguires that I didn't actually get to was that it was entirely run by the private sector. The corporation that hired the detective agency was private, and a private police force arrested the defenders, and they were prosecuted by private attorneys for the coal companies. The wikipedia page is really detailed if you'd like to read more. You can find a picture of the creepy handprint in the old Jim Thorpe jail in a Philadelphia Inquirer article titled “For sale: Historic NE Pennsylvania jail haunted by the ghosts of hanged coal miners.” Apparently the Molly Maguire who imprinted his hand said, “This handprint will remain as proof of my innocence.” Check out The Reno Gazette Journal article "Experts weigh in on use of paralytic drug in executions" to learn more about that. Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker is the book Leah referenced. It's true that crime rates have gone down over very long periods of time. In the U.S., the homicide rate went down each century since the 1700s. However, there was a peak in homicides in the 1960s - 1900s, with a steady decrease afterward. So it isn't a simple, continual downward trend. (Source: Wikipedia) Here is a piece on Generation Jones or “Jonesers”: https://timeline.com/generation-jones-baby-boom-923270cb2010 (Turns out “keeping up with the Joneses doesn't refer to a tv show but is a long-ago expression referring to generic neighbors, originating from an old cartoon.) You can find links to all these articles as well as photos on our website, researchholepodcast.com.
Special Offer for 10MJ Listeners: Get 50% Your First Test Using PickFu - https://www.pickfu.com/10mj Have questions? Follow 10MJ on https://www.fb.com/10millionjourney Follow 10MJ on Instgram: @10millionjourney In today’s episode, my guest is Anthony Cofrancesco. Anthony has a wealth and exciting journey from dropping out of college become an entrepreneur to working in Amazon itself dealing with warehouse fraud, mitigating some of the hard situations, to being an Amazon seller, having an Amazon agency in the Philippines, and currently being part of one of my favorite tools pickfu. It allows you to split the different elements of your products, copy images and get real feedback from real people. Long story short, we are in for a treat! Resources mentioned in this episode: Book: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari ( https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0062316095) Book Anthony recommends: Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker(https://www.amazon.com/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0143122010) Connect with Anthony: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonycofran/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tony.cofrancesco LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/antcofranc/ Website: https://www.pickfu.com/ Pickfu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pickfupolls/ Pickfu Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/pickfu
En este episodio vamos a finalizar el recorrido que iniciamos por los MUNDOS POSIBLES desde tres enfoques que a lo largo de los siglos enriquecieron notablemente la imaginación y las aspiraciones humanas. Hoy nos aproximaremos a la UTOPÍA. ¿Qué es una utopía? ¿Por qué es un concepto importante en torno a la condición humana? ¿Es posible alcanzar su realización algún día? ¿Qué papel juegan la justicia y la libertad en una sociedad con estas características?Con historias interesantes y pluralidad de discursos vamos a intentar responder estas preguntas. PARTE 1: CONOCER LA UTOPÍA.Alguna vez mencioné, en algunos de nuestros episodios anteriores, la tristeza que me producía mirar hacia atrás y ver la historia humana, en general, como la historia de sus conflictos. La escritura nos ha permitido conservar desde hace milenios la evidencia de los acontecimientos más importantes de nuestra especie, aunque ya revisamos en el episodio anterior la importancia de quiénes y para qué son contados los relatos de estos acontecimientos; no obstante, nuestra memoria colectiva permite que tengamos una idea más o menos compartida de quiénes somos y de dónde venimos. Todo ello sirve, claro está, si lo utilizamos para reinterpretar nuestro presente y al mismo tiempo suponer con alguna precisión: hacia dónde vamos. El pasado no existe, es simplemente una suma de relatos que nos contamos pero que ya no están ahí, sin importar cómo ocurrieron, no están!, el futuro tampoco existe, es un conjunto de suposiciones y especulaciones mentales que elaboramos para predecir o dirigir nuestras acciones hacia una meta específica; ni siquiera los algoritmos más sofisticados actualmente pueden profetizar mediante sus cálculos, aspectos complejos de la condición humana. Así pues, nos queda solo el presente, este perpetuo flujo del devenir que experimentamos ininterrumpidamente (Salvo el sueño o la inconsciencia). Nuestra curiosidad natural nos obliga a pensar en qué ocurrirá mañana, qué rumbo tomarán los sucesos que en este presente se constituyen como importantes, desde la política, la economía o la vida cotidiana de cada quien…. Y aunque cada suposición individual está condicionada por el contexto sociocultural, experiencias personales e información retenida sobre el mundo, hay algo que parece manifestarse como una tendencia común: aspiramos a una especie de paraíso terrenal. Deseamos poder vivir en paz, en sociedades igualitarias donde podamos ser libres, al mismo tiempo que felices. Donde no se nos imponga nada por la fuerza y tanto el bien común, como el individual, sean una realidad visible día a día, en cada situación. Todos queremos la mejor parte del pastel o, al menos, una parte del pastel, todos deseamos hacer de nuestros días una aventura diferente y de alguna manera, justificar nuestra vida mediante el disfrute, el placer o el servicio. De hecho hay quienes imaginan que todo esto puede lograrse al mismo tiempo, para todos. No obstante cuando observamos fijamente nuestra realidad, caemos en cuenta de lo estúpido que puede llegar a ser, “perder mucho tiempo en estas ensoñaciones”, ya que estamos tan lejos de ese Edén prometido que conformarnos con no morir muy pronto en la tierra, parecería ser más que suficiente. Está bien, no estoy llevando esto hacia el tono pesimista que parece tener, pero creo que la primera tarea es apoyarnos en la realidad y la verdad, actualmente tenemos muchos factores que nos alertan con vehemencia sobre las acciones que debemos tomar si no queremos continuar dirigiéndonos hacia el precipicio. Las consecuencias desastrosas de un colapso global serían por supuesto desembocar en una Distopía, como lo revisamos en episodios anteriores, sin embargo, también hemos resaltado en diversas oportunidades que el espíritu humano, por su naturaleza misma, se muestra dispuesto tanto a lo más temible de la maldad, como también a los actos de redención más sublimes que puedan pensarse. A simple vista podríamos juzgar mal, pero los datos y la información que podemos recoger gracias a la sofisticación de muchos de nuestros procesos cotidianos nos dicen que hoy, es definitivamente mucho mejor que ayer. Al respecto de cómo vivimos hoy, el Dr. Steven Pinker, quien es un reconocido autor, psicólogo cognitivo y lingüista, ha desarrollado una interesante tesis sobre por qué hoy, a pesar de la creencia popular, las sociedades viven mucho mejor, más organizadas y con menos violencia que hace algunos siglos. Son de notable reconocimiento sus intervenciones en charlas TED, así como sus obras:How the Mind Works (1997)The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (2011)Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress 2018.“La cuarta explicación fue capturada en el título de un libro llamado The Expanding Circle, por el filósofo Peter Singer quien argumenta que la evolución legó a los humanos un sentido de empatía: la capacidad de tratar los intereses de los otros comparándolos con los propios. Desafortunadamente, siempre lo aplicamos solo a un estrecho círculo de amigos y familiares. Las personas fuera del círculo son tratadas como infrahumanas y pueden ser explotadas con impunidad. Pero en la historia el círculo se ha expandido, se puede ver cómo un registro histórico se expande a partir de la aldea, al clan, a la tribu, a la nación, a otras razas, a ambos sexos y , de acuerdo al mismo Singer, algo que deberíamos ampliar, a otras especies vivas.”La utopía se presenta entonces como una posibilidad, la mejor de todas, donde el ser humano convive en armonía con el entorno y tiene la capacidad de convertirse en la mejor versión posible de sí mismo como especie. Sin embargo, las preguntas fundamentales surgen de inmediato: ¿Quién o quiénes serían los responsables de tomar las decisiones para ordenar una sociedad con estas características? ¿Cómo operaría la justicia? ¿Cómo evitar que algunos abusen de sus posiciones ventajosas sobre otros que confían a ciegas en el sistema?. Son las mismas preguntas que nuestros sistemas actuales no logran responder, así como nosotros mismos demostramos permanentemente que estamos dispuestos a tomar cualquier ventaja que se presente, a veces sin importar el bienestar del otro. Vivir en una sociedad perfecta o utópica, donde nadie toma lo que no le pertenece, nadie asesina, nadie destruye, nadie crea rumores para herir, en general, nadie padece hambre o necesidades físicas, en general, una sociedad en la que hay de todo para todos … eso es un un sueño, es imaginar lo imposible. Quizás estos ideales nos han permitido alcanzar nuestras mejores versiones actuales de sociedad, tan imperfectas como se presentan, ¿debemos entonces conformarnos? O vale la pena movilizar todo cuanto sea posible para alcanzar la Utopía, es más ¿Cuál Utopía? ¿La que acabas de escuchar? La del vecino?, ¿la del conductor del autobús, o la del alcalde de la ciudad?. Aquí es donde yace una de las grandes dificultades para establecer utopías funcionales y duraderas. Nuestra subjetividad natural hace que tan solo en un aspecto tan fundamental como la Justicia, o el sentido de la justicia como tal, empecemos a tener desacuerdos. SEGUNDA PARTE: EXPLICAR LA UTOPÍA. El cine y la literatura nos han presentado las sociedades utópicas como sinónimo de perfección, equidad y convivencia feliz. Por lo general son comunidades futuristas donde se ha logrado erradicar la pobreza, las enfermedades, la segregación racial o étnica y donde el bien común es simplemente el estado o el orden natural de las cosas. Vale la pena recordar que algunas de las grandes distopías literarias como Un Mundo Feliz de Aldous Huxley, se presentan bajo la fachada de una utopía, es decir, bajo las capas superficiales de estas sociedades perfectas, donde todos son felices y han derrotado algunas de nuestras dificultades del hoy, se oculta una trama siniestra que evidencia cómo para mantener funcional y operante este aparente sistema perfecto, es necesario el uso de drogas para estimular a la población gestionar un control totalitario de las libertades personales entre otras medidas. Parece que el precio a pagar para conservar la estabilidad de un sistema de estas características es demasiado alto, o , al menos así lo consideramos desde el conocimiento y la experiencia que nos arroja nuestro presente. La pregunta clave aquí es: ¿Hasta dónde estás dispuesto a realizar sacrificios personales por el bien común?Para concentrarnos en un análisis más aterrizado veamos lo que se entiende comúnmente por utopía: 1.“Plan o sistema ideal de gobierno en el que se concibe una sociedad perfecta y justa, donde todo discurre sin conflictos y en armonía."Tomás Moro acuñó en el siglo XVI la voz ‘utopía’ en una obra del mismo título en la que imaginó una isla desconocida en la que se llevaría a cabo la organización ideal de la sociedad"2. Proyecto, deseo o plan ideal, atrayente y beneficioso, generalmente para la comunidad, que es muy improbable que suceda o que en el momento de su formulación es irrealizable."bajo forma de aspiración íntima, ensueño o utopía, el hombre, simplemente por ser hombre, aspira a su plena felicidad"El término Utopía proviene del griego U-Topos que significa No lugar. Lo usó el inglés Tomás Moro para titular una obra que publicó en 1516 donde proponía la organización del estado en una sociedad que podríamos llamar “perfecta”. Sin embargo, la visión de mejores sociedades ya había sido la inquietud intelectual de pensadores previos. El registro más antiguo y prominente es por supuesto el de Platón, que desarrolló en su diálogo La República, sus propias consideraciones sobre lo que debería ser un estado ideal. Aquí cabe destacar uno de los ejemplos que, a mi juicio, mejor pueden ilustrar el problema de idealizar sociedades justas. La justicia es un tema que ha ocupado por siglos a los filósofos y no en vano, pues precisamente el sentido de ser justo o bueno, es lo que determina las acciones y las decisiones que a diario ejecutamos. De hecho actuar o no actuar frente a determinada situación, implica el mismo grado de responsabilidad, la inacción también trae consecuencias. En esta paradójica cuestión de la justicia y nuestra natural tendencia a buscar el beneficio propio por sobre el de los demás, Platón propone una historia muy interesante: el Anillo de Giges, es Glauco quien la narra:Dicen que era un pastor que estaba al servicio del entonces rey de Lidia. Sobrevino una vez un gran temporal y terremoto; abrióse la tierra y apareció una grieta en el mismo lugar en que él apacentaba. Asombrado ante el espectáculo, descendió por la hendidura y vio allí, entre otras muchas maravillas que la fábula relata, un caballo de bronce, hueco, con portañuelas, por una de las cuales se agachó a mirar y vio que dentro había un cadáver, de talla al parecer más que humana, que no llevaba sobre sí más que una sortija de oro en la mano; quitósela el pastor y salióse. Cuando, según costumbre, se reunieron los pastores con el fin de informar al rey, como todos los meses, acerca de los ganados, acudió también él con su sortija en el dedo. Estando, pues, sentado entre los demás, dio la casualidad de que volviera la sortija, dejando el engaste de cara a la palma de la mano; a inmediatamente cesaron de verle quienes le rodeaban y con gran sorpresa suya, comenzaron a hablar de él como de una persona ausente. Tocó nuevamente el anillo, volvió hacia fuera el engaste y una vez vuelto tornó a ser visible. Al darse cuenta de ello, repitió el intento para comprobar si efectivamente tenía la joya aquel poder, y otra vez ocurrió lo mismo: al volver hacia dentro el engaste, desaparecía su dueño, y cuando lo volvía hacia fuera, le veían de nuevo. Hecha ya esta observación, procuró al punto formar parte de los enviados que habían de informar al rey; llegó a Palacio, sedujo a su esposa, atacó y mató con su ayuda al soberano y se apoderó del reino.Se concluye entonces que nadie es justo de grado, sino por fuerza y hallándose persuadido de que la justicia no es buena para él personalmente; puesto que, en cuanto uno cree que va a poder cometer una injusticia, la comete. Y esto porque todo hombre cree que resulta mucho más ventajosa personalmente la injusticia que la justicia. TERCERA PARTE: SOÑAR LA UTOPÍASin duda, la justicia y la manera en que deberíamos comportarnos en ausencia del otro, para el otro, es un factor determinante a la hora de pensar en cómo podríamos organizarnos en una hipotética sociedad utópica. Es por ello que volvemos al problema del costo personal o colectivo. El socialismo, por ejemplo, es una utopía, donde todos tienen cuanto necesitan, no hay propiedad privada y no puede generarse la codicia en un entorno de estas características; del otro lado, el capitalismo es también una utopía, donde puedes alcanzar tu libertad solo mediada por el intercambio económico con un estado con poco protagonismo. En el papel, ambas son atractivas y seducen, pero traerlas a la realidad acarrea la imposición y la fuerza y es allí donde el sueño, antes de nacer, se extingue. Sobre este aspecto, el historiador y filósofo Yuval Hararí plantea una interesante idea en su obra 21 lecciones para el Siglo XXI.Como lo mencionamos anteriormente, jugamos permanentemente a la Utopía, no podemos escapar a la naturaleza de nuestra imaginación, que es precisamente con la cual hemos conquistado de muchas formas el mundo en el que vivimos. Si bien es cierto que vivimos en sociedades imperfectas, parece que son, después de siglos de confrontaciones, tensiones y distensiones, la mejor expresión que podemos tener, la mejor versión. Digo “parece” porque tampoco estoy del todo convencido y creo que podríamos alcanzar mejores formas de organización social. Al respecto, esta es la conclusión del Dr. Pinker sobre su idea de bienestar en el presente siglo y cómo está notablemente relacionada con las ideas de Platón sobre la justicia, lo que hacemos mal, pero también, las cosas que medianamente hemos hecho bien:La pregunta es si esto ha ocurrido ¿Qué ha impulsado tal expansión? Y el número de posibilidades sugiere el incremento de los círculos de reciprocidad en el sentido que propone Robert Wright. La lógica de la “Regla de Oro”, entre más pienses acerca de e interactúas con otras personas, más te darás cuenta de que es insostenible privilegiar tus intereses sobre los de ellos, al menos no si quieres que ellos te escuchen. No puedes decir que mis intereses son especiales comparados con los tuyos, tanto como tampoco puedes decir que el punto en particular en el que estoy parado es un lugar único en el universo porque ocurre que estoy parado en él en este preciso momento. También podría estar impulsado por el cosmopolitismo: por historias, periodismo, memorias ficción realista, viajes y alfabetismo, los cuales te permiten proyectarte en las vidas de personas que anteriormente habías tratado como infrahumanos y también darte cuenta de la contingencia accidental de tu situación en la vida; la sensación de que : “me podría haber pasado a mí”. Cualesquiera que sean sus causas, la disminución de la violencia tiene profundas implicaciones. Esto debería forzarnos a preguntar preguntar no solo ¿por qué hay guerra? Sino también ¿Por qué hay paz? No solo ¿Qué estamos haciendo mal? Sino ¿qué hemos estado haciendo bien? Porque hemos estado haciendo algo bien y de seguro sería bueno averiguar qué es. Soñar la utopía, ese lugar físico, ese estado de consciencia, ese “algo” que alude a perfección, ese paraíso o cielo al que aspiramos. ¿Es una mala idea? ¿Es una ilusión vana a la que no debemos prestar mayor atención? Es el resultado de nuestro inconformismo, que a la vez es parte de nuestra condición humana?No tengo las respuestas a estas preguntas, pero creo que intentar responderlas desde diferentes ángulos, puede ayudarnos a encontrar caminos de encuentro. Somos casi ocho billones de personas, envueltos día a día en centenares de capas socioculturales. Estamos separados, sí, geográficamente y en la mayoría de casos, por el lenguaje. No obstante compartimos lo esencial de nuestra humanidad, tanto aquello que etiquetemos bueno, como lo malo e inapropiado, las sonrisa de un niño que juega bajo la lluvia en Beirut, las lágrimas de una madre que sepulta a su único hijo en Siria, el corazón agitado de un ingeniero que entrega un puente nuevo conectado dos islotes en Japón, el dolor de un hombre amputado por una mina antipersona en alguna selva de Colombia… La capacidad de imaginar mundos posibles es un rasgo que desarrollamos usando lo mejor que la naturaleza nos ha ofrecido: nuestro cerebro, que conecta pensamientos y estimula emociones gracias a millones de neuronas y neurotransmisores; con cada experiencia que tenemos en el mundo. Soñar la utopía, cualquiera que sea, no debería ser más un acto superfluo, es quizás un ejercicio válido que nos ayude a interpretar mejor nuestro presente para actuar en consecuencia. Soñar la utopía es creer en el otro, al mismo tiempo que intento creer en mi; soñar la utopía no es cerrar los ojos ante la realidad presente, al contrario, es proponer las transformaciones que consideramos necesarias para alcanzarla, de la manera más fiel posible. Soñar la utopía parece un juego de niños… pero no lo es. Es sencillamente, una tarea de los adultos. Tal vez luego de que nosotros la soñemos, ellos solo deban construirla… ...tal vez.Visita nuestro sitio web https://findelmundopodcast.com/Facebook Fin del Mundo PodcastInstagram @findelmundopodcastTwitter @findelmundopod LINKS DE REFERENCIA. DISCLAIMERDeclaro que no poseo los derechos totales ni parciales de las citas y piezas de audio externas, su uso en el presente episodio es solo con fines explicativos sobre el tema en cuestión. Los derechos pertenecen a sus creadores y/o productores por lo cual anexo links de referencias a fuentes primarias.Steve Pinker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_PinkerUtopía Tomás Moro https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utop%C3%ADa_(Tom%C3%A1s_Moro)Yuval N. Harari https://www.ynharari.com/Steven Pinker Charla TED
Buy a round! Become a Patron! Links Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks – SNL (YouTube) Good Morning Captain Kangaroo, from 1976 (YouTube) Rosy Retrospection (Wikipedia) Rosy retrospection refers to the psychological phenomenon of people sometimes judging the past disproportionately more positively than they judge the present. The Romans occasionally referred to this phenomenon with the Latin phrase “memoria praeteritorum bonorum”, which translates into English roughly as “the past is always well remembered”. Rosy retrospection is very closely related to the concept of nostalgia. The difference between the terms is that rosy retrospection is a cognitive bias, whereas the broader phenomenon of nostalgia is not necessarily based on a biased perspective. The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, by Steven Pinker (Amazon) Manchester by the Sea (Wikipedia) Fences (Wikipedia) How the Media Could Get the Election Story Wrong (NY Times) Buy a round! Become a Patron!
Closing out our three part series on Stephen Pinker’s book: The Better Angels of Our Nature. Today we discuss tie everything together, the inner demons, better angels and how the humanitarian revolution fundamentally changed humankind’s paradigm of the world. If you enjoyed this series, consider picking up a copy of Steven’s book: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143122010/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8.jcFbDMS5YTK --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mdrnac/message
A historical, psychological, and philosophical look at the person of Jesus. Works Cited (in order of mention): Kreeft, P. (1987). Socrates Meets Jesus: History's Greatest Questioner Confronts the Claims of Christ. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. West, S. Philosophize This! [Podcast]. Retrieved from http://philosophizethis.org/ Locke, J. (1689). An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Mikovitz, J. (Actor). (2020). Plandemic [Online video]. Pinker, S. (2011). The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. New York, NY: The Penguin Group. More, T. (1516). Utopia. Harris, S. (Host). Peterson, J. (Guest). (2017). #62 - What is True? [Podcast]. Retrieved from https://samharris.org/subscriber-extras/what-is-true/ Harris, S. (Host). Peterson, J. (Guest). (2017). #67 – Meaning and Chaos [Podcast]. Retrieved from https://samharris.org/subscriber-extras/meaning-and-chaos/ Harris, S. (2004). The End of Faith:Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. London, Britain: Simon & Schuster. Cherry, K. (2019, July 17). The 4 Major Jungian Archetypes. In verywellmind. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-jungs-4-major-archetypes-2795439 Ravindra, R. (Translator). The Bhagavad Gita:A Guide to Navigating the Battle of Life. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications, Inc. Tsu, L., & English, J. (n.d.). Tao Te Ching. (L. Tsu, Trans.). New York, NY: Knopf. Fabry, M. (2016, August 31). Now You Know: When Did People Start Saying That the Year Was 'A.D.'?. In TIME. Retrieved from https://time.com/4462775/bc-ad-dating-history/ Mark, J. J. (2017, March 27). The Origin and History of the BCE/CE Dating System. In Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/article/1041/the-origin-and-history-of-the-bcece-dating-system/ Armstrong, K. (2009). The Case for God. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. Brown, D. (2003). The DaVinci Code. New York, NY: Anchor Books. Peterson, J. B. (1999). Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief. New York, NY: Routledge.
A look at the life of British mathematician Alan Turing. From relative obscurity at the end of his life, to worldwide recognition for his work in logic, mathematics, and computing, today; the man Alan Turing is certainly something of a historical enigma. Works Cited: Armstrong, K. (2009). The Case for God. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. Boyle, D. (Director). Fassbender, M. (Actor). (2015). Steve Jobs [Motion picture]. Hodges, A. (1983). Alan Turing: The Enigma. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Pinker, S. (2011). The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (p. 447). New York, NY: The Penguin Group. Tyldum, M. (Director). Cumberbatch, B., & Knightley, K. (Actor). (2014). The Imitation Game [Motion picture].
今天是我生日喔!!! Show NotesSteven Pinker The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined 對欸一個月後就我生日了我的禮物ㄋㄋㄋ
Jundo and Kirk talk about how bad or good things are in the world. Things really aren't as bad as they may seem if you watch the news too much. Steven Pinker: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (https://amzn.to/31z0mSK) Malaria vaccine launched in Kenya: Kenya joins Ghana and Malawi to roll out landmark vaccine in pilot introduction (https://www.afro.who.int/news/malaria-vaccine-launched-kenya-kenya-joins-ghana-and-malawi-roll-out-landmark-vaccine-pilot) Dieter Rams' Ten principles for good design (https://www.vitsoe.com/gb/about/good-design) I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (YouTube) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlR0KElxxVg) Theme music by Kiku Day (http://www.kikuday.com). To submit a question, send an email to podcast@zen-of-everything.com. If you like the podcast, please subscribe in iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-next-track/id1116242606) or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.
Listen to today's podcast as Michelle examines the idyllic Utopia of nostalgia and why so many are clinging to it. Book mentioned: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker: https://amzn.to/2JHrZBu http://michellespiva.com/Amz-StevenPinker-BetterAngels Don't forget to use our Amazon link to support the podcast by using our Amazon Shopping link! http://MichelleSpiva.com/Amz For Interviews, sponsorship, or coaching/consulting, please send inquires to: MichelleSpiva at gmail dot com (no solicitation-spam; *You do not have permission to add this email to any email list or autoresponder without knowledge or consent) _____________________________ Further support this podcast, please do so by using any of these methods: All your Amazon shopping: http://michellespiva.com/Amz Venmo: @MichelleSpiva1 CashApp: $MichelleSpiva PayPal: http://bit.ly/Donate2Michelle Patreon: https://Patreon.com/MichelleSpiva Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, rate, and review. Follow Michelle here: Facebook: facebook.com/FollowMichelleSpiva Twitter: @mspiva IG: @MichelleSpiva --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michelle-spiva/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/michelle-spiva/support
In Episode 73, Quinn & Brian ask: Hold On A Minute -- Did A.I. Just Take Our Jobs? Of course, we aren’t talking about our jobs. If A.I. took our jobs, the show would have won that Webby. We’re talking about really, really important jobs – like curing cancer and slowing down our climate collapse. But we are talking about people like our guest Dr. Mohammed AlQuraishi, who is a Department Fellow at the Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology and the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School. Still, Dr. AlQuraishi is hopeful about the future and his role in it – an attitude so refreshing it’s like stumbling onto a digital oasis in the internet’s hateful and pessimistic desert. Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message! Trump’s Book Club: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3 Links: Have feedback or questions? Send a message to funtalk@importantnotimportant.com Leave us a voice message: anchor.fm/important-not-important/message Learn more at https://moalquraishi.wordpress.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/moalquraishi “The Future of Protein Science will not be Supervised”: https://moalquraishi.wordpress.com/2019/04/01/the-future-of-protein-science-will-not-be-supervised/ Chan Zuckerberg Initiative: https://chanzuckerberg.com Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com! Check out our Morning Show and other daily bite-size content on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant Leave us a voice message: anchor.fm/important-not-important/message Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media Support this podcast
We answer our first audio question, on whether academia is too broken to fix, and a second question on whether we’ve ever worried about the possible repercussions of our public critiques and commentary on academia. Show details: Our first audio question is from Erin Williams (@DrErinWill), who asks whether academia is too broken to fix The letter to the editor that got rejected, despite the publication of the response to the letter Harassment in academia Have we ever been worried that someone might say, "I'd never hire those dudes" because of what we say? Other stuff that has happened to us as a result of the podcast Fahrenheit vs. Celsius Supply and demand for academic jobs The criticism that comes with putting yourself out there Links - @ReproRocks (https://twitter.com/ReproRocks): for those working in reproduction to share their work through twitter - The Steven Pinker book - The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (https://www.amazon.com/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0143122010) - Twitter thread (https://twitter.com/drderringer/status/1110593951105540096?s=20) from @drderringer - Me too Stem blog (https://metoostem.com/) - Gideon on Twitter: @GidMK (https://twitter.com/GidMK) Other links - Dan on twitter (www.twitter.com/dsquintana) - James on twitter (www.twitter.com/jamesheathers) - Everything Hertz on twitter (www.twitter.com/hertzpodcast) - Everything Hertz on Facebook (www.facebook.com/everythinghertzpodcast/) Music credits: Lee Rosevere (freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/) Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/hertzpodcast) and get bonus stuff! $1 a month or more: Monthly newsletter + Access to behind-the-scenes photos & video via the Patreon app + the the warm feeling you're supporting the show $5 a month or more: All the stuff you get in the one dollar tier PLUS a bonus mini episode every month (extras + the bits we couldn't include in our regular episodes) Episode citation and permanent link Quintana, D.S., Heathers, J.A.J. (Hosts). (2019, April 1) "Too Young To Know, Too Old To Care" Everything Hertz [Audio podcast], doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/W6MER (https://osf.io/345dk/)
------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter SubscribeStar: https://www.subscribestar.com/the-dissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter ------------------Follow me on--------------------- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT Anchor (podcast): https://anchor.fm/thedissenter Dr. Richard Wrangham is Ruth B. Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and founded the Kibale Chimpanzee Project in 1987. He has conducted extensive research on primate ecology, nutrition, and social behavior. He is best known for his work on the evolution of human warfare, described in the book Demonic Males, and on the role of cooking in human evolution, described in the book Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. Together with Elizabeth Ross, he co-founded the Kasiisi Project in 1997, and serves as a patron of the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP). He has also recently published the book The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution (2019). In this episode, we focus on the main topics of Dr. Wrangham's latest book, The Goodness Paradox. We talk about the differences between reactive aggression and proactive aggression, comparing ourselves to other primates, and also evidence that comes from studies with hunter-gatherers, horticulturalists and other traditional human societies. Then, we discuss self-domestication, starting with the changes that usually occur both at the physical and the behavioral levels in domesticated species, and also some aspects of our sociality that might have favored self-domestication in our species, with focus on the role that capital punishment has played. Finally, we talk about group selection at the genetic and cultural levels, and also speculate a bit on the possibility of some gene-culture coevolution processes that were set in place after the advent of agriculture having contributed for the further reduction of reactive aggression in humans. -- Follow Dr. Wrangham's work: Faculty page: https://bit.ly/2TpMSZP Articles of Researchgate: https://bit.ly/2NKQC1K Books: https://amzn.to/2NSWdDr The Goodness Paradox: https://amzn.to/2ER2JHH Kibale Chimpazee Project: https://bit.ly/2H42OKq Referenced books: Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human: https://amzn.to/2TjSODn Demonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence: https://amzn.to/2ERDGEu The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined: https://amzn.to/2aY25WF Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress: https://amzn.to/2FRJrj5 -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, SCIMED, PER HELGE HAAKSTD LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, RUI BELEZA, MIGUEL ESTRADA, ANTÓNIO CUNHA, CHANTEL GELINAS, JIM FRANK, JERRY MULLER, FRANCIS FORD, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BRIAN RIVERA, ADRIANO ANDRADE, YEVHEN BODRENKO, SERGIU CODREANU, ADAM BJERRE, JUSTIN WATERS, AND ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY FIRST PRODUCER, Yzar Wehbe!
Steven Pinker is an experimental psychologist who conducts research in visual cognition, psycholinguistics, and social relations. He grew up in Montreal and earned his BA from McGill University (Canada) and his Ph.D. from Harvard University (USA). Currently Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard, he has also taught at Stanford University and MIT. He has won numerous prizes for his research, his teaching, and his ten books – including The Language Instinct. How the Mind Works, The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, and The Sense of Style: A Writing Manual for the 21st Century. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, and writes frequently for The New York Times, The Guardian, and other publications. His latest book is called Enlightenment. Den Originalbeitrag und mehr finden Sie bitte hier: https://lisa.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/steven_pinker_the_psychology_biology_and_history_of_violence?nav_id=8071
Steven Pinker is an experimental psychologist who conducts research in visual cognition, psycholinguistics, and social relations. He grew up in Montreal and earned his BA from McGill University (Canada) and his Ph.D. from Harvard University (USA). Currently Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard, he has also taught at Stanford University and MIT. He has won numerous prizes for his research, his teaching, and his ten books – including The Language Instinct. How the Mind Works, The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, and The Sense of Style: A Writing Manual for the 21st Century. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, and writes frequently for The New York Times, The Guardian, and other publications. His latest book is called Enlightenment. Den Originalbeitrag und mehr finden Sie bitte hier: https://lisa.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/steven_pinker_the_psychology_biology_and_history_of_violence?nav_id=8071
1:43 The different evolutionary social sciences 7:25 Are humans a naturally promiscuous or polyamorous species? 11:42 The design of the human penis 23:17 Polygamy 32:33 The eating habits of hunter-gatherers 40:55 Has violence declined since prehistoric times? 51:07 Is there anything positive about the human propensity towards violence? 56:12 Male control over female mate choice & its evolutionary implications 1:01:15 Penis size 1:03:33 How important is intrasexual competition? 1:04:49 Jordan Peterson’s remarks on lipstick 1:09:55 Homosexuality 1:35:14 Men’s greater tendency towards violence 1:42:00 Are some societies ‘better’ than others? You can follow William Buckner on Twitter, @evolving_moloch and read more of his writings here: https://traditionsofconflict.com/publications/ William Buckner's articles for Areo magazine can be found here: https://areomagazine.com/author/williamvbuckner_140185461_1432130083/ You can follow Cody Moser on Twitter @LTF_01 and read more of his writings here: https://culturologies.wordpress.com/ Cody Moser's articles for Areo magazine can be found here: https://areomagazine.com/author/littlefoot01/ Other references: Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá, Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality (2010) Richard B. Lee, “Hunter-Gatherers and Human Evolution: New Light on Old Debates” (2018): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326817410_Hunter-Gatherers_and_Human_Evolution_New_Light_on_Old_Debates Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (2011) Jordan B. Peterson, remarks on lipstick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9dZSlUjVls&t=2s Richard Dawkins on homosexuality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHDCAllQgS0 And https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDmQns78FR8 William Buckner, “The Behavioral Ecology of Male Violence”: https://quillette.com/2018/02/24/behavioral-ecology-male-violence/
Human Progress is not linear. The curve of human progress is a jagged one. Many of us are convinced that the world is worse, but as Tupy explains, that is due to one of our many biases. It seems as though our memory of bad events outweighs our memory of all the good we see on a daily basis. For example, what took you 60 minutes of work to buy in 1980 took only 21 minutes of work to buy in 2017.What is the goal of humanprogess.org? Why do we notice bad occurrences throughout our lives more than good ones? What is negativity bias? Why is everyone so convinced that the world is getting worse if that is not what the statistics show?Further Reading:Human Progress websiteSimon Abundance IndexThe Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, written by Steven PinkerRelated Content:The State of Humanity: Steadily Improving, written by Julian L. SimonThe Reality of Moral Progress, written by David BoazProgress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future, Free Thoughts Podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Nicholas Zakas This week on My JavaScript Story, Charles talks with Nicholas Zakas who is a blogger, author, and software engineer. Nicholas’ website is titled, Human Who Codes – check it out! You can find him on Twitter, GitHub, and LinkedIn among other social media platforms. Today, Nicholas and Chuck talk about Nicholas’ background, JavaScript, and current projects. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: 0:00 – Advertisement: Get A Coder Job! 1:00 – Chuck: Welcome! Give us a background, please, Nicholas! 1:14 – Guest: I am probably best known for making ESLint and I have written a bunch of books, too! (See links below.) 1:36 – Chuck: JSJ 336 and JSJ 075 episodes are the two past episodes we’ve had you on! (See links below.) Let’s go back and how did you get into programming? 1:58 – Guest: I think the first was written in BASIC, which was on a Laser computer. It was a cheaper knockoff version. I think I was into middle school when I got into BASIC. Then when I got into high school I did this computer project, which was the first time someone else used one of my programs. 4:02 – Chuck: Was it all in BASIC or something else? 4:13 – Guest: Just BASIC, but then transferred to something else when we got our first PC. 5:13 – Chuck: How did you get to use JavaScript? 5:18 – Guest: 1996 was my freshman year in college. Netscape 3 got into popularity around this time. I had decided that I wanted to setup a webpage to stay in-touch with high school friends who were going into different directions. I got annoyed with how static the [web] pages were. At the time, there was no CSS and the only thing you could change was the source of an image (on webpages). On the you could do... 8:35 – Chuck: You get into JavaScript and at what point did you become a prolific operator and author? 8:52 – Guest: It was not an overnight thing. It definitely was fueled by my own curiosity. The web was so new (when I was in college) that I had to explore on my own. I probably killed a few trees when I was in college. Printing off anything and everything I could to learn about this stuff! 10:03 – Guest (continues): Professors would ask ME how to do this or that on the departmental website. When I was graduating from college I knew that I was excited about the WEB. I got a first job w/o having to interview. 12:32 – Guest (continues): I got so deep into JavaScript! 13:30 – Guest (continued): They couldn’t figure out what I had done. That’s when I got more into designing JavaScript APIs. About 8 months after graduating from college I was unemployed. I had extra time on my hands. I was worried that I was going to forget the cool stuff that I just developed there. I went over the code and writing for myself how I had constructed it. My goal was to have an expandable tree. This is the design process that I went through. This is the API that I came up with so you can insert and how I went about implementing it. At some point, I was on a discussion with my former colleagues: remember that JavaScript tree thing I wrote – I wrote a description of how I did it. Someone said: Hey this is really good and you should get this published somewhere. Huh! I guess I could do that. I went to websites who were publishing articles on JavaScript. I went to submit the article to one of them. I think it was DevX or WebReference. 18:03 – Guest: A book is a compilation of different articles?! I can do that. I wanted to write a book that would fill in that next step that was missing. I didn’t know what the book was going to be, and I decided to start writing. Once I’ve had enough content I would take a step back and see what it was about. (Check out Nicholas’ books here!) 19:01 – Chuck: Oh you can turn this into a book! 19:10 – Guest: There was very little that I had planned out ahead of time. Anything that happened to me that was exciting had stumbled into my lap! 19:37 – Chuck: That’s how I felt about podcasting – it fell into my lap/life! 19:50 – Chuck: Listeners – check out the past episodes with Nicholas, please. Nicholas, what are you proud of? 20:10 – Guest: In 2006, I was at Yahoo and started off with My Yahoo Team. This was the first time that I was exposed to a massive amount of JavaScript in a single web application. 26:21 – Chuck: Can you talk about your health issues? People would definitely benefit from your example and your story. 26:44 – Guest: I think it is something important for people to understand. The guest talks about Lyme Disease. 35:49 – Chuck: Yep taking care of yourself is important! 36:00 – Guest: Yes to enjoy time with friends and explore other hobbies. Help yourself to de-stress is important. Cognitive work is very draining. When you aren’t getting the right amount of sleep your body is going to get stressed out. Take the time to do nonsense things. You need to let your brain unwind! I love these adult coloring books that they have! 38:07 – Chuck: I love to take a drive up the canyon. 38:12 – Guest. 38:24 – Chuck: Yeah to focus on ourselves is important. 38:36 – Guest: Your body will make it a point to say: pay attention to me! Your body goes into flight or fight mode and your systems shut-off, which of course is not good. You don’t want your body to stay in that state. New parents get sick frequently with newborns, because they aren’t getting enough sleep. 41:08 – Guest: Get some R&R! 41:20 – Chuck: This is great, but I have another call! Let’s do some Picks! 41:35 – Advertisement – Fresh Books! 30-Day Trial! END – Cache Fly Links: React Angular Vue.js JavaScript Ember Elm jQuery Node DevX WebReference Nicholas C. Zakas’ Books ESLint NPM – ESLint Signs and Symptoms of Untreated Lyme Disease Lyme Disease Nicholas’ Twitter JSJ 336 Episode with Zakas JSJ 075 Episode with Zakas Sponsors: Cache Fly Get A Coder Job Fresh Books Picks: Charles Max Wood Wall Calendars – 6 ft. x3 ft. Nicholas Zakas Book: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker Adult Coloring Books
Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Nicholas Zakas This week on My JavaScript Story, Charles talks with Nicholas Zakas who is a blogger, author, and software engineer. Nicholas’ website is titled, Human Who Codes – check it out! You can find him on Twitter, GitHub, and LinkedIn among other social media platforms. Today, Nicholas and Chuck talk about Nicholas’ background, JavaScript, and current projects. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: 0:00 – Advertisement: Get A Coder Job! 1:00 – Chuck: Welcome! Give us a background, please, Nicholas! 1:14 – Guest: I am probably best known for making ESLint and I have written a bunch of books, too! (See links below.) 1:36 – Chuck: JSJ 336 and JSJ 075 episodes are the two past episodes we’ve had you on! (See links below.) Let’s go back and how did you get into programming? 1:58 – Guest: I think the first was written in BASIC, which was on a Laser computer. It was a cheaper knockoff version. I think I was into middle school when I got into BASIC. Then when I got into high school I did this computer project, which was the first time someone else used one of my programs. 4:02 – Chuck: Was it all in BASIC or something else? 4:13 – Guest: Just BASIC, but then transferred to something else when we got our first PC. 5:13 – Chuck: How did you get to use JavaScript? 5:18 – Guest: 1996 was my freshman year in college. Netscape 3 got into popularity around this time. I had decided that I wanted to setup a webpage to stay in-touch with high school friends who were going into different directions. I got annoyed with how static the [web] pages were. At the time, there was no CSS and the only thing you could change was the source of an image (on webpages). On the you could do... 8:35 – Chuck: You get into JavaScript and at what point did you become a prolific operator and author? 8:52 – Guest: It was not an overnight thing. It definitely was fueled by my own curiosity. The web was so new (when I was in college) that I had to explore on my own. I probably killed a few trees when I was in college. Printing off anything and everything I could to learn about this stuff! 10:03 – Guest (continues): Professors would ask ME how to do this or that on the departmental website. When I was graduating from college I knew that I was excited about the WEB. I got a first job w/o having to interview. 12:32 – Guest (continues): I got so deep into JavaScript! 13:30 – Guest (continued): They couldn’t figure out what I had done. That’s when I got more into designing JavaScript APIs. About 8 months after graduating from college I was unemployed. I had extra time on my hands. I was worried that I was going to forget the cool stuff that I just developed there. I went over the code and writing for myself how I had constructed it. My goal was to have an expandable tree. This is the design process that I went through. This is the API that I came up with so you can insert and how I went about implementing it. At some point, I was on a discussion with my former colleagues: remember that JavaScript tree thing I wrote – I wrote a description of how I did it. Someone said: Hey this is really good and you should get this published somewhere. Huh! I guess I could do that. I went to websites who were publishing articles on JavaScript. I went to submit the article to one of them. I think it was DevX or WebReference. 18:03 – Guest: A book is a compilation of different articles?! I can do that. I wanted to write a book that would fill in that next step that was missing. I didn’t know what the book was going to be, and I decided to start writing. Once I’ve had enough content I would take a step back and see what it was about. (Check out Nicholas’ books here!) 19:01 – Chuck: Oh you can turn this into a book! 19:10 – Guest: There was very little that I had planned out ahead of time. Anything that happened to me that was exciting had stumbled into my lap! 19:37 – Chuck: That’s how I felt about podcasting – it fell into my lap/life! 19:50 – Chuck: Listeners – check out the past episodes with Nicholas, please. Nicholas, what are you proud of? 20:10 – Guest: In 2006, I was at Yahoo and started off with My Yahoo Team. This was the first time that I was exposed to a massive amount of JavaScript in a single web application. 26:21 – Chuck: Can you talk about your health issues? People would definitely benefit from your example and your story. 26:44 – Guest: I think it is something important for people to understand. The guest talks about Lyme Disease. 35:49 – Chuck: Yep taking care of yourself is important! 36:00 – Guest: Yes to enjoy time with friends and explore other hobbies. Help yourself to de-stress is important. Cognitive work is very draining. When you aren’t getting the right amount of sleep your body is going to get stressed out. Take the time to do nonsense things. You need to let your brain unwind! I love these adult coloring books that they have! 38:07 – Chuck: I love to take a drive up the canyon. 38:12 – Guest. 38:24 – Chuck: Yeah to focus on ourselves is important. 38:36 – Guest: Your body will make it a point to say: pay attention to me! Your body goes into flight or fight mode and your systems shut-off, which of course is not good. You don’t want your body to stay in that state. New parents get sick frequently with newborns, because they aren’t getting enough sleep. 41:08 – Guest: Get some R&R! 41:20 – Chuck: This is great, but I have another call! Let’s do some Picks! 41:35 – Advertisement – Fresh Books! 30-Day Trial! END – Cache Fly Links: React Angular Vue.js JavaScript Ember Elm jQuery Node DevX WebReference Nicholas C. Zakas’ Books ESLint NPM – ESLint Signs and Symptoms of Untreated Lyme Disease Lyme Disease Nicholas’ Twitter JSJ 336 Episode with Zakas JSJ 075 Episode with Zakas Sponsors: Cache Fly Get A Coder Job Fresh Books Picks: Charles Max Wood Wall Calendars – 6 ft. x3 ft. Nicholas Zakas Book: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker Adult Coloring Books
Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Nicholas Zakas This week on My JavaScript Story, Charles talks with Nicholas Zakas who is a blogger, author, and software engineer. Nicholas’ website is titled, Human Who Codes – check it out! You can find him on Twitter, GitHub, and LinkedIn among other social media platforms. Today, Nicholas and Chuck talk about Nicholas’ background, JavaScript, and current projects. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: 0:00 – Advertisement: Get A Coder Job! 1:00 – Chuck: Welcome! Give us a background, please, Nicholas! 1:14 – Guest: I am probably best known for making ESLint and I have written a bunch of books, too! (See links below.) 1:36 – Chuck: JSJ 336 and JSJ 075 episodes are the two past episodes we’ve had you on! (See links below.) Let’s go back and how did you get into programming? 1:58 – Guest: I think the first was written in BASIC, which was on a Laser computer. It was a cheaper knockoff version. I think I was into middle school when I got into BASIC. Then when I got into high school I did this computer project, which was the first time someone else used one of my programs. 4:02 – Chuck: Was it all in BASIC or something else? 4:13 – Guest: Just BASIC, but then transferred to something else when we got our first PC. 5:13 – Chuck: How did you get to use JavaScript? 5:18 – Guest: 1996 was my freshman year in college. Netscape 3 got into popularity around this time. I had decided that I wanted to setup a webpage to stay in-touch with high school friends who were going into different directions. I got annoyed with how static the [web] pages were. At the time, there was no CSS and the only thing you could change was the source of an image (on webpages). On the you could do... 8:35 – Chuck: You get into JavaScript and at what point did you become a prolific operator and author? 8:52 – Guest: It was not an overnight thing. It definitely was fueled by my own curiosity. The web was so new (when I was in college) that I had to explore on my own. I probably killed a few trees when I was in college. Printing off anything and everything I could to learn about this stuff! 10:03 – Guest (continues): Professors would ask ME how to do this or that on the departmental website. When I was graduating from college I knew that I was excited about the WEB. I got a first job w/o having to interview. 12:32 – Guest (continues): I got so deep into JavaScript! 13:30 – Guest (continued): They couldn’t figure out what I had done. That’s when I got more into designing JavaScript APIs. About 8 months after graduating from college I was unemployed. I had extra time on my hands. I was worried that I was going to forget the cool stuff that I just developed there. I went over the code and writing for myself how I had constructed it. My goal was to have an expandable tree. This is the design process that I went through. This is the API that I came up with so you can insert and how I went about implementing it. At some point, I was on a discussion with my former colleagues: remember that JavaScript tree thing I wrote – I wrote a description of how I did it. Someone said: Hey this is really good and you should get this published somewhere. Huh! I guess I could do that. I went to websites who were publishing articles on JavaScript. I went to submit the article to one of them. I think it was DevX or WebReference. 18:03 – Guest: A book is a compilation of different articles?! I can do that. I wanted to write a book that would fill in that next step that was missing. I didn’t know what the book was going to be, and I decided to start writing. Once I’ve had enough content I would take a step back and see what it was about. (Check out Nicholas’ books here!) 19:01 – Chuck: Oh you can turn this into a book! 19:10 – Guest: There was very little that I had planned out ahead of time. Anything that happened to me that was exciting had stumbled into my lap! 19:37 – Chuck: That’s how I felt about podcasting – it fell into my lap/life! 19:50 – Chuck: Listeners – check out the past episodes with Nicholas, please. Nicholas, what are you proud of? 20:10 – Guest: In 2006, I was at Yahoo and started off with My Yahoo Team. This was the first time that I was exposed to a massive amount of JavaScript in a single web application. 26:21 – Chuck: Can you talk about your health issues? People would definitely benefit from your example and your story. 26:44 – Guest: I think it is something important for people to understand. The guest talks about Lyme Disease. 35:49 – Chuck: Yep taking care of yourself is important! 36:00 – Guest: Yes to enjoy time with friends and explore other hobbies. Help yourself to de-stress is important. Cognitive work is very draining. When you aren’t getting the right amount of sleep your body is going to get stressed out. Take the time to do nonsense things. You need to let your brain unwind! I love these adult coloring books that they have! 38:07 – Chuck: I love to take a drive up the canyon. 38:12 – Guest. 38:24 – Chuck: Yeah to focus on ourselves is important. 38:36 – Guest: Your body will make it a point to say: pay attention to me! Your body goes into flight or fight mode and your systems shut-off, which of course is not good. You don’t want your body to stay in that state. New parents get sick frequently with newborns, because they aren’t getting enough sleep. 41:08 – Guest: Get some R&R! 41:20 – Chuck: This is great, but I have another call! Let’s do some Picks! 41:35 – Advertisement – Fresh Books! 30-Day Trial! END – Cache Fly Links: React Angular Vue.js JavaScript Ember Elm jQuery Node DevX WebReference Nicholas C. Zakas’ Books ESLint NPM – ESLint Signs and Symptoms of Untreated Lyme Disease Lyme Disease Nicholas’ Twitter JSJ 336 Episode with Zakas JSJ 075 Episode with Zakas Sponsors: Cache Fly Get A Coder Job Fresh Books Picks: Charles Max Wood Wall Calendars – 6 ft. x3 ft. Nicholas Zakas Book: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker Adult Coloring Books
In this podcast, Chuck Rehberg from Trigent Software sat with Vishal to discuss how, as a technologist, leaders should think about connecting technology to help solve real business pains. Chuck also shared some of the best practices technologists could adopt to built successful integrity-filled bias-free teams and solutions. Timeline 0:29 Chuck's journey. 8:45 Chuck's role in Trigent. 14:18 Trigent's niche clients. 16:26 Semantics and Trigent model. 18:42 What is semantics? 22:00 The state of semantics today. 28:00 Best practices for businesses to use technology optimally. 33:13 Tips for businesses to remain stable in the time of disruptive technology. 36:18 App technology vis a vis enterprise stack. 39:43 Perspectives on the bias. 43:40 Measuring KPIs for success. 48:16 Ingredients of a good technology team. 50:56 Creating a technology team from scratch. 54:42 Things to be done in semantics. 58:52 Chuck's success mantra. 1:02:24 Chuck's favorite reads. 1:07:05 Closing remarks. Chuck's Recommended Read: World Hypotheses: A Study in Evidence - by Stephen C. Pepper http://amzn.to/2GXGYVV Women, Fire and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal About the Mind - by George Lakoff http://amzn.to/2GWIQOA How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method (Princeton Science Library) - by G. Polya (Author), John H. Conway (Foreword, Contributor) http://amzn.to/2BLECtw The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined - by Steven Pinker http://amzn.to/2EaLQZI Finite and Infinite Games – by James Carse (Author) http://amzn.to/2BLfIdx Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End - by Atul Gawande http://amzn.to/2BhgBtp Podcast Link: https://futureofdata.org/chuckrehberg-trigentsoftware-translating-technology-solve-business-problems-futureofdata/ Here is Chuck's Bio: As CTO at Trigent Software and Chief Scientist at Semantic Insights, Chuck Rehberg has developed patented high-performance rules engine technology and advanced natural language understanding technologies that empower a new generation of semantic research solutions. Chuck has more than thirty years in the high-tech industry, developing leading-edge solutions in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Semantic Technologies, analytics, and product configuration software. About #Podcast: #FutureOfData podcast is a conversation starter to bring leaders, influencers, and lead practitioners to discuss their journey to create the data-driven future. Wanna Join? If you or any you know wants to join in, Register your interest @ http://play.analyticsweek.com/guest/ Want to sponsor? Email us @ info@analyticsweek.com Keywords: #FutureOfData #DataAnalytics #Leadership #Podcast #BigData #Strategy
On this week’s TRC, Cristina looks into whether the City of Ottawa is really using dowsing to locate water. Next, Adam checks into a study that seems to contradict Steven Pinker’s “The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined”. Lastly, Darren asks: did a fake restaurant in London reach #1 rated on Trip Advisor?
El declive de la violencia en el mundo es el tema de hoy. Dani y Marc han estado presentando sus argumentos en este debate. Episodio: ZT 76 Multipotenciales Libro: Los ángeles que llevamos dentro: El declive de la violencia y sus implicaciones de Steven Pinker. Libro: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined de Steven Pinker. Libro: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion de Jonathan Haidt. Episodio: 59 Destroyers of the world - Hardcore History (Dan Carlin). Episodio: ZT 70 Ética del trabajo Episodio: ZT 74 Sesgo de disponibilidad (Errores de lógica VII) Periscope: Duelo argumental entre @granludo y @danielamof grabando el episodio #ZT77 de @zetatesters Somos zetatesters Aquí tenéis el enlace a una de las charlas que hicimos en el zetaevento: Episodio: 17 Charla “Humor a primera vista” de Roger Prat y Carles Caño - Humor en público. Y aquí los enlaces de los grupos de Telegram que tenemos: Somos zetatesters (grupo general). ZetaKids ZetaMoney ZetaRunners
Many ideas that have been debunked long ago nonetheless remain very popular. This episode highlights three popular irrational biases about economics, taken from Brian Caplan's book The Myth Of The Rational Voter. The biases covered are the pessimism bias, the anti-market bias, and the anti-foreign bias. Show Notes: All Previous Episodes in the Thinking Rationally Series The Myth Of The Rational Voter by Bryan Caplan Episode 90 Rational Optimism Versus Doom Porn The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley Episode 227 Review Of The Better Angels Of Our Nature By Steven Pinker The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker Entrepreneurship Part 4: Profit Is Sanity Episode 176 The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality by Ludwig Von Mises Part 1 (and Part 2) Episode 225 Comparative Advantage Is Mind-blowing
This episode is a review of a fascinating book, The Better Angels Of Our Nature, by Steven Pinker. The following quote summarises the book's main argument: "Believe it or not—and I know that most people do not—violence has declined over long stretches of time, and today we may be living in the most peaceable era in our species' existence. The decline, to be sure, has not been smooth; it has not brought violence down to zero; and it is not guaranteed to continue. But it is an unmistakable development, visible on scales from millennia to years, from the waging of wars to the spanking of children." Steven Pinker Show Notes: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker
Two Harvard scholars with recent books are featured in this edition of Peace Talks Radio. Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, says we seem to be living in one of the most peaceful eras in human history, despite the level of violence still at play in the world. He talks about his research. Then Donna Hicks talks about her book Dignity: The Essential Role It Plays in Conflict Resolution. She spells out 10 essentials for showing each other dignity and the 10 most common pitfalls. Two engaging interviews. Paul Ingles hosts.
Two Harvard scholars with recent books are featured in this edition of Peace Talks Radio. Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, says we seem to be living in one of the most peaceful eras in human history, despite the level of violence still at play in the world. He talks about his research. Then Donna Hicks talks about her book Dignity: The Essential Role It Plays in Conflict Resolution. She spells out 10 essentials for showing each other dignity and the 10 most common pitfalls. Two engaging interviews. Paul Ingles hosts.
Steven Pinker, celebrated for his books on language and the workings of the mind, ventures into big history with his latest volume, "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined." He unloads a truckload of evidence to argue that humans have been getting more peaceful, more cooperative and less murderous, on scales large and small, for quite some time. Among the reasons: civilization really has made us more civil. That might seem a surprising conclusion for a card-carrying evolutionary psychologist, but Pinker hasn't gone all liberal artsy on us. Historicity has a role to play, he says, but so do biology and game theory.