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Rationally Speaking Podcast

Rationally Speaking #188 - Robert Kurzban on "Being strategically wrong"

Rationally Speaking Podcast

New York City Skeptics

Society & Culture, Skepticism, Science, Philosophy

4.6787 Ratings

🗓️ 9 July 2017

⏱️ 46 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, recorded live at the Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism, Julia interviews evolutionary psychologist Rob Kurzban, author of "Why Everyone (Else) is a Hypocrite." Rob describes the "modular mind" hypothesis, and how it explains hypocrisy, self-deception, and other seemingly irrational features of human nature. Rob and Julia argue about how useful these kinds of "strategic wrongness" really are.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Today's episode of Rationally Speaking is sponsored by Givewell, a nonprofit dedicated to finding outstanding charities and publishing their full analysis to help donors decide where to give.

0:09.3

They do rigorous research to quantify how much good a given charity does, how many lives does it save, or how much does it reduce poverty per dollar donated.

0:17.4

You can read all about their research or just check out their short list of top recommended evidence-based charities to maximize the amount of good that your donations can do.

0:25.3

It's free and available to everyone online. Check them out at give well.org. Welcome to Rationally Speaking, the podcast where we explore the borderlands between reason and nonsense.

0:48.4

I'm your host, Julia Galef, and I am taping this podcast live at the Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism.

0:55.8

Say hi!

0:57.0

Hey!

1:01.0

I am very excited to introduce today's guest who's here with me.

1:05.9

I have Professor Robert Kurzban, who is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania,

1:11.3

where he specializes in evolutionary psychology. And one of his books, excellently titled

1:17.2

Why Everyone Else is a Hypocrat, has been such a great title, Rob. It's been very formative

1:24.4

in my thinking about rationality and has shaped a lot of my work and my talk that I give to people over the years. So this conversation has been a long time in the works.

1:32.7

Rob is also the co-author of the hidden agenda of the political mind, which is a book that I talked about in, I guess, my most recent episode of the podcast with Jason Whedon.

1:45.4

And Rob, no pressure, but Jason was an excellent guest.

1:49.2

So the bar is just that high.

1:51.2

That's all I'm saying.

1:52.8

So Rob, welcome to the show and to Nexus.

1:55.2

Thanks for having me.

1:56.0

It's pleasure be here.

1:57.5

So, as I hinted at, the thing that I'm most excited to talk to you about is why everyone else is a hypocrite.

2:05.7

I thought we could just jump right into your thesis.

2:08.8

Maybe by talking about what motivated it.

...

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