The moral animal
Every so often the world of ideas is shaken by what the philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn famously dubbed a "paradigm shift." As Robert Wright shows in this pathbreaking book, such a shift is occurring now - one that will change the way people see their lives and the way they choose to live their lives. From the work of evolutionary biologists and of scholars all across the social sciences, a new science called evolutionary psychology is emerging, and with it a radically revised view of human nature and the human mind. In its light, the oldest and most basic questions look different and wholly new questions arise. Are men and women really built for monogamy? What kinds of self-deception are favored by evolution, and why? How and why do childhood experiences make a person more or less conscientious? What is the evolutionary logic behind office politics - or politics in general? Why is there a love-hate relationship between siblings? When, if ever, is love truly pure? Is the human sense of justice - and of just retribution - innate? Does it truly serve justice?. This lucidly written book is set in a fitting context: the life and work of Charles Darwin. Wright not only shows which of Darwin's ideas about human nature have survived the test of time, he retells - from the perspective of evolutionary psychology - the stories of Darwin's marriage, his family life, and his career ascent. All three look as they have never looked before.
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- I'd say similar stuff, maybe The Moral Animal more for me, how things like morality also come from evolution.
Also the Singularity stuff though I'm not sure how to pick an individual book - maybe Singularity Is Near by Kurzweil and Robot by Moravec. About the future after we get past the propagation vector stuff.
- The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.
The Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh, useful prayers, concepts for understanding and dealing with life and a moral compass for going through it.
The Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience
Also a lot of psychology and philosophy books in undergrad were foundational to my thinking. The Moral Animal, the Moral Landscape, The Blank Slate, The Republic and Plato’s writings on Socrates, Tao te Ching, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud, but many of these were more academic, still holistically they have shaped my thinking and moral compass.
- You have some odd ideas there.
You might want to read The Moral Animal by Robert Wright for a more nuanced view of human nature by an evolutionary psychologist. (A field which is controversial at the best of times- but if you're going to believe something controversial but possibly true you can do a lot better than what you posted here)
If I wasn't on my phone i'd type more, but in brief you have a weird idea of what fitness means for a woman looking for a mate. It doesn't necessarily mean "big muscles" but could mean something like a guy who loves her and will raise the kids with her. Because that's optimal for passing on genes.
Furthermore fitness for a male in search of a woman might mean a guy who is monogomous and caring (because faking those traits to manipulate a woman might be too difficult) because he can convince a woman to mate with him because he will help her with the kids.
- There was an interesting book on the theme that we've evolved to deceive ourselves especially on moral stuff like my side is good, the others are the bad guys https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Animal-Science-Evolutionary-Psy...
- Thank you!
I've been wondering how to continue learning about the ideas Graeber's writings introduced to me.
Graeber's work puts me in the same frame of mind as Robert Wright (Nonzero, Moral Animal) did. Very optimistic.
Hudson's anecdote about Deaton refusing to appear on stage with them is hysterical.
- 1. The crux of the matter is not that we shouldn’t continue our species and stop having children.
2. The point is that mating and procreation is the easiest thing and the most natural thing to do ever because life exists so genes can be replicated.
3. Can we please stop putting people on a pedestal because they have procreated 1..2..15 times their own genes?
4. Can we please stop treating those without children as though they have owe their life and savings and undying fealty to those with children?
5. Can we acknowledge that the world is past carrying capacity and our resources are fast depleting that if we don’t control and reduce population to manageable levels, the resources will disappear along with depopulation leaving the species with no option but to become extinct without means of survival?
6. Given point 5, those without children are the ones who need to be seen as doing a service for for removing themselves from the gene pool so their own kin or others in the gene pool have a chance to replicate their genes? (I recommend the book Moral Animal by Robert Wright) It is a choice AGAINST ones selfish and best interest..which is to replicate ones own genes. At best, it’s noble..at worse, they are odd balls. But they are not ‘free loaders’.
7. Can we acknowledge that those with children these days do not understand parenting as a personal endeavor and not something to outsourced to hired help or the state? In my part of the world, that’s what is happening. And hence my position.
8. Can we acknowledge that a contract between employee and employer is between them and nobody..like the childless or with adult children.. has any obligation to NOT feel slighted when they are treated differently than those with children because that would be discrimination. Both are choices.
9. The childless are not asking for special dispensations. The ones with children are constantly in need of special treatment because they want it all. Kids, alone time, career and money. All this with their offsprings being subsidized with the childless getting no piece of the pie. Parents derive more joy, material advantages and personal gain from their own children than the childless. The human animal recognizes and dislikes unfairness.
10. Having children is not a disease or a terminal illness. The way people whinge and whine about raising their own, i am skeptical about paying my mandatory dues towards the perpetuation of the human species as taxes to subsidize their kids because it feels like throwing good money after bad.
11. Society should screen and train young adults to be parents. Earlier, family and community provided that service to their kin. The world is a diff place now and perhaps child rearing needs a manual. No shame in asking for help. The key words being ‘asking for help’. Not demanding entitlements.
12. If having kids is ‘difficult’, there is no medal for trying. This reminds me of the American public school system where there is a trophy for everyone and for just participating because no one should feel left out.
13. The way the breeders are treating the non-breeders is insulting and abusive. There ought to be more gratitude for all the freebies and understanding. It’s like having a puppy that pees all over the neighborhood and the pet owner claims that it’s more difficult to own a pet and that non pet owners are having it easy and they should chip in and volunteer for the puppy training sessions and the costs. Only in bizarro world!
14. This whole point would be moot if we follow this: a. Only procreate if you can afford the child. b. Keep family and friends close. They are the social network who will be the ‘village’ that will help you raise your kid(s). It’s not the literal village that will raise the kids for parents. c. Consider child rearing as a full time job. Remember that it is indeed the most important and most difficult job to do. Do it well and be proud. d. Take responsibility for choices made voluntarily. The ones who are paying for others kids don’t have that choice wrt mandatory tithing. There is no shame in being a stay at home mom or dad. It IS a job. e. When asking for help, it would work better if one is polite. Honey better than vinegar etc.
15. Finally. Kids are a net benefit to society or that’s what we hope they’d be, but they can also be liabilities. We live in a world with gray zones. There is a lot of abysmal parenting out there and they should be witnessed. If not, everyone who has a child will walk around the with a halo believing themselves to be superheroes who saved humanity.
So..basically, I disagree some with you. Cheers.
