Show Notes
Intentions be damned! Whats matter is selection! In this episode, Paul Smaldino (UC Merced) takes us on a tour of his work on social signals, social identities, the perverse incentives of science, the stupidity and yet usefulness of models, and so much else. (Paul also shows us his small model of the solar system in the background). More about Paul Smaldino: https://smaldino.com/wp/ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AwHfbP0AAAAJ&hl=en https://smalldinosaurs.bandcamp.com/album/dad-songs
More from Evolutionary Psychology (the podcast)
Is cultural evolution a blind process, or one intrinsically impacted by individual cognition and insight? Olivier Morin (CNRS Jean Nicod) simultaneously pulls no punches while remaining distinctly nonpartisan as we traverse these and other murky waters. Topics include the shape of violin sound holes, the cultural evolution of writing, rituals, economic assumptions, linguistic streamlining, and the cultural evolution of intellectuals.
How do we remain resilient and flexible under difficult conditions? In this episode, we talk to Katie Starkweather (UCSB) about her work with the Shodagor, who spend appreciable amounts of life living on small boats in rural Bangladesh. Topics include: what is life like living on a small boat?, loneliness, social roles, division of labor, and how things like weather and ecology create and also put up barriers to social connection. Oh, and we talk about Coase and transaction costs (for all you Ronald Coase fans out there).
They say that if you do what you love you never have to work a day in your life. In this episode, polymath Athena Aktipis (ASU) shares her enthusiasm and love for all things cooperative. Topics include music, Zombies, borderline personality, vibeing, alignment, cooperative energy, how not to build an institution, and how to capture the magic of musicians jamming together. We dare you to not feel inspired!
Philosopher of Ethics and Politics Hanno Sauer (Utrecht) examines whether moral progress is all its cracked up to be. Topics include social class, being slightly more moral than others, rationalization costs, the relationship between intellectuals and power, and the tolerated scrounging of morality. https://www.uu.nl/staff/HCSauer https://philpeople.org/profiles/hanno-sauer https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=n0djnuAAAAAJ&hl=de
This week, we talk about ice-age megafauna, Shamansim, magic, and the scale of ancestral cooperation with Manvir Singh (UC Davis). More about Manvir:https://www.manvir.org/ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZHpmcFYAAAAJ&hl=en https://anthropology.ucdavis.edu/people/manvir-singh