Summary of Enlightenment and the Righteous Mind | Steven Pinker & Jonathan Haidt | The JBP Podcast S4: E52

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00:00:00 - 01:00:00

Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how data-based understanding of the world can lead to improved outcomes, such as less violence, more prosperity, and more ethical behavior. They also discuss how moralism can lead to bad decision-making, and how a liberal democracy is a means of resolving disagreements.

  • 00:00:00 In his latest book, Enlightenment, Steven Pinker discusses how data-based understanding of the world leads to improved outcomes, such as less violence, more prosperity, and more ethical behavior. Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University's Stern School of Business, discusses how different cultures have different moral sensibilities and how understanding this helps to bridge political divides.
  • 00:05:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how moralism can lead to bad decision-making and the consequences of moralism in the world. They also discuss how data can be used to help make better decisions.
  • 00:10:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss the idea of "utopia," and how it can be a danger to society if it's not constantly kept in check. They also discuss the idea of religious thinking from an evolutionary perspective, and how it might be helpful to humans in the present.
  • 00:15:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how utopian thinking is rampant in society, and how it can lead to dangerous consequences. They discuss how a liberal democracy is a means of resolving disagreements, and how there is an inherent trade-off between equality of outcome and equality of opportunity.
  • 00:20:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how humans evolved to be religious and how this affects human well-being. They argue that, while human well-being is difficult to achieve, a good religion can help unite a group against other groups.
  • 00:25:00 In this video, Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how a simplified good-versus-evil narrative can lead to schismatic tendencies in society. They propose that sophisticated literature avoids this by portraying good and evil as within the same soul.
  • 00:30:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss the concept of enlightenment, which they describe as a power in imitation and mimicry that can be attenuated in rational reasoning. They discuss the challenges of moral and social movements, and how understanding the history of such movements can help to inspire current activism.
  • 00:35:00 The video discusses the idea that social activism can be a negative thing, as it can be governed more by the social dynamics of social media than by any real study of a problem. It goes on to discuss the idea that late adolescents go through a stage of "messianic fervor," which can be a positive thing. However, the video argues that this fervor is often taken advantage of by social activists who offer solutions that are not useful. It suggests that we need to find a way to engage people without the trappings of religion or pseudo-religion.
  • 00:40:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how social media has affected the way people solve problems, with particular reference to how the 2010s were different from the previous decade because of the rise of "woke" young people with great power to intimidate others into silence. They argue that we need to change the dynamics of social media so that bad ideas don't dominate and intimidate.
  • 00:45:00 In this video, two experts discuss how positive feedback loops can lead to problems in liberal democracies. The experts also discuss the danger of young people being too consumed by trivia and political content on social media.
  • 00:50:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss the idea that a diverse democracy is very difficult to maintain, and that as world events have shifted in the past 10 years, liberalism has become more vulnerable. They also mention the idea that while there are many long-term trends in favor of liberalism, there have been some setbacks in recent years.
  • 00:55:00 In this video, Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how the current state of society is different from the 1970s, and how the current divisions among people are a product of the decay of truth-finding processes. They discuss how the internet has made it easier for people to form their own narratives, and how this has led to a fragmentation of the truth. They argue that in order to achieve a sense of unity, we need to find truths that unite us, rather than truths that only serve the interests of particular factions.

01:00:00 - 02:00:00

In this video, Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how Enlightenment ideals can help correct the "woke" problem in society, but also caution against the dangers of an "anything goes" media environment. They debate the role of altruism in human behavior, with Haidt arguing that group selection played a role in shaping human behavior. They also discuss the concept of the "sacred" and its importance in human behavior.

  • 01:00:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how Enlightenment ideals can help correct the "woke" problem in society, but also caution against the dangers of an "anything goes" media environment.
  • 01:05:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss the concept of the 'righteous mind', which is the ability to think rationally and logically in the face of bias. They discuss how viewpoint diversity is rewarded in Wikipedia and how this can be applied to other areas of life. They also mention how Twitter can be harmful to communication.
  • 01:10:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt debate the role of altruism in human behavior, with Haidt arguing that group selection played a role in shaping human behavior. They also discuss the concept of the sacred and its importance in human behavior.
  • 01:15:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss the concept of "sacred," which they define as something that inspires awe. They discuss the idea that the instinct for imitation is the same as the instinct for worship, and that sports events like soccer can be seen as examples of this. They also discuss the concept of "selective imitation," which is when we choose which people to imitate.
  • 01:20:00 This video discusses how human beings are able to come together and share common interests, including in religion. It explains that what we are imitating is our capacity to learn and explore, and how this manifests itself in different ways in different cultures. The video also discusses how the faculty of logos, or reason, is one of the most highly esteemed and developed abilities in human culture.
  • 01:25:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how humans imitate the gist of religious beliefs, which can unite people in transcendent ways.
  • 01:30:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how people can come together to work towards a common goal, even if they have different beliefs. They also discuss how power can play a role in uniting people, and how team work can suppress racial animus.
  • 01:35:00 In this video, Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss the role of Enlightenment thinking in society, and how it has changed over time. They also discuss how social media has impacted the way people communicate, and how the current political climate might be linked to a lack of a shared vision for the future.
  • 01:40:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how a shared vision and purpose among a group of people can create a sense of togetherness and cooperation, which is beneficial for both individuals and the group as a whole. Gen Z is particularly lonesome and depressed because they are the most connected generation and lack the real connection that comes from shared activities and goals.
  • 01:45:00 In the 80s, Steven Pinker studied moral psychology and found that children's beliefs about justice and fairness change as they develop. He credits this to the work of a cultural anthropologist, Alan Fisk, who showed him that there are repeated patterns around menstruation, food taboos, and order in religious practice. This led to his study of evolution, which showed him that multi-level selection is a valid explanation for the development of morality.
  • 01:50:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how humans evolved to seek out certain sensory experiences that guide them towards food. They discuss how one chimp found a dead rat and used it to torture other chimps, illustrating how disgust is a relatively human emotion. They also discuss how conservatism and conscientiousness are related to disgust sensitivity.
  • 01:55:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss the idea that conservatives are more authoritarian, and that disgust is a key factor in their political beliefs. They also discuss the New York City crime wave and how it has affected the election.

02:00:00 - 02:05:00

In the video, Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss the role of disgust in human behavior, and how it can be a key component of the "civilizing process." They also suggest that enlightenment can lead to a greater understanding of complex systems, and that it might be beneficial to bring in a psychedelic researcher to talk about the topic.

  • 02:00:00 In the video, Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss the significance of disgust in human behavior. They discuss how disgust is a key component of the "civilizing process," and how it is often suppressed in contemporary society. They also discuss the impact of imitation, awe, and psychedelic experiences on human behavior.
  • 02:05:00 Steven Pinker and Jonathan Haidt discuss how enlightenment can lead to a greater understanding of complex systems, and suggest that it might be a good idea to bring in a psychedelic researcher to talk about the topic.

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