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The Elephant in the Brain
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 417

The Elephant in the Brain

Human beings are primates, and primates are political animals. Our brains, therefore, are designed not just to hunt and gather, but also to help us get ahead socially, often via deception and self-deception. But while we may be self-interested schemers, we benefit by pretending otherwise. The less we know about our own ugly motives, the better - and thus we don't like to talk or even think about the extent of our selfishness. This is the elephant in the brain. Such an introspective taboo makes it hard for us to think clearly about our nature and the explanations for our behavior. The aim of this book, then, is to confront our hidden motives directly - to track down the darker, unexamined cor...

Summary of Kevin Simler & Robin Hanson’s The Elephant in the Brain
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 21

Summary of Kevin Simler & Robin Hanson’s The Elephant in the Brain

Buy now to get the main key ideas from Kevin Simler & Robin Hanson’s The Elephant in the Brain We, the human species, not only act on hidden motives, but we’re naturally designed to do so. Our brains are programmed to act in our own interest, even while we are trying hard not to be selfish. That’s why our brain often keeps our conscious mind in the dark. The more we ignore our ugly, hidden motives, the easier it is for us to keep them hidden from others, too. Self-deception is a strategic ploy that our brain adopts to disguise our bad behavior, and the key to change is understanding it. In The Elephant in the Brain (2017), writer Kevin Simler and professor Robin Hanson uncover the hidden motives behind our main social behaviors and shed light on unexamined aspects of public life: respected social institutions in which nearly all participants are strategically self-interested, self-deceived, and driven by social signaling.

The Elephant in the Brain
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 417

The Elephant in the Brain

Human beings are primates, and primates are political animals. Our brains, therefore, are designed not just to hunt and gather, but also to help us get ahead socially, often via deception and self-deception. But while we may be self-interested schemers, we benefit by pretending otherwise. The less we know about our own ugly motives, the better - and thus we don't like to talk or even think about the extent of our selfishness. This is the elephant in the brain. Such an introspective taboo makes it hard for us to think clearly about our nature and the explanations for our behavior. The aim of this book, then, is to confront our hidden motives directly - to track down the darker, unexamined cor...

The Age of Em
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 522

The Age of Em

Robots may one day rule the world, but what is a robot-ruled Earth like? Many think that the first truly smart robots will be brain emulations or ""ems."" Robin Hanson draws on decades of expertise in economics, physics, and computer science to paint a detailed picture of this next great era in human (and machine) evolution - the age of em.

Gathering of Cans
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 257

Gathering of Cans

In this moving story, the reader will sense an air of greedy anticipation as it reveals particular aluminum cans that 56-year-old Zoie Baker gathers along the rural roads to raise the money to build a swimming pool for the children of her community. During this quest, the reader will find a story connected to special cans: a gold Budweiser can, a green Mountain Dew can, a Santa Claus Coca-Cola can, and a NEHI can. With each special can, the reader will be going on another special journey with Zoie; from the romantic but turbulent time of World War II, through the tumultuous decade of the 1960's; and ending with Zoie gathering cans during the 1980's. There is magic, not just because of the wondrous characters, but also the friendships formed and the joys and the sorrows realized by each unique character.

Theatricality and the Arts
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 321

Theatricality and the Arts

Theatricality and the Arts presents a series of investigations of the notion of 'theatricality'. Primarily, theatricality concerns that which pertains to theatre, but the term has always carried with it the potentially pejorative associations of exaggeration and fakery. The essays here question and contest such associations. The book is divided into four sections which together provide a comprehensive interrogation of theatricality. The four sections begin with multimedia, where theatricality is examined in relation to mixed modes of media (internet art, painting, performance and digital display). A second section takes a philosophical approach to questions of theatricality. A third section looks at art, broadly speaking, but also at the historical contexts of art, photography and other media (literature, film, music). A final section features reflections on theatre and cinema, often in conjunction. Considered as a whole, the collection contributes to debates on theatricality in various fields, while also enabling a cross-examination of approaches to the topic.

Practical Doomsday
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 266

Practical Doomsday

Disasters happen. Be prepared. Here’s how. As a leading security engineer, Michal Zalewski has spent his career methodically anticipating and planning for cyberattacks. In Practical Doomsday, Zalewski applies the same thoughtful, rational approach to preparing for disasters of all kinds. By sharing his research, advice, and a healthy dose of common sense, he’ll help you rest easy knowing you have a plan for the worst—even if the worst never comes. The book outlines a level-headed model for evaluating risks, one that weighs the probability of scenarios against the cost of preparing for them. You’ll learn to apply that model to the whole spectrum of potential crises, from personal hard...

Ian Cheng
  • Language: en

Ian Cheng

  • Type: Book
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  • Published: 2015
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  • Publisher: Unknown

"Darwin said the greatest live simulation is nature herself, who incessantly tries and fails aloud, never stopping at perfection. But nature is often too fast, too slow, too big, too small for us. We need live simulation at scale with human spacetime, but unending in its variety and blind to our barometers of quality. A live simulation that we can feel, but does not give a fig for us," says artist Ian Cheng. Distorted views, mutated images, and varied texts are exemplary of Cheng's interest in behavioural change and the potential of working with live simulations. Live Simulations is the first monograph to visualize Cheng's artistic practice and make its principles tangible in book form.

Mindwise
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 269

Mindwise

  • Type: Book
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  • Published: 2014-02-11
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  • Publisher: Penguin UK

Arguably our brain's greatest sense is the ability to understand the minds of others - our sixth sense. In Mindwise, renowned psychologist Nicholas Epley shows that this incredible capacity for inferring what others are thinking and feeling is, however sophisticated, still prone to critical errors. We often misread social situations, misjudge others' characters, or guess the wrong motives for their actions. Drawing on the latest in psychological research, Epley suggests that only by learning more about our sixth sense will we have the humility to overcome these errors and understand others as they actually are instead of as we imagine them to be.

Contesting Conformity
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 193

Contesting Conformity

Non-conformity in American public life -- Countering conformity through intellectual freedom in Tocqueville's Democracy in America -- Contesting conformity through individuality in Mill's On liberty -- Refusing conformity through creativity in Nietzsche.