Why is the West Special? | Joe Henrich & Richard Hanania
Episode description
Joe Henrich is the Ruth Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology and Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He is the author of Why Humans Cooperate, The Secret of Our Success, and The WEIRDest People in the World. He joins the podcast to talk about his work. Topics include:
* The implications of Henrich’s theories for the debate over AI alignment
* The nature of intelligence
* Whether genetic differences between populations explain societal outcomes
* If the Ancient Greeks and Romans were already WEIRD
* How to understand the group selection debate
* Why Islamic familial practices may have stunted economic development and growth
* The political and ideological reaction to his last book
Listen in podcast form or watch on YouTube. A transcript of the podcast can be found at the Richard Hanania newsletter.
Links:
* Joe Henrich, “The WEIRDest People in the World.”
* Joe Henrich, “The Secrets of Our Success.”
* Richard Hanania, “How Monogamy and Incest Taboos Made the West.”
* David Epstein, “The Sports Gene.”
* Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, “Don’t Trust Your Gut.”
* Elizabeth Shim, “North Korea finishes fourth at International Mathematical Olympiad.”
* Minnesota Transracial Adoption Study.
* Bryan Caplan, “The Wonder of International Adoption: Adult IQ in Sweden.”
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