Is System 1 Really More Like Emotions?

3min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The subtitle of my conspiracy book is why the rational believed the irrational. It's not irrational to believe a lot of conspiracy theories are true, because there are real conspiracies. I'm making the argument that people are much more rational than we give them credit for. And so you say, well, the common responses were so rational. How can we believe in all these crazy conspiracy theories, you know, Q and on? The moon landing was a fake and choose your conspiracy theory. So how does that fit with your analysis? Yeah, it's perfect. You're the expert here.

How does the brain — a three-pound gelatinous mass — give rise to intelligence and conscious experience? Was Freud right that we are all plagued by forbidden sexual desires? What is the function of emotions such as disgust, gratitude, and shame? Renowned psychologist Paul Bloom answers these questions and many more in Psych, his riveting new book about the science of the mind.

Shermer and Bloom discuss: neuroscience • human nature • religion • souls • consciousness • Freud • sex and desire • Skinner • development • language • perception • memory • rationality • appetites • differences and disorders • the good life • happiness.

Paul Bloom is Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, and the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. His research explores the psychology of morality, identity, and pleasure. Bloom is the recipient of multiple awards and honors, including, most recently, the million-dollar Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize. He has written for scientific journals such as Natureand Science, and for the New York Times, the New Yorker, and the Atlantic Monthly. He is the author or editor of eight books, including Against Empathy, Just Babies, How Pleasure Works, Descartes’ Baby, The Sweet Spot, and Psych: The Story of the Human Mind.