The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens The Influence of Psychopaths: Why Humanity Is Better Than We Think
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Sep 26, 2025 Dive into the complexities of human behavior shaped by both cooperation and competition. Discover how psychopathy influences societal norms and the shift towards anti-social values. Learn about the historical impact of agriculture on social hierarchies and the emergence of predatory behaviors. Explore fascinating chicken experiments that illustrate the balance of aggression and cooperation. Finally, uncover strategies to steer humanity back toward prosocial values and the importance of empathy in driving positive change.
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Cooperation And Competition Shaped Us
- Human evolution selected for both cooperation and competition, creating a mixed behavioral distribution.
- Multi-level selection shows groups of cooperators can outcompete aggressive individuals at the group level.
Psychopathy Is A Small But Persistent Tail
- Around 1% of adult males are clinical psychopaths and many more show subclinical dark-triad traits.
- In small ancestral groups, social feedback, reputation, and banishment kept exploiters in check.
Agriculture Enabled Loot And Hierarchy
- Agriculture created storable, lootable surplus which enabled hierarchies and predation.
- Lootability changed game theory, making aggressive strategies more rewarding and scalable.