Unfairness and the West: The 270th Evolutionary Lens with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying
whatshot 9 snips
Apr 2, 2025
This discussion dives into the concept of fairness and its implications in various domains, from science to politics. The speakers critically assess gender equity initiatives, particularly in science and mining, questioning their effectiveness. They explore the balance between intervention and stability in societal frameworks, comparing it to overreach in pharmaceuticals. Additionally, they use poker to illustrate the role of luck and personal accountability in competitive environments, advocating for a level playing field in digital spaces.
01:38:07
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Equity vs. Equality
Equity, often misused, originally meant fair distribution, not equal distribution.
Triage and allocating blankets based on need are examples of equitable, not equal, distribution.
insights INSIGHT
Equity's Downside
Pursuing equity as a goal can decrease quality by prioritizing representation over merit.
Focus on correcting systemic biases and ensuring a level playing field instead of forcing equal outcomes.
insights INSIGHT
Societal Homeostasis
Constantly correcting perceived societal imbalances can prevent homeostasis, similar to overusing pharmaceuticals.
Each intervention creates new problems requiring further fixes, leading to a dysfunctional system.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
This book, written by evolutionary biologists Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein, addresses the disconnect between human evolutionary history and the challenges of modern life. It explains how the rapid rate of change in the modern world has outpaced the ability of our brains and bodies to adapt, leading to issues such as widespread sleep deprivation, dangerous diets, damaging parenting styles, and backward education practices. The authors draw on decades of research and experiences from biodiverse ecosystems to provide a science-based perspective that aims to empower readers to live better, wiser lives.
Technics and Civilization
Lewis Mumford
In this week’s episode, we discuss ridiculous op-eds and letters to the editor in Nature this week, and the concept of fairness. First: gender equity for female scientists in war zones, and for women in mining. Are these laudable goals? Also: is division of labor between the sexes inherently objectionable? How does the concept of homeostasis relate to a body being given pharmaceutical interventions, a society being given equity interventions, or a government being given bureaucratic interventions? Then: level playing fields are the sine qua non of the West – they work in science, markets, politics, everything. Internet algorithms in their current state are, in comparison, anti-Western. Using the analogy of a card game, we discuss luck.
*****
Our sponsors:
ARMRA Colostrum is an ancient bioactive whole food that can strengthen your immune system. Go to http://www.tryarmra.com/DARKHORSE to get 15% off your first order.
Manukora: the most flavorful, delicious, and nutritious honey you’ll ever have. Get $25 off your starter kit at http://www.Manukora.com/DarkHorse
Helix: Excellent, sleep-enhancing, American-made mattresses. Go to http://www.HelixSleep.com/DarkHorse for 20% Off Sitewide April 1st through the 30th.
*****
Join us on Locals! Get access to our Discord server, exclusive live streams, live chats for all streams, and early access to many podcasts: https://darkhorse.locals.com
Heather’s newsletter, Natural Selections (subscribe to get free weekly essays in your inbox): https://naturalselections.substack.com
Our book, A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century, is available everywhere books are sold, including from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3AGANGg (commission earned)
Check out our store! Epic tabby, digital book burning, saddle up the dire wolves, and more: https://darkhorsestore.org
*****
Mentioned in this episode:
Track gender ratios in research to keep countries, institutions and publishers accountable: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00891-w
Give grants to female scientists in war zones: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00926-2
How to get more women into mining: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00925-3
Murdock & Provost 1973. Factors in the division of labor by sex: A cross-cultural analysis. Ethnology 12(2): 203-225: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3773347
DarkHorse Podcast 
