No detailed description available for 'Innovation Oasis'. However, Victor W. Hwang is known for his work on innovation ecosystems and has written influential books on the subject.
In "Rule Breakers and Rule Makers," David Gardner outlines his investment philosophy centered around identifying and holding disruptive companies for the long term. He details the characteristics he looks for in 'Rule Breaker' stocks, emphasizing factors like strong management, sustainable competitive advantages, and significant consumer appeal. The book also includes case studies of his successful and unsuccessful investments, illustrating the principles of his strategy. Gardner's approach prioritizes identifying companies poised for significant growth, even if they appear overvalued in the short term. The book serves as a guide for investors seeking to replicate his long-term success.
In 'The Master Switch,' Tim Wu explores the pattern of how new communications technologies are introduced by innovators and eventually coopted by major corporate interests, leading to centralized control and the loss of openness and freedom. The book chronicles this cycle through various mediums such as radio, telegraph, telephone, and film, and questions whether the internet will follow the same path. Wu advocates for a 'Separations Principle' to keep content, communications, and electronics industries separate to prevent monopolistic control and ensure the continued openness of the information economy.
The Spirit Level, based on thirty years of research, demonstrates that more equal societies have better health outcomes, lower levels of violence, fewer teenage pregnancies, and higher education and well-being. The authors show that income inequality is detrimental to everyone in society, not just the poor, and that it erodes trust, increases anxiety and illness, and encourages excessive consumption. The book presents comprehensive data and analyses to support the argument that greater equality leads to a more sustainable and friendlier society[2][4][5].
Daniel Dennett's "Elbow Room" is a philosophical exploration of free will and determinism. Dennett argues for a compatibilist view, suggesting that free will and determinism are not mutually exclusive. He challenges the traditional notion of libertarian free will, which posits that our actions are not causally determined. Instead, he proposes a more nuanced understanding of freedom as the ability to act according to one's reasons and beliefs, even within a deterministic framework. The book explores the implications of this view for moral responsibility and the nature of human agency. Dennett's work is known for its clarity and accessibility, making complex philosophical ideas understandable to a wider audience.
In 'The Selfish Gene', Richard Dawkins presents a gene-centred view of evolution, arguing that genes are the primary units of selection and that they behave selfishly to ensure their own replication. The book explains concepts such as kin selection, inclusive fitness, and the evolutionarily stable strategy, highlighting how these mechanisms can lead to altruistic behaviors in organisms. Dawkins emphasizes that the 'selfishness' of genes is a metaphorical concept, describing their evolutionary consequences rather than any intentional behavior. The book has been influential in shaping modern evolutionary thought and remains relevant today[1][3][5].
Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson argue that the success or failure of nations is determined by their political and economic institutions. They present a comprehensive theory based on 15 years of research, using historical examples from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, the Soviet Union, and various other regions to demonstrate how inclusive institutions foster economic growth and prosperity, while extractive institutions lead to poverty and stagnation. The authors discuss critical questions such as China's economic growth, the future of the United States, and the most effective ways to help countries move from poverty to prosperity[1][4][5].
In 'The Darwin Economy,' Robert H. Frank challenges the traditional libertarian view of economics by arguing that Charles Darwin's principles of natural selection provide a more accurate model for understanding economic competition. Frank contends that the 'invisible hand' of Adam Smith often fails in cases where the value of goods is relative rather than absolute, leading to collective action problems and market failures. He proposes policy changes, such as consumption taxes and 'sin taxes,' to address these issues and promote a more equitable distribution of wealth. The book highlights examples of 'positional consumption' and how individual self-interest can harm the community as a whole, drawing parallels with biological phenomena like runaway sexual selection[2][4][5].
In 'Ultrasociety', Peter Turchin argues that war has been a crucial factor in the evolution of human cooperation, leading to the formation of large, complex societies. He uses the science of cultural evolution to explain how conflict has shaped human history, creating both destructive and creative outcomes. The book challenges traditional views on cooperation and conflict, offering insights into the paradoxical role of war in fostering peace and societal advancement.
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3fG96gvgLU
David Sloan Wilson is an American evolutionary biologist and a Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at Binghamton University. https://twitter.com/David_S_Wilson
Curt Jaimungal is directing / writing an imminent documentary Better Left Unsaid http://betterleftunsaidfilm.com on the topic of "when does the left go too far?" Visit that site if you'd like to contribute to getting the film distributed (early-2021).
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00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:54 Is "the West" losing its values? What are those values? 00:05:24 Multi-level selection vs. Group Selection 00:11:10 The political right vs left in terms of level of evolutionary selection 00:12:51 Identity Politics framed in terms of group selection (plus a definition of Identity Politics) 00:15:04 Why can't a propitious argument made FOR Identity Politics? 00:20:05 How can we adopt a "whole Earth ethic" as a country, when others don't adopt it? 00:23:47 What do humans need to behave "selflessly" when animals get along with doing so? 00:28:16 Link between evolutionary theory and Buddhism 00:30:00 Humans are built to cooperate in small groups (not large) 00:32:49 We've selected ourselves for timidity 00:38:03 A synoptic view of "This View of Life" and the need for encompassing values 00:38:32 Classical economics (and some contemporary) is wrong and unadaptive 00:40:44 If we've been selected for altruism, why is it difficult? 00:44:54 Carl Jung and selfish acts being unselfish (because they harm you in the long-run) 00:50:24 A $1000 suit isn't to look good, but to look BETTER than the guy with a $500 suit 00:53:00 How good is altruism as a motivational agent for behavior? 00:55:54 Tribalism is the answer, not the problem 00:57:05 Problems with Social Constructionism 00:59:18 Postmodernism and David Sloan Wilson's issues with it 01:03:28 Women's studies / LGBTQ studies / etc. utilizing "tribal circuitry" 01:06:53 The "Ultimatum Game" in evolutionary psychology 01:09:55 On this "tribal circuitry" again 01:17:40 On the Nordic countries and the "homogeneity" argument 01:23:58 Is communism more adaptive than capitalism? 01:28:31 "Tight and loose" compared to totalitarian systems (existential security) 01:31:38 Which memes are prius to liberalism? 01:36:28 Are the Inuit less adapted than the White Europeans who invented centralized heating? 01:42:37 Is virtue as "honesty / forthrightness / generosity" a human universal given most studies are done on Westerners? 01:45:10 Is David Sloan Wilson a moral relativist? 01:47:38 The effects of arcane disciplines in Universities spreading outward to the culture 01:49:47 Evolutionary theory as a unifying language for the disparate fields of science 01:54:05 "When does the left go too far?" 01:56:18 Memes that last so long they affect our evolution 01:57:26 Dawkin's concept of "gene" was problematic, and thus so is "meme" 02:00:06 Jordan Peterson vs Susan Blackmore on memes and Jung 02:02:10 Chomskyan grammar and Pinker's language instinct is wrong 02:04:06 On Victor Huang's "innovation oasis"
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Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal 
