Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin The big sort
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Feb 6, 2019 Explore the whimsical world of categorization! Discover how birds link to dinosaurs and why humans sort everything from art to dog breeds. Dive into the power of rankings and how they shape perceptions, plus the allure of being number one. Learn about the pitfalls of dividing people into labels and the importance of seeing individuals as unique categories. Seth also shares insights on art curation, shifting business classifications, and the charm of blending categories to create something new!
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Why We Taxonomize To Find Things
- Taxonomy helps us find and organize things so we need less memory to locate items.
- Seth shows examples from libraries, kitchens, and Airbnbs to illustrate this practical benefit.
Ranking Shapes Perception And Power
- We create categories to rank and confer status, which changes behavior and incentives.
- Controlling taxonomies lets gatekeepers influence what people value and consume.
Dog Breeds As Artificial Categories
- Seth uses dog breeds and the Westminster Dog Show to show taxons are artificial human constructs.
- He points out all dogs exist on a spectrum despite breed categories used in shows.
