Robin Hanson | The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives and Social Agendas

“Humans play with social rules - that way we can test the boundaries without actually violating the rules”

Robin Hanson is a pioneer in rigorous futurism, an Economics professor at George Mason University, a Future of Humanity Institute Research Associate, and the founder of OvercomingBias.

In this podcast episode, Hanson discusses his book “The Elephant In The Brain”. Hanson argues that our brains are designed to help us get ahead socially, often via deception and self-deception. The less we know about our own ugly motives, the better - and thus we don't like to talk about how selfish we might really be. This is "the elephant in the brain." 

Session Summary: (425) Robin Hanson: Enlightening Hidden Motives & Social Agendas @Foresight Institute - YouTube

Music:

Comfortable Mystery 4 - Film Noire by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

I Knew a Guy by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Foresight Institute is a research organization and non-profit that supports the beneficial development of high-impact technologies. Since our founding in 1987 on a vision of guiding powerful technologies, we have continued to evolve into a many-armed organization that focuses on several fields of science and technology that are too ambitious for legacy institutions to support.

Allison Duettmann is the president and CEO of Foresight Institute. She directs the Intelligent Cooperation, Molecular Machines, Biotech & Health Extension, Neurotech, and Space Programs, Fellowships, Prizes, and Tech Trees, and shares this work with the public. She founded Existentialhope.com, co-edited Superintelligence: Coordination & Strategy, co-authored Gaming the Future, and co-initiated The Longevity Prize. 

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