Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

Is evolutionary psychology just a bunch of "just so" stories? (with Geoffrey Miller)

Sep 13, 2023

01:12:42

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Geoffrey Miller, an evolutionary psychologist, explores the misconceptions and relevance of evolutionary psychology. They discuss cultural variations, universal behavior patterns, gender continuum test, aversion to incest, speed dating, and challenges of incorporating religious and political values into AI systems.

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Quick takeaways

Evolutionary psychology combines insights from various sciences to understand human behavior.

Critics often misunderstand evolutionary psychology, assuming it supports harmful behaviors.

Studying non-human primates and diverse cultures helps understand universal patterns and cultural variations in human behavior.

Deep dives

The Importance of Evolutionary Psychology in Understanding Human Behavior

Evolutionary psychology is a valuable discipline that seeks to understand human nature by studying the challenges our ancestors faced in prehistory. It combines insights from various sciences like primate studies, anthropology, and behavior genetics to unravel the origins and functions of human motivations, emotions, beliefs, and desires. While some critics argue that evolutionary psychology provides overly simplistic explanations for complex behaviors, it is a legitimate and rigorous science that undergoes empirical testing and revision. For example, studies on ovulatory cycle effects and ethical non-monogamy have led to revisions of previous hypotheses. Overall, evolutionary psychology offers valuable insights into understanding human behavior and motivations.

Refuting Monogamous Interpretations in Evolutionary Psychology

01:54

The dangers of self-replicating AI and the need for safety measures

01:48

Building Trust with Feedback and Friendships

01:56

Measuring and Understanding Cognitive Abilities Across Different Species

02:06

Introduction

2min

Misconceptions about Evolutionary Psychology

15min

Considering Cultural Variation in Evolutionary Psychology

2min

Universal Behavior Patterns, Mating Systems, and the Gender Continuum Test

4min

Cultural Variations and Evolutionary Programming

17min

A cool business idea, feedback, and free templates

3min

Challenges of Incorporating Religious and Political Values into AI Systems

17min

The challenges of aligning AI with human values

13min

Read the full transcript here.

Why do even people who accept evolutionary explanations for most biological phenomena often push back against evolutionary explanations for human psychology? To what extent should humans adjust their behavior in light of evopsych findings? How do evopsych researchers avoid formulating "just so" stories to explain specific behaviors? What can we infer about human behavior from the behaviors of chimps, bonobos, gorillas, or orangutans? What is the evopsych view of incest (which most people seem to find disgusting but which is also one of the most popular porn categories)? Are emotions primarily shaped by evolution or by culture? How can evopsych findings be applied to everyday things like dating? A safely-aligned AI system should presumably support the majority of human values; so how should AI alignment researchers think about religious values, which are generally held by the majority of humans but which differ radically in their specifics from group to group? What are some other rarely-considered AI alignment blind spots?

Geoffrey Miller is an evolutionary psychologist best known for his books The Mating Mind (2001), Mating Intelligence (2008), Spent (2009), and Mate (2015). He also has over 110 academic publications addressing sexual selection, mate choice, signaling theory, fitness indicators, consumer behavior, marketing, intelligence, creativity, language, art, music, humor, emotions, personality, psychopathology, and behavior genetics. He holds a B.A. in biology and psychology from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Stanford University, and he is a tenured associate professor at University of New Mexico. Follow him on Twitter at @primalpoly, or find out more about him on his website, primalpoly.com.

Staff

Spencer Greenberg — Host / Director
Josh Castle — Producer
Ryan Kessler — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram — Factotum
WeAmplify — Transcriptionists
Miles Kestran — Marketing

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Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

Is evolutionary psychology just a bunch of "just so" stories? (with Geoffrey Miller)

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Importance of Evolutionary Psychology in Understanding Human Behavior

The Role of Politics and Perception in Pushbacks against Evolutionary Psychology

The Use of Evidence from Primates and Cultural Variations in Evolutionary Psychology

Pornography: The Distinction Between Incest and Step Sibling Porn

Understanding Emotions from an Evolutionary Perspective

Refuting Monogamous Interpretations in Evolutionary Psychology

The dangers of self-replicating AI and the need for safety measures

Building Trust with Feedback and Friendships

Measuring and Understanding Cognitive Abilities Across Different Species

Get the Snipd
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AI-powered
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Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

Is evolutionary psychology just a bunch of "just so" stories? (with Geoffrey Miller)

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Importance of Evolutionary Psychology in Understanding Human Behavior

The Role of Politics and Perception in Pushbacks against Evolutionary Psychology

The Use of Evidence from Primates and Cultural Variations in Evolutionary Psychology

Pornography: The Distinction Between Incest and Step Sibling Porn

Understanding Emotions from an Evolutionary Perspective

Refuting Monogamous Interpretations in Evolutionary Psychology

The dangers of self-replicating AI and the need for safety measures

Building Trust with Feedback and Friendships

Measuring and Understanding Cognitive Abilities Across Different Species

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