The Bunker – News without the nonsense Daily: Chasing Status – Are we hard-wired to fight for glory?
Are humans really driven by desire for power, money, sex and comfort – or is something even deeper at play? Beneath greed, acquisitiveness, and even altruism and self-sacrifice is an even more fundamental motivation, says science writer Will Storr: the scramble for status. He tells Andrew Harrison about his new book The Status Game: On Social Position And How We Use It, and the hidden social systems that program us to perform acts of great benefit to our fellows, deeds of heroism… and some of the most infamous crimes in human history.
- “We're a tribal animal. And once we’ve connected with our tribe, the jostling for position begins.”
- “The brain’s basic rule is ‘connect with people and go for status’.”
- “Morality is just a way we play for status.”
- “Humans are at their worst when they’re deprived of status.”
- “Even people who complain about virtue signalling are virtue signalling themselves.”
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Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production
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