On Wisdom

(First Broadcast - 4th November 2019) Does that which doesn’t kill you make you weaker? Should we always follow our emotions? Is life a battle between good people and bad people? And critically, what might the adoption of these three popular, but unwise, ideas be doing to a rising generation of young adults? Jonathan Haidt joins Igor and Charles to discuss the three great untruths of modern life, the nature of antifragility, the 'great awokening,' rising violence on US university campuses, and the origin story of the Heterodox Academy. Igor suggests that diversity can help some projects while hindering others, Jon shares his ultimate conflict-resolving ninja skill, and Charles learns that conservative voters come in radically different shapes and sizes. Special Guest: Jonathan Haidt.Links:Original Broadcast: Episode 23 - Antifragility, Gut Feelings, and the Myth of Pure Evil (with Jonathan Haidt)Jon Haidt's Home PageWhy the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid - The AtlanticHaidt's writings and materials on the effects of social media on teens and democraciesReparations, systemic racism, and white Democrats’ new racial liberalism (On the Great Awokening) - VoxHeterodox AcademyThe Coddling of the American MindPredictors and consequences of intellectual humility - T. Porter, A. Elnakouri, E. Meyers, T. Shibayama, E Jayawickreme, I. Grossmann (2022) - Nature ReviewsJonathan Haidt: Can a divided America heal? | TED TalkA Conflict of Visions - Thomas SowellHow to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale CarnegieMore in Common - Publications - The Perception Gap / Hidden TribesThe Authoritarian Dynamic - Karen StennerE Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century - Robert D. PutnamThe emotional dog and its rational tail: a social intuitionist approach to moral judgment - Haidt (2001)The Coddling of the American Mind - International CoddlingWorld Happiness Report 2019 - Chapter 5: The Sad State of Happiness in the United States and the Role of Digital Media - Jean M. TwengeThe Happiness Hypothesis: Putting Ancient Wisdom to the Test of Modern Science: Amazon.co.uk: Jonathan Haidt: 8601300074849: BooksThe Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion: Amazon.co.uk: Jonathan Haidt: 0884607571077: Books

(First Broadcast - 28th December 2018) Can we design our workplaces to generate wiser behaviour? Why do we work anyway, and would we still work if we didn’t get paid? Do employers even want their employees to develop wisdom? Barry Schwartz joins Igor and Charles to discuss how Aristotle’s Practical Wisdom applies in the 21st Century, the reasons why we work, idea technology, the unintended consequences of rules-based systems, and the moral dangers and limits of incentives. Igor proposes the idea of algorithm-based wise machines, Barry suggests companies hire for character rather than skill, and Charles learns why, in wiser work places, the cost of free-riders may well be a price worth paying. Special Guest: Barry Schwartz.Links:Original Broadcast: Episode 11 - Wisdom at Work (with Barry Schwartz)Our Loss of Wisdom - Barry Schwartz (TED talk)Using Our Practical Wisdom - Barry Schwartz (TED talk)The Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz (TED Talk)Practical Wisdom (Book) - Barry Schwartz & Kenneth SharpeWhy We Work - Barry Schwartz (Book)The Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz (Book)Rethinking Work - Barry Schwartz (New York Times)

Igor and Charles return with a special announcement for On Wisdom listeners ...

A disturbing thought - might it be impossible for us to directly observe the workings of our minds? Richard Nisbett joins Igor and Charles to discuss a life lived on the cutting edge of behavioral sciences in the second part of the 20th Century. He shares tales from his groundbreaking research into our faulty mindware, discussing various biases, cultural differences in cognitive processes, our inability to directly observe our mental processes, and why job interviews are not only unhelpful but potentially harmful to our ability to hire the best person for the job. Igor is keen to learn about the human beings behind some of the 20th Century’s academic idols in social psychology like Daniel Kahneman, Amos Tversky and Lee Ross, Richard explains why important work and interesting work are not necessarily the same thing, and Charles struggles to make sense of when we do and don’t intervene to help strangers in peril. Welcome to Episode 43.Special Guest: Richard Nisbett.Links:Richard Nisbett's HomepageWorld After Covid - Richard Nisbett InterviewThinking: A MemoirThe Psychology of Thinking - with Richard Nisbett - Royal Institution Lecture (2016)Telling more than we can know: Verbal reports on mental processes - Nisbett & Wilson (1977)The influence of culture: holistic versus analytic perception - Nisbett & Miyamoto (2005)Intelligence: New findings and theoretical developments - Nisbett, Aronson, Blair, Dickens, Flynn, Halpern, Turkheimer (2012).

Which kind of wisdom will people need to master to overcome major negative societal and/or psychological changes after the pandemic? In the last episode of the World After Covid miniseries, Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Four final responses are selected, covering themes of big picture focus on what's important, shared humanity, long-term orientation, and political structural change in the midst of the pandemic. Igor reflects on how the immediate context can dramatically influence even experts' forecasts, and Charles is forced to question his cherished belief that people are ultimately good. Featuring: Barry Schwartz, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Swarthmore College and a visiting Professor at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley Nicholas Christakis, Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College London Michael Bond, Cross-cultural social psychologist with focus on locating Chinese interpersonal processes in a multi-cultural spaceLinks:World After Covid siteIgor Grossmann's homepage — interactive visualizations and analysis on the World After Covid projectExpert Predictions of Societal Change: Insights from the World after COVID Project - Grossmann, Twardus, Varnum, Jayawickreme, McLevey (2021, in press)Everyone Was Wrong on the Pandemic’s Societal Impact: Foreign Policy - Varnum, Hutcherson, Grossmann (2021)Estimating societal effects of COVID-19 - Hutcherson, Sharpinsky, Varnum, Rotella, Wormley, Tay, Grossmann (2021, preprint)How Life Could Get Better (or Worse) After COVID (berkeley.edu)Words of wisdom: 4 tips from experts on how to endure until the COVID-19 pandemic ends (The Conversation)Barry Schwartz Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteNicholas Christakis Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteAnand Menon Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteMichael Bond Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid site

Which kind of wisdom will people need to master to overcome major negative societal and/or psychological changes after the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of social support, sympathy & compassion, acknowledging uncertainty, and balancing diverse interests in the midst of the pandemic. Igor points out that humanity has a greater capacity for accepting and managing uncertainty than we might realize, and Charles is intrigued by the often-overlooked benefits of interactions with strangers. Featuring: Katie McLaughlin, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University Barbara Fredrickson, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Dilip Jeste, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at University of California, San Diego Valerie Tiberius, Paul W. Frenzel Chair in Liberal Arts and Professor of Philosophy at the University of MinnesotaLinks:World After Covid siteIgor Grossmann's homepage — interactive visualizations and analysis on the World After Covid projectExpert Predictions of Societal Change: Insights from the World after COVID Project - Grossmann, Twardus, Varnum, Jayawickreme, McLevey (2021, in press)Everyone Was Wrong on the Pandemic’s Societal Impact: Foreign Policy - Varnum, Hutcherson, Grossmann (2021)Estimating societal effects of COVID-19 - Hutcherson, Sharpinsky, Varnum, Rotella, Wormley, Tay, Grossmann (2021, preprint)How Life Could Get Better (or Worse) After COVID (berkeley.edu)Words of wisdom: 4 tips from experts on how to endure until the COVID-19 pandemic ends (The Conversation)Katie McLaughlin Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteBarbara Fredrickson Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteDilip Jeste Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteValerie Tiberius Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid site

Which domain or aspect of social life will show the most significant negative societal and/or psychological change in response to the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of autobiographical memory, estrangement, political conflict, and prejudice in the midst of the pandemic. Igor wonders how losing track of distinct day-to-day memories might distort our sense of who we are, and Charles considers the odd influence that a year of mask-wearing may have on how we'll interact with strangers in the post-pandemic future. Featuring: Jeffrey Zacks, Professor and Associate Chair of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Washington University Paula Niedenthal, Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison David Rooney, Honorary Professor of Management and Organisation Studies at Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University Douglas Kenrick, President’s Professor of Psychology at Arizona State UniversityLinks:World After Covid siteIgor Grossmann's homepageExpert Predictions of Societal Change: Insights from the World after COVID Project - Grossmann, Twardus, Varnum, Jayawickreme, McLevey (2021, in press)Everyone Was Wrong on the Pandemic’s Societal Impact: Foreign Policy - Varnum, Hutcherson, Grossmann (2021)Estimating societal effects of COVID-19 - Hutcherson, Sharpinsky, Varnum, Rotella, Wormley, Tay, Grossmann (2021, preprint)How Life Could Get Better (or Worse) After COVID (berkeley.edu)Words of wisdom: 4 tips from experts on how to endure until the COVID-19 pandemic ends (The Conversation)Jeffrey Zacks InterviewPaula Niedenthal InterviewDavid Rooney InterviewDouglas Kenrick Interview

Which domain or aspect of social life will show the most significant negative societal and/or psychological change in response to the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of social inequality, loneliness, economic hardships, and despair in the midst of the pandemic. Igor assesses 3 sharply contrasting visions of the future, and Charles reflects on the idea of pandemics as the downside of something mostly very beneficial - the highly social nature of our species. Featuring: Azim Shariff, Associate Professor and  Canada Research Chair of Moral  Psychology at the University of British Columbia, and director of the Center for Applied Moral Psychology Nicholas Christakis, Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University Roy Baumeister, Professor of Psychology at the University of Queensland Veronica Benet Martinez, Endowed position as an ICREA Professor at Pompeu Fabra University, where she is head of the Behavioral and Experimental Social Sciences research groupLinks:World After Covid siteIgor Grossmann's homepage — interactive visualizations and analysis on the World After Covid projectExpert Predictions of Societal Change: Insights from the World after COVID Project - Grossmann, Twardus, Varnum, Jayawickreme, McLevey (2021, in press)Everyone Was Wrong on the Pandemic’s Societal Impact: Foreign Policy - Varnum, Hutcherson, Grossmann (2021)Estimating societal effects of COVID-19 - Hutcherson, Sharpinsky, Varnum, Rotella, Wormley, Tay, Grossmann (2021, preprint)How Life Could Get Better (or Worse) After COVID (berkeley.edu)Words of wisdom: 4 tips from experts on how to endure until the COVID-19 pandemic ends (The Conversation)Apollo's Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live By Nicholas A. Christakis · 2020Azim Shariff Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteNicholas Christakis Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteRoy Baumeister Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteVeronica Benet Martinez Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid site

What kind of wisdom will people need to capitalize on the positive societal and/or psychological change after the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of critical thinking, intellectual humility, political cooperation, and solidarity in the midst of the pandemic. Igor wrestles with the challenge of identifying experts while lacking expertise ourselves, and Charles considers the potential downsides of clamouring for resignations when our leaders make mistakes. Featuring: David Dunning, Social Psychologist and recipient of the Distinguished Lifetime Career Award from the International Society for Self and Identity. Mark Schaller, Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia David Passig, Futurist, lecturer, consultant and best–selling author Jennifer Lerner, Thornton Bradshaw Professor of Public Policy, Decision Science, and Management at the Harvard Kennedy SchoolLinks:World After Covid siteIgor Grossmann's homepage — interactive visualizations and analysis on the World After Covid projectExpert Predictions of Societal Change: Insights from the World after COVID Project - Grossmann, Twardus, Varnum, Jayawickreme, McLevey (2021, in press)Everyone Was Wrong on the Pandemic’s Societal Impact: Foreign Policy - Varnum, Hutcherson, Grossmann (2021)Estimating societal effects of COVID-19 - Hutcherson, Sharpinsky, Varnum, Rotella, Wormley, Tay, Grossmann (2021, preprint)How Life Could Get Better (or Worse) After COVID (berkeley.edu)Words of wisdom: 4 tips from experts on how to endure until the COVID-19 pandemic ends (The Conversation)The Dunning-Kruger effect: Misunderstood, misrepresented, overused and … non-existent? - Skepchick (2020)Dunning-Kruger Isn't Real - Psychology Today (2020)David Dunning Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteMark Schaller Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteDavid Passig Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteJennifer Lerner Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid site

What kind of wisdom will people need to capitalize on the positive societal and/or psychological change after the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of sympathy and compassion, self-distancing, perspective-taking, and learning from pandemics in the midst of the pandemic. Igor wonders what being empathetic and compassionate even looks like online, and Charles ponders lessons not learned from past global catastrophes. Featuring: Roxane Cohen Silver, Social-Personality Psychologist and Adversity Research Trailblazer Laura Carstensen, Fairleigh S. Dickinson Jr. Professor in Public Policy and Founding Director of the Stanford Center on Longevity Edouard Machery, Distinguished Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and the Director of the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College LondonLinks:World After Covid siteIgor Grossmann's homepage — interactive visualizations and analysis on the World After Covid projectHow Life Could Get Better (or Worse) After COVID (berkeley.edu)Words of wisdom: 4 tips from experts on how to endure until the COVID-19 pandemic ends (The Conversation)Roxane Cohen Silver Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteLaura Carstensen Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteEdouard Machery Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteAnand Menon Interview — full interview and transcript on the World After Covid siteExpert Predictions of Societal Change: Insights from the World after COVID Project - Grossmann, Twardus, Varnum, Jayawickreme, McLevey (2021, in press)