unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc

While Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is still the most widely accepted, it may be missing a key component: cooperation. And how can mathematical equations help us understand this fundamental piece of evolutionary biology? Martin Nowak is a professor of mathematics and biology at Harvard University. His books like, Evolutionary Dynamics: Exploring the Equations of Life and SuperCooperators: Altruism, Evolution, and Why We Need Each Other to Succeed use the intersection of mathematics and biology to delve deeper into our understanding of evolution theory. His latest book, Beyond, is an exploration of how mathematics and religion are intertwined.  Martin and Greg discuss the five mechanisms of cooperation including direct and indirect reciprocity, how game theory evolved from economics as a way to explain strategic decisions of humans, and the role of religion and spirituality in promoting cooperative norms.*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:To what extent is punishment necessary to keep cooperation going?27:38: ​​Punishment, if you really think about it, is a terrible idea. Because, in most cases, punishment is not done for any noble reason. In most cases, punishment is just an act of violence. And every well-ordered society absolutely wants to make sure that people don't take the law into their own hands — that they just don't punish others. This is, for me, the principle of a functioning society: that we do not punish each other. So, for me, cooperation often means to refrain from punishment. And punishment is a very dangerous weapon. And I think many people have actually understood that critique — that punishment between individuals is a bad idea. And then they are still out there to say that it could be more useful if punishment is done by institutions. But also here, I'm very cautious. Because institutions are also not necessarily the best players all the time. They are the powerful players, and they could also use it inappropriately. So, I think that punishment is extremely problematic.Does mathematics lead us to God?43:47: It is not true that science explains everything. And now you should pause and ask yourself, so there is something which is independent of science, which is deep truth, which is absolute truth, which is unchanging truth. Where does that live? You know, where is that actually, if it's not in the atoms, if it's not in this, in the material world? So, this leads us to mathematical platonism. So, for me, mathematics is a step toward spirituality. It's a step toward the divine, as you say. And so, does mathematics lead us to God? Yes. The answer is yes, in my opinion, because it leads to a platonic heaven. And that is already the step of God. Does biology lead to God? Yes. Also because, in biology, the best understanding of evolution is mathematical. And so again, you need mathematics in order to understand evolution.What is the mechanism of direct reciprocity?15:12: The idea here is that, yes, interactions are repeated, but not necessarily between the same two people. So, I might help somebody who is a complete stranger. Or, in my class, I often talk about the New York subway hero, this brave man who saved another person who fell in front of the train. And, sort of, this isn't really the beginning of a long, repeated game. So, the question is, why do we have this instinct that we want to help? Even if it is with somebody we don't know, presumably a direct interaction is unlikely. And here, the proposal is that this works because of reputation. So, you help somebody, and that gets you the reputation of a valuable member, which is a person who receives help. Or, you refuse help to somebody, and that then will earn you other refusals in the future.Transcending the ego to unveil the nameless self50:05: Once you start to love the divine, you treat people differently; it becomes embracing. And so, if you also start to learn the difference between the ego and the self, there's this shell, and we are enslaved by the shell. And this shell has a name. And that name—we want to make that name famous. Then, we are sad if other people are against us. But inside us, there is the self. And the self is nameless, and the self is untouchable. The self can only be touched by us, not by othersShow Links:Recommended Resources:Theory of Games and Economic Behavior by John von Neumann and Oskar MorgensternJohn Maynard SmithEvolutionary Games and Population Dynamics by Josef Hofbauer and Karl SigmundW. D. HamiltonNoam ChomskyWesley Autrey“Winners Don’t Punish” by Anna Dreber, David Rand, Drew Fudenberg, and Martin NowakError catastropheGuest Profile:Faculty Profile at Harvard UniversityProfessional WebsiteHis Work:Evolutionary Dynamics: Exploring the Equations of LifeSuperCooperators: Altruism, Evolution, and Why We Need Each Other to SucceedBeyondVirus dynamics: Mathematical principles of immunology and virologyEvolution, Games, and God: The Principle of Cooperation

Robin Hanson, Professor of Economics, discusses hidden motives in human behavior with Greg LaBlanc. They explore the role of social norms in decision-making, the importance of signaling in conversations, and the true intentions behind our choices, challenging conventional views on consumer behavior.

Geoffrey West dives into the universal laws of growth, innovation, and sustainability across biology, cities, economies, and companies. Discusses scaling laws affecting heartbeats, city rhythms, and corporate lifespans. Explores how cell phone data uncovers city insights and network analysis, along with challenges in mapping growth patterns within companies. Reveals the evolution of metaphors into substantial frameworks bridging physics, biology, and economics.

Rebecca Homkes, a lecturer at London Business School and author, discusses reframing uncertainty as an opportunity for growth with Greg LaBlanc. They explore the importance of aligning agility with strategy, utilizing uncertainty to drive innovation, and the necessity of continuous learning and adaptability in navigating unpredictable business landscapes.

Leading experts in economics and law, Robert Cooter and Michael Gilbert, discuss the integration of law and economics, the impact of economic theories on public law, and how legal rules shape behavior and incentives. They delve into the role of economics in judicial contexts and the importance of understanding the intersection of economics and law for comprehensive societal development.

Ian Goldin, Oxford University Professor of Globalisation and Development, discusses the intertwined nature of global connectivity and the risks it poses. They explore modern urbanization trends and the challenges cities face, emphasizing the need for global cooperation and resilience. Ian leaves us inspired to adopt global stewardship in our daily lives, drawing lessons from working with Nelson Mandela.

Ilya Strebulaev, Professor of Private Equity at Stanford GSB, discusses the venture mindset with Greg. They explore how traditional corporate strategies are evolving, the role of venture capitalists in decision-making, contrarian investment decisions, and the convergence of institutional and corporate VCs.

Are there reasons to doubt  the conventional wisdom of greenery as the cure-all for urban ills. What are the roots of the Garden City movement, and how has the reality of it been different than the theory?Des Fitzgerald is a professor of medical humanities and social sciences at University College Cork Ireland, and also the author of a recent book titled, The Living City: Why Cities Don't Need to Be Green to Be Great. (released in the UK with a different title: The City of Today is a Dying Thing.Greg and Des discuss how urban landscapes aren't just about aesthetics; they're intricately linked to our national identity and cognitive functions. Des helps us uncover how architecture influences our sense of place and impacts our brains, and explores the role of culture in shaping our environmental perceptions. The conversation spans everything from peat briquettes to Georgian-style facades. Des also guides us through an enlightening discussion on the burgeoning field of medical humanities and the innovative concept of green social prescribing within the NHS.*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:The transformative shift in environmental neuroscience39:32: Something that is becoming really interesting in this space is the emergence of environmental neuroscience, as I think a relatively new, increasingly interesting, and powerful discipline. Environmental neuroscience exists for a whole bunch of reasons, but certainly the increasing sense that we're able to take a brain measure while a person moves around the space in three dimensions. That's, I think it's something that can be done imperfectly now. It's still very much in progress, but at least we have a horizon in which that's going to become pretty possible at kind of high-resolution research grade relatively soon. And that is transformative, actually, if the three dimensions of a space become truly available as a variable for brain measurement. Then something does happen, and something does change in that moment.What’s wrong with planting a lot of trees?43:13: What concerns me about urban tree planting is what we're not talking about when we're talking about urban trees, right? So the amount of social and public problems that trees are meant to solve is ridiculous. It's everything from mental health to youth crime to skills in some parts of England, where they're planting trees in an English town because it's like the people of the town have low skills for some reason. It just seems to go for not tackling boring social problems, right? So, for instance, it's very real that there are major mental health problems in cities. I think there is something very serious about the way we have constructed the contemporary city—that it has bad effects for lots of people.We need to stop centering urban discourse on charismatic megafauna of global urbanism45:37: We need to stop centering urban discourse on the kind of charismatic megafauna of global urbanism, right? And look at the kind of, what I would genuinely call the crap cities, right? The kind of second-tier, slightly stronger places, like places like Cork, Cardiff in Wales, where I used to live. I'm not sure what your go-to North American examples would be, but I'm still in those kinds of, like, lower-tier, maybe Poughkeepsie, Peoria, these kinds of places. That's your kind of modular urban experience, I think. And those are places I think we need to take much more seriously culturally and socially.Interdisciplinarity in medical humanities49:09: I think what folks in the field are trying to do is do something a little bit more collaborative and a little bit more imaginative, and not just have the philosopher who will sign off your ethics forms, but try to think seriously about how philosophy can inform experimental design. How philosophical work can itself be informed by stuff that's happening in biology and the life sciences. I'm trying to really get at the kind of complex space between those things where you're doing work that is not quite humanities or science but some kind of magic third thing.Show Links:Recommended Resources:Le CorbusierGarden city movementFrederick Law OlmstedEbenezer HowardJohn MuirPlan VoisinEdwin LutyensPort SunlightWilliam LeverSamuel SmilesNeomEdward C. TolmanGeorges-Eugène HaussmannNapoleon IIIMedical humanitiesWellcome TrustGuest Profile:Faculty Profile at University College CorkHis Work:Amazon Author PageThe City of Today is a Dying ThingThe Living City: Why Cities Don't Need to Be Green to Be GreatThe Urban Brain: Mental Health in the Vital CityRethinking Interdisciplinarity across the Social Sciences and NeurosciencesGoogle Scholar Page

Associate professor of English Robin Reames discusses the power of rhetoric in modern conversations. They explore spontaneous speaking, historical roots of rhetoric, and the transformative potential of language in public debates. Learn how studying rhetoric can make you a tougher critic of persuasive techniques.

Joseph Rouse, a professor of philosophy and science, explores how human activities shape our biology through niche construction, connecting cultural and biological evolution. He discusses the intricate network of social justice, individual freedom, and political democracy within human life. Rouse challenges the simplistic view of human behavior as solely geared towards reproductive success, offering a fresh perspective on evolutionary biology