Crisp conversations with critical thinkers at the leading edge of science, technology, politics, and social systems.

Joe Henrich talks to Jim about some of the key insights from his book The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar & Particularly Prosperous. Joe Henrich talks to Jim about some of the key insights from his book The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar & Particularly Prosperous. They cover who the WEIRD people are & what impact their WERDness has on academic research the impact of literacy on cognition nature & nurture the unique characteristics of WEIRD people individualist vs relational dispositions guilt vs shame cultures how events in Middle Ages driven by the Catholic Church lead to WEIRDness kin-based institutions & cultures non-kin organizations in societies & their impacts differing views on justice individualism's role in innovation & wealth wholistic vs analytical thinking moral universalism free will possible WEIRD genetic drivers and more. Episode Transcript Mentions & Recommendations Joe's book The WEIRDest People in the World Joe's paper The weirdest people in the world? JRS: EP100 Sam Bowles on Our Cooperative Nature Joe on Twitter Jonathan Haidt Dr. Henrich is currently a Harvard Professor and Chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology. Before moving to Harvard he was a professor of both Economics and Psychology at the University of British Columbia for nearly a decade where he held the Canada Research Chair in Culture Cognition and Coevolution. In 2013-14 Dr. Henrich held the Peter and Charlotte Schoenenfeld Faculty Fellowship at NYU’s Stern School of Business. His research deploys evolutionary theory to understand how human psychology gives rise to cultural evolution and how this has shaped our species’ genetic evolution. Using insights generated from this approach Professor Henrich has explored a variety of topics including economic decision-making social norms fairness religion marriage prestige cooperation and innovation. He’s conducted long-term anthropological fieldwork in Peru Chile and in the South Pacific as well as having spearheaded several large comparative projects.

EP104 Joe Henrich on WEIRD People

The Jim Rutt Show