#1041 - Dr Debra Lieberman - Why Don’t You Have Sex With Your Sister?

Why do we get sick? Why hasn’t natural selection, over millions of years, prevented us from getting cancer, heart disease, and depression?

The science of evolutionary medicine says that our bodies have evolved over millions of years as a set of compromises, largely in pursuit of reproductive fitness. Put concisely, whatever gets you to survive and have kids is going to persist in the gene pool, even if it causes you lots of disease and pain in adult life. Learn more about the evolutionary roots of obesity, infectious disease, aging, and depression.

In The Moral Animal, journalist Robert Wright uses evolutionary psychology to explain the hidden forces driving human behavior. Drawing from research in biology, anthropology, and psychology, Wright argues that our minds and social instincts were shaped by natural selection to maximize reproductive success in our ancestral environments—and these ancient programming patterns continue to influence everything from our romantic relationships to our moral judgments today. This evolutionary lens helps explain why people treat others differently based on their social status, why parents invest more in some children than others, and why monogamy is so difficult to stick to.

Wright argues that by understanding the role of instinct in our daily lives, we can become more aware of our motivations and more understanding of others. Our guide will explore how evolution shaped human instincts for finding mates, raising families, and navigating social environments. Finally, we’ll take a look at Wright’s arguments for how an evolutionary perspective should change our understanding of morality.

Throughout most of the 20th century, the mainstream intellectual view of human nature was that humans are benevolent blank slates, with immaterial souls distinct from their physical bodies. But, according to cognitive psychologist and public intellectual Steven Pinker, this view is mistaken. In The Blank Slate, Pinker argues that contemporary science shows instead that humans have an innate tendency toward conflict, personalities shaped by their genes, and entirely physical minds.

In this guide, we’ll outline the three components of the mainstream view of human nature—empiricism, romanticism, and dualism—that Pinker critiques. We’ll then discuss his scientific arguments against these components, and we’ll look at three parts of his alternative scientific conception of human nature. Finally, we’ll discuss what his scientific view means for gender differences, politics, and how we understand children.

Why do we get sick? Why hasn’t natural selection, over millions of years, prevented us from getting cancer, heart disease, and depression?

The science of evolutionary medicine says that our bodies have evolved over millions of years as a set of compromises, largely in pursuit of reproductive fitness. Put concisely, whatever gets you to survive and have kids is going to persist in the gene pool, even if it causes you lots of disease and pain in adult life. Learn more about the evolutionary roots of obesity, infectious disease, aging, and depression.

In The Moral Animal, journalist Robert Wright uses evolutionary psychology to explain the hidden forces driving human behavior. Drawing from research in biology, anthropology, and psychology, Wright argues that our minds and social instincts were shaped by natural selection to maximize reproductive success in our ancestral environments—and these ancient programming patterns continue to influence everything from our romantic relationships to our moral judgments today. This evolutionary lens helps explain why people treat others differently based on their social status, why parents invest more in some children than others, and why monogamy is so difficult to stick to.

Wright argues that by understanding the role of instinct in our daily lives, we can become more aware of our motivations and more understanding of others. Our guide will explore how evolution shaped human instincts for finding mates, raising families, and navigating social environments. Finally, we’ll take a look at Wright’s arguments for how an evolutionary perspective should change our understanding of morality.

Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and author, Dawkins argues that biology’s focus on organisms is misguided, and that life should instead be considered from the point of view of individual genes trying to perpetuate themselves through countless generations.

Though the book begins with the premise that biologists think too large (organisms instead of genes), it ends with the surprising idea that they think too small—that genes have much greater impacts on the world than simply creating bodies to inhabit. Dawkins offers compelling arguments for why we should think about biology as ranging from the microscopic to the wider world.

Do you prefer to listen to sad songs? Do you seek out beauty in everyday life? If so, you may have a bittersweet disposition. In Bittersweet, Susan Cain defines bittersweetness as the state of experiencing intense joy, sadness, and yearning simultaneously. She argues that you can glean greater meaning and wisdom from life when you embrace bittersweetness, even if you don’t naturally have a bittersweet disposition.

In this guide, we’ll explore different facets of bittersweetness, starting with the link between bittersweetness and our yearning for love and belonging. We’ll also discuss the hidden power of sadness for fostering empathy and creativity. Finally, we’ll examine how awareness of life’s impermanence can help us find deeper meaning in our relationships and everyday lives. In our commentary, we’ll discuss the science behind bittersweet emotions, different perspectives on how to think about impermanence, and further suggestions for coping with grief.