Here's my quick summary of The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by @robinhanson and @KevinSimler. The big thesis is that we humans are strategically blind to key aspects of our motives, namely self-interest and in-group interest. 1/n
The authors argue this self-deception seems to be a feature of the human brain, not a bug. Why do we deceive ourselves? In short, we’re much more effective at being selfish when we aren’t aware of our own selfish motivations. This blind spot is the Elephant in the Brain. 2/n
Whether it’s religion, politics, school, career, charity, or social media...our beliefs and actions seem to be indelibly shaped by both conscious and unconscious drives to act in ways that increase our social status and status within the various groups we identify with. 3/n
This idea - that our actions are much more Machiavellian than we even realize and that self-deception is by design - may sound cynical, or even taboo. But this model seems to map onto reality better than others I've encountered so far. 4/n
It’s not a fun theory. It might even be a dangerous theory. But it’s NOT a model that we should disregard simply because it's not one that we want to believe. Like AA, the first step (for us humans) on the road to moral progress might just be admitting that we have a problem. 5/n
Assuming further research backs up these ideas in this book, it would seem damn important that society acknowledges the Elephant in the Brain. Then we could better align incentives to constrain the Elephant, or even find ways to use the Elephant for good. RECOMMEND. 6/6
