Thread by @nbashaw

This year, @slatestarcodex has written a series of essays that I think are heading towards a unified theory of human behavior that is incredibly useful (and maybe new?!)

it's called CULTURAL EVOLUTION

~ here's a thread where i try to unpack it ~

Our story starts in January, when SSC reviewed Kuhn's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions."

Here he describes the process that determines the behavior of scientists: slatestarcodex.com/2019/01/08/boo…

It doesn't require much imagination to realize this doesn't just apply to science!

Paradigms are models of the world (i.e. beliefs). We all rely on them to guide our behavior. If a paradigm seems fruitful, you'll join in. If not, you'll explore alternatives.

For example, belief in everyday paradigms (large and small, silly and serious) guides behavior just the same as belief in scientific paradigms guides scientists:

(Side note: I had a conversation with @danshipper years ago where he was reading Kuhn and realized that this is also how entrepreneurship works. Founders are like scientists that notice the need for a new paradigm, and try something new to see if it works better.)

Paradigms exist in a hierarchy of abstraction.

The very specific "male romper" paradigm is a part of the larger "fun/risky clothing" paradigm, which is a part of the "attract attention" paradigm.

"Capitalism" is general, and gets elaborated into all sorts of specific policies

Some paradigms contradict each other, and can't co-exist in the same mind without causing a lot of trouble.

(For example, even if you can ignore the irony of believing in capitalism and engaging in monopolistic rent-seeking, doing so might get you ostracized from the community.)

There are other paradigms that may offer few tangible rewards (e.g. crystal healing—probably doesn't heal much) but do offer social rewards that make it worth it to adherents.

@KevinSimler has written an excellent essay on this: meltingasphalt.com/crony-beliefs/

Back to @slatestarcodex.

After he published his review of "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" he published an addendum slatestarcodex.com/2019/01/10/par…

"Paradigms All The Way Down"

It talks about how our perception is governed by our paradigms:

A huge portion of our cognitive biases are geared towards making our existing paradigms stick. But why?

This gets us to the next cultural evolution theme: independent thinking is *dangerous*

In SSC's review of @JoHenrich's "The Secret of Our Success," he shares some fascinating anecdotes proving this.

Some tribes use "oracle-bones" to tell them where to hunt. Others have an elaborate process for preparing manioc, a toxic root. They're both essential for survival.

If you try to innovate here, you could die.

(This is an argument for Chesterton's fence: you don't want to mess with paradigms that work, because you're probably not so smart.)

The reason humans have surpassed all other animals is not that we're so smart. It's that we're better at propagating cultural paradigms that work through generations.

Human see, human do!

So why am I so interested in this?

I think the theory of cultural evolution could connect to psychology and economics to explain a lot of human behavior. If you can figure out what paradigms a person has, you can predict a lot about what they'll do.

Also, maybe we could come up with standard measures of the health of a paradigm. Is it growing, and bearing fruit for adherents? Stagnant? On the brink of collapse?

Having a shared language around this could connect a lot of ideas in business, science, and culture broadly.

Also, maybe if we really care about social justice, we should be working on ways to broaden access to effective paradigms?

https://twitter.com/nbashaw/status/1133848872315265024

In closing, I think cultural evolution is a really powerful idea and I am starting to view everything through the lens of paradigms. It connects a lot of disparate phenomena.

Why is this important? Having a shared paradigm unlocks progress.

Cultural evolution might be one hell of a shared paradigm!

I wonder what progress it could unlock