The Context Of Meaning
December 10, 2019
Nick Chater— In an ever more mechanized world, and with science revealing the hidden processes of nature with ever more precision, the desire to reassert the value of the non-mechanical,… READ MORE
Category: Psychology
What Got Antivaxxers to Vax in New York City
November 14, 2019
Richard Robb— In fall 2018, measles returned to New York City. It was hardly surprising, given the alarmingly widespread resistance to vaccination. According to a recent survey, 2% of Americans believe… READ MORE
There Are No Non-Believers
November 1, 2019
Agustín Fuentes— We all believe. But we are not all religious. Belief is an evolved capacity that incorporates our neurobiology, our behavior, our cultures, our histories, our individual development and… READ MORE
Can Human Beings Understand the Economy?
April 12, 2019
Pascal Boyer— It is in the nature of human beings that they create societies. Philosophers have known and said that much for millennia. These days, scientists can paint a detailed… READ MORE
Why Multilingualism Matters – A Q&A With Marek Kohn
March 1, 2019
In a world that has global English and translation technology, it’s easy to assume that the need to use more than one language is diminishing— but it is more important… READ MORE
Understanding Empathy
December 21, 2018
Susan Lanzoni— “Where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin?” asked the philosophers Andy Clark and David Chalmers in 1998, considering the case of Otto, a… READ MORE
The Prosperous Brain
November 26, 2018
Kelly Lambert, Ph.D.— Although scholars have debated the exact meaning of Thomas Jefferson’s reference to the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence, the phrase can be traced to… READ MORE
The Origin of Empathy
November 21, 2018
Susan Lanzoni— Is it possible to empathize with lines in an abstract design, with the expansive reach of a tree, the sweep of a bird’s flight, or the imposing rise… READ MORE
Ep. 59 – The Psychology of Human Societies
June 14, 2018
We’re all part of groups, large or small, but how and why do humans form groups and societies? We look at how cognition influences society and what it means for… READ MORE
(Self-)Righteous Anger
March 4, 2018
Judson Brewer— In 2010, I went on a monthlong silent retreat with the aim of working on and possibly stabilizing a special c concentration type of meditation practice (jhana) that… READ MORE
A Conversation with Trudier Harris on Bigger: A Literary Life