Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2024-08-07
Books mentioned on Paul Bloom on the Psychology of Children, and the Morality of Empathy and Disgust
Paul Bloom is a renowned psychologist and writer specializing in moral psychology, particularly how moral thoughts and actions develop in children.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible by Dan Cohn-Sherbok is an ancient foundational collection of religious texts detailing the history, law, and prophetic traditions of the Jewish people.
Discussed“So, one idea and this this is Robert Wright's claim. I think other people have argued this that we start off polytheistic polytheism is sort of the default. Society start off polytheistic. Even in the Hebrew Bible, it might begin rather polytheistic when when God talks about not worshipping other gods uh instead of him, he's literally talking about other”
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Against Empathy
Paul Bloom's influential book Against Empathy argues that radical empathy is often flawed, acting more like a form of in-group loyalty that can ultimately drive hostility toward out-groups while advocating instead for a framework of rational compassion.
Discussed“Your view that there's too much empathy, you wrote a book called Against Empathy. What emotion in you does that come from?”
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Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua is a controversial memoir that explores strict parenting philosophies and the cultural contrasts between Western and Eastern approaches to raising children.
Discussed“Amy Amy Chua who who is a friend of mine who brought the the idea in her Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.”
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The Principles of Psychology
The Principles of Psychology by William James is a foundational 1890 work by the American psychologist and philosopher that examines human consciousness, habit, and mental life.
Recommended“I I I have gone through my my my adult life my my whole life without ever reading Principles of Psychology by William James. And then a couple of friends of mine invited me on their podcast to talk about his chapter on habit. And I read it and it blew me away. It's an incredible book.”
