Person
Every book Rob Kurzban recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Rob Kurzban has recommended or discussed 4 books on podcasts, as of June 13, 2024.
- Rob Kurzban has talked about books on 1 podcast, as of June 13, 2024.
- Those books came up in 1 episode, as of June 13, 2024.
- The 3 books Rob Kurzban has mentioned in the most episodes, as of June 13, 2024: Les Miserables, The Bell Curve and The Coddling of the American Mind.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Rob Kurzban aired on June 13, 2024.
Updated
Rob Kurzban appears on Modern Wisdom, where conversations frequently explore evolutionary psychology, human morality, and the societal frictions arising from human nature in the modern world. Throughout his podcast appearance, Kurzban discusses a variety of notable books and academic publications to frame historical and psychological phenomena. He brings up Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray's controversial book The Bell Curve to examine past academic controversies regarding human traits and public discourse. Kurzban also references Andrew Doyle's The New Puritans while analyzing contemporary moral panics and the importance of safeguarding hard-won cultural freedoms against ideological overreach. Additionally, he draws upon classic literature, citing Victor Hugo's Les Miserables to illustrate historical dynamics of power, immunity, and social standing during interpersonal conflicts. Finally, Kurzban alludes to the core concepts found in Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt's The Coddling of the American Mind, discussing evolutionary mismatch theories and the psychological vulnerabilities of modern humans. Through these literary and academic touchstones, Kurzban provides deep context for his insights into human behavioral evolution.
Books recommended by Rob Kurzban
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Les Miserables
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is an epic 1862 French novel following ex-convict Jean Valjean and other characters against a sweeping backdrop of nineteenth-century social injustice and revolution.
Discussed“I also like the example for I don't know why it is but in Lay mes right where the nobleman or whatever gets into it with is it fontine or Cosette”
Where to get it
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The Bell Curve
The Bell Curve by Richard J.
Discussed“like I remember people doing stuff on you know like the bell curve came out and sure there was some controversy”
Where to get it
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The Coddling of the American Mind
The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt investigates how modern safetyism, declining childhood resilience, and the rapid rise of social media are negatively impacting the mental health and emotional development of younger generations.
Discussed“I mean this is one of these things where you start taking this mismatch idea seriously we like oh this really matters because we're these barely you know we barely came down from the trees”
Where to get it
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The New Puritans
The New Puritans by Andrew Doyle examines modern social justice movements and online cancellation culture by drawing historical parallels to the Salem witch trials.
Discussed“and I think what you know I didn't read the new Puritans but it sounds to what he's pointing to is we don't want to sacrifice those gains”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Evolutionary Psychology Of Human Morality - Rob Kurzban - #796 | Modern Wisdom | 2024-06-13 | 4 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“part of the reason I wanted to write about emotions is I'm looking at the myths and I'm reading about the stories and the plays and you see the same emotions, right? In in the in the in the classics, not to mention the ancients. You see in the Bible”