{"product_id":"elephant-in-the-brain-hidden-motives-in-everyday-life-9780197551950","title":"Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life","description":"Human beings are primates, and primates are political animals. Our brains, therefore, are designed not just to hunt and gather, but also to help us get ahead socially, often via deception and self-deception. But while we may be self-interested schemers, we benefit by pretending otherwise. The\u003cbr\u003eless we know about our own ugly motives, the better - and thus we don't like to talk or even think about the extent of our selfishness. This is the elephant in the brain. Such an introspective taboo makes it hard for us to think clearly about our nature and the explanations for our behavior. The\u003cbr\u003eaim of this book, then, is to confront our hidden motives directly - to track down the darker, unexamined corners of our psyches and blast them with floodlights. Then, once everything is clearly visible, we can work to better understand ourselves: Why do we laugh? Why are artists sexy? Why do we\u003cbr\u003ebrag about travel? Why do we prefer to speak rather than listen? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOur unconscious motives drive more than just our private behavior; they also infect our venerated social institutions such as Art, School, Charity, Medicine, Politics, and Religion. In fact, these institutions are in many ways designed to accommodate our hidden motives, to serve covert agendas\u003cbr\u003ealongside their official ones. The existence of big hidden motives can upend the usual political debates, leading one to question the legitimacy of these social institutions, and of standard policies designed to favor or discourage them. You won't see yourself - or the world - the same after\u003cbr\u003econfronting the elephant in the brain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Simler, Kevin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/01\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780197551950\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 416\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.20d","brand":"Kevin Simler","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39643703181387,"sku":"9780197551950","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0021\/1697\/6715\/products\/img_4e15736f-3a48-436a-a610-67c0c48b83a8.jpg?v=1642515871","url":"https:\/\/blackbookstore.com\/products\/elephant-in-the-brain-hidden-motives-in-everyday-life-9780197551950","provider":"Black Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}