Summary of Kevin Simler & Robin Hanson’s The Elephant in the Brain

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We, the human species, not only act on hidden motives, but we’re naturally designed to do so. Our brains are programmed to act in our own interest, even while we are trying hard not to be selfish. That’s why our brain often keeps our conscious mind in the dark. The more we ignore our ugly, hidden motives, the easier it is for us to keep them hidden from others, too. Self-deception is a strategic ploy that our brain adopts to disguise our bad behavior, and the key to change is understanding it.

In The Elephant in the Brain (2017), writer Kevin Simler and professor Robin Hanson uncover the hidden motives behind our main social behaviors and shed light on unexamined aspects of public life: respected social institutions in which nearly all participants are strategically self-interested, self-deceived, and driven by social signaling.