182: Paul Bloom on The Joy of Suffering and the Downside of Empathy

Today it's great to have Paul Bloom on the podcast. Dr. Bloom is the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Yale University. His research explores how children and adults understand the physical and social world, with special focus on morality, religion, fiction, and art. He is past-president of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, and co-editor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, one of the major journals in the field. Dr. Bloom is also author or editor of seven books, including Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion  In this wide-ranging and provocative episode we discuss:   Paul's graduate research with Steven Pinker Is language the result of biological evolution or cultural evolution? What "hardwired" really means Why innate mechanisms require environmental input The necessity of bias Some potential downsides of empathy The case for rational compassion  Cognitive empathy vs. affective empathy  Did Hitler have the capacity for empathy?  The joy of suffering  Why do we choose to suffer? The fundamental human need for exploration The human need to overcome challenges Would some people be content watching Netflix and smoking pot all day? The relationship between income and happiness  The importance of spending money well The psychology of expectation and pleasure If someone offer you more money, should you take it? Relief vs. pleasure Does enjoying something depend on how much we think we will enjoy something? Art and authenticity  Art and value judgements Would Tarzan believe in God? Are babies basically good? Why religion is so pervasive Are babies moral? How a powerful moral sense is responsible for an extraordinary amount of evil in the world Is moral grandstanding always bad? Why not everything is virtue signaling