The Surprising Science of Cynicism (Plus: The Policy Paradox of the 2024 Election)

The Surprising Science of Cynicism (Plus: The Policy Paradox of the 2024 Election)

Derek shares his biggest frustrations about the 2024 election, like the lack of a policy debate and blind spots in news coverage and polling analysis. Then he welcomes Jamil Zaki to the show: a professor of psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. Zaki is the author of ‘Hope for Cynics,’ a new book that explores tension at the heart of human affairs. On one hand, social cooperation is the basis of human civilization. And yet cynicism—a baseline aversion to social cooperation and assumption that most people are greedy, selfish, and dishonest—is also core to the human experience. We are constantly violating the secret of our own success by assuming the worst in others, and Professor Zaki explains why. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Jamil Zaki Producer: Devon Baroldi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(352)

How China's Economic Miracle Went Off the Rails

How China's Economic Miracle Went Off the Rails

This month, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China (PRC) met in San Francisco amid trade wars and even the prospect of a catastrophic hot war over Taiwan. Their...

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Inside the OpenAI Meltdown

Inside the OpenAI Meltdown

Today’s episode is about whatever the hell just happened—is still happening—at OpenAI, where CEO Sam Altman has been fired, almost rehired, and then shipped off to Microsoft, while the most famous sta...

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The Media is Missing Something Big in Biden’s Bad Polling Numbers

The Media is Missing Something Big in Biden’s Bad Polling Numbers

Today’s episode is about the question of the moment in politics: the meaning of Joe Biden’s terrible polling numbers. Today’s guest is Nate Cohn, chief political analyst at the New York Times, where h...

17 Nov 202350min

How ChatGPT Can Change the Future of Jobs—Starting With Your Own

How ChatGPT Can Change the Future of Jobs—Starting With Your Own

Today’s episode is about thinking practically about the AI revolution. Yes, it may one day usher in some now unthinkable utopia or dystopia. But in the meantime, our imperfect world exists, and your i...

14 Nov 20231h

What Most People Get Wrong About Wealth, Fame, and Happiness

What Most People Get Wrong About Wealth, Fame, and Happiness

Morgan Housel, the author of 'The Psychology of Money' and a partner at Collab Fund, talks about his new book, 'Same as Ever,' on the virtues of ancient truths in a world where everything seems to be ...

10 Nov 20231h 4min

The Fragile Hope for Peace in Israel-Palestine

The Fragile Hope for Peace in Israel-Palestine

In the last few weeks, our coverage of this conflict has tried very hard to see the problem from as many angles as possible. In our first episode, we considered the political motivations of Hamas’s Oc...

7 Nov 202350min

Could a Housing Recession Take Down the U.S. Economy?

Could a Housing Recession Take Down the U.S. Economy?

One year ago, it was a matter of conventional wisdom among experts that the U.S. was on the brink of a recession. They were wrong. The latest GDP report showed America’s real output growing at a 4.9 p...

3 Nov 202337min

Two Israel-Palestine Historians Explain: How Did We Get Here? And What Happens Next?

Two Israel-Palestine Historians Explain: How Did We Get Here? And What Happens Next?

The eminent Israeli historian Benny Morris walks us through the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, from antiquity to October 7. And the excellent historian of Palestine, Zachary Foster, digs...

31 Okt 20231h 8min

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