Tag Archives: Evolutionary Psychology

How to Beat the Social-Isolation Blues

Posted on May 9, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Are you discouraged? Depressed? Fearful? Confused? Unmotivated? Then I’ve got a cure for you. It’s guaranteed. It costs nothing. And it will pay dividends for the rest of your life. You need to know three things. The first two are … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Science | Tagged Evolutionary Psychology, Faith, Hope, Neuroscience, Optimism, Positive attitude, Psychology, Wisdom | 3 Comments

What’s Your Choice?

Posted on September 12, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Some people might get mad at me for saying this, but I’m against kicking puppies. I’m also against being mean to children and old people. I like democracy but I agree with Winston Churchill that “it’s the worst form of … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Psychology, Society | Tagged Belief, Choice, Decline of violence, Evolutionary Psychology, Existential choice, Foundations of morality, Genetic influences on belief, Group beliefs, Moral Choice, Morality, Retributive justice, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature | 2 Comments

When Smart People Get Stupid Ideas

Posted on July 8, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

If you want to hear stupid ideas, talk to a stupid person. But if you want to hear incredibly, mind-bogglingly stupid ideas, talk to a smart person. It’s not a new insight. Political pundit William F. Buckley once said that … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology | Tagged Arrogance, Common sense, Dartboard fund, Evolutionary Psychology, Intelligence, Over-confidence, Prediction, Satoshi Kanazawa, Smart people, The evolutionary legacy principle, The Savannah principle | 3 Comments

How To Be Crazy — Constructively

Posted on April 11, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

A while back, I wrote about “How Not To Be Crazy.” And if you must choose between being totally crazy and being totally sane, it’s better to be sane. But let’s face it: total sanity is kind of a barren … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Cervantes, Don Quixote, Evolutionary Psychology, First-world problems, In-Group, Insane, Manichaean, Manichaeism, Out-Group, Quixotic, Simplistic thinking, Social Conflict | 2 Comments

They’re Not Lying

Posted on December 21, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

Do you have friends who say things that are obviously wrong? Maybe it’s politics, religion, gender, or some other touchy subject. This might help: Your friends aren’t lying. And they’re not evil, either, unless you have very bad judgment about … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Human Relations, Life, Psychology, Society | Tagged Beliefs, Debate, Error, Evolutionary Legacy Principle, Evolutionary Psychology, Fallible, Human judgment, Infallible, Knowledge, Lying, Mistake, Tolerance | Leave a comment

“Why is everybody wrong except me?”

Posted on August 4, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: “These are the times that try men’s souls,” wrote American founder Thomas Paine. Our own times are more likely to try people’s patience than their souls. We can’t stop shouting at each … Continue reading →

Posted in Judaism, Philosophy, The Jewish Journal | Tagged Evolutionary Legacy, Evolutionary Psychology, Moral Tribes, Political campaigns, Tribal thinking | Leave a comment

Ending the Violence, Part 2

Posted on December 27, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

My new blog post for The Jerusalem Post: As I discussed in last week’s blog post, human violence has some specific biological causes: kin selection, territoriality, and lack of empathy. We are created in God’s image spiritually, but our bodies … Continue reading →

Posted in Judaism, The Jerusalem Post | Tagged Aggression, Evolutionary Psychology, Intifada, Kin Selection, Peace, Public Choice, Talmud, Territoriality, Terrorism, Violence | Leave a comment

Ending the Violence, Part 1

Posted on December 19, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: “The road to disaster is paved with pleasant illusions, and the way to deal with evil is not to ignore it,”1 advised Abraham Joshua Heschel. The English philosopher Francis Bacon wasn’t Jewish, … Continue reading →