E81: Status, Sacred, and Neglected Truths with Robin Hanson

In this episode of Upstream, Erik Torenberg is joined by economist and futurist Robin Hanson. 

They dissect the intricacies of human motives, the psychology of status, and the profound impact of self-deception on behavior. Robin shares his revolutionary ideas for reforming academia and his pioneering work on prediction markets and his thoughts on the future of innovation amidst falling fertility rates.

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NdYGg0SgCwgBNMk7EHnB6 

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LINKS:

The Elephant in the Brain, Robin Hanson and Kevin Simler https://amzn.asia/d/82WLQX6 

Robin Hanson and Agnes Callard’s podcast Minds Almost Meeting https://mindsalmostmeeting.com/ 

Agnes Callard on Upstream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g2F0e-LZjM 

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(04:25) How Robin developed his theory of the Sacred

(07:52)The Sacred binds people together

(16:05) Why elites drive innovation

(17:43) Sponsor: Dealcraft | Fundrise

(19:48) Plebeians, wonks, and plutocrats

(36:10) Gossip networks

(37:00) Sponsors: Ats | Squad

(39:08) Proposal to fix academia

(45:31) Falsehoods

(01:05:05) Double agents in our minds

(01:08:31) What is cringe?

(01:12:27) Therapy

(01:16:55) How falling fertility will affect innovation

(01:23:43) Social change strategies for reviving fertility rates

(01:25:05) Wrap