Evolutionary biologist Bret Weinstein, Ph.D. joins host Pete Kelly, Ph.D., C.Psych for a wide-ranging discussion around how the understanding of ourselves from an evolutionary lens might help us to build the awareness needed at both the level of the individual as well as the collective, to identify, manage (and even solve) our most emergent and pressing challenges. In this discussion they explore in depth:
- some of our more challenging characteristics as a species and the selection pressures that led to the evolution of these traits.
- Drs. Weinstein & Heyings' model of the interplay between consciousness & culture.
- the propensity for humans - both at the level of the individual as well as collectively - to view themselves as immune to maladapative, but predictable historical patterns.
- an evolutionary lens on leadership and engaging in difficult conversations in the service of truth mapping and problem-solving.
- conceptualization of mental illness from an evolutionary perspective, with a focus on evaluation of symptoms in context as well as relative to historical selection pressures vs the unique challenges of modernity.
- the value of utilizing all emotions - including those which are unpleasant - as problem-solving tools as well as how psychotherapy can assist in this respect.
- evolutionary perspectives on human sexuality and sexual competition.
- Dr. Weinstein's application of our understanding of biological senescence (i.e., aging) to the understanding of the arc of societies as well as the lives of individuals (and how we might avoid the downfalls of such a trajectory).
- a brief consideration of the rise of Trump through an evolutionary lens.
- Dr. Weinstein's advice and perspective for transcending the challenges of our evolutionary legacy to address the existential threats faced by all of us at the present moment.
Bret Weinstein has spent two decades advancing the field of evolutionary biology, earning his PhD at the University of Michigan, before teaching at The Evergreen State College for 14 years, from which he resigned his tenured position in 2017. He has developed a new Darwinian framework based on design trade-offs, and made important discoveries regarding the evolution of cancer, senescence and the adaptive significance of moral self-sacrifice. He is currently working to uncover the evolutionary meaning of large scale patterns in human history, and seeking a game theoretically stable path forward for humanity. With his wife, Heather Heying, he is co-writing A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century, and is the host of Bret Weinstein’s DarkHorse podcast.
https://www.youtube.com/BretWeinsteinDarkHorse
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https://bretweinstein.net/