![[Everyday] Psychophilosophy](https://everydaypsychophilosophy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/cropped-10-21-16-unsquished-everydaypsychophilosophy-header.png)
Choice Blindness
When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice. — William James (the father of psychology) The other day, my girlfriend had a photoshoot, and she asked for my opinion on which of two shirts to wear. With my advanced degree in boyfriendology, I provided a very thoughtful response. As the actual photoshoot neared, however, my girlfriend again asked for my preference, and once more, I pointed to...
Are Safe Spaces Helpful?
People demand freedom of speech as compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use. — Soren Kierkegaard At the commencement address for University of Notre Dame’s 2017 graduating class, Vice President Pence had the following to say: Far too many campuses across America have become characterized by speech codes, safe zones, tone policing, administration-sanctioned political correctness—all of which amounts to...
Shocking Statistics
In America, the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat, but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires. — Ronald Wright Let’s begin today with a little game: First, I want you to click on this link and read the instructions/description on that page. Once you’ve done that, I’d like you to actually ask yourself: How do you believe the wealth is currently divided in the US? For example, of the top 20% earners, how much of...
Robot Psychology
We’re fascinated with robots because they are reflections of ourselves. — Ken Goldberg If you watch The Terminator, robots aren’t really that great to humans—unless being besties in the future entails enslavement and eradication. Indeed, most movies with “sentient” robots paint them somewhat malevolently (e.g., The Matrix; I, Robot; all of the other Terminator movies). In our own reality, though, even Bill Gates, Elon...
The History of Humans
Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin. —Charles Darwin Today, I left for San Antonio to attend the annual conference for the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, where I (my mouth still speckled with BBQ sauce I’m sure) will engage with the research of thousands who are trying to understand and explain human behavior. But to really see the “why” behind what humans...