142 | Altruism | Why We Do What We Do

What to Expect:

We do our best to define altruism through the ways others have defined it. We break down the philosophical traditions that have tried to define, explain, and promote altruism. We read from some religious texts on altruism. We failed to point out in this discussion that if someone were to intend harm and do good, that would technically meet the definition of altruism but also not be something we’d want to promote. In the end, we advocate for prosocial behavior and point out that the definition is not particularly helpful right now.

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Links for Today:

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-38896790 (Good investigative reporting on the lack of evidence for shortening attention spans)
https://medium.com/mind-cafe/correcting-the-myth-of-the-shortened-attention-span-92817c61fba8 (Article summarizing study on shortening attention span and why it’s not true)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/10/28/parents-dont-buy-myth-short-attention-span-column/74213712/ (Blue’s Clues as an example of how attention spans are relevant to the subject at hand)
https://time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/ (The entirely too credulous study of shortening attention spans as reported by Time Magazine)
https://www.wired.com/2014/09/cinema-is-evolving/ (The entirely too credulous discussion about shortening shot lengths in movies as representative of shortening attention spans)

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