Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite Quotes

“This might be one reason that politicians appear to be such hypocrites. My guess is that—and maybe I'm just naïve—politicians, despite appearances, aren't actually all that much more hypocritical than the rest of us. It's just that the rest of us skate by without anyone noticing.”
― Robert Kurzban, Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind

“The notion that we systematically adopt false beliefs to “protect the self” is illogical when you consider that whatever the mind is designed to do, it must be to get things done, not to make us happy.”
― Robert Kurzban, Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind

“If you don't stop looking for a mate until you're certain that you've found the absolute perfect match for you, then the most likely outcome is that you never stop searching. Sad.”
― Robert Kurzban, Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind

“We’re all in favor of moral rules that prevent others from doing things that harm our own interests. Just look at the Seven Deadly Sins, a list of all those things we don’t want other people to do, though we might well have an interest in doing them all ourselves. (Symmetrically, “virtues” are traits you want other people to possess—altruism, modesty, chastity —even if you yourself are better off avoiding them.)”
― Robert Kurzban, Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind

“How is this symphony of modules coordinated? The short answer is that I don't know, and I don't think that anyone really knows, and that the answer is that there's no one answer, but that, yes, it's all very interesting.”
― Robert Kurzban, Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind

“Gould's strategic errors, painting himself a defender of a completely sensible view in opposition to views held by no one, was thoroughly effective. He died famous, wealthy, and wrong.”
― Robert Kurzban, Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind

“r. We’re all in favor of moral rules that prevent others from doing things that harm our own interests. Just look at the Seven Deadly Sins, a list of all those things we don’t want other people to do, though we might well have an interest in doing them all ourselves. (Symmetrically, “virtues” are traits you want other people to possess—altruism, modesty, chastity —even if you yourself are better off avoiding them.)”
― Robert Kurzban, Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind

“The modules that cause behavior are different from the ones that cause people to voice agreement with moral rules. Because condemnation and conscience are caused by different modules, it is no wonder that speech and action often conflict.”
― Robert Kurzban, Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind

“The key idea is that the human mind is like an iMind, with lots of killer apps all bundled together. Did our ancestors face a particular adaptive problem? Yeah, there's an adaptation for that.30”
― Robert Kurzban, Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind

“Representational formats are important and interesting, and I'm going to ignore them for the most part.”
― Robert Kurzban, Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind