#110 Barbara Oakley: Evil Genes, and Pathological Altruism
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Dr. Barbara Oakley is a Professor of Engineering at Oakland University. She is involved in multiple areas of research, ranging from STEM education, to engineering education, to learning practices. Her work focuses on the complex relationship between neuroscience and social behavior. She has published in outlets as varied as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Her research has been described as “revolutionary” in the Wall Street Journal. She’s the author of Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed, and My Sister Stole My Mother’s Boyfriend, and the editor of Pathological Altruism.
In this episode, I talk with Dr. Oakley about some of the topics of her books, and particularly about pathological altruism, its many manifestations, and its relation to empathy. We also talk a bit about psychopathy, and other negative psychological traits, and their innate and developmental aspects.
Time Links:
What are “evil genes”?
The issue with labelling psychological conditions
What is pathological altruism?
When well-meaning tendencies lead to bad outcomes
Pathological altruism and psychological traits
About empathy
When pathological altruism is aggravated by morality
About psychopathy, Machiavellianism, borderline personality disorder
Innate and acquired aspects
Follow Dr. Oakley’s work!
Follow Dr. Oakley’s work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/y97qjemq
Personal website: https://barbaraoakley.com/
Coursera profile: https://tinyurl.com/ycek8ylf
Books: https://tinyurl.com/y7xvfwpd
Twitter handle: @barbaraoakley