#752 Paul Bloom - Psych: The Story of the Human Mind
RECORDED ON MARCH 2nd 2023.
Dr. Paul Bloom is Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, and Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. Dr. Bloom studies how children and adults make sense of the world, with special focus on pleasure, morality, religion, fiction, and art. He has won numerous awards for his research and teaching. He is past-president of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, and co-editor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. He is the author of seven books, including his latest Psych: The Story of the Human Mind.
In this episode, we focus on Psych. We talk about a mechanistic conception of mental life in modern psychology, and the relationship between the mind and the brain. We discuss modularity of mind. We talk about consciousness and its functions. We discuss if Freud’s theories have any scientific value, the insights and limitations of Skinner’s behaviorism, and what we learned from Piaget about child development. We touch on the nature vs. nurture debate. We talk about the relationship between language and thought. We discuss if humans are rational. We talk about relational psychology, and phenomena like racism and ethnocentrism. We talk about individual differences. We discuss what mental illness is, and how we can treat it. Finally, we discuss what a good life for humans is.
Time Links:
Intro
A mechanistic conception of mental life in modern psychology
The mind and the brain
Is the mind modular?
Consciousness
Do any of Freud’s theories have scientific value?
Skinner and the behaviorists
Piaget and developmental psychology
Nature vs. nurture
The relationship between language and thought
Are humans rational?
Relational psychology, and in-group/out-group dynamics
Individual differences
Mental illness
How to treat mental illness
What is a good life for humans?
Follow Dr. Bloom’s work!
Follow Dr. Bloom’s work:
Our first interview: https://youtu.be/iai9H0e2H2g
Our second interview: https://youtu.be/zYwSdER010M
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3n6sruY
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/3eJfJ2B
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/35iQIrM
Psych: https://bit.ly/3WnhdEt
Twitter handle: @paulbloomatyale