#793 Adam Bulley - The Invention of Tomorrow: A Natural History of Foresight
RECORDED ON FEBRUARY 22nd 2023.
Dr. Adam Bulley is a postdoctoral fellow at the Brain and Mind Centre and School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, and the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. In his research he uses the tools of evolutionary and cognitive psychology to study the mind and human behavior. Specifically, he investigates the evolution, development, and psychological mechanisms of imagination, foresight, decision-making, and emotion. He is the author (together with Thomas Suddendorf and Jonathan Redshaw) of The Invention of Tomorrow: A Natural History of Foresight.
In this episode, we focus on The Invention of Tomorrow. We start with the evolution of foresight; and talk about life history theory, and how foresight is a universal human trait. We discuss its development. We get into the particular case of the Pirahã. We talk about foresight in other animals and extinct hominin species. We discuss the neuroscience of foresight, and how it relates to memory, including how dementia affects both memory and foresight. We discuss how foresight might have driven cultural evolution, and how cultural artifacts enhance foresight. Finally, we talk about the role of foresight in the development of the modern era, particularly the scientific method, and we discuss if people in industrialized societies really have longer time horizons.
Time Links:
Intro
The evolution of foresight
Life history theory, and foresight as a universal human trait
The child development of foresight
Do the Pirahã not think about the future?
Foresight in other animals
Foresight in extinct hominin species
The neuroscience of foresight, and how it relates to memory
How dementia affects memory and foresight
How foresight drives cultural evolution
Can cultural artifacts enhance our foresight?
The role of foresight in the development of the modern era
Do people in industrialized societies really have longer time horizons?
Follow Dr. Bulley’s work!
Follow Dr. Bulley’s work:
Website: https://bit.ly/3rjzwNd
The Invention of Tomorrow: https://bit.ly/3I1ogyy
Twitter handle: