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A review by danslimmon
Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind by Robert Kurzban
2.0
I read this book as part of Robert Wright's Buddhism And Modern Psychology online course. I was excited to read it because I find fascinating the concept of consciousness as a sort of "press secretary" that evolved to explain our actions to others. This would tie consciousness to language in a nice, satisfying way.
Unfortunately, in this book, Kurzban doesn't really elaborate on the "press secretary" concept. He spends a lot of time giving muddy exposition on psychological misconceptions about self-deception, and he does a lot of moral argumentation that doesn't seem related to his main point and doesn't really lead anywhere.
I still have an intuition that the modular model of the mind is right and that the experience of selfhood is just an illusion. But Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite doesn't solidify or add nuance to these ideas in any appreciable way.
Unfortunately, in this book, Kurzban doesn't really elaborate on the "press secretary" concept. He spends a lot of time giving muddy exposition on psychological misconceptions about self-deception, and he does a lot of moral argumentation that doesn't seem related to his main point and doesn't really lead anywhere.
I still have an intuition that the modular model of the mind is right and that the experience of selfhood is just an illusion. But Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite doesn't solidify or add nuance to these ideas in any appreciable way.