289 - Joe Henrich: How Culture Made Humans Weird
Summary
Anthropologist Joseph Henrich discusses how human culture evolved from small-scale kinship groups to large-scale societies, arguing that social norms and institutions, rather than genetics, drove this scaling. He explains how the Catholic Church broke down complex kinship systems in Europe, enabling the rise of impersonal institutions and the "WEIRD" (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) psychological profile. The conversation also explores how ancient DNA reveals cultural imprints on the genome, such as fire use and marriage patterns, and examines how modern technology expl…
Listen ad-free on Castria