Dr. Jordan B. Peterson

All right, well, you got to cheat. There's the benefit. What's the downfall? Well, I can't trust myself. I'm a liar. She can't trust me. Okay, so what's the problem with that? You want to be alone? You want to be a parasitical psychopath? Like, what's your goal here?

All right, well, you got to cheat. There's the benefit. What's the downfall? Well, I can't trust myself. I'm a liar. She can't trust me. Okay, so what's the problem with that? You want to be alone? You want to be a parasitical psychopath? Like, what's your goal here?

And so the problem, part of the problem with just calling, let's say, is it can become short-term and it can entice you into false micro-adventures that... don't propagate well across time and that disturb other people.

And so the problem, part of the problem with just calling, let's say, is it can become short-term and it can entice you into false micro-adventures that... don't propagate well across time and that disturb other people.

You know, you said something when we were talking just before the interview started about, because I was asking you what you thought you might be doing right with regard to your podcast, say that would account for its popularity. And you said, well, you're in it for the long run.

You know, you said something when we were talking just before the interview started about, because I was asking you what you thought you might be doing right with regard to your podcast, say that would account for its popularity. And you said, well, you're in it for the long run.

Well, a fundamental part of cortical maturation from a biological perspective is that you start to see things in the long run. And then you don't do things in the short term that are exciting and even adventurous that violate what? The propagation of the adventure across time. You know, you can envision it this way socially. If you and I have an honest conversation. Okay. Yes.

Well, a fundamental part of cortical maturation from a biological perspective is that you start to see things in the long run. And then you don't do things in the short term that are exciting and even adventurous that violate what? The propagation of the adventure across time. You know, you can envision it this way socially. If you and I have an honest conversation. Okay. Yes.

Imagine that you have a guest who uses your podcast in a manipulative way, okay? They could gain some short-term advantage, putting you down, let's say, playing a power game, using the podcast as a means to enhance their economic standing or their social standing. Well, what's the problem with that? Well, they're not going to get invited back. Well, you do that 20 times, you're done, right?

Imagine that you have a guest who uses your podcast in a manipulative way, okay? They could gain some short-term advantage, putting you down, let's say, playing a power game, using the podcast as a means to enhance their economic standing or their social standing. Well, what's the problem with that? Well, they're not going to get invited back. Well, you do that 20 times, you're done, right?

Okay, so one of the ways of thinking about this, if you're trying to understand what constitutes morality, technically is that the moral pathway, if I'm interacting with you morally, assuming you're treating yourself properly, our interactions are going to have to be of the kind that you want to voluntarily repeat. That's what you have with a friend.

Okay, so one of the ways of thinking about this, if you're trying to understand what constitutes morality, technically is that the moral pathway, if I'm interacting with you morally, assuming you're treating yourself properly, our interactions are going to have to be of the kind that you want to voluntarily repeat. That's what you have with a friend.

And there's a pattern to that, obviously, a pattern of reciprocity, a pattern of mutual aid, unless it's a pathological friendship, in which case it's likely to collapse anyways. But that's a constraint. repeatability, voluntary repeatability across time is a real constraint.

And there's a pattern to that, obviously, a pattern of reciprocity, a pattern of mutual aid, unless it's a pathological friendship, in which case it's likely to collapse anyways. But that's a constraint. repeatability, voluntary repeatability across time is a real constraint.

And it's something like the future because it's across time, but it's also something like the constraint on your actions by the necessity for you to be embedded in a voluntary social framework, right? And that's a huge advantage. You know, like one of the things you can think about, for example, there's this game that economists play. behavioral economists. So this is how the game works.

And it's something like the future because it's across time, but it's also something like the constraint on your actions by the necessity for you to be embedded in a voluntary social framework, right? And that's a huge advantage. You know, like one of the things you can think about, for example, there's this game that economists play. behavioral economists. So this is how the game works.

You pick two people and you say to one of them, I'm going to give you a hundred dollars and you have to split it with this person. If they accept the offer, then you get the hundred and you pay them. But if they refuse the offer, neither of you get anything. So that's the game. Now, if you play that across cultures, what you find is that regardless of socioeconomic status, people offer 50%.

You pick two people and you say to one of them, I'm going to give you a hundred dollars and you have to split it with this person. If they accept the offer, then you get the hundred and you pay them. But if they refuse the offer, neither of you get anything. So that's the game. Now, if you play that across cultures, what you find is that regardless of socioeconomic status, people offer 50%.

Okay, now this violates the tenets of classical economics, which views people as self-maximizers. Because if I'm only going to play a game with you once, I should take $99 and give you one. And you should take one because, what, do you want zero or do you want one? But that isn't what people do. They split it 50-50. Now then you might ask, why? Well, You don't play one-off games with people.

Okay, now this violates the tenets of classical economics, which views people as self-maximizers. Because if I'm only going to play a game with you once, I should take $99 and give you one. And you should take one because, what, do you want zero or do you want one? But that isn't what people do. They split it 50-50. Now then you might ask, why? Well, You don't play one-off games with people.