The WEIRDest People in the World
by Joseph Patrick Henrich, Joseph Henrich, Korey Jackson · first published 2020
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Frames culture and psychology as products of history, arguing that the medieval Church's marriage rules weakened kinship ties and made Westerners individualistic. Suits readers wanting a new lens on why societies differ.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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You might be interested in the book 'The WEIRDest People in the World" by Joseph Heinrich. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/51710349-the-weirdest... It goes into the implications of institutions that were against polygamy and their impact on history among other…
on “Disintermediating friends: Online dating displaces other ways of meeting (2019) [pdf]” ↗For anyone interested in this topic, I can wholeheartedly recommend the book: "The WEIRDest People in the World" by Joseph Henrich. The book provieds a beautifully constructed framework to understand culture and its effect on psychological development, as well as economic development. 1. In the book, the author…
on “Why Isn’t the Whole World Rich?” ↗Two by Joeseph Henrich: 1. The Secret of Our Success https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/9474901 2. The Weirdest People in the World https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/26726468 The first explores the extent to which humans are dependent on culture. It also underscores that we're not as smart as we might think. There's valuable knowledge…
on “Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?” ↗…previously kidnapped him. I spent many years thinking about influence without any authority after reading this story and it’s probably had a significant shift in how I see the world and my role in it. 2. The WEIRDest people in the world by Joseph Henrich I grew up in India. This book helped me understand so much of the cultural differences between American culture and what I grew up with that it is easily one of the most valuable books…
on “Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?” ↗…(Matthew 22:15–22, Mark 12:13–17, Luke 20:20–26). Max Weber (1864-1920) was one of the first people to ask this question: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Weber For more recent thoughts, see The WEIRDest People in the World by Heinrich: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_WEIRDest_People_in_the_Wor... And Toby Huff (The Rise of Early Modern Science, Intellectual Curiosity and the Scientific Revolution): * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toby_Huff…
on “How did Europe become the richest part of the world?” ↗…"Before Religion". It definitely improved my understanding of what it is we even mean / have meant by "religion". For a more evolutionary understanding of religion, I'd recommend Joseph Henrich's "The WEIRDest People in the World" and "The Secret of our Success". Finally though certainly not least importantly, I'd recommend Iain McGilchrist's "The Master and His Emissary" and "The Matter with Things". Both touch on how it is…
on “Ask HN: What's the Best Book on Religion” ↗It’s been probably a year since I read The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich, but the ideas in there have really stuck in my head. The WEIRD acronym stands for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. The thesis is that the Christian Church inadvertently…
on “Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?” ↗Can’t recommend the book that coined this acronym enough: The WEIRDest People in the World Book by Joseph Henrich. It is such an eye-opening piece that explains so much of the world around us. He’s an anthropologist that goes into the psychology of it all. Touching on points like how religion…
on “AI tools are making the world look weird” ↗The obvious book recommendation here is: Joseph Henrich: The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous.
on “The future of independence is interdependence” ↗…conscience) or the importance of intent in our judgment of wrongdoing (manslaughter vs. murder) are, if you examine the historical and anthropological record, not actually universal at all. (Check out The WEIRDest People in the World by Joe Henrich if you're curious about these specific points.) The US Declaration of Independence is a classic example of this. It asserts: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are…
on “Hiring discrimination: a problem for men in female-dominated occupations” ↗For more on this see the book The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous: > The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous is a 2020 book…
on “The Birth of the Self” ↗…positive attributes with women compared to men" came from a sample of 322 college students (probably all from Purdue, the authors' institution). Makes me think of a quote from that fantastic paper, "The Weirdest People in the World" [2]: > Commonly, there is no demographic information about the participants, aside from their age and gender. In recent years there is a trend to qualify some findings with disclaimers such as “at least…
on “List of Cognitive Biases” ↗I haven't seen these mentioned, so: - The WEIRDest people in the world: on why societies evolved differently, and why the renaissance happened where it did. A completely new (for me) framework of thought - The Anomaly: ideal for people on Hacker News! My complete list…
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗…(Matthew 22:15–22, Mark 12:13–17, Luke 20:20–26). Max Weber (1864-1920) was one of the first people to ask this question: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Weber For more recent thoughts, see The WEIRDest People in the World by Heinrich: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_WEIRDest_People_in_the_Wor... And Toby Huff (The Rise of Early Modern Science, Intellectual Curiosity and the Scientific Revolution): * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toby_Huff…
on “How did Europe become the richest part of the world?” ↗…Arabia? Joseph Henrich says it’s the medieval church’s prohibition on cousin marriage, which dissolved the strong kinship bonds that dominate the rest of the world. He has a book on the subject called The WEIRDest People In The World which is good.
on “Wikipedia editors serving long sentences in Saudi Arabia since 2020” ↗