Beyond the Ballot Box

Are People Fundamentally Selfish?


Listen Later

We often hear that human beings are inherently selfish; That we’re naturally driven by profit and personal wealth accumulation; That success is solely determined by one’s superior intelligence or work ethic, and that we love to compete. We say this is human nature. 

But is this literally human nature from a scientific point of view or is it merely a perspective derived from a particular political-economic ideology, namely capitalism or perhaps even more specifically neoliberalism that rapidly permeated across the world since the 1980s?

In this episode, we unpack this topic with Karim Bettache, who’s a political/social psychologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He’s been researching and writing about this topic for many years now, including in a paper he wrote in 2024 titled Where Is Capitalism? Unmasking Its Hidden Role in Psychology. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Beyond the Ballot BoxBy BFM Media


More shows like Beyond the Ballot Box

View all
From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

370 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,837 Listeners

Economist Podcasts by The Economist

Economist Podcasts

4,255 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

961 Listeners

The Breakfast Grille by BFM Media

The Breakfast Grille

3 Listeners

The Property Show by BFM Media

The Property Show

1 Listeners

The Interview by BBC World Service

The Interview

360 Listeners

Sinica Podcast by Kaiser Kuo

Sinica Podcast

597 Listeners

Morning Brief by BFM Media

Morning Brief

1 Listeners

Economics Explained by Economics Explained

Economics Explained

147 Listeners

Today I Learned by BFM Media

Today I Learned

1 Listeners

Drum Tower from The Economist by The Economist

Drum Tower from The Economist

345 Listeners

Keluar Sekejap by Khairy Jamaluddin dan Shahril Hamdan

Keluar Sekejap

10 Listeners

Cruise Control by BFM Media

Cruise Control

0 Listeners

What's the Focus by BFM Media

What's the Focus

0 Listeners