What determines which policies a person votes for? Is it their personality, their upbringing, blind loyalty to their political party? Or is it self-interest -- people voting for policies that will benefit themselves and the groups they belong to? This episode features psychologist Jason Weeden, arguing that self-interest is a much bigger determinant of voter behavior than most political scientists think it is. Jason and Julia talk about why researchers disagree over this question, and what "self-interest" even means.

Rationally Speaking #187 - Jason Weeden on "Do people vote based on self-interest?"

Rationally Speaking is the bi-weekly podcast of New York City Skeptics. Join host Julia Galef and guests as they explore the borderlands between reason and nonsense, likely from unlikely, and science from pseudoscience. Any topic is fair game as long as we can bring reason to bear upon it, with both a skeptical eye and a good dose of humor!
We agree with the Marquis de Condorcet, who said that in an open society we ought to devote ourselves to "the tracking down of prejudices in the hiding places where priests, the schools, the government, and all long-established institutions had gathered and protected them."Rationally Speaking was co-created with Massimo Pigliucci, is produced by Benny Pollak, and is recorded in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village.

Society & Culture

Science

Philosophy

Rationally Speaking is the bi-weekly podcast of New York City Skeptics. Join host Julia Galef and guests as they explore the borderlands between reason and nonsense, likely from unlikely, and science from pseudoscience. Any topic is fair game as long as we can bring reason to bear upon it, with both a skeptical eye and a good dose of humor! We agree with the Marquis de Condorcet, who said that in an open society we ought to devote ourselves to "the tracking down of prejudices in the hiding places where priests, the schools, the government, and all long-established institutions had gathered and protected them."Rationally Speaking was co-created with Massimo Pigliucci, is produced by Benny Pollak, and is recorded in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village.

Share Rationally Speaking #187 - Jason Weeden on "Do people vote based on self-interest?"

Sign up to save your podcasts

Rationally Speaking #187 - Jason Weeden on "Do people vote based on self-interest?"

Rationally Speaking #187 - Jason Weeden on "Do people vote based on self-interest?"

More shows like Rationally Speaking Podcast

Radiolab

Hidden Brain

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Left, Right & Center

Making Sense with Sam Harris

EconTalk

Conversations with Tyler

The Audio Long Read

The Joe Walker Podcast

If You're Listening

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

Dwarkesh Podcast

Decoding the Gurus

The Ezra Klein Show

Plain English with Derek Thompson