Hello everyone, Jim here. We're taking a brief two-week break from new episodes to spotlight a couple of golden oldies from the archive. Years later, these remain some of my favorite conversations. We’ll be back soon with fresh episodes, but in the meantime,  here's my September 2022 chat with the always interesting Will Storr. 

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Will Storr is an award winning journalist and author. His book ‘The Status Game’ transforms our understanding of human nature by demonstrating how our unconscious desire for status ultimately drives our behaviour. Important Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/wstorr?s=21&t=ZdtIqP9eE3_a5qZocDjEXQ
• Website: https://willstorr.com
• The Science of Storytelling: https://www.thescienceofstorytelling.com

Show Notes:

• Will’s origin story
• The strange case of David Irving
• The fundamental nature of status games
• The Stanford prison experiment and dominance games
• The status games played by cults
• Luxury beliefs
• Why we are all moral hypocrites
• The importance of being funny
• Social status and socioeconomic status
• Human OS and the education system
• How status seeking leads to the “very best of human nature”
• The murderous nature of reputation destruction
• The post WW1 humiliation of Germany
• Loaded magazine
• Finding the true reason behind seemingly crazy beliefs
• The value of religion
• Trading status
• Spreading humility
• Why we could be wrong about our closest beliefs

Books Mentioned:

• The Unpersuadables: Adventures with the Enemies of Science; by Will Storr
• The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History; by Howard Bloom
• The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism; by Howard Bloom
• The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich
• The Science of Storytelling; by Will Storr
• Slaughterhouse-Five; by Kurt Vonnegut
• Selfie: How We Became so Self-Obsessed and What It’s Doing to Us; by Will Storr
• The Status Game: On Social Position and How We Use It; by Will Storr