Can human beings cope with life in the modern world?

Humans & Hope

In this episode I’m talking to Professor Bill von Hippel about whether human beings are really equipped to cope with life in the modern world.
We’ll discuss how human beings have evolved to live in a world of small hunter-gatherer tribes, not the connected, complex world we now have. We’ll explore how some of the traits of thinking and behaviour we’ve developed for life in that world can cause us problems and challenges in the modern world. And we’ll ask what we can do to make the modern world more suitable for human flourishing.
Bill is Professor of Psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia. His research interests include evolutionary psychology and social intelligence, among many other topics. He’s the author of the fascinating 2018 book ‘The Social Leap’ which explores how human beings have developed over time, and the consequences of this for our lives today.
I hope you enjoy our conversation. Please subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from, and share it with everyone you know! See more of my podcasts, books and consultancy at www.richarddocwra.com and connect with me on Twitter @RichardDocwra