Paul Bloom has 6 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 5 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.4★ across 52 ratings. The most-rated is Against Empathy.
Against Empathy
Summary
A controversial call to arms, Against Empathy argues that the natural impulse to share the feelings of others can lead to immoral choices in both public policy and in our intimate relationships with friends and family. Most people, including many policy makers, activists, scientists, and philosophers, have encouraged us to be more empathetic - to feel the pain and pleasure of others. Yale researcher and author Paul Bloom argues that this is a mistake. Far from leading us to improve the lives of others, empathy is a capricious and irrational emotion that appeals to our narrow prejudices. It muddles our judgment and often leads to cruelty. We are at our best when we are smart enough not to rely on it and draw upon a more distanced compassion. Based on groundbreaking scientific findings, Against Empathy makes the case that some of the worst decisions that individuals and nations make - who to give money to, when to go to war, how to respond to climate change, and who to put in prison - are too often motivated by honest yet misplaced emotions. With clear and witty prose, Bloom demonstrates how empathy distorts our judgment in every aspect of our lives, from philanthropy and charity to the justice system; from culture and education to foreign policy and war. Without empathy, Bloom insists, our decisions would be clearer, fairer, and ultimately more moral. Bound to be controversial, Against Empathy shows us that when it comes to major policy decisions and the choices we make in our everyday lives, limiting our empathetic emotions is often the most compassionate choice we can make.
©2016 Paul Bloom (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers
Free Interview: Susie Bright Speaks with Paul Bloom, Author of How Pleasure Works
Summary
In this excerpt from In Bed with Susie Bright, Susie interviews Yale psychologist Paul Bloom about his fascinating best-selling book How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like. Paul and Susie talk about the pleasures of sex and how we perceive them. How Pleasure Works draws on insights from child development, philosophy, neuroscience, and behavioral economics, to show how certain universal habits of the human mind explain what we like and why we like it. Bloom covers everything from the animal instincts of sex and food to the uniquely human taste for art, music, and stories. Called “the widest read, most reviled and revered sex expert in America” by The San Jose Mercury News, Susie Bright is one of the best-known sex writers in the United States. Susie has teamed up with Audible to bring you her weekly show, In Bed with Susie Bright, available only at Audible.com®.
©2010 Susie Bright (P)2010 Audible, Inc
Just Babies
Summary
A leading cognitive scientist argues that a deep sense of good and evil is bred in the bone. From John Locke to Sigmund Freud, philosophers and psychologists have long believed that we begin life as blank moral slates. Many of us take for granted that babies are born selfish and that it is the role of society - and especially parents - to transform them from little sociopaths into civilized beings. In Just Babies, Paul Bloom argues that humans are in fact hardwired with a sense of morality. Drawing on groundbreaking research at Yale, Bloom demonstrates that, even before they can speak or walk, babies judge the goodness and badness of others’ actions; feel empathy and compassion; act to soothe those in distress; and have a rudimentary sense of justice. Paul Bloom has a gift for bringing abstract ideas to life, moving seamlessly from Darwin, Herodotus, and Adam Smith to The Princess Bride, Hannibal Lecter, and Louis C.K. Vivid, witty, and intellectually probing, Just Babies offers a radical new perspective on our moral lives.
©2013 Paul Bloom; 2013 Random House Audio
How Pleasure Works
Summary
Yale psychologist Paul Bloom presents a striking new vision of the pleasures of everyday life. The thought of sex with a virgin is intensely arousing for many men. The average American spends over four hours a day watching television. Abstract art can sell for millions of dollars. Young children enjoy playing with imaginary friends and can be comforted by security blankets. People slow their cars to look at gory accidents and go to movies that make them cry. In this fascinating and witty account, Paul Bloom examines the science behind these curious desires, attractions, and tastes, covering everything from the animal instincts of sex and food to the uniquely human taste for art, music, and stories. Drawing on insights from child development, philosophy, neuroscience, and behavioural economics, How Pleasure Works shows how certain universal habits of the human mind explain what we like and why we like it.
©2010 Paul Bloom (P)2010 Audible Inc
How Pleasure Works
Summary
Yale psychologist Paul Bloom presents a striking new vision of the pleasures of everyday life. The thought of sex with a virgin is intensely arousing for many men. The average American spends over four hours a day watching television. Abstract art can sell for millions of dollars. Young children enjoy playing with imaginary friends and can be comforted by security blankets. People slow their cars to look at gory accidents and go to movies that make them cry. In this fascinating and witty account, Paul Bloom examines the science behind these curious desires, attractions, and tastes, covering everything from the animal instincts of sex and food to the uniquely human taste for art, music, and stories. Drawing on insights from child development, philosophy, neuroscience, and behavioral economics, How Pleasure Works shows how certain universal habits of the human mind explain what we like and why we like it.
©2010 Paul Bloom (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
Het geheim van genot
Summary
De gedachte aan seks met een maagd is zeer opwindend voor veel mannen. We kiezen ervoor om gemiddeld vier uur per dag voor de televisie te zitten. Onze kinderen spelen met denkbeeldige vrienden. We gaan langzamer rijden om gruwelijke ongelukken beter te bekijken en gaan naar films die ons aan het huilen maken. De manieren waarop we ‘genieten’ zijn even bizar als uiteenlopend. Yale Psycholoog Paul Bloom biedt, aan de hand van onder andere de neurologie, pedagogiek, filosofie en economie, een verrassende kijk op dit doorgaans ongrijpbare fenomeen. Op vlotte en humorvolle wijze worden onze verlangens, smaken en fascinaties onder de loep genomen om vervolgens de onderliggende geheimen van het menselijk genieten stuk voor stuk aan het licht te brengen. Inhoud: Inleiding, 1. De essentie van genot, 2. Fijnproevers, 3. Bedtrucs, 4. Performance, 5. Verbeelding, 6. Het belang van genot.
©2010 Home Academy (P)2010 Home Academy