The Secret of Our Success
#1305 of 2,654 all-time
The Secret of Our Success
Joseph Henrich
5 people recommended it in 5 threads, 2018–2023.
What people on Hacker News said
There's valuable knowledge that accretes culturally over time, and this book was the first to make me consider the ramifications of that on family, business, and community.
We're less smart than we think, and there's more knowledge buried within our cultural norms than we realize.
The Secret of Our Success by Joseph Henrich, which argues that our useful intelligence is largely in our culture and our capacity to build it incrementally, rather than in our individual minds' capacities.
He starts off with observations about well-educated, intelligent, capable people in possession of sophisticated technology starving or freezing to death when they were stranded in unfamiliar physical environments, in which other cultural groups could thrive.
If Turner thinks that your constructed habitat is part of your body, Henrich thinks that your culture is part of your intelligence, and for a wide range of purposes, the most important part.
The Secret of Our Success on the co-evolution of humans and human culture.
Where it comes up
- Ask HN: What's the best book on religion? 2023 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver? 2022 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read? 2020 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time? 2018 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What books are you currently reading? 2018 · 1 recommendation