Thanks -- will try to check them out!
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My book SHAMANISM: THE TIMELESS RELIGION will be out on May 20, 2025! Shamanism characterized the earliest religions, echoes in often unappreciated ways in the world around us, and will long outlive us. Pre-order it here: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/730339...
I wrote about how evolutionary insights are recasting much of moral behavior as a strategic performance for getting people to like you—and how, realizing this, I've struggled to build a moral framework that doesn't feel like self-interest in disguise: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Scientists have shattered our self-image as principled beings, motivated by moral truths. Some wonder whether our ideals can survive the blow to our vanity.
I'm hiring a post-doc for a 2-year position to study ritual, religion, & explanations of misfortune in Indonesia. Applications will be reviewed starting March 1. Please spread the word & reach out if you have questions! Job ad: recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF06264
I don't think the scale of Mongol destruction is at odds with anything in the piece. If anything, the final section questions the impulse to dignify them using progressive standards.
Steppe nomads like the Scythians and Mongols are often treated as archetypes of barbarity. For this week's issue of The New Yorker, I wrote about the growing recognition of their cultural sophistication and outsized impacts (genetic & cultural) on the modern world: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Scholars now argue that early nomadic empires were the architects of modernity. But do we have the right measure of their success?
What's punishment like in small-scale societies? I wrote a short blog post for HBES, on our paper with @manvir.bsky.socialwww.hbes.com/whats-punish...
– by Léo Fitouchi (Image credit Frans Huby, Creative Commons 3.0) Humans want wrongdoers to suffer. From the justice courts of modern societies to the biblical “eye for an eye,” people everywhe...
Thanks, @draliceevans.bsky.social! I'll check this out.