Why do some societies grow rich while others collapse? Why do so many people feel lonely, stuck or left behind? Brian Rose has put these questions to anthropologists, psychologists, historians and people working on the front line of poverty and addiction. The conversations cover inequality, debt, work, violence, social mobility, culture wars and the forces that hold communities together. The guests often disagree about whether things are getting better or worse. Every full interview is free to watch.
From Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond and the late anthropologist David Graeber to Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, Lost Connections author Johann Hari, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and the late Stanford psychologist Dr Philip Zimbardo: how human societies really work.
Jared Diamond, a UCLA professor who draws on anthropology, ecology, geography and evolutionary biology, sets out his short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years. The late David Graeber, an anthropologist, told Brian Rose how Occupy Wall Street began, why so many jobs feel pointless and how he believed debt grew out of everyday promises. Charles Eisenstein, author of Sacred Economics, argues for an economy built on connection and a more compassionate world. Steven Pinker takes a more hopeful view, arguing that violence is falling and that reason, science and humanism explain much of our progress.
Journalist Johann Hari argues in Lost Connections that depression and anxiety are linked to the ways modern life cuts us off from each other. Gary Davidge, who manages the Spitalfields Crypt Trust drop-in centre, explains how he works with people facing homelessness, addiction and poor mental health. Lord Michael Farmer, a former City trader who sits in the House of Lords, argues that family and religion help people move up in life. Neuroscientist Dr Carl Hart describes growing up poor in Miami and why he changed his mind about drugs. The late Dr Philip Zimbardo talked about the Stanford Prison Experiment, young men in crisis and everyday heroism.
Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at NYU Stern, explains why he thinks overprotecting young people leaves them less resilient. Evolutionary behavioural scientist Dr Gad Saad argues that some fashionable ideas are killing common sense. Daniel H Pink looks at motivation and why he believes we are all in sales now, while Wharton professor Adam Grant studies givers and takers. Former FBI negotiator Chris Voss shares what hostage cases taught him, web psychologist Nathalie Nahai explains how online design plays on our need for reward, and author Robert Greene discusses power and human behaviour.
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Who has London Real interviewed about social science and sociology? Brian Rose has interviewed Jared Diamond, David Graeber, Steven Pinker, Jonathan Haidt, Johann Hari, Richard Dawkins, Dr Philip Zimbardo, Dr Gad Saad, Dan Ariely, Adam Grant, Daniel H Pink, Charles Eisenstein, Dr Carl Hart and Lord Michael Farmer, among others.
Is society getting better or worse, according to the guests? They disagree. Steven Pinker argues that violence has declined and that reason has driven long-term progress. David Graeber and Charles Eisenstein focused more on what they saw as broken in the system, from debt to pointless work. Johann Hari points to loneliness and lost connection.
How is this page different from Psychology? This page looks at groups, institutions and whole societies. The Psychology page focuses on how individuals think, decide and behave.
Are the full social science episodes free to watch? Yes. Every full-length interview on this page can be watched free on londonreal.tv.
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