"Why are babies cute? Why is cake sweet? Philosopher Dan Dennett has answers you wouldn't expect, as he shares evolution's counterintuitive reasoning on cute, sweet and sexy things."
Good Morning Folks,
Today on MitchWeiner.com I am pleased to share another of the dynamic TedX talks that have been viewed by millions of people worldwide.
We think backwards. As a species we tend to think of cause and effects as reversible: “post hoc ergo propter hoc.” That means “after this, ergo because of this.” This is of course a logical fallacy, because saying that “since something came after this event, it was obviously caused by the event it came after”. Yet it is the way we as human beings think all the time.
Why are babies cute? Why is cake sweet? Philosopher Dan Dennett has answers you wouldn't expect, as he shares evolution's counterintuitive reasoning on cute, sweet and sexy things (plus a new theory from Matthew Hurley on why jokes are funny).
What about funny? What is funny for? It must be important, mustn't it? We spend billions of dollars annually on candy and cookies, sexy advertising and pornography, and the cute mice, bears, dragons, and fish of the animated film industry, but we also spend billions on comedy -- funny movies, funny television, funny books, and comedians. We pay good money, and stand in line, and even take time out from eating and making love to satisfy our voracious appetite for humor. Why do we have the taste at all? What good is a funny bone? Other species don't seem to need one.
And why has it taken so long for someone to realize that this is an important puzzle?
In this video Dan explains a very similar idea. We think of something a certain way, not because of a quality innate in it’s materials, but because of our brains interpretation of it. As Dan used in his example, Babies in and of themselves are not cute. Cute is just our interpretation in our brain, explaining our need to keep it alive. Humans can sometimes learn this way, as a child we can learn, that things are dangerous, not because they actually are, but because we have mental associations with it (ex: we’re spanked if we steal.) In and of itself, the act of stealing is not negative, but because of our brains, we interpret it as bad.
This video is simple in its approach and well done. It’s definitely with the seven minutes to watch it.
Thanks, Daniel, for continuing to stretch my thinking and approach to this world. Thanks to TedX project and Huffington Post and most of all to you for listening.
Let's all go make things happen today. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Love Life!
Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer
Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.
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