We're WEIRD, we westerners, says a new book by Harvard anthropologist Joseph Henrich (THE WEIRDEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous). It's the subject of a glowing Times review by Daniel Dennett.
That's an acronym, and not necessarily an aspersion. It means we're western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic. Being weirdly western predicts that a great many of us
are individualistic, think analytically, believe in free will, take personal responsibility, feel guilt when we misbehave and think nepotism is to be vigorously discouraged, if not outlawed. Right? They (the non-WEIRD majority) identify more strongly with family, tribe, clan and ethnic group, think more “holistically,” take responsibility for what their group does (and publicly punish those who besmirch the group’s honor), feel shame — not guilt — when they misbehave and think nepotism is a natural duty.
These traits are hallmarks, generally, of what we call western civilization. We were talking about that in Environmental Ethics yesterday... (continues)
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