Episode 70: Nicholas Christakis - Lessons From The Dying

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Nicholas Christakis is a sociologist, a physician, and is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University. He is also the author of a variety of books including "Apollo's Arrow" and "Blueprint."

During our conversation, Nicholas talks about his experiences as a hospice doctor and what he has learned from working with the dying, his book "Blueprint" and our current evolutionary understanding of human nature, and the scientific roots of love and friendship. He also discusses another topic about which he has written and which he has experienced: the madness of crowds, and the danger of mobs.

Nicholas is a polymath, a public intellectual, and an amazingly curious mind. His professional life has spanned many fascinating and important fields, and his life and his knowledge can help all of us to be more self-aware, more conscious of our natures, and more rooted in reality.

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(00:00) Intro

(02:03) Journey to a hospice doctor

(09:01) Lessons from the dying

(14:59) How hospice care changed Nicholas

(24:15) Advice for young people from hospice experiences

(27:40) "Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society"

(34:47) Why does human friendship exist?

(40:13) Why close friendships end

(42:51) Why does human love exist?

(52:36) Monogamy and polygyny

(57:54) Sexual selection and men and women

(58:59) The madness of crowds: Greece, Yale and COVID

(1:10:24) How an individual can avoid the madness of crowds