It’s unsurprising that people donate less during a recession, but it turns out there’s more to this behaviour beyond our reduced incomes. In a recession, people tend to become more selfish, even if they aren’t personally affected by hard times. A study showed that those who were tasked with redistributing fictional wealth (playing “dictator games”) during a recession were less altruistic. And alarmingly, it seems to change us somewhat permanently; donations haven’t bounced back years after the 2008 recession! Read full article here
Culture
The Priest in the Arena
The phrase “man in the arena” has been popularized in recent years, but a lesser known, more dangerous archetype is the “priest in the arena”. This figure is responsible for a process called theocratic capture, where an institution surrenders to a cult demanding unaccountable authority, fueled by claims to privileged knowledge. These cults often target powerful institutions and attempt to monopolize conversations with scaremongering tactics and hostile treatment of allies. It is important to identify and stop theocratic capture before it can gain control. Read full article here
Merv
May 29, 2023
