Evolutionary Theory and Human Decision-Making: Reconciling Rationality with Biological Constraints

Explore the paradox between human evolutionary success and apparent decision-making flaws in this thought-provoking lecture from Stanford University's James Holland Jones. Delve into the concept of existential uncertainty and its impact on human preferences, utility, and rationality. Examine how evolutionary theory can potentially explain and unify seemingly disparate anomalies in human decision-making. Discover the implications of natural selection on human behavior and decision-making processes, challenging traditional notions of formal rationality. Investigate classic distortions from the rational choice paradigm revealed by behavioral economics, and gain insights into how evolutionary considerations can reshape our understanding of human decision-making strategies.

Introduction
Recent Interest
Homo ergaster
Desert flower
Behavioral economics
Optimization problems
Biological entities
Research collaborations
Mike Price
The Biological Entity
Science
Chimpanzee
Homo
Figs
Expanded Diet
Food Sharing
Life History Theory
Data
Theory
Why Hedge
The Mothers Dilemma
Utility vs Fitness
Gary Becker
Time Preferences
Inconsistent Time Preferences
Summary