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Outline of The Elephant in the Brain

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The Introduction begins with personal stories from each author, and then explains the key book thesis, that humans are prone to self-deception about their motives. Key types of evidence are outlined, as is the trajectory of the book. Finally, readers are reminded that one can think ill of common human motives while still adoring humans overall. With humility, the Conclusion chapter sketches out some implications of the book's main thesis. Knowing about the elephant in the brain can help readers to better understand common social situations and their own mix of motives, and to show off personal honesty and courage. Readers might also reform themselves via a pragmatic idealism, choosing either to move their actions closer to their ideals or their ideals closer to their actions. Those who design institutional reforms can seek institutions that both appear to give people what they appear to want, while actually giving them what they really want. While such reforms are harder to design, the

Outline of The Elephant in the Brain --> Outline of The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life Introduction The Introduction begins with personal stories from each author, and then explains the key book thesis, that humans are prone to self-deception about their motives. Key types of evidence are outlined, as is the trajectory of the book. Finally, readers are reminded that one can think ill of common human motives while still adoring humans overall. Part I: Why we hide our motives 1. Animal Behavior The Animal Behavior chapter surveys two examples of "hidden motive"-type behav

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