stamp 202512041452
Harari in his book Sapiens shared Robin Dunbar’s gossip-theory that states: human language feels like something developed especially for “gossiping” - for sharing interpersonal information about people.
As we are social creatures, it’s important to know about the doings of our fellow tribe members, whom to trust, whom to avoid. And seemingly we use our language tools mostly to gossip, even when we are idle, or when it has no consequence - as if it would be the “default”, the “natural” use of these tools.
Related
- Harari brings the example of professors who don’t talk about theories and ideas at the dining table but the latest doings of the institute director, and who got the best parking spots.
- It reminds me of a preaching of our childhood priest when he talked about priests are just men. His example was that if you eardrop into the conversation of young priests, you won’t hear theological arguments but the results of last night’s soccer match.
- I love watching dating realities, reactions to tiktok dramas and such. It’s pure gossip.
- Booktok drama is gossip: 5b1b3-booktok-drama-is-gossip-don-t-treat-it-like-true-crime
- Shoutout to Dr. Kirk Honda who mixes personal reaction and professional takes (as a psychiatrist) to dating realities. I especially follow his Love is Blind analyses.
- I don’t know what’s in the concept of Love is Blind that I can’t seem to get enough of it. I binged through every season except the South-American ones, and all the takes of my favorite Love is Blind reaction youtubers. (I have no idea how many time I dedicated to this in my life.) I need to investigate this line of curiosity.
- The “I fell in love with my psychiatrist” tiktok drama with Kendra Hilty was fascinating. But it only entered my notes when doomsday beliefs entered the picture. I need to investigate my
- Harari mentions administrators (which I am!) and bureaucrats, but also any science language feels very different than everyday language. 5b1b1-languages-like-administrative-legal-mathematical-etc-languages-feel-unnatural-because-they-were-made-to-describe-things-not-existing-in-our-natural-habitat
Folgezettel links
- 5b1-stories-are-so-essential-that-without-it-we-wouldn-t-even-be-human-harari-says
- 5b1b1-languages-like-administrative-legal-mathematical-etc-languages-feel-unnatural-because-they-were-made-to-describe-things-not-existing-in-our-natural-habitat
- 5b1b2-the-lost-plotlines-of-reality-tv-remind-me-of-the-lost-arcs-of-history
- 5b1b3-booktok-drama-is-gossip-don-t-treat-it-like-true-crime