The Impact Bias, Altruism, and Human Intelligence

Jeff Glick, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

Assignment 1

The impact bias, as researched by Gilbert and Wilson, is a psychological phenomenon that is responsible for a significant number of errors in our predictions of our own future feelings. Its main effect is to cause us to overestimate the intensity of our emotional responses to both positive and negative circumstances. The empathy gap, as researched by Loewenstein, is a different sort of predictive error in which the individual in a “hot” state has difficulty envisioning how he or she will respond to various choices once the “hot” state turns “cold” and vice versa. While the existence of each of these effects has apparently been substantiated by scientific research, they are not widely appreciated by those who commonly fall victim to their influence.

Question: How can an understanding of the impact bias and the empathy gap explain the behavior of one of the following: a drug addict, an elitist snob, or a disgruntled spouse in an unhappy marriage?

Consider the typical decisions and events in which one of these people would be involved. Illustrate how Gertner’s discussion sheds light on their likely motivations and behaviors. Make certain to draw on Gertner’s essay when writing your paper. Show how passages from “The Futile Pursuit of Happiness” confirm, contradict, or complicate your explanation.

Your paper should:

1. Frequently introduce and discuss key concepts from the text.

2. Clearly indicate where Gertner’s words and ideas end and your own begin.

3. Explore a project that you have devised. The paper should be an analysis rather than a summary.

Assignment 2

In “Selections from The Ape and the Sushi Master”, Frans de Waal discusses the possibility of viewing altruism as a natural product of evolutionary processes rather than a contrived invention by intelligent human beings. He details several cases in which various non-human members of the animal kingdom violate the historically well-accepted view that nature encourages organisms to act in a self-centered manner.

Question: What ramifications does the evidence for the impact bias and the empathy gap have for the thesis that altruism is a natural component of evolutionary adaptation?

Deploy the concepts discussed in Gertner’s article to either confirm, contradict, or complicate the arguments in de Waal’s paper. Consider how Gertner’s discussion can cause difficulty for the theses advanced by de Waal. Also consider how Gertner’s discussion may actually help us understand, explain, or expand on the conclusions that De Waal advances. Make certain to draw on both selections in your essay.

Your paper should:

1. Frequently introduce and discuss key concepts from both texts.

2. Clearly indicate where Gertner’s and de Waal’s words and ideas end and your own begin.

3. Explore a project that you have devised. The paper should be an analysis rather than a summary. Look for points of connection between the two texts.

Assignment 3

Much of “The Myth of the Ant Queen” is devoted to exploring the ways that intelligence manifests itself. One feature of seemingly intelligent systems, like an ant colony or a computer program, is that they do not always have a unifying and organizing controller which directs the movements and inputs of all the components of the system. Instead, the intelligent effects emerge from the combination and interaction of otherwise unintelligent parts as a result of long processes of adaptation.

Question: What role does happiness play in our understanding of how intelligence is manifested?

You should consider what one might mean by the words ‘happiness’ and ‘intelligence’. Could altruistic actions be construed as intelligent behavior in virtue of their positive overall effects? Or are we perhaps more like the ant colony where any organizational advantages which seem to display intelligence are merely the byproducts of an unintelligent evolutionary process fraught with cognitive errors? Are the effects of an action on an individual’s happiness a good measure of whether the action is intelligent? If so, why? If not, then why not? Make certain to draw from all three articles in your essay.

Your paper should:

1. Frequently introduce and discuss key concepts from all three texts.

2. Clearly indicate where Gertner’s, de Waal’s, and Johnson’s words and ideas end and your own begin.

3. Explore a project that you have devised. The paper should be an analysis rather than a summary. Look for overlapping concerns and points of connection between all three texts. Use the conclusions of each text to shed light on the others in the context of advancing your project.

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