115. Moving from Outside to Insider (and back again): Dominic Packer, Co-author of ‘The Power of Us’ [reads] ‘Experiments in Ethics’

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2Pages

Keep this between us, but I have an offer for you. There’s this thing called the Insiders Club; it’s amazing and exclusive, and the other people who are a part of it are truly extraordinary, like you. We don’t let anybody in–it’s invite only, and the invites are rare … This doesn’t really exist, but it’s tempting to be an insider, isn’t it? 

Actually, even though you’re not in the Insiders Club, you already are an insider. You belong to certain groups that have rules to keep people in, and others out. So, just as you’re already an insider, you’re already an outsider, too. My question is: What are you doing to create insiders, and to mitigate the pain of being an outsider? 

Dominic Packer is a Professor of Social Psychology who studies how groups shape our identities, decisions, and our lives. He teaches at Lehigh University, and he’s recently co-authored a book, The Power of Us, with a fellow psychology professor, Jay Van Bavel. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/ 

Dominic reads ‘Experiments in Ethics’ by Kwame Appiah. [reading begins at 15:48] 

Hear us discuss: 

“I think you can be both with and against.” [8:47] | The practice of effective dissent: “If you’re dissenting for the good of the group, your goal is to persuade.” [9:52] | The evolution of social identity over the last decade. [21:20] | Managing and navigating identity politics: “Power has always been held by those who had identities.” [24:41]