Monkeys and Psychopaths

In this episode, Joe and Nick explore a history of lies, deception, and manipulation. On this journey, they ask, if lying is so wrong and its consequences often so damaging, why have we evolved to be so good at it? Diving into politics, war, con artistry, journalism, and, of course, monkeys, they try to analyse our relationship with truth. 

Have you ever stopped to wonder why so many of history’s bad guys have been at the wheel of so many mass-moving stories? Why so many of us have been duped by mistruth over and over again? Why people of authority tell so many obvious lies and so many people listen intently? This first episode traces the bizarre link between dangerous people and powerful, mass-moving stories that have influenced the course of history. Monkeys and Psychopaths explores why the ordered mind is so susceptible to good narrative and why the disordered mind is so well wired to deliver it.