Ep. 12 - The Grandmother Hypothesis (with Alison Gopnik)

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Most species don't have grandparents. Humans do. Why? In this final episode of season one, developmental psychologist Alison Gopnik explores a strange feature of human evolution, and what it reveals about childhood, caregiving, and why raising children was never meant to be a job for parents alone. Shownotes: Much of today's conversation draws on Alison Gopnik's bestselling book The Gardener and the Carpenter , in which she argues that the purpose of parenting is not to shape children into a predetermined ideal, but to create the conditions in which children can learn, explore and flourish. The episode explores the Grandmother Hypothesis , the evolutionary theory that humans' unusually long…