Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin

The big sort

11 snips
Feb 6, 2019
Explore the whimsical world of categorization! Discover how birds link to dinosaurs and why humans sort everything from art to dog breeds. Dive into the power of rankings and how they shape perceptions, plus the allure of being number one. Learn about the pitfalls of dividing people into labels and the importance of seeing individuals as unique categories. Seth also shares insights on art curation, shifting business classifications, and the charm of blending categories to create something new!
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Ranking Shapes Perception And Power

  • We create categories to rank and confer status, which changes behavior and incentives.
  • Controlling taxonomies lets gatekeepers influence what people value and consume.
ANECDOTE

Dog Breeds As Artificial Categories

  • Seth uses dog breeds and the Westminster Dog Show to show taxons are artificial human constructs.
  • He points out all dogs exist on a spectrum despite breed categories used in shows.
INSIGHT

Prediction Is A Taxonomy Shortcut

  • Taxonomies let us predict behavior by assigning expected traits to categories.
  • Mislabeling people leads to unfairness and lost opportunities when predictions fail.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app