Evolve Faster with Scott Ely

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Would you cut off your head to change the world? What if lying were illegal? Would you take a drug to change your identity? Is death a challenge or something to fear? Scott Ely takes us down a rabbit hole of speculative fiction with psychological twists and philosophical turns to reimagine the big q…

Scott Ely

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    • May 26, 2020 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 39m AVG DURATION
    • 62 EPISODES

    4.9 from 131 ratings Listeners of Evolve Faster with Scott Ely that love the show mention: 3 seasons, philosophy, looks like, fiction, narration, heavy, hoping, hopefully, one episode, website, anyway, creative, pretty, bit, kind, sure, guy, smart, listened, first.



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    Latest episodes from Evolve Faster with Scott Ely

    EF49 (S2-E10): The Domino Effect: The Momentum of an Unstoppable Future

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2020 37:48


    Sam Payne is on the brink of tearing down the entire world in hopes of getting in touch with a higher force she believes created the universe. Not knowing what the force might be, she’s risking everything to get to the other side. In the last moment, as she plans to quit to spare the universe, the force replies. Although the distant future is unknowable, we can still predict what the near future brings. Unlike philosophical theories that deal with the present and the past, futurism doesn’t have the benefit of events happening or that they already happened -- thus, it becomes the biggest guessing game. But is it important to know the future or is it all about living in the now?

    EF48 (S2-E9): Checkmate: A Child’s Guide to the Good Life

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2020 28:19


    Sam Payne, a physicist, finally discovers the true origin of the universe after sacrificing most of her life to the endeavor. But the discovery has vast repercussions which shake the foundation of Sam’s sanity. In light of the drastic nature of her existential dread, Sam is unsure how to even define what a good life would look like for her now. She finds a glimpse of hope in the curious, enigmatic mindset of her 5-year-old daughter, Maya. The hope and desire to live a good life is ingrained in every human. But the day you’re born is also the day you start to die, so the quicker you can arrive at some reasonable and attainable definition of the good life for yourself, the more fulfilling your life will be. But in an existence without obvious meaning, and a society heavily focused on meaningless goals like wealth and fame, how can you uncover an answer for yourself to such a simple question? Is it possible the mindset of seeing the world through a child’s eyes could provide critical insight to that which is otherwise concealed by the challenges and distractions of adult life?

    EF47 (S2-E8): Infinite Regress: Drawing Back The Veil of Perception

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2020 35:05


    Sam Payne was a physicist on the verge of discovering the true nature of reality when her project was shut down. But a suspicious gift enables her to go underground to an illegal world of virtual work, in order to try and recruit rogue scientists to restart her research. As the risks pile up, and the heat is on, she realizes what she’s been seeking for the last three decades of her career has been hidden in plain sight all along. But the answer is also far more dangerous than she could have imagined. We perceive our day to day experience as the one-and-only, true reality. But the truth is, our perception of reality is very different than that of a catfish, bat, or dog; which can respectively taste, hear and smell far more acutely than we could possibly imagine. So what is the true reality, beyond this seemingly impenetrable veil of perception that shrouds human sensory capabilities? Is it something we can even comprehend using the limited wetware of the human brain? Or does such a thing as reality even exist?

    EF46 (S2-E7): Empathetic Distortion: Rigging the Scales of Justice

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2020 30:01


    Put in an impossible position early in her career, Mary Payne was forced to make a choice between saving a single identifiable victim or helping an entire community of nameless people. The decision haunts her entire life. Many years later in old age, Mary is faced with another trolley bearing down on her where she will once again be forced to make a difficult decision on which track to send it. But unlike before, this time her life sits in the balance on one of the tracks. In theories about a just society, good deeds are expected to be rewarded and bad deeds punished. But is it really so easy to define what is a good versus bad deed? Can empathy for one human being, and the reward that comes with it, blind you from the same effort being able to help many others instead? Using Paul Bloom’s theory of rational compassion, we will explore what means to be a good person and why genuine good can easily get prosecuted in an unjust society. What would you do with your hand on the switch and a trolley bearing down on two tracks, both with grave consequences? Is there any real possibility for a just world when some decisions have only bad outcomes? Or is life and society just inherently unfair?

    EF45 (S2-E6): Weaving Society’s Web: Purpose in a Future Without Work

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2020 41:19


    In a post-work society governed by an artificial intelligence corporation, John Weber is the creator of an illegal virtual world called Silk that is cloaked in secrecy. Accused that Silk is causing VR overdoses that leave players in debt or even dead, Weber is forced to negotiate with the government’s representative, Karl Shultz. Although the premise for the meeting is to find a mutually beneficial resolution, it quickly becomes clear that both parties have more nefarious ulterior motives. Although many people wish they didn’t have to work, we rarely think about how important work is to our well being outside of the obvious financial benefits. What if the problem isn’t the work itself, but the way the system is organized? If there was a way to create a perfectly equal society — like the one John Rawls proposed in his brilliant Veil of Ignorance thought experiment — would people pursue careers around the things they loved instead of just chasing money? And would this have the power to reinvent society around an entirely new type of capitalism of shared value, instead of individual gain?

    EF44 (S2-E5): Reality Unchained: Smashing the Icons of Social Delusion

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2020 32:58


    Sam Payne is a renowned physicist investigating the nature of reality at an advanced particle accelerator. Immediately after making a groundbreaking discovery, the research mysteriously gets shut down. Without a team or a lab, Sam’s life’s work is at risk of disappearing behind chained doors. But as Sam is forced to decide if willing to break the chains on the ‘stuff’ of this reality, things continue to get even more perplexing. Life in society imposes rules you are expected to follow. Some rules exist to keep society from devolving into anarchy. Yet upon deeper reflection, it’s clear that many other rules are arbitrary and designed to either limit your possibilities or enable a select few to profit. Only the iconoclasts of our civilization command the fearless vision to ask one of the most dangerous questions: ‘Why this stuff and not some other stuff?’ It is a unique quality — possessed and acted upon by rare individuals like Copernicus, Thomas Paine and Charles Darwin — which usually results in the iconoclast burning at the stake during their lifetime, and then, revered in retrospect.

    EF43 (S2-E4): Evil Urges: The Fiery Duality of Human Nature

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2020 43:25


    Michael Fleming, a crestfallen journalist, interviews an infamous euthanasia doctor named Dr. Theodor Payne. Initially, Michael’s goal appears to be proving that Payne’s deeds are pure evil, with the implication that he should be prosecuted for performing over 1,000 assisted deaths. But as the two men collide, the line between good and evil becomes blurry, and hidden agendas become clear. Will the nature of evil be revealed? We’d like to think it should be easy to identify who, or what, is evil. Occasionaly, the distincion is simple; if you commit a violent act of murder without cause and have ill intent, you’re evil. But as we move away from obvious malicious acts, and multiple nuanced perspectives are revealed, it becomes increasingly difficult to characterize such things either pure evil or true good. Friedrich Nietzsche theorized that good and evil aren’t separate entities, but different actions driven by the same needs and impulses. How do we rationally act and override our snap judgements in order to give proper attention to decide what is, or isn’t, actually evil?

    EF42 (S2-E3): Civil Individualism: Loneliness Atop Mount Empowerment

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2020 32:36


    The big question driving Episode EF42 is ... What does it mean to be an individual? Sam Payne is finishing her Ph.D. in physics under the advisement of a professor making a controversial claim as to why the Big Bang wasn’t the beginning of the universe; his new theory of everything posits a universal force which is being interpreted as proof that God exists. Sam gets caught in the crossfire between the professor and the angry mob of protesting college students who believe he is trying to bring Creationism to universities. On a knife’s edge in life and career, the increasing pressure on Sam’s individualism is insisting on a drastic plan. Will Sam have the guts to carry it out? Humanity’s rise to the top of the food chain is due to our success as social creatures, so it can be confusing to sync that reality with our drive to also be individuals. With deep introspection into what got you to this point in life, can you actually define what it means to be a real individual? How would you to prove you have what it takes? Are you capable of creating completely new ideas that aren’t influenced by your predecessors, as Transcendental philosophers like Walden and Thoreau? Or maybe you think you must climb the mountain alone to create a better world, as Ayn Rand believed?

    EF41 (S2-E2): Transhuman Fallibility: The Existential Risk of a Superhuman Future

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2020 42:30


    Will Storia is a graduate student whose PhD work in history and evolutionary psychology is evolving into a manifesto about radically changing the trajectory of civilization. On his show, The Next Evolution, he argues to a global audience that we are at the edge of an abyss, about to hand off what remains of our humanity to machines. His latest guest is John Weber, a revolutionary techie, who believes technology will solve all of humanity’s problems. As they publicly clash with the world watching, Will worries how people might twist his ideas; because it’s increasingly obvious that John’s transhuman ideology has already become a religion. To explore if technology might be the quick solution for every problem humanity is facing, we must look deep into the core of what makes us tick — human nature. Transhumanism will likely exponentially multiply all of our human weaknesses. Does the hard-wired human desire to seek power over others pose a serious problem for our inevitable evolution of wanting to be superhuman? Also, Yuval Noah Harari believes dataism — the trend towards reducing humans down to our data and trusting AI to make all our decisions — has civilization on a crash course with becoming useless. Is this our fate? Or will technology open doors to new heights for humanity?

    EF40 (S2-E1): Dehumanized: The Search for Self in the Devil’s Looking Glass

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2020 38:22


    The big question driving Episode EF40 is ... Do we need society and culture? Sam, a 16-year-old from the South, organizes a school walkout to protest the technological trends leading society towards an AI-run government owned by corporate tech royalty. Will this lead to a near future of radical inequality between the transhuman haves and have-nots? Facing backlash from the previous generation which refuses to look inself the mirror to see the truth, Sam learns that social conformity hasn’t changed since at least the 14th-century witch hunts. Instead of getting burned on a stake, will Sam get devoured by cultural pressures where everyone is expected to wear their given mask and mimic one another in the social mirror? To understand if humanity needs society and culture, we must first understand your ties to society as an individual. Using Edmund Burke’s theory of Social Contract, and what sociologist Émile Durkheim sees as the difference between laws and norms, we will hope to dissect the core of what it means to live in society. More importantly, what are your possibilities, if any, for rewriting the terms of the contract you’re given at birth?

    EF39 (S2-E0): LIFE, UPGRADED: Welcome to Season Two of the Evolve Faster Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2020 10:22


    Welcome to Life, Upgraded. On 1/21/2020, ten new cautionary tales of speculative fiction begin to drop every other week. The goal of Season Two of the Evolve Faster Podcast is to help you explore the contracts you’ve unwittingly signed with society and its layers of cultural institutions. Then it will be up to you to decide if it’s time to tear up and rewrite any of them. Season Two is about LIFE. Humanity rose to the top of the food chain because of our ability to cooperate and communicate; but life in society also causes much of the anguish and suffering that exists in the human condition. This season is also a philosophical meditation about the next 25 years. It doesn’t take radical extrapolation of the trends we’re already on to envision how overdependence on technology might go awry, putting risk our humanity’s last remaining stronghold: actually being human.

    EF38 (AMA-EF13): Flow, Creative Improvisation and Other Altered States of Consciousness — Ask Me Anything for Episode EF13

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2019 21:18


    EF38 is an Ask Me Anything about Episode EF13 (The Bloody Fingerprint of Creativity). Where does creativity come from?! It’s impossible to understand if creativity is born as soon as we are or is creativity a quest we need to work to achieve. Or maybe it’s both?

    EF37 (BTP-EF13): Where Creativity Comes From and How to Find Your Uniquely Bloody Fingerprint — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF13

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2019 35:08


    EF37 is a Behind The Podcast about Episode EF13 (The Bloody Fingerprint of Creativity). The driving question of this episode is ... Where does creativity come from?! Art, imagination, and creativity aren't mystical powers divinely granted to only a few, but instead are a cumbersome process where you need to wake up every day and work hard — just like any other job requiring hard work and years of practice. Although everybody wants to be creative, it's the will we usually lack. But, unlike some mysterious force we can't define, the will is more than attainable. Do you have the guts to face the failures you'll have to endure to attain it?

    EF36 (AMA-EF12): Pyrrhic Victory and Finding the 10% of Your Mind that Defines Who You Are — Ask Me Anything for Episode EF12

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2019 28:02


    EF36 is an Ask Me Anything about Episode EF12 (Wired to Fail: Leveling Up in the Game of Life). What defines us? Success, failure and fear are the three main ingredients that define what we are and what we can and will be. But how much freedom and power do we have at controlling how much of each ingredient goes into the pot?

    EF35 (BTP-EF12): Cryptocurrencies, Gaming and Leveraging Failure to Help Us Define Who We Are — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF12

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2019 28:54


    EF35 is a Behind The Podcast about Episode EF12 (Wired to Fail: Leveling Up in the Game of Life). The driving question of this is ... What defines us? What have you done in your life that makes you feel proud? Although it can be anything — from having a satisfying job to a blossoming relationship with a person you love, we often don't know what defines us. It's not as easy as its three simple words imply.

    EF34 (AMA-EF11): On Perfection, the AI Alignment Problem, and the Possibility of Quantum Leaps of Creativity — Ask Me Anything for Episode EF11

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2019 32:54


    EF34 is an Ask Me Anything about Episode EF11 (When the Lights Go Out: The Blinding Light of an Artificial Future). For the first time, something is breathing down humanity's neck as evolution accelerates. So will humanity see this as a challenge to further evolve, or will we get overwhelmed by the unprecedented capability of our machines? Do we stand a chance when for everything humanity took centuries to perfect, AI can master in days or weeks? Can our ape-like brains even comprehend what might be around the next curve of this Next Evolution?

    EF33 (BTP-EF11): The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Creativity — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF11

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2019 30:39


    EF33 is a Behind The Podcast about Episode EF11 (When the Lights Go Out: The Blinding Light of an Artificial Future). The driving question of this episode is ... Can machines think, be creative or fall in love? It's obvious we're witnessing the dawn of artificial intelligence (AI). As the generation living through and directing this big change, we have to feel both excited and nervous. What will the next step be? Will machines become a new race with their own rights to live, love and create? How might the change — potentially a quantum leap — affect humanity?

    (EF32) AMA-EF10: Mind Control Through a Well-Chosen Tattoo and the Unlikely Case of Being Happy Enough — Ask Me Anything for Episode EF10

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2019 26:05


    EF32 is an Ask Me Anything about Episode EF10 ((The Road to Happiness is Inked in Suffering). The driving question of this episode (and this BTP) for you to think through is ... Does happiness define the good? The eighth episode of the first season of the Evolve Faster Podcast Episode is driven by the big question Does happiness define the good. We want to be happy, yet there are only a few people who can honestly claim that. So are we hardwired to sadness or simply bad at our job?

    EF31 (BTP-EF10): Dharma, Modifying Negative Thinking and the Never Ending Pursuit of Happiness by Embracing Suffering — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF10

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2019 37:22


    EF31 is a Behind The Podcast about Episode EF10 (The Road to Happiness is Inked in Suffering). The driving question of this episode (and this BTP) for you to think through is ... Does happiness define the good? We need to be happy to feel good. Even a 4-year-old child knows this somewhere in the chaos of their still-evolving mind. Thus, it seems logical the closer we are to becoming happy 24/7, the better. But when was the last time you met someone who achieved this? And have you ever thought through the practicalities of such a scenario?

    EF30 (AMA-EF9): Emotional Manipulation, Tribalism and Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Think Before you Feel — Ask Me Anything for Episode EF9

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2019 24:47


    EF30 is an Ask Me Anything about Episode EF9 (I Feel, Therefore I am: Capsized on the River Emotion). The driving question of this episode (and this AMA) for you to think through is ... Can rationality and emotions coexist? We wish we don’t feel pain, sorrow or sadness. But what if somehow we managed to remove every single emotion. Could we really exist? The seventh episode of the first season of the Evolve Faster Podcast Episode is driven by the big question Can rationality and emotions coexist. We wish we don’t feel pain, sorrow or sadness. But what if somehow we managed to remove every single emotion. Could we really exist?

    EF29 (BTP-EF9): Waging War Between Reason and Emotions and the Importance of Leaving Things Unresolved — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF9

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2019 33:24


    EF29 is a Behind The Podcast about Episode EF9 (I Feel, Therefore I am: Capsized on the River Emotion). The driving question of this episode (and this AMA) for you to think through is ... Can rationality and emotions coexist? We tend to put people (and ourselves) into two groups: people who are rational, and people who are emotional. So what should you strive being? A rational or emotional person? Rationality is usually more encouraged as too many emotions can blur your mind. But is it that simple?

    EF28 (AMA-EF8): Drugs, Consciousness Manipulation and Cheating Your Way To a Better You — Ask Me Anything for Episode EF8

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2019 26:37


    EF28 is an Ask Me Anything about Episode EF8 (Without a Compass: All Who Sail the Seas of Identity Are Not Lost). The sixth episode of the first season of the Evolve Faster Podcast Episode is driven by the big question Who Am I? Many people use drugs to make quick “fixes” to their identity. But if there was a drug that could instantly change you once and for all, would you take it?

    EF27 (BTP-EF8): Who are You and is it Possible to Upgrade Your Identity as an Adult? — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF8

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2019 31:06


    EF27 is a Behind The Podcast of Episode EF8 (Without a Compass: All Who Sail the Seas of Identity Are Not Lost). The driving question of this episode is ... Can you change your identity? Or the shorter philosophical classic, who are you? Although you know your name, vital statistics, and other necessary information — you likely still ask yourself from time to time 'who am I?' What do we mean when we ask this seemingly simple, but infinitely deep, question? And is it possible that the answer could change over time, implying that your identity can evolve?

    EF26 (AMA-EF7): The Impossibility of Honest Politicians and Protecting Our Kids from The Most Insidious Fake News — Ask Me Anything for Episode EF7

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2019 29:11


    EF26 is an Ask Me Anything about Episode EF7 (Sleight of Mind: The Black Magic of Rhetoric). The driving question of this episode (and this AMA) for you to think through is ... can we trust reason? In an online world now overcome with fake news, reason and rational thinking would seem to be an obvious bet for an antidote. But how many times did you find yourself in a situation where your reasoning was unreasonable to somebody else? Does this mean it’s not a consistent tool we can trust in all situations? Or are there other skills you need to develop in your critical thinking toolbelt in order to fight fire with rhetorical fire?

    EF25 (BTP-EF7): The Power of Propaganda and Rhetoric to Divide Us and the Quest for a Better World — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF7

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2019 29:42


    EF25 is a Behind The Podcast (BTP) looking back at Episode EF7 (Sleight of Mind: The Black Magic of Rhetoric). The driving question of this episode is ... can we trust reason? Since perfected by the ancient Greeks, rhetoric has slowly devolved from a respected art into a manipulative tool used in marketing, politics and any other walk of life where mental and verbal coercion pays. Rhetoric, propaganda and the strategic use of logical fallacies are mental and verbal manipulations similar to the dark arts of black magic, in that they create smoke and mirrors to change minds to believe mistruths. And unlike a magician who deceives to entertain, these dark wizards act maliciously in pursuit of profit and power over others.

    EF24 (AMA-EF6): Is Less Really More When it Comes to the Pursuit of Wisdom or is Ignorance Bliss? — Ask Me Anything of Episode EF6

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2019 26:26


    This is an Ask Me Anything (AMA) about Episode EF6 (Information Mainlining and the Folly of Modern Wisdom). The driving question of this episode is ... is wisdom necessary for leading a satisfying life? It certainly seems useful, but what exactly do you get from it? And does prudence require you to know more than the basic math back from elementary school? Or maybe, wisdom trumps traditional knowledge and a person can be wise no matter the number of books read?

    EF23 (BTP-EF6): Scaling Mount Wisdom Without Suffocating Under an Avalanche of Ego — Behind The Podcast of Episode EF6

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2019 30:41


    Is it possible to learn to be wise? This is a Behind The Podcast (BTP) of Episode EF6 (Information Mainlining and the Folly of Modern Wisdom). The driving question of this episode (and this BTP) for you to think through is ... what is wisdom?

    EF22 (AMA-EF5): Defeating Fake News and Critical Thinking as the Superpower the World Needs Most — Ask Me Anything of Episode EF5

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2019 23:18


    This is an Ask Me Anything (AMA) looking back at Episode EF5 (The Truth is Clay in the Hands of a Sculptor). The driving question of this episode (and this AMA) for you to think through is ... what is the truth? Without knowing the truth, what can we do? Somewhere deep in our DNA, there's a code that says we always need to seek honesty, we need to fight for trustworthiness. So then why is there so much dishonesty in the news and our collective discourse?

    EF21 (BTP-EF5): Should Lying be Made Illegal and the Importance of Figuring Out Why You Believe What you Believe — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF5

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2019 43:16


    This is a Behind The Podcast (BTP) of Episode EF5 (Season 1, Episode 3 of the Evolve Faster Podcast) titled The Truth is Clay in the Hands of a Sculptor. The driving question of this episode (and this BTP) for you to think through is … what is the truth? Without knowing the truth, what can we do? Somewhere deep in our DNA, there's a code that says we always need to seek honesty, we need to fight for trustworthiness. So we do our best to seek justice we all believe to be the same. When we attack someone for telling a supposed “lie”, we don’t do it because we want to hurt the person. Instead, we’re doing it because we want him or her to be “right” as well. Because, if there’s a single correct path and you are already on that path, then it’s logical you must help anyone who isn’t.

    EF20 (AMA-EF4): The Declining Value of Information and Taking Risks to Determine What is the Truth — Ask Me Anything of Episode EF4

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2019 29:06


    Episode EF20 is an Ask Me Anything (AMA) looking back at Episode EF4, which was Season 1, Episode 2 of the Evolve Faster Podcast titled 'The Decapitation of Reason: A Skeptic’s Guide.' That episode of the first season of the Evolve Faster Podcast Episode was driven by the big question 'How can we know anything?'

    EF19 (BTP-EF4): Head Transplantations and Finding Inspiration for Speculative Fiction — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF4

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2019 36:24


    The driving question of this episode (and this BTP) for you to think through is ... How can you know anything? It’s a fascinating question that actually has surprisingly little research or philosophical investigation. You’re about to listen to a Behind the Podcast (BTP) of Episode EF4, which was Season 1, Episode 2 of the Evolve Faster Podcast titled The Decapitation of Reason: A Skeptic’s Guide.

    EF18 (AMA-EF3): The Mystical Allure of Converting to Buddhism and Speculating about Quantum Mechanics— Ask Me Anything for Episode EF3

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2019 33:39


    The first episode of the first season of the Evolve Faster Podcast Episode is driven by the big question What Am I Supposed To Do. We as human beings are known for making bad decisions in the moments of desperation. And what crisis than the existential crisis? Possibilities are limitless, correct answers next to none and there is no how-to manual. Ready to start?

    EF17 (BTP-EF3): What Am I Supposed To Do, Free Will and Other Everyday Problems — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF3

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2019 44:29


    The first episode of the first season of the Evolve Faster Podcast Episode starts with the big question that’s always lurking in your head: “What Am I Supposed To Do?” And it’s not referring to your lunch plans. Instead, it’s asking what will you until the inevitable day comes when you’re 6 feet underground to make sure you live a satisfying life of meaning? And let’s assume there’s no lunch down there to worry about anyway.

    (EF16) BTP: On Creative Writing, Video Games and the Future of the Evolve Faster Podcast (About Antonio Rozich)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2019 45:22


    In this episode, we go behind the scenes where Scott Ely talks to Antonio Rozich — his creative collaborator and co-writer on most of the episodes — on how they met, what it takes to be a creative writer and other odd background stories from creating Season One of Evolve Faster Podcast. From joint eureka moments to pointless yet heated arguments over if a character should go left or right on a river fork, this interview dissects how creativity can sometimes be better as both a shared and an individual process.

    evolve creative writing scott ely writing video games
    EF15 (AMA): Ask Me Anything — About Scott Ely and Evolving a Philosophy of Life

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2019 58:30


    Welcome to the first Ask me Anything (AMA) Episode, which will be loosely framed around the question ... Who controls your narrative? Evolve Faster is my laboratory to write and think about ideas in an attempt to learn to be a better human…which can be surprisingly difficult. But with a series of minor mindset shifts, it doesn’t have to be so hard.

    EF14 (BTP): Behind the Evolve Faster Podcast — The Making of a Speculative Fiction Meets Philosophical Nonfiction Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2019 73:25


    Pose yourself this thought experiment: What if you could start over with a brain unhindered by evolutionary hangovers? A fresh life with no societal baggage and an aspirational soul with a complete focus towards finding meaning to your existence? In other words, what if that nagging question—what in the hell am I supposed to do?—was easy to answer?

    EF13 (S1-E11): The Bloody Fingerprint of Creativity

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2019 50:26


    Facing serious amnesia, Eric Clemens with the help of Dr. Eden Harper tries to recollect his lost memories. Dr. Harper takes an unconventional road not only to help Eric track his past, but to create a foundation for his future as well. As they dig deeper and deeper, Eric has to face demons he didn't even know existed. This episode of the Evolve Faster Podcast will investigate what art is and how do we perceive the concept of creating art. Through psychological theories ranging from William James to Carl Jung with a neuroscientific backup, the goal is to demystify the long-living mystery as it turns out--what art is and what we believe it to be are two entirely different ideas. Even more important, people who are capable to create art might not just be a chosen few.

    EF13 (S1-E11): The Bloody Fingerprint of Creativity

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2019 50:26


    Facing serious amnesia, Eric Clemens with the help of Dr. Eden Harper tries to recollect his lost memories. Dr. Harper takes an unconventional road not only to help Eric track his past, but to create a foundation for his future as well. As they dig deeper and deeper, Eric has to face demons he didn’t even know existed. This episode of the Evolve Faster Podcast will investigate what art is and how do we perceive the concept of creating art. Through psychological theories ranging from William James to Carl Jung with a neuroscientific backup, the goal is to demystify the long-living mystery as it turns out--what art is and what we believe it to be are two entirely different ideas. Even more important, people who are capable to create art might not just be a chosen few.

    EF12 (S1-E10): Wired to Fail: Leveling Up in the Game of Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2019 69:40


    Infuriated by the risk-averse approach of his company, Vihaan Raid decides to design his latest game on his own. A widely renowned game developer known to the gaming world as “Koji,” believes he can entirely change how humans see life with his radical new video game concept. He teams up with a respected psychologist to make sure his vision will manipulate the human psyche as he suspects it will—a critical factor to the game's potential. As Koji slowly reveals secretive details of his mysterious concept, Isaac becomes more and more suspicious of the game's true intentions. Fear is engrained in all of us, but as Erich Fromm described, there are two main types. First are sadomasochistic characters who kill the fear by being dependent on either controlling or being controlled. Second is the revolutionary character who embraces the fear of being a free human. Similarly, the famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche thought there is little to no difference between success and failure when it comes to their functionality. Human mind is engraved with a false belief that success is heaven and failure is hell. But this couldn't be further from the truth. Sigmund Freud believed our unconscious thoughts and desires define us. So maybe, heaven is a place where the unconscious desires define us, but not control us and hell… well, just look at the commercials.

    EF12 (S1-E10): Wired to Fail: Leveling Up in the Game of Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2019 69:40


    Infuriated by the risk-averse approach of his company, Vihaan Raid decides to design his latest game on his own. A widely renowned game developer known to the gaming world as “Koji,” believes he can entirely change how humans see life with his radical new video game concept. He teams up with a respected psychologist to make sure his vision will manipulate the human psyche as he suspects it will—a critical factor to the game’s potential. As Koji slowly reveals secretive details of his mysterious concept, Isaac becomes more and more suspicious of the game’s true intentions. Fear is engrained in all of us, but as Erich Fromm described, there are two main types. First are sadomasochistic characters who kill the fear by being dependent on either controlling or being controlled. Second is the revolutionary character who embraces the fear of being a free human. Similarly, the famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche thought there is little to no difference between success and failure when it comes to their functionality. Human mind is engraved with a false belief that success is heaven and failure is hell. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Sigmund Freud believed our unconscious thoughts and desires define us. So maybe, heaven is a place where the unconscious desires define us, but not control us and hell… well, just look at the commercials.

    EF11 (S1-E9): When the Lights Go Out: The Blinding Light of an Artificial Future

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2019 61:56


    Aldford Herbert, a famous science fiction writer, is on the brink of finishing his latest novel about a realistic, dark future of artificial intelligence. A stroke of luck provides him with an opportunity to talk to Cynthia Butler, the mastermind behind the world's most bleeding edge AI company. Aldford sees this as the perfect opportunity to secretly learn how precise his fictional predictions might be. What he doesn't know is that Cynthia might just have a mysterious, and even more insidious agenda than his own. This episode of the Evolve Faster Podcast will investigate AI development from perspectives of deep learning to related neuroscience and several key technological advances in between. Technology and AI is rapidly evolving at a rate much faster than humanity ever did or could hope for. It's not about if AI will achieve consciousness, but when will we be at least fooled into thinking it has? But does the rapid development automatically mean the end of humankind as we know it? Or is there an alternative route where co-existence is a brighter version of life as it is today?

    EF11 (S1-E9): When the Lights Go Out: The Blinding Light of an Artificial Future

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2019 61:56


    Aldford Herbert, a famous science fiction writer, is on the brink of finishing his latest novel about a realistic, dark future of artificial intelligence. A stroke of luck provides him with an opportunity to talk to Cynthia Butler, the mastermind behind the world’s most bleeding edge AI company. Aldford sees this as the perfect opportunity to secretly learn how precise his fictional predictions might be. What he doesn't know is that Cynthia might just have a mysterious, and even more insidious agenda than his own. This episode of the Evolve Faster Podcast will investigate AI development from perspectives of deep learning to related neuroscience and several key technological advances in between. Technology and AI is rapidly evolving at a rate much faster than humanity ever did or could hope for. It's not about if AI will achieve consciousness, but when will we be at least fooled into thinking it has? But does the rapid development automatically mean the end of humankind as we know it? Or is there an alternative route where co-existence is a brighter version of life as it is today?

    EF10 (S1-E8): The Road to Happiness is Inked in Suffering

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2019 62:33


    Coming from a wealthy family, most others would only dream of the life Alex leads. Every moment is another silver platter where he is handed all the best education, can have his pick of expensive items and to experience seemingly infinite joys. Although grateful for everything, Alex can't shake the reality he isn't happy or fulfilled by any of this at all—nor could he really even define what happiness would look like for him. But why? What could possibly be missing when having everything you want? “It's not about the destination; it's about the journey.” This trite expression is one of the modern favorites in a bin of overused cliches we tell ourselves when we start to lack that next hit of happiness. But is it really trite or just misunderstood? Being a cliche doesn't necessarily make something wrong. Instead, that comes when we don't actually change things in order to live by the message of such wise life lessons. From Ancient India and Greece, to modern Western Culture, we can find countless theories on what happiness is and how to attain it. So why is our ability to attain it no better today—and, by some measures, on the decline—even after thousands of years of intellectual progress?

    EF10 (S1-E8): The Road to Happiness is Inked in Suffering

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2019 62:33


    Coming from a wealthy family, most others would only dream of the life Alex leads. Every moment is another silver platter where he is handed all the best education, can have his pick of expensive items and to experience seemingly infinite joys. Although grateful for everything, Alex can't shake the reality he isn't happy or fulfilled by any of this at all—nor could he really even define what happiness would look like for him. But why? What could possibly be missing when having everything you want? “It's not about the destination; it's about the journey.” This trite expression is one of the modern favorites in a bin of overused cliches we tell ourselves when we start to lack that next hit of happiness. But is it really trite or just misunderstood? Being a cliche doesn't necessarily make something wrong. Instead, that comes when we don’t actually change things in order to live by the message of such wise life lessons. From Ancient India and Greece, to modern Western Culture, we can find countless theories on what happiness is and how to attain it. So why is our ability to attain it no better today—and, by some measures, on the decline—even after thousands of years of intellectual progress?

    EF9 (S1-E7): I Feel, Therefore I am: Capsized on the River Emotion

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2019 49:03


    Elliott made a terrible mistake that's been haunting him ever since. As if rafting through Class V rapids without a paddle, Elliott's sanity is inches away from crashing into sharp rocks of guilt, shame and sadness. Where do we turn when it feels like our emotions have us hurtling out of control in dangerous waters? And is there any hope for recovery even once you've faced the reality of your situation head-on, in light of the power of these emotional currents? We all have emotions, but what are they and do we need them? David Hume felt we are nothing more than slaves to our passions. And maybe so! Countless theories like the Hurrah/Boo Theory show that we'll jump onto the emotional bandwagon of the masses almost instinctively. Why? To feel safe. But is there a way to break the secure chains of emotions? Is there a way to rationalize the irrational, reason the unreasonable and be ultimately be masters of our feelings?

    EF9 (S1-E7): I Feel, Therefore I am: Capsized on the River Emotion

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2019 49:03


    Elliott made a terrible mistake that's been haunting him ever since. As if rafting through Class V rapids without a paddle, Elliott's sanity is inches away from crashing into sharp rocks of guilt, shame and sadness. Where do we turn when it feels like our emotions have us hurtling out of control in dangerous waters? And is there any hope for recovery even once you’ve faced the reality of your situation head-on, in light of the power of these emotional currents? We all have emotions, but what are they and do we need them? David Hume felt we are nothing more than slaves to our passions. And maybe so! Countless theories like the Hurrah/Boo Theory show that we'll jump onto the emotional bandwagon of the masses almost instinctively. Why? To feel safe. But is there a way to break the secure chains of emotions? Is there a way to rationalize the irrational, reason the unreasonable and be ultimately be masters of our feelings?

    EF8 (S1-E6): Without a Compass: All Who Sail the Seas of Identity Are Not Lost

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2019 43:24


    (EF8) You're the sailor of the ship called you, and yet most people let their boats go into great disrepair and neglect. Feeling moored in the same spot for years with no clear understanding of the direction she needs to go, Lisa gets a unique opportunity to upgrade her identity boat with a chemical compass of sorts—a mysterious drug that will supposedly alter her complete identity—to supposedly better enable her to navigate through life's rough waters. Could a change in your identity actually turn your entire life around for the better? Or are we destined to live with constant susceptibility to being lost in a sea of meaningless actions and emotions without any sort of compass to steer our ship? What defines our identity? John Locke thought it is our consciousness and the daily actions that shape who we are. Similarly, Erik and Joan Erickson created an entire step-by-step description of the phases each individual goes through. Finally, recent neuroscientific research manages to make a hard connection between various emotions we experience and our brain. Is there anything we can actually do to navigate the rough emotional waters of life any more effectively?

    EF8 (S1-E6): Without a Compass: All Who Sail the Seas of Identity Are Not Lost

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2019 43:24


    (EF8) You're the sailor of the ship called you, and yet most people let their boats go into great disrepair and neglect. Feeling moored in the same spot for years with no clear understanding of the direction she needs to go, Lisa gets a unique opportunity to upgrade her identity boat with a chemical compass of sorts—a mysterious drug that will supposedly alter her complete identity—to supposedly better enable her to navigate through life’s rough waters. Could a change in your identity actually turn your entire life around for the better? Or are we destined to live with constant susceptibility to being lost in a sea of meaningless actions and emotions without any sort of compass to steer our ship? What defines our identity? John Locke thought it is our consciousness and the daily actions that shape who we are. Similarly, Erik and Joan Erickson created an entire step-by-step description of the phases each individual goes through. Finally, recent neuroscientific research manages to make a hard connection between various emotions we experience and our brain. Is there anything we can actually do to navigate the rough emotional waters of life any more effectively?

    EF7 (S1-E5): Sleight of Mind: The Black Magic of Rhetoric

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2019 53:34


    Edward, a marketing master and spokesperson for the dark arts of rhetoric and propaganda, is hired to educate a controversial businessman running for an important public office. It's Edward's job to bestow the black magic of verbal and written manipulation on the businessman to win the election. Where the tongue is quicker than the mind—and the pen sharp enough to cut—are these skills a well-respected art? Or are they just cheap mental tricks wielded by insincere charlatans? Since perfected by the ancient Greeks, rhetoric has slowly devolved from a respected art into a manipulative tool used in marketing, politics and any other walk of life where mental and verbal coercion pays. Rhetoric, propaganda and the strategic use of logical fallacies are mental and verbal manipulations similar to the dark arts of black magic, in that they create smoke and mirrors to change minds to believe mistruths. And unlike a magician who deceives to entertain, these dark wizards act maliciously in pursuit of profit and power over others.

    EF7 (S1-E5): Sleight of Mind: The Black Magic of Rhetoric

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2019 53:34


    Edward, a marketing master and spokesperson for the dark arts of rhetoric and propaganda, is hired to educate a controversial businessman running for an important public office. It's Edward's job to bestow the black magic of verbal and written manipulation on the businessman to win the election. Where the tongue is quicker than the mind—and the pen sharp enough to cut—are these skills a well-respected art? Or are they just cheap mental tricks wielded by insincere charlatans? Since perfected by the ancient Greeks, rhetoric has slowly devolved from a respected art into a manipulative tool used in marketing, politics and any other walk of life where mental and verbal coercion pays. Rhetoric, propaganda and the strategic use of logical fallacies are mental and verbal manipulations similar to the dark arts of black magic, in that they create smoke and mirrors to change minds to believe mistruths. And unlike a magician who deceives to entertain, these dark wizards act maliciously in pursuit of profit and power over others.

    EF6 (S1-E4): Information Mainlining and the Folly of Modern Wisdom

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2019 28:34


    The big question driving Episode EF6 is ... How do you acquire wisdom? Paul, a child prodigy who became a leading theoretical physicist in his early 30s, is facing a personal dilemma that is making him miserable—the realization that he might be woefully deficient in the one thing he most reveres. Although filled with endless knowledge, he isn't wise. But how? Isn't harnessing more and more information the key to becoming wise? In his attempt to figure it out, Paul might realize the obstacle he's facing isn't even close to being the final one. And can he feel like a complete person without it? The idea of wisdom goes back to Ancient Greece, from Socrates and Plato to modern day reinterpretations and research by sociologists like Monika Ardelt. In this episode's exploration of wisdom and how it manifests, the real questions come forth. Even if we can define wisdom, is that enough to come by it? Can anyone become truly wise in this world of rapidly changing information? And what will happen to the world if wisdom is actually declining in reverse proportion to the volumes of information available every day?

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