Podcasts about Joseph Henrich

Infinite Loops: Read the notes at at podcastnotes.org. Don't forget to subscribe for free to our newsletter, the top 10 ideas of the week, every Monday --------- Nathan Baschez is the cofounder and CEO of Lex, an AI word-processor. He also cofounded Every, was the first employee at Substack AND co-created Product Hunt. Suffice to say, Nathan knows a thing or two about building on the internet. He joins the show to discuss how AI is changing writing, why it's time to rethink the article, the rise of solo founders and MUCH more. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that's interesting!”, check out our Substack. Important Links: Lex Twitter Substack LinkedIn Show Notes: Lex: Your Spotter In the Writing Gym Letting People Into Your Creative Process Collaboration-as-a-Service Creation Is Fundamentally About Choices What Will Become of the AI Holdouts? AI Is Like the Internet In 1995 Can AI Unfuck the Government? Blindspots While Working In Organizations Rethinking The ‘Article' As A Medium Memes Are Dense Information Packets It's Time for Solo Founders Why Learning About Cumulative Cultural Evolution Is Vital What's Next for Lex? Writing As A Way To Design Thoughts Nathan As World Emperor Books Mentioned: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life; by George Saunders The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter; by Joseph Henrich

Infinite Loops Key Takeaways  AI is not thinking-as-a-service but collaboration-as-a-service: The wrong way to approach AI is to sit back and see what it comes up with; the right way is to tinker with it and poke it in different ways so that novel patterns emergeBanning AI in schools is like stopping humans from using fire because they might burn themselvesAfter discovering how to use fire, we created fire departments, firemen, and fire exits; the same thing will happen with AI“AI is a mirror, not a mold.” – Jim O'Shaughnessy Creation is fundamentally about choices: The choices reflect what the creator considers; the creation is the result of what the creator decidesThe best writers use the best prompts – the same skills that make them great writers help them get the best from AI“A lot of things that are revolutionary in the history of technology have taken something that was encoded into the substrate and then made it an abstraction.” – Nathan Baschez AI in 2025 is roughly where the internet was in 1995: So even if there is an AI ‘crash', value creation will take place post-crash just as it did with internet companies following the Dot Com BubbleUnderstanding cumulative cultural evolution: Recognizing cultural shifts before others do gives you a competitive edge in both life and business The thinking that you should let the world pull companies out of your creative projects may be wrong; the vast majorities of successful businesses were started by people who wanted to create a successful business  Do not fall victim to the “Disney Princess Co-Founder” Fallacy: Instead of waiting to start because you have not found the perfect co-founder, just start on your idea!A common misconception about writing is that it is not only a way to communicate our thoughts, but also a way to formulate our thoughts Learn more by doing: Set aside preconceived expectations and follow your curiosityRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgNathan Baschez is the cofounder and CEO of Lex, an AI word-processor. He also cofounded Every, was the first employee at Substack AND co-created Product Hunt. Suffice to say, Nathan knows a thing or two about building on the internet. He joins the show to discuss how AI is changing writing, why it's time to rethink the article, the rise of solo founders and MUCH more. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that's interesting!”, check out our Substack. Important Links: Lex Twitter Substack LinkedIn Show Notes: Lex: Your Spotter In the Writing Gym Letting People Into Your Creative Process Collaboration-as-a-Service Creation Is Fundamentally About Choices What Will Become of the AI Holdouts? AI Is Like the Internet In 1995 Can AI Unfuck the Government? Blindspots While Working In Organizations Rethinking The ‘Article' As A Medium Memes Are Dense Information Packets It's Time for Solo Founders Why Learning About Cumulative Cultural Evolution Is Vital What's Next for Lex? Writing As A Way To Design Thoughts Nathan As World Emperor Books Mentioned: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life; by George Saunders The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter; by Joseph Henrich

Infinite Loops Key Takeaways  AI is not thinking-as-a-service but collaboration-as-a-service: The wrong way to approach AI is to sit back and see what it comes up with; the right way is to tinker with it and poke it in different ways so that novel patterns emergeBanning AI in schools is like stopping humans from using fire because they might burn themselvesAfter discovering how to use fire, we created fire departments, firemen, and fire exits; the same thing will happen with AI“AI is a mirror, not a mold.” – Jim O'Shaughnessy Creation is fundamentally about choices: The choices reflect what the creator considers; the creation is the result of what the creator decidesThe best writers use the best prompts – the same skills that make them great writers help them get the best from AI“A lot of things that are revolutionary in the history of technology have taken something that was encoded into the substrate and then made it an abstraction.” – Nathan Baschez AI in 2025 is roughly where the internet was in 1995: So even if there is an AI ‘crash', value creation will take place post-crash just as it did with internet companies following the Dot Com BubbleUnderstanding cumulative cultural evolution: Recognizing cultural shifts before others do gives you a competitive edge in both life and business The thinking that you should let the world pull companies out of your creative projects may be wrong; the vast majorities of successful businesses were started by people who wanted to create a successful business  Do not fall victim to the “Disney Princess Co-Founder” Fallacy: Instead of waiting to start because you have not found the perfect co-founder, just start on your idea!A common misconception about writing is that it is not only a way to communicate our thoughts, but also a way to formulate our thoughts Learn more by doing: Set aside preconceived expectations and follow your curiosityRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgNathan Baschez is the cofounder and CEO of Lex, an AI word-processor. He also cofounded Every, was the first employee at Substack AND co-created Product Hunt. Suffice to say, Nathan knows a thing or two about building on the internet. He joins the show to discuss how AI is changing writing, why it's time to rethink the article, the rise of solo founders and MUCH more. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that's interesting!”, check out our Substack. Important Links: Lex Twitter Substack LinkedIn Show Notes: Lex: Your Spotter In the Writing Gym Letting People Into Your Creative Process Collaboration-as-a-Service Creation Is Fundamentally About Choices What Will Become of the AI Holdouts? AI Is Like the Internet In 1995 Can AI Unfuck the Government? Blindspots While Working In Organizations Rethinking The ‘Article' As A Medium Memes Are Dense Information Packets It's Time for Solo Founders Why Learning About Cumulative Cultural Evolution Is Vital What's Next for Lex? Writing As A Way To Design Thoughts Nathan As World Emperor Books Mentioned: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life; by George Saunders The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter; by Joseph Henrich

Nathan Baschez is the cofounder and CEO of Lex, an AI word-processor. He also cofounded Every, was the first employee at Substack AND co-created Product Hunt. Suffice to say, Nathan knows a thing or two about building on the internet. He joins the show to discuss how AI is changing writing, why it's time to rethink the article, the rise of solo founders and MUCH more. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that's interesting!”, check out our Substack. Important Links: Lex Twitter Substack LinkedIn Show Notes: Lex: Your Spotter In the Writing Gym Letting People Into Your Creative Process Collaboration-as-a-Service Creation Is Fundamentally About Choices What Will Become of the AI Holdouts? AI Is Like the Internet In 1995 Can AI Unfuck the Government? Blindspots While Working In Organizations Rethinking The ‘Article' As A Medium Memes Are Dense Information Packets It's Time for Solo Founders Why Learning About Cumulative Cultural Evolution Is Vital What's Next for Lex? Writing As A Way To Design Thoughts Nathan As World Emperor Books Mentioned: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life; by George Saunders The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter; by Joseph Henrich

An episode all about cognitive dissonance. Ever feel like there are two yous in the same head? The one that cares about the planet, and the one that doesn't act like it does? And that having two yous makes at least one of your yous freak out? You (and you) are not alone. Welcome to cognitive dissonance. As Walt Whitman wrote: you contain multitudes. It's a feature, not a bug, of being alive. Humans, it turns out, are very good at thinking conflicting things at the same time.  This helps us get through the day, but means we're as likely to run away from scary facts we don't like - eg, the state of planet Earth - as to take meaningful action. It's as bad for our politics as it is for getting our heads around climate change. What's to be done? In this episode, Dave chats all things cognitive dissonance and more with the brilliant Sarah Stein Lubrano. Sarah's an author, podcaster and academic whose work is at the intersection of psychology, politics, and cognitive science. Her new book, Don't Talk About Politics: How to change 21st century minds, is out in mid-May. Let me know your thoughts on the show - hello@yourbrainonclimate.com. Please rate, review and subscribe, and share the show on socials. Please consider chucking this humble indie podcaster a few quid at www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate. Owl noises = references: 23:52 - Joseph Henrich coined the term WEIRD & wrote a book about it. 32:30 - Excellent article on Kristin Laurin's work studying bans. 42:44 - Deep organising, via the legend that was Jane McAlevey. 49:29 - Google Deepmind founder Mustafa Suleyman's terrifying book, the Coming Wave. 52:35 - critical theory and social pathology.Clips in this episode are from the (er) 1984 film of 1984, starring Robert Burton and John Hurt. The show is hosted and produced by me, Dave Powell, who you can find @powellds on Bluesky and X/Twitter, although I don't use the latter any more. YBOC theme music and iterations thereof, by me.  Show logo by Arthur Stovell at www.designbymondial.com. 

In today's episode, Dr. Pierce Salguero sits down with Miguel Farias, an experimental psychologist and researcher of religion, spirituality, and cognition. Together we try to get to the bottom of whether meditation is actually good for you through a comparison of Miguel's research on the adverse effects of meditation with my research on Asian notions of meditation sickness. Along the way, we discuss the limitations of modern Western understandings of consciousness, and explore whether we can develop a more expansive, multifaceted understanding of altered states both pleasant and unpleasant. If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show! Resources mentioned: Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm, The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? (2019). Miguel Farias, Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2022). Miguel Farias et al, “Adverse Events in Meditation Practices and Meditation-based Therapies: A Systematic Review” (2021). Pierce Salguero, “‘Meditation Sickness' in Medieval Chinese Buddhism and the Contemporary West” (2023). Peter Berger, The Homeless Mind (1973). Joseph Henrich et al. article on the Müller-Lyer illusion (2010). The source for the term “monophasic bias” is apparently Charles Laughlin's chapter “Transpersonal Anthropology” in Roger Walsh's book Paths Beyond Ego (1993). Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (2025). Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com: Introduction to the Oxford Handbook of Meditation Pierce Salguero is a transdisciplinary scholar of health humanities who is fascinated by historical and contemporary intersections between Buddhism, medicine, and crosscultural exchange. He has a Ph.D. in History of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2010), and teaches Asian history, medicine, and religion at Penn State University's Abington College, located near Philadelphia. www.piercesalguero.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In today's episode, Dr. Pierce Salguero sits down with Miguel Farias, an experimental psychologist and researcher of religion, spirituality, and cognition. Together we try to get to the bottom of whether meditation is actually good for you through a comparison of Miguel's research on the adverse effects of meditation with my research on Asian notions of meditation sickness. Along the way, we discuss the limitations of modern Western understandings of consciousness, and explore whether we can develop a more expansive, multifaceted understanding of altered states both pleasant and unpleasant. If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show! Resources mentioned: Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm, The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? (2019). Miguel Farias, Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2022). Miguel Farias et al, “Adverse Events in Meditation Practices and Meditation-based Therapies: A Systematic Review” (2021). Pierce Salguero, “‘Meditation Sickness' in Medieval Chinese Buddhism and the Contemporary West” (2023). Peter Berger, The Homeless Mind (1973). Joseph Henrich et al. article on the Müller-Lyer illusion (2010). The source for the term “monophasic bias” is apparently Charles Laughlin's chapter “Transpersonal Anthropology” in Roger Walsh's book Paths Beyond Ego (1993). Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (2025). Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com: Introduction to the Oxford Handbook of Meditation Pierce Salguero is a transdisciplinary scholar of health humanities who is fascinated by historical and contemporary intersections between Buddhism, medicine, and crosscultural exchange. He has a Ph.D. in History of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2010), and teaches Asian history, medicine, and religion at Penn State University's Abington College, located near Philadelphia. www.piercesalguero.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/buddhist-studies

In today's episode, Dr. Pierce Salguero sits down with Miguel Farias, an experimental psychologist and researcher of religion, spirituality, and cognition. Together we try to get to the bottom of whether meditation is actually good for you through a comparison of Miguel's research on the adverse effects of meditation with my research on Asian notions of meditation sickness. Along the way, we discuss the limitations of modern Western understandings of consciousness, and explore whether we can develop a more expansive, multifaceted understanding of altered states both pleasant and unpleasant. If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show! Resources mentioned: Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm, The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? (2019). Miguel Farias, Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2022). Miguel Farias et al, “Adverse Events in Meditation Practices and Meditation-based Therapies: A Systematic Review” (2021). Pierce Salguero, “‘Meditation Sickness' in Medieval Chinese Buddhism and the Contemporary West” (2023). Peter Berger, The Homeless Mind (1973). Joseph Henrich et al. article on the Müller-Lyer illusion (2010). The source for the term “monophasic bias” is apparently Charles Laughlin's chapter “Transpersonal Anthropology” in Roger Walsh's book Paths Beyond Ego (1993). Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (2025). Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com: Introduction to the Oxford Handbook of Meditation Pierce Salguero is a transdisciplinary scholar of health humanities who is fascinated by historical and contemporary intersections between Buddhism, medicine, and crosscultural exchange. He has a Ph.D. in History of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2010), and teaches Asian history, medicine, and religion at Penn State University's Abington College, located near Philadelphia. www.piercesalguero.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

In today's episode, Dr. Pierce Salguero sits down with Miguel Farias, an experimental psychologist and researcher of religion, spirituality, and cognition. Together we try to get to the bottom of whether meditation is actually good for you through a comparison of Miguel's research on the adverse effects of meditation with my research on Asian notions of meditation sickness. Along the way, we discuss the limitations of modern Western understandings of consciousness, and explore whether we can develop a more expansive, multifaceted understanding of altered states both pleasant and unpleasant. If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show! Resources mentioned: Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm, The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? (2019). Miguel Farias, Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2022). Miguel Farias et al, “Adverse Events in Meditation Practices and Meditation-based Therapies: A Systematic Review” (2021). Pierce Salguero, “‘Meditation Sickness' in Medieval Chinese Buddhism and the Contemporary West” (2023). Peter Berger, The Homeless Mind (1973). Joseph Henrich et al. article on the Müller-Lyer illusion (2010). The source for the term “monophasic bias” is apparently Charles Laughlin's chapter “Transpersonal Anthropology” in Roger Walsh's book Paths Beyond Ego (1993). Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (2025). Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com: Introduction to the Oxford Handbook of Meditation Pierce Salguero is a transdisciplinary scholar of health humanities who is fascinated by historical and contemporary intersections between Buddhism, medicine, and crosscultural exchange. He has a Ph.D. in History of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2010), and teaches Asian history, medicine, and religion at Penn State University's Abington College, located near Philadelphia. www.piercesalguero.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

In today's episode, Dr. Pierce Salguero sits down with Miguel Farias, an experimental psychologist and researcher of religion, spirituality, and cognition. Together we try to get to the bottom of whether meditation is actually good for you through a comparison of Miguel's research on the adverse effects of meditation with my research on Asian notions of meditation sickness. Along the way, we discuss the limitations of modern Western understandings of consciousness, and explore whether we can develop a more expansive, multifaceted understanding of altered states both pleasant and unpleasant. If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show! Resources mentioned: Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm, The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? (2019). Miguel Farias, Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2022). Miguel Farias et al, “Adverse Events in Meditation Practices and Meditation-based Therapies: A Systematic Review” (2021). Pierce Salguero, “‘Meditation Sickness' in Medieval Chinese Buddhism and the Contemporary West” (2023). Peter Berger, The Homeless Mind (1973). Joseph Henrich et al. article on the Müller-Lyer illusion (2010). The source for the term “monophasic bias” is apparently Charles Laughlin's chapter “Transpersonal Anthropology” in Roger Walsh's book Paths Beyond Ego (1993). Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (2025). Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com: Introduction to the Oxford Handbook of Meditation Pierce Salguero is a transdisciplinary scholar of health humanities who is fascinated by historical and contemporary intersections between Buddhism, medicine, and crosscultural exchange. He has a Ph.D. in History of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2010), and teaches Asian history, medicine, and religion at Penn State University's Abington College, located near Philadelphia. www.piercesalguero.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/spiritual-practice-and-mindfulness

Today I sit down with Miguel Farias, an experimental psychologist and researcher of religion, spirituality, and cognition. Together we try to get to the bottom of whether meditation is actually good for you through a comparison of Miguel's research on the adverse effects of meditation with my research on Asian notions of meditation sickness. Along the way, we discuss the limitations of modern Western understandings of consciousness, and explore whether we can develop a more expansive, multifaceted understanding of altered states both pleasant and unpleasant.If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show!Resources mentioned:Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm, The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? (2019).Miguel Farias, Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2022).Miguel Farias et al, “Adverse Events in Meditation Practices and Meditation-based Therapies: A Systematic Review” (2021).Pierce Salguero, “‘Meditation Sickness' in Medieval Chinese Buddhism and the Contemporary West” (2023). Peter Berger, The Homeless Mind (1973).Joseph Henrich et al. article on the Müller-Lyer illusion (2010).The source for the term “monophasic bias” is apparently Charles Laughlin's chapter “Transpersonal Anthropology” in Roger Walsh's book Paths Beyond Ego (1993).Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (2025).Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com:Introduction to the Oxford Handbook of Meditation

This week on the Sinica Podcast, I chat with Jeremy Garlick, Director of the Jan Masaryk Centre for International Studies, Prague University, and a scholar of China's international relations. Jeremy is the author of the book Advantage China: Agent of Change in an Era of Global Disruption, but the book we're talking about this week is his new Cambridge Element titled Evolution in International Relations. It's a fascinating attempt to apply ideas from evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology, and archaeogenetics to further our understanding of how nations interact.6:13 – Why Jeremy decided to apply an evolutionary framework to IR 15:34 – Why evolutionary science hasn't really been integrated into IR19:32 – How Jeremy views his project as refining the IR field 22:43 – The risk of the misappropriation of Jeremy's work, and the evolutionary elements of cooperation and intergroup competition 28:54 – How to avoid the trap of viewing evolution as teleological 34:07 – The idea of self-domestication 39:55 – Morality and human rights 45:17 – How emotions affect decision-making and diplomacy 50:32 – Hierarchy and status-seeking in IR 56:56 – Applying an evolutionary framework to the IR phenomena of alliances, nuclear deterrence, and strategic balancing 1:01:31 – Altruism toward out-groups 1:05:57 – The inevitability of competition with China 1:08:19 – The intellectual challenges Jeremy faced while working on this project, and what he would develop further in the future1:12:51 – Jeremy's thoughts on what IR as a discipline should address, integrating evolutionary science Paying It Forward: Richard TurcsányiRecommendations:Jeremy: The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich; and The Expanse novels by James S. A. CoreyKaiser: Playground by Richard Powers See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Humans have not succeeded because of our raw intelligence.Marooned European explorers regularly starved to death in areas where foragers thrived for 1000s of years.I've always found this cultural evolution deeply mysterious.How do you discover the 10 steps for processing cassava so it won't give you cyanide poisoning simply by trial and error?Has the human brain declined in size over the last 10,000 years because we outsourced cultural evolution to a larger collective brain?The most interesting part of the podcast is Henrich's explanation of how the Catholic Church unintentionally instigated the Industrial Revolution through the dismantling of intensive kinship systems in medieval Europe.Watch on Youtube; listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.----------SponsorsScale partners with major AI labs like Meta, Google Deepmind, and OpenAI. Through Scale's Data Foundry, labs get access to high-quality data to fuel post-training, including advanced reasoning capabilities. If you're an AI researcher or engineer, learn about how Scale's Data Foundry and research lab, SEAL, can help you go beyond the current frontier at scale.com/dwarkesh.To sponsor a future episode, visit dwarkesh.com/p/advertise.----------Joseph's booksThe WEIRDest People in the WorldThe Secret of Our Success----------Timestamps(0:00:00) - Humans didn't succeed because of raw IQ(0:09:27) - How cultural evolution works(0:20:48) - Why is human brain size declining?(0:32:00) - Will AGI have superhuman cultural learning?(0:42:34) - Why Industrial Revolution happened in Europe(0:55:30) - Why China, Rome, India got left behind(1:21:09) - Loss of cultural variance in modern world(1:31:20) - Is individual genius real?(1:43:49) - IQ and collective brains Get full access to Dwarkesh Podcast at www.dwarkesh.com/subscribe

When it comes to finding happiness, many religions see marriage as the gold standard: a path to love, stability, and fulfillment. But is that really true? And if so, why are marriage rates plummeting in so many parts of the world?In this episode, we'll talk to anthropologist Joseph Henrich about the surprising history of marriage and monogamy, including how these institutions helped lay the groundwork for much of our modern way of life. We'll also speak with psychologist Geoff MacDonald about what it means to live a happy, single life in a world that often prioritizes partnership, and why marriage might not offer the best road to fulfillment for everyone. Joseph Henrich is the Ruth Moore Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, and the author of The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous. Geoff MacDonald is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, where he leads the MacDonald Social Psychology Research Laboratory, which aims to study well-being in singlehood. 

Simon Cullen and Nicholas DiBella discuss how to equip students to dialog across differences using an AI Guide they've created on episode 560 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Quotes from the episode Most of my students have not heard cogent arguments on the other side of whatever they whatever their own position is because they've been so siloed. -Simon Cullen In every one of these classes the point is to try and confront students with the strongest arguments I can find, ideally for the thing they don't believe. -Simon Cullen The first thing they hear from me is if you wish to avoid the risk of being offended, then you should probably not be taking this class. -Simon Cullen In philosophy, we always embrace disagreement. -Nicholas DiBella We have designed the guide is to be as neutral as possible. -Nicholas DiBella Resources Sway Website Experimental results Student feedback Transcripts of Real Chats From Students and Experimental participants Feedback From Students About Simon's Dangerous Ideas Carnegie Mellon Course In Praise of Ignorance: To have a chance at solving our problems we must not condemn each other for openly stating our ignorance, by Simon Cullen Mike Caulfield's SIFT Over or Under: We Asked a Physicist to End the World's Great Toilet Paper Debate, by VICE Staff AI is Unavoidable, Not Inevitable, by Marc Watkins I want your attention. I need your attention. Here is how I mastered by own, by Chris Hayes (gift article) Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony Evolved Chocolate Heterodox Academy The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter, by Joseph Henrich

Send us a textShort Summary: How human culture and psychology have evolved, particularly exploring the unique psychological traits of "WEIRD" (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) societies, providing insights into why our minds and societies are the way they are today.About the Guest: Joe Henrich, PhD is a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University. His research focuses on applying evolutionary theory to understand the human mind and culture, particularly how cultural evolution has led to the emergence of WEIRD psychology.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and to everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.Key Takeaways:WEIRD Psychology: WEIRD stands for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic, highlighting unique psychological traits like individualism and analytic thinking which are not universal but specific to Western societies.Marriage & Kinship: The Western Church's marriage policies, promoting monogamy and the nuclear family, contributed to the dissolution of extended kinship networks, fostering individualism in Western societies.Institutional Influence: Institutions in WEIRD societies, like universities and legal systems, focus on individual rights and mental states, contrasting with other cultures emphasizing group or kin loyalty.Modern Challenges: Henrich touches on current issues like the impact of dating apps on mating markets, potentially leading to social instability due to increased male-female inequality in mating success.Future of Religion and Culture: The conversation speculates on the future evolution of religion and cultural practices, suggesting that religions fostering high fertility and communal support might gain prominence.Related episode:M&M #129: Biological Sex, Sexual Selection, Sex Behavior, Mating Strategies, Sexual Orientation, Monogamy & Polygyny | David Puts*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes (audio & video), show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. Learn all the ways you can support my efforts

I had a conversation with Joesph Henrich, a distinguished anthropologist and evolutionary biologist at Harvard. Renowned for his interdisciplinary research on cultural evolution and the origins of WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) societies, Joseph is a deep dude.We had a wide-ranging discussion on topics such as cultural learning, social contagion, and the WEIRD phenomenon. We explored the interplay between truth and religion, the economic and political impacts of kinship structures, and cognitive development in non-schooled environments. Additionally, we talked about David Deutsch's work on falsifiability and its role in building systems of knowledge, divination, witchcraft, rationality, and the question of who might be considered the "weirdest" people in the world.Watch this episode on YouTube.Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies - The Beltway BriefingListen for of-the-moment insider insights, framed by the rapidly changing social and...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify LifeLine 911A podcast hosted by 911 First Responders to discuss issues and stories in the field.Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

It is an intuitive truth that religious beliefs are different from ordinary factual beliefs. We understand that a belief in God or the sacredness of scripture is not the same as believing that the sun will rise again tomorrow or that flipping the switch will turn on the light.  In Religion as Make Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity (Harvard UP, 2023), Neil Van Leeuwen draws on psychological, linguistic, and anthropological evidence to show that psychological mechanisms underlying religious beliefs function like those that enable imaginative play.  When someone pretends, they navigate the world on two levels simultaneously, or as Van Leeuwen describes it, by consulting two maps. The first map is that of factual, mundane reality. The second is a map of the imagined world. This second map is then superimposed on top of the first to create a multi-layered cognitive experience that is consistent with both factual and imaginary understandings.  With this model in mind, we can understand religious belief, which Van Leeuwen terms religious "credence", as a form of make-believe that people use to define their group identity and express values they hold as sacred. Religious communities create a religious-credence map which sits on top of their factual-belief map, creating an experience where ordinary objects and events are rich with sacred and supernatural significance.  Recognizing that our minds process factual and religious beliefs in fundamentally different ways allows us to gain deeper understanding of the complex individual and group psychology of religious faith. Author recommended reading: The WEIRDEST People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich. Mentioned resources:  Lecture 'But... But... But... Extremists!' by Neil van Leeuwen Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists by Scott Atran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

It is an intuitive truth that religious beliefs are different from ordinary factual beliefs. We understand that a belief in God or the sacredness of scripture is not the same as believing that the sun will rise again tomorrow or that flipping the switch will turn on the light.  In Religion as Make Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity (Harvard UP, 2023), Neil Van Leeuwen draws on psychological, linguistic, and anthropological evidence to show that psychological mechanisms underlying religious beliefs function like those that enable imaginative play.  When someone pretends, they navigate the world on two levels simultaneously, or as Van Leeuwen describes it, by consulting two maps. The first map is that of factual, mundane reality. The second is a map of the imagined world. This second map is then superimposed on top of the first to create a multi-layered cognitive experience that is consistent with both factual and imaginary understandings.  With this model in mind, we can understand religious belief, which Van Leeuwen terms religious "credence", as a form of make-believe that people use to define their group identity and express values they hold as sacred. Religious communities create a religious-credence map which sits on top of their factual-belief map, creating an experience where ordinary objects and events are rich with sacred and supernatural significance.  Recognizing that our minds process factual and religious beliefs in fundamentally different ways allows us to gain deeper understanding of the complex individual and group psychology of religious faith. Author recommended reading: The WEIRDEST People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich. Mentioned resources:  Lecture 'But... But... But... Extremists!' by Neil van Leeuwen Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists by Scott Atran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

It is an intuitive truth that religious beliefs are different from ordinary factual beliefs. We understand that a belief in God or the sacredness of scripture is not the same as believing that the sun will rise again tomorrow or that flipping the switch will turn on the light.  In Religion as Make Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity (Harvard UP, 2023), Neil Van Leeuwen draws on psychological, linguistic, and anthropological evidence to show that psychological mechanisms underlying religious beliefs function like those that enable imaginative play.  When someone pretends, they navigate the world on two levels simultaneously, or as Van Leeuwen describes it, by consulting two maps. The first map is that of factual, mundane reality. The second is a map of the imagined world. This second map is then superimposed on top of the first to create a multi-layered cognitive experience that is consistent with both factual and imaginary understandings.  With this model in mind, we can understand religious belief, which Van Leeuwen terms religious "credence", as a form of make-believe that people use to define their group identity and express values they hold as sacred. Religious communities create a religious-credence map which sits on top of their factual-belief map, creating an experience where ordinary objects and events are rich with sacred and supernatural significance.  Recognizing that our minds process factual and religious beliefs in fundamentally different ways allows us to gain deeper understanding of the complex individual and group psychology of religious faith. Author recommended reading: The WEIRDEST People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich. Mentioned resources:  Lecture 'But... But... But... Extremists!' by Neil van Leeuwen Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists by Scott Atran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

It is an intuitive truth that religious beliefs are different from ordinary factual beliefs. We understand that a belief in God or the sacredness of scripture is not the same as believing that the sun will rise again tomorrow or that flipping the switch will turn on the light.  In Religion as Make Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity (Harvard UP, 2023), Neil Van Leeuwen draws on psychological, linguistic, and anthropological evidence to show that psychological mechanisms underlying religious beliefs function like those that enable imaginative play.  When someone pretends, they navigate the world on two levels simultaneously, or as Van Leeuwen describes it, by consulting two maps. The first map is that of factual, mundane reality. The second is a map of the imagined world. This second map is then superimposed on top of the first to create a multi-layered cognitive experience that is consistent with both factual and imaginary understandings.  With this model in mind, we can understand religious belief, which Van Leeuwen terms religious "credence", as a form of make-believe that people use to define their group identity and express values they hold as sacred. Religious communities create a religious-credence map which sits on top of their factual-belief map, creating an experience where ordinary objects and events are rich with sacred and supernatural significance.  Recognizing that our minds process factual and religious beliefs in fundamentally different ways allows us to gain deeper understanding of the complex individual and group psychology of religious faith. Author recommended reading: The WEIRDEST People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich. Mentioned resources:  Lecture 'But... But... But... Extremists!' by Neil van Leeuwen Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists by Scott Atran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

It is an intuitive truth that religious beliefs are different from ordinary factual beliefs. We understand that a belief in God or the sacredness of scripture is not the same as believing that the sun will rise again tomorrow or that flipping the switch will turn on the light.  In Religion as Make Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity (Harvard UP, 2023), Neil Van Leeuwen draws on psychological, linguistic, and anthropological evidence to show that psychological mechanisms underlying religious beliefs function like those that enable imaginative play.  When someone pretends, they navigate the world on two levels simultaneously, or as Van Leeuwen describes it, by consulting two maps. The first map is that of factual, mundane reality. The second is a map of the imagined world. This second map is then superimposed on top of the first to create a multi-layered cognitive experience that is consistent with both factual and imaginary understandings.  With this model in mind, we can understand religious belief, which Van Leeuwen terms religious "credence", as a form of make-believe that people use to define their group identity and express values they hold as sacred. Religious communities create a religious-credence map which sits on top of their factual-belief map, creating an experience where ordinary objects and events are rich with sacred and supernatural significance.  Recognizing that our minds process factual and religious beliefs in fundamentally different ways allows us to gain deeper understanding of the complex individual and group psychology of religious faith. Author recommended reading: The WEIRDEST People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich. Mentioned resources:  Lecture 'But... But... But... Extremists!' by Neil van Leeuwen Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists by Scott Atran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

It is an intuitive truth that religious beliefs are different from ordinary factual beliefs. We understand that a belief in God or the sacredness of scripture is not the same as believing that the sun will rise again tomorrow or that flipping the switch will turn on the light.  In Religion as Make Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity (Harvard UP, 2023), Neil Van Leeuwen draws on psychological, linguistic, and anthropological evidence to show that psychological mechanisms underlying religious beliefs function like those that enable imaginative play.  When someone pretends, they navigate the world on two levels simultaneously, or as Van Leeuwen describes it, by consulting two maps. The first map is that of factual, mundane reality. The second is a map of the imagined world. This second map is then superimposed on top of the first to create a multi-layered cognitive experience that is consistent with both factual and imaginary understandings.  With this model in mind, we can understand religious belief, which Van Leeuwen terms religious "credence", as a form of make-believe that people use to define their group identity and express values they hold as sacred. Religious communities create a religious-credence map which sits on top of their factual-belief map, creating an experience where ordinary objects and events are rich with sacred and supernatural significance.  Recognizing that our minds process factual and religious beliefs in fundamentally different ways allows us to gain deeper understanding of the complex individual and group psychology of religious faith. Author recommended reading: The WEIRDEST People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich. Mentioned resources:  Lecture 'But... But... But... Extremists!' by Neil van Leeuwen Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists by Scott Atran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

It is an intuitive truth that religious beliefs are different from ordinary factual beliefs. We understand that a belief in God or the sacredness of scripture is not the same as believing that the sun will rise again tomorrow or that flipping the switch will turn on the light.  In Religion as Make Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity (Harvard UP, 2023), Neil Van Leeuwen draws on psychological, linguistic, and anthropological evidence to show that psychological mechanisms underlying religious beliefs function like those that enable imaginative play.  When someone pretends, they navigate the world on two levels simultaneously, or as Van Leeuwen describes it, by consulting two maps. The first map is that of factual, mundane reality. The second is a map of the imagined world. This second map is then superimposed on top of the first to create a multi-layered cognitive experience that is consistent with both factual and imaginary understandings.  With this model in mind, we can understand religious belief, which Van Leeuwen terms religious "credence", as a form of make-believe that people use to define their group identity and express values they hold as sacred. Religious communities create a religious-credence map which sits on top of their factual-belief map, creating an experience where ordinary objects and events are rich with sacred and supernatural significance.  Recognizing that our minds process factual and religious beliefs in fundamentally different ways allows us to gain deeper understanding of the complex individual and group psychology of religious faith. Author recommended reading: The WEIRDEST People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich. Mentioned resources:  Lecture 'But... But... But... Extremists!' by Neil van Leeuwen Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists by Scott Atran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

Infinite Loops Key Takeaways Check out the episode pageRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.org“We have created for ourselves a world that we didn't evolve for.” Gurwinder Bhogal is, for my money, one of the most independent, original and insightful thinkers you'll find in our corner of the internet. He returns to discuss how willpower and good old-fashioned human agency can help us reclaim our mental sovereignty and escape the “constant avalanche of concerns that are being vomited over us through our laptop screens, our phones, our TV screens, and in conversations.” For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other stuff designed to make you go, “Hmm, that's interesting!” check out our Substack. Important Links: Gurwinder's Substack  Gurwinder's Twitter Gurwinder's previous Infinite Loops appearance Show Notes: “We have created for ourselves a world we didn't evolve for” The dogged persistence of our stubborn beliefs Gamification; generational differences in agency The societal impact of the education system's changing priorities How to zombify a population Skin in the game: Gurwinder's guide to reclaiming agency LLMs, bullshit, and the atomization of culture How to play better games Willpower is the bottleneck Gurwinder as emperor of the world MORE! Books Mentioned: Why Everything is Becoming a Game; by Gurwinder Bhogal Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know; by Adam Grant The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements; by Eric Hoffer Why the Mental Health of Liberal Girls Sank First and Fastest; by Jonathan Haidt (After Babel) America's Colleges Are Reaping What They Sowed; by Tyler Austin Harper (The Atlantic) Joe Biden and the Common Knowledge Game; by Ben Hunt (Epsilon Theory) The Emperor's New Clothes; by Hans Christian Andersen Futarchy Details; by Robin Hanson (Overcoming Bias) The Enlightenment Trilogy; by Jed McKenna The Weirdest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich

“We have created for ourselves a world that we didn't evolve for.” Gurwinder Bhogal is, for my money, one of the most independent, original and insightful thinkers you'll find in our corner of the internet. He returns to discuss how willpower and good old-fashioned human agency can help us reclaim our mental sovereignty and escape the “constant avalanche of concerns that are being vomited over us through our laptop screens, our phones, our TV screens, and in conversations.” For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other stuff designed to make you go, “Hmm, that's interesting!” check out our Substack. Important Links: Gurwinder's Substack  Gurwinder's Twitter Gurwinder's previous Infinite Loops appearance Show Notes: “We have created for ourselves a world we didn't evolve for” The dogged persistence of our stubborn beliefs Gamification; generational differences in agency The societal impact of the education system's changing priorities How to zombify a population Skin in the game: Gurwinder's guide to reclaiming agency LLMs, bullshit, and the atomization of culture How to play better games Willpower is the bottleneck Gurwinder as emperor of the world MORE! Books Mentioned: Why Everything is Becoming a Game; by Gurwinder Bhogal Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know; by Adam Grant The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements; by Eric Hoffer Why the Mental Health of Liberal Girls Sank First and Fastest; by Jonathan Haidt (After Babel) America's Colleges Are Reaping What They Sowed; by Tyler Austin Harper (The Atlantic) Joe Biden and the Common Knowledge Game; by Ben Hunt (Epsilon Theory) The Emperor's New Clothes; by Hans Christian Andersen Futarchy Details; by Robin Hanson (Overcoming Bias) The Enlightenment Trilogy; by Jed McKenna The Weirdest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich

Matthew Ball is the CEO of Epyllion, which makes angel investments, provides advisory services, and produces television, films, and video games. He's also a Venture Partner at Makers Fund, Senior Advisor to KKR, Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company, and sits on the board of numerous start-ups. Matthew is one of the sharpest and most original thinkers on the future of media and the Internet (i.e. The Metaverse). The fully revised and updated edition of his bestselling book "The Metaverse: Building the Spatial Internet" releases next week. Important Links: Matthew's website Matthew's Twitter Show Notes: Into The Metaverse AI and The Metaverse ‘AI Can Bend the Laws of Physics' Human Engineering and the Human Brain Screens and Education The Reflexivity of AI Doomerism The Salvation of the ‘TV Species' From Passive Media to Active Media ‘What's An Appropriate Simulation?' ‘We Don't Outlaw Fire, We Train Firemen' Applying the Precautionary Principle Media and the Metaverse: Three Stages of Competition The Enduring Value of Taste Hardware and AI: The Vergence-Accommodation Conflict The Emperor of the Metaverse MORE! Books Mentioned: The Metaverse: Building the Spatial Internet; by Matthew Ball The Streaming Book; by Matthew Ball The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich

What are "WEIRD" cultures? What percentage of the world's population is WEIRD? Why do WEIRD cultures tend to use analytic thinking (as opposed to the wholistic thinking used in non-WEIRD cultures)? Does school make you more intelligent or merely more knowledgeable? Do individualistic cultures tend to innovate more than collectivistic cultures? How does moral reasoning differ between WEIRD and non-WEIRD cultures? Is the world becoming more WEIRD? How diverse are non-WEIRD cultures?Joseph Henrich is currently the Ruth Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Before moving to Harvard, he was a professor of both Economics and Psychology at the University of British Columbia for nearly a decade, where he held the Canada Research Chair in Culture, Cognition, and Coevolution. His research deploys evolutionary theory to understand how human psychology gives rise to cultural evolution and how this has shaped our species' genetic evolution. Using insights generated from this approach, Professor Henrich has explored a variety of topics, including economic decision-making, social norms, fairness, religion, marriage, prestige, cooperation, and innovation. He's conducted long-term anthropological fieldwork in Peru, Chile, and in the South Pacific, as well as having spearheaded several large comparative projects. In 2016, he published The Secret of Our Success (Princeton) and in 2020, The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West became psychologically peculiar and particularly prosperous (FSG). Learn more about his work here, or follow him on Twitter / X at @JoHenrich.StaffSpencer Greenberg — Host / DirectorJosh Castle — ProducerRyan Kessler — Audio EngineerUri Bram — FactotumMusicBroke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.comAffiliatesClearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

What does it take to build a massive franchise from scratch? Tune into this episode as we have a little bit of fun, discovering what's at the heart of the largest franchising chain in the Southern Hemisphere. We recently had the honor and privilege of interviewing someone we've admired for many years: the incredible Jim Penman, one of Australia's most iconic entrepreneurs, and founder of Jim's Mowing. If you're an Australian, you know exactly who we're talking about. If you're not, let me fill you in. Jim is one of those childhood heroes for many of us in business. He started Jim's Mowing back in 1982 with just a $24 investment. Now, he's got 5300 franchise businesses generating over $500 billion annually! What we loved most about this interview is how real, relatable, and honest Jim is. We went in not knowing what to expect, which often makes for the best conversations. If you want a good laugh and to hear the story of a true Aussie in business, this is it. We're not going to spoil it all for you. Just grab your pen and paper because Jim drops a lot of golden nuggets in this episode. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the story of the incredible Jim Penman, founder of Jim's Mowing.   We'll be talking about:  ➡ [0:00] Introduction ➡ [3:44] Fun facts about Jim Penman ➡ [5:04] Starting Jim's Mowing 42 years ago ➡ [7:26] From side hustle to full time ➡ [9:17] Never consider the possibility of failure ➡ [11:29] A big “Why” ➡ [12:26] Jim's feels this is his purpose in life ➡ [17:09] Transitioning to franchise  ➡ [20:29] 5,300 franchises and counting ➡ [22:25] Skills that set a successful business owner apart ➡ [24:56] Task that should never be delegated  ➡ [27:54] Straight to the point ➡ [30:34] Dealing with growing pains ➡ [34:09] Customer complaints are gold ➡ [37:19] Developing the passion with Direct Selling  ➡ [40:55] Jim's favourite period in time  ➡ [43:44] No other success can compensate the value of ‘home' ➡ [48:21] Jim's favourite book ➡ [50:06] Jim's favourite quote ➡ [54:24] Jim's dream superpower ➡ [56:12] Jim's advice to his past self ➡ [58:04] Final thoughts   Resources:  Book Recommendations ➡ Atomic Habit by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits  ➡ 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey: https://www.franklincovey.com/books/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people/  ➡ How Not to Diet by Michael Greger: https://www.amazon.com.au/How-Not-Diet-Groundbreaking-Permanent/dp/1250199220  ➡ The Secret of Our Success by Joseph Henrich: https://www.amazon.com.au/Secret-Our-Success-Evolution-Domesticating-ebook/dp/B00WY4OXAS  ➡ Guns, Gems and Steel by Jared Diamond: https://www.amazon.com.au/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393317552    Jim's published books: ➡  https://jimpenman.com.au/books/   Jim's Podcast Channel: ➡  Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/jims-podcast/id1466721618  ➡ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/502PU0ZUKtzFjGmcDoHDi4    Quote: ➡  “No other success can compensate the value of in the home.”   About our guest: Jim is one of Australia's most iconic entrepreneurs and founder of the largest franchising chain in the Southern Hemisphere. While pursuing his history PhD at Latrobe University, Jim Penman quickly found that research in the area of his passion—epigenetics—would require a significant amount of money for such a massive research project, so Jim established a side gardening company. With a $24 investment, this became a full-time mowing service in 1982.  With the success of the Jim's Group, he was slowly able to start funding that research. Now, his team includes a full-time scholar and several graduate students at a La Trobe University lab with many academic papers published in renowned journals. Jim has written that research into his books including “Biohistory: Decline and Fall of the West.” Dr. Penman believes that a thorough examination of epigenetics will lead to a resolution of many of societies biggest challenges, including depression and obesity. Over forty years later, the Jim's Group has 48 divisions and more than 5,000 franchisees in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Jim's most successful franchises include Jim's Mowing, Jim's Cleaning, and Jim's Dog Wash. Jim continues to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the company and is readily available to all of his franchisees as well as any customer with a significant complaint.   Connect with Jim Penman: ➡ Jim Penman's website: https://jims.net ➡ Jim Penman's Email: jim@jims.net ➡ Jim Penman's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejimpenman/ ➡ Jim Penman's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejimpenman/ ➡ Jim Penman's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejimpenman/   Connect with Direct Selling Accelerator: ➡ Visit our website: https://www.auxano.global/ ➡ Subscribe to Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DirectSellingAccelerator ➡ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxanomarketing/ ➡ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auxanomarketing/ ➡ Email us at grow@auxanomarketing.com.au If you have any podcast suggestions or things you'd like to learn about specifically, please send us an email at the address above. And if you liked this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, tune in, and share this podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are we on the verge of a new American Dream?  Welcome back to "The Ben & Marc Show," featuring a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. In this timely new episode, Marc and Ben explore the foundations of American life and identity. From the material aspects of home ownership, education, and healthcare, to the intangible aspects of community and self-actualization, Ben and Marc reveal what it truly means to be American today. They also examine the numerous challenges our nation now faces, as well as reveal how technology can soon revolutionize American life, business and culture in unprecedented ways. That and more. Enjoy!  * Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/X48l6W1EBWY Books mentioned on this episode: - "America Betrayed" by David Horowitz amzn.to/3QNSGrm - "The Weirdest People in the World" by Joseph Henrich amzn.to/4bL2CKf  Chart: - Mark J. Perry's "Chart of the Century" bit.ly/4asusKu  Resources: Marc on X: https://twitter.com/pmarca Marc's Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/  Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz  Stay Updated: Find us on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z  The views expressed here are those of the individual personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any a16z funds. PLEASE SEE MORE HERE: https://a16z.com/disclosures/

Learn how to use philosophy to run your business more effectively. Reid Hoffman thinks a masters in philosophy will help you run your business better than an MBA. Reid is a founder, investor, podcaster, and author. But before he did any of these things, he studied philosophy—and it changed the way he thinks. Studying philosophy trains you to think deeply about truth, human nature, and the meaning of life. It helps you see the big picture and reason through complex problems—invaluable skills for founders grappling with existential questions about their business. I usually bring guests onto my podcast to discuss the actionable ways in which people have incorporated ChatGPT into their lives. But this episode is different.  I sat down with Reid to tackle a deeper question: How is AI changing what it means to be human?  It was honestly one of the most meaningful shows I've recorded yet. We dive into: How philosophy prepares you to be a better founder The importance of interdisciplinary thinking Essentialism v. nominalism in the context of AI How language models are evolving to be more “essentialist” The co-evolution of humans and technology Reid also shares actionable uses of ChatGPT for people who want to think more clearly, like: Input your argument and ask ChatGPT for alternative perspectives Generate custom explanations of complex ideas Leverage ChatGPT as an on-demand research assistant This episode is a must-watch for anyone curious about some of the bigger questions prompted by the rapid development of AI. Thanks again to our sponsor CommandBar, the first AI user assistance platform, for helping make this video possible. https://www.commandbar.com/copilot/ If you found this episode interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share!  Want even more? Sign up for Every to unlock our ultimate guide to prompting ChatGPT here: https://every.ck.page/ultimate-guide-to-prompting-chatgpt. It's usually only for paying subscribers, but you can get it here for free. To hear more from Dan Shipper: Subscribe to Every: https://every.to/subscribe  Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/danshipper  Links to resources mentioned in the episode: Reid Hoffman: @reidhoffman The podcasts that Reid hosts: Possible (possible.fm) and Masters of Scale (https://mastersofscale.com/) Reid's book: Impromptu The book Reid recommends if you want to be more philosophically inclined: Gödel, Escher, Bach Reid's article in the Atlantic: "Technology Makes Us More Human" The book about why psychology literature is wrong: The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich The book about how culture is driving human evolution: The Secrets of Our Success by Joseph Henrich

Welcome back folks! The new season of Many Minds is quickly ramping up. On today's episode we're thrilled to be rejoined by Dr. Michael Muthukrishna. Michael is Associate Professor of Economic Psychology at the London School of Economics. He's an unusually wide-ranging and rigorous thinker; though still early in his career, Michael has already made key contributions to our understanding of culture, intelligence, evolution, innovation, cooperation and corruption, cross-cultural variation, and a bunch of other areas as well.  We wanted to have Michael back on—not just because he was an audience favorite—but because he's got a new book out. It's titled A theory of everyone: The new science of who we are, how we get here, and where we're going. In this conversation, Michael and I talk about the book and lay out that grand theory mentioned in the title. We discuss energy and how—since the very origins of life—it's proven to be a fundamental, unshakeable constraint. We talk about the nature of human intelligence and consider the dynamics of human cooperation and innovation. We also delve into a few of the implications that Michael's “theory of everyone” has for the future of our species. Along the way, we touch on carrying capacity, nuclear fusion, inclusive fitness, religion, the number line, multiculturalism, AI, the Flynn effect, and chaos in the brickyard.  If you enjoy this one, you may want to go back to listen to our earlier chat as well. But more importantly, you may want to get your hands on Michael's book. It's ambitious and inspiring and we were barely able to graze it here.  Alright friends, without further ado, on to my second conversation with Dr. Michael Muthukrishna. Enjoy!   A transcript of this episode will be available soon.   Notes and links 8:30 – Dr. Muthukrishna completed his PhD at the University of British Columbia, where he was advised by Joseph Henrich. He also worked with Ara Norenzayan, Steven Heine, and others.   9:30 – Previous books on dual-inheritance theory and cultural evolution mentioned here include The Secret of Our Success by Joseph Henrich, Not by Genes Alone by Peter Richerson and Robert Boyd, and Darwin's Unfinished Symphony by Kevin Lala. 16:30 – Dr. Muthukrishna's paper on the theory problem in psychology, drawn from his dissertation. 17:10 – The classic paper ‘Chaos in the Brickyard,' about the need for theory-building in science. 22:00 – For a brief overview of Dr. Muthukrishna's understanding of human intelligence and human uniqueness, see this recent paper. For an overview of cumulative culture in comparative perspective, see here.  23:00 – For the 2005 issue of Science magazine showcasing 25 big unanswered questions, see here.  23:30 – For the review paper on cooperation by Dr. Muthukrishna and Dr. Henrich, see here.  26:00 – For Dr. Muthukrishna's empirical work that attempts to induce corruption in the lab, see here. 28:00 – The scholar Robert Klitgaard, mention here, is well-known for his research on corruption.   29:00 – See the preprint by Dr. Muthukrishna and colleagues titled ‘The size of the stag determines the level of cooperation.' 33:30 – A video laying out the RNA world hypothesis. 45:00 – For more on the evolution of human brain size, see our earlier conversation with Dr. Muthukrishna, as well as our conversation with Jeremy DeSilva. 47:00 – For the metric known as Energy Return on Investment (EROI), see here. 54:00 – For more on the cross-cultural variation in numeracy, see here. 55:20 – To correct the record, according to this review of rare numeral systems, there is only a single known base 8 system in the world's languages. 57:15 – In our earlier conversation (around 42:00), we discussed the work by Luria on ‘If P, then Q' reasoning.  57:30 – For more on the so-called WEIRD problem, see our earlier audio essay. 1:00:30 – For some experimental evidence consistent with the idea that language improves the transmission of cultural information, see here. 1:07:00 – For data on the acceleration of urbanization, see here. 1:16:00 – For a brief primer on land value taxes, see here. 1:18:30 – For the idea that Machiavelli's The Prince was satire, see here.   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala. Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com.  For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.

Alice Albrecht is the founder and CEO of re:collect, a company dedicated to “enhancing human intelligence by augmenting memory, perception, and synthesis utilizing AI.” Alice started her career in psychology and academia, obtaining a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Yale University. She joins the show to discuss how to become more creative, why she believes that nothing is true, how to boost evolution and MUCH more! Important Links: re:collect's Website Alice's Twitter Alice's LinkedIn How to Improve Your Creative Thinking Show Notes: Augmenting Human Creativity Collection Does Not Always Lead to Recollection Using re:collect to Connect Information How to Increase Your Creativity Different Phases of Creativity How AI Fits Into the Picture Harnessing Our Attention AGI & ASI Boosting Evolution re:collect's First Order Effects Nothing is True Convergence, Divergence & Collective Intelligence re:collect in Seven Years' Time From Academia to Entrepreneurship Alice as Empress of the World MORE! Books Mentioned: The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World; by David Deutsch The Fabric of Reality: Towards a Theory of Everything; by David Deutsch The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich

(NOTAS Y ENLACES DEL CAPÍTULO: https://www.jaimerodriguezdesantiago.com/kaizen/183-la-estructura-del-mundo-x-lo-que-quieren-los-dioses/)«He aquí otra de esas cosas que son extrañas pero ciertas: en las trincheras del día a día de la vida adulta, no existe el ateísmo. No es posible no adorar. Todo el mundo adora. La única elección que tienes es qué adorar. Y la razón más convincente para elegir algún tipo de dios o de cosa espiritual que adorar —ya sea Jesucristo o Alá, ya sea Yahvé o la Diosa Madre Wicca, o las cuatro nobles verdades, o algún conjunto inviolable de principios éticos— es que prácticamente cualquier otra cosa que adores te comerá vivo.Si adoras el dinero y las posesiones, si es de donde sacas el significado de tu vida, entonces nunca tendrás suficiente, nunca sentirás que tienes suficiente. Es la verdad.Adora tu cuerpo y tu belleza y tu atractivo sexual y siempre te sentirás feo. Y cuando el tiempo y la edad empiecen a aparecer, morirás un millón de muertes antes de que otros te lloren.A cierto nivel, todos sabemos todo esto ya. Lo hemos registrado en mitos, proverbios, clichés, epigramas, parábolas; en el esqueleto de cualquier gran historia. Todo el truco está en mantener esta verdad presente en nuestra consciencia diaria»Soy muy pesado con David Foster Wallace y con su This is Water, lo sé. Pero está lleno de ideas que resuenan mucho con los temas que trato en el podcast. Sin ir más lejos, este fragmento me pareció que encajaba perfectamente con el tema de hoy. Uno que, por cierto, temo que me vaya a dar ciertos dolores de cabeza. Porque es el único tema que todas y cada una de las veces que lo he tocado, aunque haya sido de pasada, ha suscitado comentarios. Y no siempre positivos. En fin, vamos a ver qué sucede con este capítulo. Porque vamos a retomar esa serie que he llamado de la estructura del mundo en la que intento que identifiquemos algunos de los hilos con los que se ha tejido la historia de la humanidad y que nos ayudan a entender por qué el mundo es como es. Y hoy le toca a uno de los hilos más largos, más profundos y más enrevesados. Hoy hablamos de religión.

Semiconductors power much of modern technology -- and thus, our lives and our politics. Pranay Kotasthane and Abhiram Manchi join Amit Varma in episode 358 of The Seen and the Unseen to shed light on how so much geopolitics today centres around chips -- and why its such a big deal.  (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out 1. Pranay Kotasthane on Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon and the Takshashila Institution. 2. Abhiram Manchi on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and the Takshashila Institution. 3. When the Chips Are Down: A Deep Dive into a Global Crisis -- Pranay Kotasthane & Abhiram Manchi. 4. Puliyabaazi — Pranay Kotasthane's podcast (co-hosted with Saurabh Chandra). 5. Missing In Action: Why You Should Care About Public Policy — Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu S Jaitley. 6. The Long Road From Neeyat to Neeti -- Episode 313 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Pranay Kotasthane & Raghu S Jaitley). 7. Anticipating the Unintended — Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu Sanjaylal Jaitley's newsletter. 8. Siliconpolitik -- The tech newsletter started by Pranay Kotasthane. 9. Pranay Kotasthane Talks Public Policy — Episode 233 of The Seen and the Unseen. 10. Foreign Policy is a Big Deal — Episode 170 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Pranay Kotasthane & Manoj Kewalramani). 11. Older episodes of The Seen and the Unseen w Pranay Kotasthane: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 12. Ilya Sutskever on the dinner invite from Elon Musk, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. 13. The BJP Before Modi — Episode 202 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vinay Sitapati, with the quote about perfection being the enemy of production). 14. Luke Burgis Sees the Deer at His Window — Episode 337 of The Seen and the Unseen. 15. Chip War -- Chris Miller. 16. The New World Upon Us (2017) -- Amit Varma. 17. The Incredible Insights of Timur Kuran -- Episode 349 of The Seen and the Unseen. 18. The Beauty of Finance -- Episode 21 of Everything is Everything. 19. The Tamilian gentleman who took on the world -- Amit Varma. 20. Demystifying GDP — Episode 130 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Rajeswari Sengupta). 21. I, Pencil — Leonard Read. 22. The Three Globalizations -- Episode 17 of Everything is Everything. 23. The Great Redistribution (2015) -- Amit Varma. 24. A trade deficit with a babysitter (2005) -- Tim Harford. 25. Nuclear Power Can Save the World — Joshua S Goldstein, Staffan A Qvist and Steven Pinker. 26. Paper Tigers, Hidden Dragons -- Douglas B Fuller. 27. Why Talent Comes in Clusters -- Episode 8 of Everything is Everything. 28. Jawaan -- Atlee. 29. Terry Pratchett on Amazon. 30. Robert Sapolsky and Joseph Henrich on Amazon. This episode is sponsored by the Pune Public Policy Festival 2024, which takes place on January 19 & 20, 2024. The theme this year is Trade-offs! Amit Varma and Ajay Shah have launched a new video podcast. Check out Everything is Everything on YouTube. Check out Amit's online course, The Art of Clear Writing. And subscribe to The India Uncut Newsletter. It's free! Episode art: ‘Fighting for Chips' by Simahina.

In this episode of the Life Itself Podcast, Rufus Pollock sits down with Professor Joseph Henrich to continue the discussion on the study of cultural evolution. In this episode the significance of family structures and the church takes center stage in their role towards shaping human societies. Joseph explains that different kinship networks influence behaviors, trust, and cooperation within societies and how the Catholic Church played an unintentionally role in shaping Western societies by implementing rules against cousin marriage and polygyny. These rules inadvertently fostered individualism, trust in non-kin relationships, and analytic thinking. These cultural shifts and networks of horizontal connections led to the development of "WEIRD" psychology – Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic, a topic discussed in Henrich's latest book. These cultural transformations resulted in the development of different psychological traits that help to explain the remarkable economic success, innovations, and current challenges faced by Western societies. This conversation forms part of the Cultural Evolution: A New Discipline is Born Series. You can learn more here: https://lifeitself.org/learn/culturology Joseph Henrich is a Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He is author of several books, most recently 'The Weirdest People in the World' and 'The Secret of Our Success'. His research focuses on evolutionary approaches to psychology, decision-making and culture, and includes topics related to cultural learning, cultural evolution, culture-gene coevolution, human sociality, prestige, leadership, large-scale cooperation, religion and the emergence of complex human institutions. Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: ⁠⁠rufuspollock.com⁠⁠.

In this episode of the Life Itself Podcast, Rufus Pollock sits down with Professor Joseph Henrich to continue the discussion on the study of cultural evolution. In this second part of the conversation continuing from episode 3, Rufus Pollock and Joe Henrich discuss the implications of cultural evolution in relation to modern challenges. They explore the potential for intentional experimentation in creating cultural norms that promote trust, cooperation, group cohesion and a sense of community and belonging.  Rufus and Joe touch upon the idea that Western societies might be running on old values and norms cultivated by historical religious practices. They discuss the need to find ways to renew and revitalize these values, potentially by experimenting with intentional communities that incorporate elements of shared meaning, trust-building, ritual and cooperation. The talk moves on to discuss the idea that by allowing a variety of intentional communities to form and observing which ones thrive, societies could potentially find ways to address current challenges and promote positive cultural evolution. This conversation forms part of the Cultural Evolution: A New Discipline is Born Series. You can learn more here https://lifeitself.org/learn/culturology Joseph Henrich is a Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He is author of several books, most recently 'The Weirdest People in the World' and 'The Secret of Our Success'. His research focuses on evolutionary approaches to psychology, decision-making and culture, and includes topics related to cultural learning, cultural evolution, culture-gene coevolution, human sociality, prestige, leadership, large-scale cooperation, religion and the emergence of complex human institutions. Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: ⁠⁠rufuspollock.com⁠⁠.

In this episode of the Life Itself Podcast, Rufus Pollock sits down with Professor Joseph Henrich to continue the discussion on the study of cultural evolution. In this episode they discuss the innate human inclination to develop and learn from culture and to transmit this knowledge across generations. This conversation emphasizes that our success as a species is attributed not only to individual intelligence but also our capacity to expand upon ancestral wisdom. Join us in the conversation as Joseph shares insights around the pivotal role culture and social bonds have in the development and continuation of vital skills and ideas. Wider factors such as group dynamics, environments, and competition are further discussed along with the impact of cognitive processes on cultural transformation. This conversation forms part of the Cultural Evolution: A New Discipline is Born Series. You can learn more here: https://lifeitself.org/learn/culturology Joseph Henrich is a Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He is author of several books, most recently 'The Weirdest People in the World' and 'The Secret of Our Success'. His research focuses on evolutionary approaches to psychology, decision-making and culture, and includes topics related to cultural learning, cultural evolution, culture-gene coevolution, human sociality, prestige, leadership, large-scale cooperation, religion and the emergence of complex human institutions. Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: ⁠rufuspollock.com⁠.

------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao   ------------------Follow me on--------------------- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT   Dr. Joseph Henrich is Professor and chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He is interested in the question of how humans evolved from "being a relatively unremarkable primate a few million years ago to the most successful species on the globe", and how culture affected our genetic development. He is also the author of The Secret of Our Success, and The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous.   In this episode, we start by talking about how culture shapes human psychology; human universals, and cognitive phenotypes; how different fields reacted to the WEIRD problem; and the replication crisis. We discuss how to understand biases, like the prestige bias. We talk about what drives innovation, and cumulative culture. We discuss the collective brain hypothesis, and reframing how we think about intelligence and IQ. We talk about assortative mating, human mating systems, and the relationship between polygyny and inequality. We discuss religion, Big Gods, and theory of mind. We talk about the best methods to study psychology historically. Finally, we discuss if we rely too much on English speakers in the study of human cognition, and the need for people from more diverse cultural backgrounds in science. -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, OLAF ALEX, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, JOHN CONNORS, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, SIMON COLUMBUS, PHIL KAVANAGH, MIKKEL STORMYR, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, ADANER USMANI, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, EDWARD HALL, HEDIN BRØNNER, DOUGLAS FRY, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, DANIEL FRIEDMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, PAUL-GEORGE ARNAUD, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ANTON ERIKSSON, CHARLES MOREY, ALEX CHAU, AMAURI MARTÍNEZ, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, STARRY, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, IGOR N, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, BARNABAS RADICS, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, CHRIS STORY, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, BENJAMIN GELBART, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, NIKLAS CARLSSON, ISMAËL BENSLIMANE, GEORGE CHORIATIS, VALENTIN STEINMANN, PER KRAULIS, KATE VON GOELER, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, LIAM DUNAWAY, BR, MASOUD ALIMOHAMMADI, PURPENDICULAR, AND JONAS HERTNER! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, AL NICK ORTIZ, AND NICK GOLDEN! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MATTHEW LAVENDER, SERGIU CODREANU, BOGDAN KANIVETS, AND VEGA G!

Transcript: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatchesendofworld/2023/07/the-technology-of-religion-vs-the-technology-of-progress/ Religion is a very old technology, and the wisdom contains is often hard to identify. This is unlike the technology we create intentionally, where the goal is always obvious. When these two technologies come into conflict who should we decide between them. It's easy and attractive to go with the new, but by dispensing with the old we may be incurring harms that will only manifest years or decades later.

Here's a little experiment. Take a second to think about how you would fill in the blank in this sentence: “I am _____.”If you're anything like me, the first descriptors that come to mind are personal attributes (like “curious” or “kind”) or identities (like “a journalist” or “a runner”). And if you answered that way, then I have some news for you: You are weird.I mean that in a very specific way. In social science, WEIRD is an acronym that stands for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic. Most societies in the world today — and throughout human history — don't fit that description. And when people from non-WEIRD cultures answer the “I am” statement, they tend to give very different answers, defining themselves with relation-based descriptors like “Moe's father” or “David's brother.”That difference is only the tip of the iceberg. Much of what we take for granted as basic elements of human psychology and ethics are actually a peculiar WEIRD way of viewing the world.Joseph Henrich, an anthropologist at Harvard University, believes that this distinction between WEIRD and non-WEIRD psychologies is absolutely central to understanding our modern world. His 2020 book, “The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous,” explores the origins of these differences and argues that the emergence of a distinctly WEIRD psychology was central to the development of everything from the Industrial Revolution and market economies to representative government and human rights.We discuss Henrich's theory of how “cultural evolution” leads to psychological — even genetic — changes in humans, the difference between societies that experience “shame” as a dominant emotion as opposed to “guilt,” the unique power of religion in driving cultural change, how cultural inventions like reading have literally reshaped human biology, why religious communes tend to outlast secular ones, why Henrich believes there is no static “human nature” aside from our cultural learning abilities, how differences in moral psychology across the United States can predict Donald Trump's 2016 and 2020 vote share, why higher levels of immigration tend to lead to far more innovation and more.Mentioned:Why Europe? by Michael MitterauerGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared DiamondThe Chosen Few by Maristella Botticini and Zvi EcksteinListen to this podcast in New York Times Audio, our new iOS app for news subscribers. Download now at nytimes.com/audioappThoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Roge Karma. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Mixing by Sonia Herrero. Our production team is Emefa Agawu, Annie Galvin, Jeff Geld and Kristin Lin. Original music by Isaac Jones. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta. The executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Kristina Samulewski.

Roy Baumeister (infamous willpower psychologist + NYT bestseller) ​is one of the world's most prolific and influential psychologists. He has published 700-plus scientific works, including more than 40 books, and has received the highest award given by the Association for Psychological Science for his lifetime achievements. He is the guy who coined the term “negativity bias” and “decision fatigue”, and writes about why we do stupid things, the psychology of heartbreak and S&M.​ ​Roy also, somewhat notoriously, wrote the book Willpower, which saw life-hackers worldwide take up morning routines and inspired Barack Obama to wear the same two suits for the entirety of his presidency. In this episode Roy, who'd been based out of Queensland until the pandemic took him back to the States, talks ​about ​all of the above and how it feeds into chocolate, radishes and the economic power of the female orgasm…and the tragedy of ​​male sex drive.If you want to catch up on the episode with Joseph Henrich talking about the WEIRD phenomenon of psychological studies, here it is.Read the Pew Research​ ​about young people having less sex​.​Buy Willpower: Rediscovering Our Greatest Strength​You can follow Roy Baumeister's work​ here.If you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" pageSubscribe to my Substack newsletter for more such conversationGet your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious LifeLet's connect on Instagram! It's where I interact the most Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cultural anthropologist Joseph Henrich joins Pete and Jared in this episode of Faith for Normal People to explain how the unique psychology of modern Western society was shaped by particular rules about family structure and marriage practices, often forced by religious institutions. Show Notes → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why are Mormons a bewildering mix of peculiar and normal? Some of it has to do with . . . testosterone? Stephen Carter explores the Mormon implications of Joseph Henrich's book "The Weirdest People in the World."

Hear how to really hear what people are saying in meetings Imogene Drummond is a woman whose story I love to share. She is bold and courageous about things she wants to do or learn more about. Today's topic is how her new program, ACQUITS, grew out of her interest in helping people communicate better, especially in the virtual environments so many of us find ourselves in these days. Imogene's professional life evolved from her training in psychology to her very successful career as an artist, to filmmaking, and now to working with people to develop their online communication skills. This is so timely. Do enjoy. Watch and listen to our conversation here ACQUITS stands for the 10 essential principles for successful meetings This process is based on how we must: listen before we speak hear what others are saying adapt our thinking to understand what the speaker intended, not what we think we heard do all this without the body and facial cues we use during in-person conversations Meet Imogene Drummond Imogene Drummond is an artist, filmmaker and educator. She has an MSW from Catholic University, was a family therapist in the late 1970s, is the founder and principal of Divine Sparks Media, and is currently Director of Social Media at the Deeptime Network. She studied at MICA's Mt. Royal School of Art and her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions from New York to Australia. Her paintings are in private, corporate and hotel collections, as well as the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Her new program, ACQUITS, came from observing how people behave while engaged in zoom calls, and focuses on teaching people how to change their communication strategies to engage better and benefit more fully from online conversations. You can connect with Imogene on LinkedIn, her website, or by email: imogene@imogenedrummond.com. Want to communicate better? Here's a great place to start: Podcast: Monique Russell—To Lead With Clarity, You First Must Communicate Confidently Podcast: Lisa Perrine—Clever, Creative Ways To Enhance And Amplify Workplace Communications Podcast: Nadia Bilchik—How To Master Communication In A Virtual World Additional resources for you My two award-winning books: Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Businessand On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights Our website: Simon Associates Management Consultants   Read the transcript of our podcast here Andi Simon: Welcome to On the Brink With Andi Simon. Hi, I'm Andi Simon. I'm your host and your guide. And my job is to get you off the brink. So I go looking for people who can help you see, feel and think in new ways, opening your minds to solutions to problems you may be working with or dealing with, but aren't quite sure how to solve now, particularly as we emerge from these years of pandemic. You never want to waste a crisis, and it's a great time for you to learn some new techniques. And today I've brought to us Imogene Drummond. Imogene is a wonderful woman. I'm going to tell you about her. But she also has a program you're going to be very interested in. It's called ACQUITS, and it's a toolkit for facilitating conscious and effective communication for online groups. Now that is a really interesting topic. You know as well as I do that we are spending so much of our time online. And for women in particular, it isn't giving us more opportunity to participate. But the dynamics are much more obvious when you're watching men and women, different genders and age groups, on the screen and how we're competing for time and space. And what actually happens with communication, people often saying, "You didn't hear me. I may have said something, you may have thought what you heard, but may not have been what I meant." And so communication is very hard. Let me tell you about Imogene. Imogene is an internationally-collected painter, award-winning filmmaker, writer, artist, educator and foremost psychotherapist. You're going to say, "How interesting, where did ACQUITS come from?" ACQUITS is a toolkit for facilitating this effective communication. The acronym refers to the lesser-known definition of the word acquits, meaning how one conducts oneself. Imogene's educational course for middle school students combines creativity, self-worth and the universe. That is pretty cool, particularly when we learn that we are billions of years old. And who knows how we ever emerged from a few molecules of this, mixed with the fuel of that? Options for The Future is the closing piece in a thought-provoking anthology, The Rule of Mars, which was endorsed by Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist and author Jared Diamond. Now, if you haven't read Jared Diamond's work, it's well worth reading. And I have all his books and just love him. Due to her painting expeditions around the world, Imogene was invited to join the Society of Woman Geographers, whose membership includes explorers of ideas as well as geography, among them, Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart and Jane Goodall. I must tell you that when you discovered who I was, I was an explorer. Now I've done a recent self-assessment, and I'm also a philosopher. And I guess that's why you and I have eclectic interests that come together around helping people see, feel and think in new ways. Thank you for joining me tonight. Imogene Drummond: Exactly. Thank you, Andi. And thank you for the opportunity to be on this wonderful podcast. It's great that you create these interesting podcasts that support women's amazing stories and important work. So I'm honored to be here today. Andi Simon: Please tell our viewers, who's Imogene? What's your journey? How did you get here? Where are you? Imogene Drummond: Well, speaking of where we came from, the last 7 billion years, my journey has been really a series of evolutions. And I started out as a psychotherapist, and then I decided I really needed to do something for me. And so I became an artist. And I was painting and going on these trips, expeditions. And then I created a script with paper cutouts. So it became an illustrated manuscript. That was really a new origin story that I thought would help children and help the world. And then I decided I needed to do more with it. And I made it into a film. And I had never made a film and I decided, Okay, now, really, it's a feel-good film. It's gotten a nice award. But I mean, it needs to help people to be more practical and functional. So I made it into a curriculum. And it became a curriculum at a middle school, a visionary school in Newburgh. So it's just surprising because when I started to go on this journey, I just thought, Well, who knows what will happen? Maybe I'll start painting pastel tulips? I don't know. So I'm very pleased that I just kept being creative. And I kept exploring new ways. Andi Simon: You know, there's a wonderful book, The Secret to Our Success. And in the book, Joseph Henrich talks about his own realization that human evolution has come about because of our shared collective brain. And as I'm listening to you, I think our listeners would love to know, did you go on this journey alone? Or were you picking ideas up from people? How did you begin to evolve? Personally, you didn't have many careers, you had sort of one person moving through different stages here. How does that happen? Imogene Drummond: Very interesting question. No one has ever asked me that end. You know, it felt lonely at times. But it's true, I have had a group of mostly women. I did, my father was like a guide. So he was very helpful. But especially this group of Society of Woman Geographers there, the woman who invited me was herself an artist. I just kept finding people who were supportive, and kind of just finding them. Then I ended up with this group, the Deeptime Network, that I'm on the advisory board of, which is why I made the ACQUITS toolkit. Oh, it's interesting. It has not been alone. And I think that's something in our culture, where we're influenced to think about me, me, me. And really, we need to shift and think about we, so that's one of the ideas behind the ACQUITS toolkit. Andi Simon: So I think that the ACQUITS came about because you saw some unmet needs. You're very much a blue ocean thinker. It isn't about doing more of the same, a little bit better. It's really about how do I solve a problem, create a new market, find solutions that may be right beneath us, but could be done in a different kind of fashion. Tell us a little bit about ACQUITS and then you can put up your screen so we can talk about the elements of it. Imogene Drummond: Well, just to give you some background, I've been working with this fascinating cutting edge nonprofit, the Deeptime Network, which provides educational courses to connect us to the cosmos; again, exactly what you're talking about. It talks about this evolution of humans, and the whole cosmos through this. They were gearing up to shift from having three-month courses to nine-month courses, somewhat early in the pandemic. And I had been on a number of zooms with diverse situations and groups. And there were a number of things that were needed that were problematic in each experience. And the main noticeable one was that, oftentimes, somebody would speak too long. And so I had said to the co-founder and president Jennifer Morgan of the Deeptime Network that some communication guidelines would be helpful to people. And she said, great idea, Imogene, you do it. Andi Simon: I have a hunch that it wasn't a bad idea, anyhow. Imogene Drummond: Well, I thought, "You know what, I've been thinking about this," which is why I suggested it. And so I thought, "Okay, I'll run with it." And that is exactly why I developed it. It is to help people be more conscious in communicating in groups online. The techniques are also good for lots of situations, including in-person. But, I noticed that it's difficult to get feedback when you're speaking in a group on zoom because everybody else is muted. And so you're not hearing things that you might hear if you're in a boardroom or a classroom, where people might be drumming their fingernails or rattling their coffee cups or coughing, or being wrapped with the tension. And also with the monitor, you're just looking at this inanimate technological thing, versus people's real faces. So you don't get the feedback online that you do in real life. So I think there are many reasons why there were problems on zoom that aren't in real situations. Andi Simon: You know, in some ways, I am wondering two things. One of which is, many years ago, I did a television series for CBS Sunrise Semesters when people got up at six in the morning to get college credit; it was a long time ago. But I remember talking into the camera with no audience. And sometimes when you're doing a zoom workshop or something, people don't turn on their cameras. And you're talking as if you're doing a television show with no audience. And you have to imagine, and you require a lot of creative emotions. We, as you and I are talking, respond to each other listening or not, based on my face and how I'm responding. And then you can take it to the next stage, because you're trying to figure out, Am I making my point? Or am I not? So it was interesting, as I went back in time to remember the feeling. Somebody once said to me, as I was recording, You're really good, but you should smile. I went, Ah. He said, When you smile, the thing is that we learn. But this is very important, because I don't think zoom calls, webs, are going to go away. In fact, I hope they don't, because it gives us a multiplier, both of our time and our topics and so forth. But, I'm also not sure that interpersonal relationships aren't truncated by the very same things that happen in a virtual one, except we don't pay attention to the same way. And I'll segue into you talking about your programming in a second because I've been starting to go back and do live workshops, or live public speaking, keynotes. And I forgot the high that I get from being in an in-person experience. Now, the audience, when I've done it remotely, gives me great reviews. And, they too, though, are coming back. Because people are herd animals, we like each other. And we must be better when we watch each other. And we can celebrate what others are doing. Put up your screen, and let's take a look at what the elements of ACQUITS are all about and how to apply them because I have a hunch our listeners or watchers are going to want to do it. And for those listening, I promise you, Imogene will talk you through what is here so you can understand why it's so important for the techniques that she teaches and that you can learn. Imogene Drummond: Okay, thank you, Andi. So, this is a slide from my PowerPoint presentation with all of the techniques together. And through the PowerPoint presentation that I give about the ACQUITS toolkit, we go into each one in more detail. So this is a summary. And the first one is the A is for agree, and everybody in the course or on the zoom call agrees to these principles or these techniques. So you have to get everyone to buy in first. And also I think it's interesting because I wrote up these techniques and then it was like, Oh, if we make it into an anagram, it becomes ACQUITS. And there's two definitions for the word acquit. One is the one we're familiar with, where you get off, but the other one is about how you conduct yourself. So this ACQUITS refers to how one conducts oneself. So the first actual technique is affirm, that we affirm others. The next one is C for contribute. We contribute to the conversation. And that means you don't add something that's not on topic. You stay on topic and you contribute something that is helpful to other people. The next is the Q. Ask a question, ask people what they mean or to explain better or more clearly, or in more depth. The U refers to unite. You want to have a conversation where people are getting feeling connected versus disconnected. So we want to keep this attitude of uniting people. The I is for include. Let's make comments that include people; oftentimes there's a quiet or a couple of quiet people in the group. So it's important to remember to include them. The T is for "think gratitude," is so important, really goes a long way to facilitating connections and good communication. So the next three really refer to the idea of helping people speak more succinctly and clearly. So Share and Stop. The S means stop, give one idea, not three. Share your one idea, and then stop and breathe, and let other people respond to it. The next S is for self-regulation, which is to think ahead of time. You know, editing is vital for good writing, right? So, to be a good speaker, we need to edit our thoughts. So if we think that it's important to edit our thoughts first, before we speak, then we can do that better. And self-regulate is about editing ourselves. And also speaking for two minutes, not more than two minutes; a lot can happen in two minutes. And to set parameters as well, that you should try to express your idea in less than two minutes. So that's the very basic techniques, really. Andi Simon: But when you articulate them, we become aware of them. And if we're not aware of them, we won't know whether we are self-regulating, or contributing or dominating. We really don't know how to do better at sharing ideas, and building, affirming each other's position. It's interesting, because the nature of the online experiences is that I have to manage my leadership academy participants, for example, so everyone has time to talk. And if I don't, some of them will fall asleep. But I mean, there's an ease with which you go on and off the screen. When we were in person, I had to make sure everyone had an opportunity to talk as well. And the whole nature of talking in a group, it was almost a training session without calling it such. And because I was the orchestrator, as if this was a symphony, and each person was playing a different instrument. But for the whole to really sound like great music, we all had to come together over the same piece of music. What are we here for? The metaphor was interesting because nobody had to duplicate each other. You know, the violins didn't have to play the cello part. And the oboe couldn't play the flute. But you can see them visualize, because that's how we learned what I was trying to achieve on the screen. It's not that different, and a good presenter knows how to orchestrate it in a way that equips everybody for coming up with ideas, almost preparing them before they come with, You're going to contribute how and how are you going to regulate yourself? So in middle school, what do you do to teach kids?  Imogene Drummond: Well, what I do in middle school is a whole different creativity program that helps to facilitate their own creativity. I don't teach art. And that program combines creativity, the cosmos. Again, I'm connecting them to the cosmos and self-worth. So that's what I'm affirming continually, that in terms of what you just said, they are all unique. There's no two alike, even if they're twins. And each work is unique. So every time, they're really creating intentional artwork, to express themselves. So every time they do that, I consider it a success, because they have intended to express themselves. And, I just wanted to mention that with the ACQUITSS online, I don't give the whole presentation myself because it's about the process. The whole toolkit is about processes. And so what I do is I involve three or four other people from the program, and we divide up the text and practice it. And then we share different people, give different parts of the toolkit, the presentation as I go along. And it's been really terrific. It's really working well and engaging people because it's very content heavy. And in the program at the Deeptime Network, one presentation included a Sikh from India, a Canadian with a French accent, an Irish American with a beautiful lilting voice, and me. Andi Simon: And all of those things added quality and color. I misrepresented you. This isn't being done in the middle schools. Tell us where the program is? I didn't mean to misrepresent it. Imogene Drummond: The ACQUITS is really for communication to help people be more conscious online. And so I really think educational programs are perfect for it. I'm using it in the Deeptime Network for a nine-month program. It's now part of their curriculum. It's the second week of the whole course. So that people set the ground rules, basically, because it's really about delineating expected behavior. And I think it really helped optimize what they're doing on the network in these courses. They're phenomenal courses anyway. They're fascinating. There's a wonderful community emerging out of it. And the ACQUITS, it's just made it easier to help people communicate well and be heard. And, for example, it's interesting, Andi, 10% of the participants returned to take this nine-month course a second time. Andi Simon: Wow, that's great. Isn't that remarkable! Imogene Drummond: And I think that's a testament to what the course is, and to that, Steve Martin, the facilitator, is phenomenal. But I think the ACQUITS kind of smooths it, it greases the wheels and facilitates it. And I was really excited when one time, Steve Martin, the facilitator of the course, said that ACQUITS is a good model to improve our relationship with the environment. I would have never thought of that. Yes, brilliant idea. How about if we change our relationship to the environment? And here's a set of techniques we could use as guidelines, because they are really just guidelines. Andi Simon: Yeah. But you know, there's a structure to relating what you've created. Whether you're affirming it or you're self-regulating it or you're contributing,it is a structure to relationships. Well, I'm not sure, as a young person growing up, you really appreciate the possibilities of a structure to those relationships as you're trying to build friendships and play on sports teams. And, you know, everyone is theoretically a guide, but often they don't have anything to guide you with. So this is really powerful. You know, it's interesting because I have a hunch you're leading this somewhere. What comes next for you? Imogene Drummond: Well, actually, Andi, that's why I called you because I want to get it out into the world. More people in the Deeptime Network, they're using it on their own. But I want to give presentations about it in courses or places that have online meetings on a repeat repetitive basis because then you can use it. It's not like it's not for some. Oftentimes I give a presentation, that's just a one-time presentation about my artwork or something. This is not that; this is about setting the ground rules for a course, like you were saying: the structure of the relationships. So they use it in the Deeptime Network now every year for their nine-month leadership course. And I would like it to be used elsewhere, other educational courses, or any kind of group where people meet online for more than one for multiple sessions. Andi Simon: You know, I hope our listeners and our viewers consider ACQUITS for themselves in their organizations, or to refer you to others, because I know no other programs like this. I think that the time couldn't be more ripe because as we are rebuilding hybrid relationships, they are trying to figure out, How do I manage other people? How do I build a global business, in a hybrid fashion with the tools that are needed? How do we keep our humanity when we don't see each other on a daily basis? You're shaking your head, right? Imogene Drummond: Yes, yes, absolutely. Well said, absolutely. Andi Simon: And when you think about it, we don't realize what we give up when we go hybrid, or what we have to do when we come in. It's very complicated. I can't tell you how many of our clients have people coming in and sitting on their computers doing zoom calls with the people who haven't come in, wondering, Why they drive in for an hour? I have one prospective client who was upset because they were having a flywheel of hires who are leaving because there was no community to come into. And so there's a moment where this is extremely needed. Imogene, as we think about wrapping up, two or three things you want the listener not to forget, other than they have to call Imogene. As you're thinking through your own program here, you know, what is it that a listener should remember? Imogene Drummond: Well, I think it's important that we start thinking in terms of shifting from me to we. We have to be more community-minded and not always me first, me first trumpeting my own work. And also, I think listening is important, but I think we're taught to listen because, how often have we heard, especially as children, our parents or teachers say, Listen, listen to me, listen to this. But I think we haven't really been taught to speak clearly and succinctly in group settings. So I think it's important to learn to do that, and affirming people asking questions, expressing gratitude. All these are easy, but important things to do that really help and they help build bonds with connections with people. Andi Simon: You know, Imogene said something that I want to emphasize, if you haven't read Judith Glaser's work on creating we, or conversational intelligence. Judith passed away about three years ago, maybe two years ago now. And her work in neuroscience, she was an observational and organizational anthropologist, and she realized that what we were learning from the neurosciences is that the words we say create the worlds we live in. Others have said similar things, but to use the word AI, your amygdala immediately protects the listener from the imposition of your thoughts on theirs. And the amygdala starts to create cortisol. And it flees it, it fears it, it's unfamiliar to it; anything that is unclear to it, it rejects. But when you say we, the oxytocin in your brain begins to flow, and you bond with the person who wants to build trust, and it creates a solution. I know how you said we without that context, so I'll add the context to it. Because I think that ACQUITS is about a we world where it isn't about me, or I, but it's about co-creating meaning. Now remember, humans are meaning-makers. We evolved because we can create meaning on things, as the virtual is an interesting catalytic moment for how to create new meaning about what people are saying, what they're doing, and how to behave to do what to achieve what is. And I do think ACQUITS is very timely. And for those of you listening, I think you're going to want to follow up with Imogene to find out how to become more into acquitting each other for the way we communicate. Imogene, where can they reach you? And how can they find out more about you? Imogene Drummond: Well, my website is immogenedrummond.com. Andi Simon: Good, we'll have all that information for you on the video and on the blog around the audio as well. Let us wrap up a little bit because I think Imogene in her creative way, she hasn't quite made a film yet about life on the internet, but she might. But I do think she wants you to begin to see that the new isn't feared, it's something that can be really embraced. And the gap is between the way we're communicating and what we're doing in that communication that could really make for better bonds, the same way she and I are talking here today. I must tell you that when I do just audio, it's fine for a podcast, but I certainly love doing the video card because she and I are having a great conversation. And for all of you are listening to it. So enjoy the conversation. Let me thank all of you who have been coming to On the Brink with Andi Simon. We launched this in 2017. And the reception has been just fantastic. I mean, you've pushed us into the top 5% of global podcasts. And I'm always impressed with how people find me to say, I'd like to be on your podcast, or bring me people who they think should be on my podcast. So I open that up: info@Andisimon.com gets right to me. But I have two books out there: Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business and On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights. My third one comes out in September 2023. I can't tell you its name quite yet, but it's terrific. And you're going to really enjoy learning more about how to see, feel and think in new ways. That's the whole point of our podcasts and our blogs in the way we are trying to help people do something they hate, which is to change. Don't ever waste a crisis, I tell my clients. Use a crisis and learn from it, and begin to see how to do things better, or at least differently and test them. I love pilots. In any event, it's been a delightful day to share Imogene Drummond who came to you from the Hudson Valley. Thank you, Imogene. It's great fun. It's great fun to share your story. And I wish you all to get off the brink. So thanks for coming to On the Brink with Andi Simon, and let me know how you're doing. Goodbye now. Have a great day.

Editors' Pick:Rich: Luther Abel's piece “What Happens When a Regular Guy Mishandles Classified Information”Charlie: Douglas Murray's magazine piece “Right and Wrong on Ukraine”Jim: NR's editorial, “Biden's Transparency Claims Have Lost Credibility”Phil: Dan McLaughlin's piece “The 2022 Turnout Puzzle”Light Items:Rich: The Weirdest People on the World by Joseph Henrich, Bourgeois Dignity by Deirdre McCloskey, and Escape from Rome by Walter ScheidelCharlie: His Kansas City tripJim: A good physicalPhil: Accidental shopliftingSponsors:Dividend CafeThis podcast was edited and produced by Sarah Colleen Schutte.

Read the full transcriptHow can we as individuals and as societies un-break politics? What is the two-step ideal of reasoned politics? How might this ideal apply to specific political issues, like free speech? Is it possible to reach agreement or even compromise on political issues that are rooted in intrinsic values? How can we reduce our own political biases? Are there some political issues which must always or by definition be zero-sum, or can all issues conceivably become positive-sum?Magnus Vinding is the author of Speciesism: Why It Is Wrong and the Implications of Rejecting It, Reflections on Intelligence, You Are Them, Suffering-Focused Ethics: Defense and Implications, and Reasoned Politics. He has a degree in mathematics from the University of Copenhagen, and in 2020, he co-founded the Center for Reducing Suffering, whose mission is to reduce severe suffering in a way that takes all sentient beings into account.Further reading:"Compassionate Free Speech" (2020), an essay by Magnus Vinding on free speech, compassion, and social mediaReasoned Politics (2022), a book by Magnus Vinding available for free downloadHate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship, by Nadine Strossen"How a cultural revolt against "political correctness" helped launch Trump into the presidency", by Lucien Gideon Conway III"Understanding Libertarian Morality: The Psychological Dispositions of Self-Identified Libertarians", by Ravi Iyer, Spassena Koleva, Jesse Graham, Peter Ditto, and Jonathan HaidtReporters Without Borders indexA Twitter thread by Michael Petersen that presents some evidence suggesting that bans are counterproductive to fighting disinformation"The Automaticity of Affect for Political Leaders, Groups, and Issues: An Experimental Test of the Hot Cognition Hypothesis", by Milton Lodge and Charles S. Taber"Beyond Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) Psychology: Measuring and Mapping Scales of Cultural and Psychological Distance", by Michael Muthukrishna, Adrian V. Bell, Joseph Henrich, Camerom M. Curtin, Alexander Gedranovich, Jason McInerney, and Brandon Thue"Disagreement or Badmouthing? The Role of Expressive Discourse in Politics", by Michael Hannon

Read the full transcript here. How can we as individuals and as societies un-break politics? What is the two-step ideal of reasoned politics? How might this ideal apply to specific political issues, like free speech? Is it possible to reach agreement or even compromise on political issues that are rooted in intrinsic values? How can we reduce our own political biases? Are there some political issues which must always or by definition be zero-sum, or can all issues conceivably become positive-sum?Magnus Vinding is the author of Speciesism: Why It Is Wrong and the Implications of Rejecting It, Reflections on Intelligence, You Are Them, Suffering-Focused Ethics: Defense and Implications, and Reasoned Politics. He has a degree in mathematics from the University of Copenhagen, and in 2020, he co-founded the Center for Reducing Suffering, whose mission is to reduce severe suffering in a way that takes all sentient beings into account.Further reading:"Compassionate Free Speech" (2020), an essay by Magnus Vinding on free speech, compassion, and social mediaReasoned Politics (2022), a book by Magnus Vinding available for free downloadHate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship, by Nadine Strossen"How a cultural revolt against "political correctness" helped launch Trump into the presidency", by Lucien Gideon Conway III"Understanding Libertarian Morality: The Psychological Dispositions of Self-Identified Libertarians", by Ravi Iyer, Spassena Koleva, Jesse Graham, Peter Ditto, and Jonathan HaidtReporters Without Borders indexA Twitter thread by Michael Petersen that presents some evidence suggesting that bans are counterproductive to fighting disinformation"The Automaticity of Affect for Political Leaders, Groups, and Issues: An Experimental Test of the Hot Cognition Hypothesis", by Milton Lodge and Charles S. Taber"Beyond Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) Psychology: Measuring and Mapping Scales of Cultural and Psychological Distance", by Michael Muthukrishna, Adrian V. Bell, Joseph Henrich, Camerom M. Curtin, Alexander Gedranovich, Jason McInerney, and Brandon Thue"Disagreement or Badmouthing? The Role of Expressive Discourse in Politics", by Michael Hannon [Read more]

Read the full transcriptHow can we as individuals and as societies un-break politics? What is the two-step ideal of reasoned politics? How might this ideal apply to specific political issues, like free speech? Is it possible to reach agreement or even compromise on political issues that are rooted in intrinsic values? How can we reduce our own political biases? Are there some political issues which must always or by definition be zero-sum, or can all issues conceivably become positive-sum?Magnus Vinding is the author of Speciesism: Why It Is Wrong and the Implications of Rejecting It, Reflections on Intelligence, You Are Them, Suffering-Focused Ethics: Defense and Implications, and Reasoned Politics. He has a degree in mathematics from the University of Copenhagen, and in 2020, he co-founded the Center for Reducing Suffering, whose mission is to reduce severe suffering in a way that takes all sentient beings into account.Further reading:"Compassionate Free Speech" (2020), an essay by Magnus Vinding on free speech, compassion, and social mediaReasoned Politics (2022), a book by Magnus Vinding available for free downloadHate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship, by Nadine Strossen"How a cultural revolt against "political correctness" helped launch Trump into the presidency", by Lucien Gideon Conway III"Understanding Libertarian Morality: The Psychological Dispositions of Self-Identified Libertarians", by Ravi Iyer, Spassena Koleva, Jesse Graham, Peter Ditto, and Jonathan HaidtReporters Without Borders indexA Twitter thread by Michael Petersen that presents some evidence suggesting that bans are counterproductive to fighting disinformation"The Automaticity of Affect for Political Leaders, Groups, and Issues: An Experimental Test of the Hot Cognition Hypothesis", by Milton Lodge and Charles S. Taber"Beyond Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) Psychology: Measuring and Mapping Scales of Cultural and Psychological Distance", by Michael Muthukrishna, Adrian V. Bell, Joseph Henrich, Camerom M. Curtin, Alexander Gedranovich, Jason McInerney, and Brandon Thue"Disagreement or Badmouthing? The Role of Expressive Discourse in Politics", by Michael Hannon

Joseph Henrich (The WEIRDest People in the World) is an author and professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard. Joseph joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how cultural relativity affects people's views on morality, how humans are obsessed with time, and what the marshmallow test says about people's need to stockpile resources. Joseph and Dax talk about where the idea of the hourly worker came from, how most social experiments are done on American undergraduates, and how inconsistent human thinking can be. Joseph discusses the current pushback on human rights, how the internet can be used to preserve knowledge for future generations, and how the brain can update itself like firmware through life experiences. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.