“Quality...you know what it is, yet you don’t know what it is. But that’s self-contradictory. But some things are better than others, that is, they have more quality. But when you try to say what the quality is, apart from the things that have it, it all goes poof! There’s nothing to talk about. But if you can’t say what Quality is, how do you know what it is, or how do you know that it even exists? If no one knows what it is, then for all practical purposes it doesn’t exist at all. But for all practical purposes it really does exist.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're discussing Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. Join us as we ride through the intersections of philosophy, a father and son motorcycle trip across America, and the pursuit of Quality.  We cover a wide range of topics including: Different learning styles and the value of hands-on experience Exploring the elusive concept of Quality Reflections on the narrative and philosophy of the book Overcoming gumption traps and staying enthusiastic  How the journey is just as important as the destination And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Apple Podcasts (0:46) Spotify (1:07) Steve Jobs Presents to the Cupertino City Council (6:30) Chris Langan: The Bouncer (30:24) 24 (58:01)  Books Mentioned: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Lila: An Inquiry into Morals (15:40) The Animate and the Inanimate (30:49) Outliers (31:39) Tao Te Ching (40:50) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Gödel, Escher, Bach (47:37) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Infinite Jest (47:58) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Three-Body Problem (57:29) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) People Mentioned: Robert M. Pirsig Michel Thomas (13:07) William James Sidis (30:32) Christopher Langan (31:22) Jack Bauer (58:00) Liu Cixin (58:37) Show Topics: (0:00) We open the episode with our take on podcast analytics. Though people can choose where they want to listen, it’s hard to get a sense of overall listening numbers across platforms as a whole. (2:49) Today's episode is centered around Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Neil connects his college experience to the book, describing the contrast between theoretical vs. applied learning. (5:35) Different learning styles, emphasizing hands-on experience, and the importance of practical understanding over theory.  (10:34) Why is it that not every great athlete can go on to become a great coach? It all comes down to being able to apply and share your knowledge in a given setting. (13:50) Sharing our thoughts on how the story was written, the narrative of the motorcycle trip, and how the sequel compares to this story. (19:34)The author opens the door to a variety of ideas such as learning to be in the present moment and how to focus on one thing at a time. Though Pirsig is intuitive across several domains, we find that he struggles to put these concepts into words.  (24:03) While on a trip with his son and another couple, the author reflects on flashbacks in his life, including the treatment of his past insanity. Through fixing the bike and traveling across the country, he learns many valuable lessons and philosophies along the way. (29:14) We briefly discuss the sequel where Pirsig highlights William James Sidis, known for his incredibly high IQ and profound ideas on the origin of life.  (33:34) Comparing bike riding to a full-body meditation. Each limb has a specific task to operate the bike, and you have to be focused on the road in front of you, truly bringing yourself to the present moment. (35:01) Nat, Neil, and Adil ponder the concept of Quality, its connection to science, spirituality, and the importance of peace of mind. Quality is all about applying yourself and your senses in the present moment, and being one with what you are doing. (41:45) Nat shares his perspective on the book's cognitive challenges and the reconciliation of theory and practice within the book. (46:09) One unique factor about this book is that it doesn’t necessarily mean to give you a conclusive solution at the end. It’s all about enjoying the journey, and being okay with the fact that you may not have arrived anywhere by the end of the book.  (49:44) Appreciating the book's humor, comical dialogues, and character depth, with a desire for more insight into the minds of the minor characters. (52:56) It can be very difficult to get started on any project, especially when you think of the whole scope of what you're about to do. If you can start with just one part, it becomes more manageable. We relate this idea to the book writing process. (1:05:28) What are gumption traps, and how can you avoid falling into them? Plus, we give some examples of common gumption traps that you may fall into that diminish your enthusiasm.  (1:12:37) That concludes this episode! If this episode intrigued you, make sure to pick up a copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Next up, we'll be reading Straw Dogs by John Gray. Plus, we have an exciting announcement coming soon. Stay tuned for future episodes to stay in the know! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“Modern economies will always be tied to massive material flows, whether those of ammonia-based fertilizers to feed the still-growing global population; plastics, steel, and cement needed for new tools, machines, structures, and infrastructures; or new inputs required to produce solar cells, wind turbines, electric cars, and storage batteries. And until all energies used to extract and process these materials come from renewable conversions, modern civilization will remain fundamentally dependent on the fossil fuels used in the production of these indispensable materials. No AI, no apps, and no electronic messages will change that.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're delving into the intricate layers of How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. From dissecting the dynamics of energy to unraveling the building blocks of our material world, this episode takes us on a journey through the realms of numbers, magnitudes, and the underpinnings that shape our daily existence. Get ready to expand your mind and question the fabric of the world around us! We cover a wide range of topics including: The four foundational products of civilization Why our food and nutrition isn't the same anymore Intricate steps and nuances in global energy creation What may be on the horizon for crypto this year How much diesel is embedded into the production of a tomato? And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Preorder Crypto Confidential (0:03) Solana Mobile (1:28) Outside the System (16:12) The Joe Rogan Experience - White Oak Pastures (18:52) Oatly (27:48) SpaceX (29:47) Terraform Industries (31:29) Helion Energy (38:01) Inflation Reduction Act (38:53) Monsanto (52:04) Kraken (57:00) The White Pill (1:00:19) Age of Miracles (1:02:17) Hardcore History 59 The Destroyer of Worlds - Dan Carlin (1:12:40) Cuban Missile Crisis Books Mentioned: How the World Really Works Energy and Civilization (7:18) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Where Is My Flying Car (7:32) (Book Episode) What Your Food Ate (20:44) (Book Episode) How to Avoid a Climate Disaster (54:02) Project Hail Mary (1:05:20) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1:06:01) Straw Dogs (1:06:02) Superintelligence (1:06:24) People Mentioned: Vaclav Smil Joe Rogan (18:51) Bill Gates (48:40) Greta Thunberg (54:37) Nick Bostrom (1:06:10) Dan Carlin (1:08:35) Show Topics: (0:00) The news is out - Nat’s new book Crypto Confidential is available for preorder! We open the episode by talking about crypto, AI coins, and how BTC and ETH have established themselves in the world of crypto. (6:53) In today's episode, we're discussing How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. We draw some similarities from some previous reads in the podcast such as Where Is My Flying Car? and another great from Smil, Energy and Civilization. (10:20) Adil highlights some of the key points from the book, including the four fundamental products—ammonia, cement, plastic, and steel—that shape our modern world, shedding light on challenges in essential industries. (14:19) Because we're so disembodied with how things are built and how people are fed, we’re able to indulge in things as a society that are not necessarily realistic in terms of decarbonization. (19:34) Discussing nutrition deficiencies, we explore the disconnect between the food we eat and its nutritional value, raising questions about our reliance on technology over essential fields like soil science and food production. (22:31) The impact of fertilization, nutrition deficiencies, and current farming practices. Nat, Neil, and Adil discuss alternatives for a healthier, more sustainable future. (28:13) While more and more attention goes into technology rather than food science and soil science, we have seen an increased interest in nuclear energy. For many decades, we’ve been so highly focused on software rather than hardware. Are we due for a shift? (31:21) We delve into a discussion on carbon capture, Bitcoin mining's energy-efficient possibilities, and cost-effective energy production. (37:58) The life cycle of oil, Department of Energy's investments into different forms of energy, and the efficiency of gasoline vs. electric. (42:01) In the book, Smil dives into the crude oil consumption per pound of different things you eat throughout its entire life cycle. From chicken to tomatoes, and seafood, too.  (48:22 Is meat actually destroying the environment? It all depends on what you're replacing it with. (53:57) Discussing Bill Gates' environmental ideals, we explore his support for climate-friendly technology and its potential to compete with fossil fuels (57:14) Is there room for more crypto exchange platforms, and what else is on the horizon for this year in crypto? (1:02:48) Similarly, what is the future when it comes to the world of energy and our country’s investment into it? Technology is often the cause of all problems in science fiction settings, whereas more positive sci-fi could help paint a better picture around technology and its future. (1:05:59) Down the line for Made You Think, we'll have episodes on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Straw Dogs. Make sure to grab a copy of those books before these episodes come out and read along with us! (1:13:17) The Goldsboro B-52 crash led to the accidental release of two nuclear bombs. The incident raised concerns about the safety of nuclear weapons and the potential catastrophic consequences of accidents involving such powerful devices. (1:17:14) That wraps up this episode, thanks for listening! Stay tuned for our upcoming episodes, leave a comment or review, and preorder your copy of Crypto Confidential. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“Perhaps the deepest reason why we are afraid of death is because we do not know who we are. We believe in a personal, unique, and separate identity — but if we dare to examine it, we find that this identity depends entirely on an endless collection of things to prop it up: our name, our "biography," our partners, family, home, job, friends, credit cards… It is on their fragile and transient support that we rely for our security. So when they are all taken away, will we have any idea of who we really are?" Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're diving into The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche. We'll navigate the realms of meditation, telepathy, and the essence of a peaceful death. Come join us in this mind-opening episode that transcends the ordinary and challenges our perceptions of life, death, and everything in between! We cover a wide range of topics including: How to find more meaning from your meditation Telepathy, shared hallucinations, and the uncharted territories of the brain and body The role our egos play in spiritual practices Reincarnation and the continuous nature of consciousness The sacredness of birth and dying And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Headspace (4:22) Waking Up (4:23) Zazen (5:00) The Marathon Monks (19:10) Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Lab (23:06) Spiritual awakening meme (41:37)  Life is Short (1:00:12) C-section rates by country (1:17:04) Books Mentioned: The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying The Comfort Crisis (1:26) (Book Episode)  The Way of Zen (4:54) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Denial of Death (16:44) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Happy Accidents (27:28) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) A Monk’s Guide to A Clean House & Mind (38:34) The Myth of Sisyphus (39:09) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Beginning of Infinity (53:17) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) People Mentioned: Arthur Flowerdew (20:54) Wim Hof (33:17) Show Topics: (1:02) In today's episode, we're talking about The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying in which Rinpoche explores the concepts of life, death, and rebirth. We open up the show talking about meditation, microdosing, and how to incorporate meditation into your day. (6:07) Finding meaning from meditation, the role it plays in rehearsing death, and finding profound meaning in the experience. (7:59) Is death just a middle step in our journey as opposed to the end? We talk about the author's beliefs regarding reincarnation and the idea that while our energy never dies, it has the capability of taking another form.  (11:41) Attachments, the terror of losing your identity when you die, and why believing in reincarnation offers a valuable perspective. (16:51) The author’s definition of “attachments” would most likely be broader than you’d expect. It not only encompasses your material possessions, but anything that contributes to what you see as your identity.  (20:09) We talk about different phenomenons that happen in your body once you pass, plus some interesting stories in the book, such as remembering information from a past life. (24:57) Telepathy: Is it realistic? Everything can seem magical or nonsensical until you can gather some sort of argument or case or explanation for it. Hundreds of years ago we may have thought the idea of electricity was a hoax, but today, it exists. (28:15) There are so many things about our brain and body that we have yet to understand. Plus, we discuss the potential effects of electromagnetic pollution on our bodies. (33:02) The first step in working your way up to telepathy or cross-mind communication is knowing your own mind and body first.  (34:23) How mindfulness can help you pull yourself back into the present moment. We often worry about the future or something not going to plan. When you remember that all things are impermanent, it makes it easier to accept things as they are right now.  (40:09) Ego and its role in spiritual practices. (42:55) Shared hallucinations in sleep paralysis and altered states of consciousness induced by psychedelics. (47:53) Nat shares a story of when he took psilocybin, and how that posed questions of whether we are connected to consciousness, especially for those who we are directly related to. (52:21) Where are we in the journey of knowing everything? There’s no good way to measure this, as it can often feel that the more we learn, the less we actually know. (56:09) In today's age, we have the capability to broadcast our thoughts and opinions on social media to a large audience. Once you say it, it can’t be taken back. How will we see social media shaping the relationship between parents and their children? (1:00:36) “Peaceful death is really an essential human right, more essential perhaps even than the right to vote or the right to justice; it is a right on which, all religious traditions tell us, a great deal depends for the well-being and spiritual future of the dying person.” What someone needs for a peaceful death, and how they may be more aware than you think.  (1:04:05) Neil shares his experience of how he felt reading the book in relation to his dad's passing. We have a discussion on the key differences between a home-environment and the hospital, and when you might opt for one over the other. (1:10:51) When you’re in the process of dying, it's not uncommon to change the way you view the world. Knowing your time is limited, you may find yourself to be more vulnerable with your loved ones and more deeply appreciating the moments you spend. (1:14:21) Comparing birth and death as unique, sacred experiences, and the potential impact of hospital settings on these significant life events. (1:20:56) We examine the theme of the mind outlasting the body, contrasting it with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. (1:25:39) When it comes to death and rebirth, many traditions talk about a similar experience of viewing your entire life in detail. Where did these ideas originate from? (1:29:10) That concludes this episode! Make sure to pick up a copy of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying to learn more about Tibetan Buddhist wisdom. Stay tuned for our next episode in which we will be reading Israel: A History! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're diving into Novacene by James Lovelock, a book which challenges the very essence of human intelligence. Get ready for a thought-provoking conversation that delves into the realms of evolution, deep oceans, and the enigmatic dance between humanity and artificial intelligence. We cover a wide range of topics including: Gaia hypothesis and its connections to the book Intelligence beyond the human-centric view How the evolution of organisms has affected global temperatures The uncovered mysteries of the deep ocean Will AI be a friend or foe to humans? And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Gaia hypothesis (1:53) Tesla Bot (23:52) Stealth (25:05) Cruise (27:26) Waymo (27:26) Arrival (35:54) Bees playing soccer (39:32) Brilliant Earth (49:01) They Did The Math (49:42) Dark Forest theory (55:16) Rooted Local (1:02:16) Books Mentioned: The Three-Body Problem (0:03) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Homo Deus (0:46) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Breath (13:35) (Nat's Book Notes) Deep (13:37) The Hidden Life of Trees (19:14) Permutation City (21:12) (Book Episode) Where Is My Flying Car? (22:35) (Book Episode)  Antifragile (36:24) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Fighter’s Mind (37:41) (Nat's Book Notes) People Mentioned: James Lovelock (1:54) James Nestor (13:36) Nassim Taleb (36:24) Show Topics: (1:46) Buckle up for this episode as we discuss Novacene, authored by the originator of the Gaia Theory, James Lovelock. The book probes into humanity's role in the world and speculates on a future where machines might supersede us. (4:34) Lovelock wrote this book with the help of his assistant when he was 99 years old. We talk about what exactly the Gaia Theory is and the end of the age of Anthropocene. (9:50) We go deeper into sharing our thoughts on the Gaia Theory and how the evolution of organisms have affected the regulation of the global temperature.  (13:10) How much do we actually know about the deepest parts of the ocean? Plus, learn about the author’s involvement with designing instruments for NASA. (16:40) Nat, Neil, and Adil make connections from Novacene to The Three-Body Problem. Historically, we've looked for life on other planets the way we would measure life on earth, but are extraterrestrial species carbon-based like we are? (19:04) Our idea of time here on Earth is based on our life and our own orbit around the sun, but another civilization could view time in a completely different way. (24:21) Addressing AI predictions, military applications, and the challenges of AI intervention, including experiences with self-driving cars. (32:08) Is our technology watching us?  (35:28) The limitations of language as an information interface and the intuitive nature of processing multiple inputs. Speaking, for example, is completely linear. However, when you have multiple inputs, you're able to be more intuitive. (39:18) We talk about exploring intelligence beyond the human-centric view, considering the collective intelligence of species like bees. (42:05) It’s powerful the progress that has been made with ChatGPT, but there still remains the question of whether or not it will be a linear process to AGI (artificial general intelligence).  (46:02) The intersection of crypto mining, Bitcoin, and futuristic energy societies, along with the possibility of harnessing CO2 for creation. (52:24) Earth is a rare, one-of-a-kind planet. How the universe had to align for habitability on earth, and the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. (58:29) Would AI have the potential for parallel processing capabilities? (1:00:35) Nat and Neil share their final thoughts on Novacene and Lovelock's charming writing style. If you were intrigued by our discussions in this episode, make sure you pick up a copy! (1:01:59) That concludes this episode! Stay tuned for our next episode on the The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche.  If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“But at a purely personal level, Rondon embodied the best of both modern and old-fashioned virtues. He was intensely and genuinely patriotic, adhered to traditional codes of honor, bravery, and chivalry, and repeatedly demonstrated a moral rectitude that, enhanced a character both ascetic and abstemious, impressed those who regularly came into contact with him." Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're picking up the conversation on our favorite Brazilian explorer, Cândido Rondon, with Into the Amazon. Rohter's book dives into the untold stories of Rondon and Roosevelt, shining a spotlight on the uncharted territories, unique challenges, and extraordinary legacies left behind in the heart of the Amazon. We cover a wide range of topics including: Rondon's unique approach to exploration Animal and plant life within the Amazon How Rondon navigated each obstacle from sickness to river crossings Technology's impact on different generations The relationship between tech and human intelligence And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Rondônia (2:10) Joe Rogan Experience #2013 – Paul Rosolie (4:55) Positivism (10:58) AI podcast episode - Joe Rogan and Steve Jobs (18:14) Meta's AI characters (22:46) Pavlok(24:19)  Idiocracy (1:07:42) Apple Vision Pro (1:25:35) Books Mentioned: Homo Deus (0:13) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Infinite Jest (0:15) (Book Episode I) (Book Episode II) (Nat’s Book Notes) The River of Doubt (Book Episode) Mother of God (5:00) Seeing Like a State (45:02) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) What Your Food Ate (45:40) (Book Episode) Einstein’s Dreams (1:29:02) The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying (1:31:53) Surfaces and Essences (1:32:30) Metaphors We Live By (1:32:47) Novacene (1:33:45) Atlas Shrugged (1:35:10) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Israel: A History (1:37:10)  People Mentioned: Cândido Rondon (1:55) Paul Rosolie (4:55) Show Topics: (0:00) Today, we're venturing into the heart of the Amazon rainforest, as we discuss Into the Amazon by Larry Rohter. Though not a direct sequel, it spins off of a previous episode on The River of Doubt, and gives us more insight into the life of Cândido Rondon. (1:57) In the era of great explorers, Rondon's discoveries were often overshadowed by the Europeans. Though he is very well-respected in Brazil, his accomplishments aren't as widely known in the US. (6:18) We talk a bit about Paul Rosolie and his preservation efforts in the Amazon rainforest, as well as why the forest felt empty in terms of wildlife throughout their exploration.  (8:41) Rondon's peaceful demeanor and rationalist approach. He had a high tolerance and respect for the native tribes that he came across, and in return, they embraced him and his crew. (12:12) In addition to being an explorer, Rondon was a soldier. We also talk about Brazil's infrastructure advancements and how Rondon viewed the natives as Brazilian, whereas the Brazilian government hardly saw them as part of their people. (15:48) The friendship between Cândido Rondon and Theodore Roosevelt, and Roosevelt's profound respect for Rondon. We witness how Roosevelt's initial perception of Rondon transformed during their shared journeys, shedding light on Roosevelt's character and open-mindedness. (20:43) The rich history of Rondon's story is preserved through detailed diaries and journals kept by the explorers. The survival of these records is nothing short of miraculous when you consider the conditions they were in on their journey. (22:21) Meta's new AI features where you can talk to different personalities, based on the topics that you're interested in. (25:35) Rondon had opoprtunities to go down many paths in his life. He had developed several unique skills very early on in his childhood, yet exploring the Amazon is ultimately what he chose to pursue.  (30:48) There were several elements to Rondon that uncovered as we read Into the Amazon that we may not have realized while reading The River of Doubt. Very military-like, Rondon created order for their day and took leadership on their expedition. (35:17) We share some badass Rondon stories that stuck out to us, including how he navigated a seemingly improbable river crossing with all of the cargo of his crew.  (39:30) When times got tough and supplies ran low, Rondon always stuck to the mission.  (42:31) Deforestation and its long-term consequences. Plant life is so dense in the Amazon; if it ever gets cleared out, it'd be near impossible to bring it back to what it once was. (47:13) The effects of global shipping traffic and it's pollution into the atmosphere.  (50:32) The later years of Rondon was more of a focus in this book vs. The River of Doubt. We discuss his family life, which included a wife and 7 children. They communicated via telegrams throughout his many missions and projects where he was forced to be away from home.  (57:40) Einstein had heard so much about Rondon during his time in Brazil that he submitted a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for him without even meeting him.  (1:00:34) Your body always tells you what you need. If Rondon is sick? Just give him some pineapple!  (1:01:31) Though Rondon is framed as a tough explorer, he was also an intellectual. He documented a lot of the indigenous languages and transcribed it based on his interactions with the tribes.  (1:04:45) Tangent time: Which celebrities could potentially run for office, and who is big enough to have their names still referrenced after their passing? (1:07:39) Our thoughts on the movie Idiocracy and theories on the relationship between technology and intelligence levels. Will our generation always be the most technological competent generation?  (1:15:09) How technology has shaped generations differently, especially Gen Z and Millenials. (1:20:33) We throw it back to when we were younger, talking about different devices that were around then and how they compare to the more modern, current models.  (1:23:08) The development of Apple, and how they were able to shift so elegantly from the iPod to bigger and better devices. (1:29:01) We throw out some ideas of books to cover in future episodes. Which ones stuck out to you? Let us know! (1:40:48) That wraps up this episode! Make sure to pick up a copy of Into the Amazon if you liked this episode. Stay tuned as we will be reading The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and Novacene in the next few episodes. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“The idea was to prove at every foot of the way up that you were one of the elected and anointed ones who had the right stuff and could move higher and higher and even—ultimately, God willing, one day—that you might be able to join that special few at the very top, that elite who had the capacity to bring tears to men's eyes, the very Brotherhood of the Right Stuff itself." Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're covering The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe. Through vivid storytelling, Wolfe shares the world of the fearless pilots and astronauts who possessed the elusive "right stuff". The book provides an intimate look at their lives, the challenges they faced, and the profound impact they had on the history of space exploration. We cover a wide range of topics including: The evolution of the aerospace industry and its rapid growth How fighter pilots became pioneers in space exploration Compelling stories of astronauts and their intense training regimens The battle between NASA and the Air Force in the quest for space What it truly means to have 'The Right Stuff' And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Top Gun (3:53) Project Mercury (4:31) Anduril - Fury (12:01)  Palmer Luckey on Fury (14:50)  Intrepid Museum (15:31)  Overture plane (22:01) The Antarctic Treaty (34:39) Books Mentioned: The Bonfire of the Vanities (1:55) The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (2:17) Where Is My Flying Car? (2:30) (Book Episode)  The River of Doubt (32:43) (Book Episode) Breath (40:39) (Nat's Book Notes) People Mentioned: Tom Wolfe (0:48) Chuck Yeager (10:49) Alan Shepard (24:37) John Young (45:242) Show Topics: (0:00) In today's episode, we're discussing The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe. The book not only boasts a charismatic writing style, but also draws intriguing connections to a previous book we covered, Where Is My Flying Car?  (3:40) We delve into the book's narrative flow, which initially spotlights fighter pilots and their rigorous training before transitioning into the captivating realm of the U.S. space program. From the early stages to the groundbreaking Project Mercury, the book highlights the personalities behind those who ventured into the unknown. (6:07) How astronaut requirements shifted from an open-door policy to a more selective process. Plus, we talk about the advancement in computing technology that made these audacious projects possible. (10:44) What once seemed impossible in the world of space exploration became possible in a short amount of time. There was also a shift from manual to automatic controls as the technology became more advanced.  (12:57) What does it mean if you possess "The Right Stuff"? As we explore its application in the world of aviation, we draw parallels to other fields, such as sports. (15:24) Buckle up for some mindblowing facts and statistics on several high-speed aircrafts, including the SR71, Concorde, and X15.  (19:12) Ever wondered what it feels like to approach the speed of sound in the transonic zone? There are many complexities when it comes to operating a high-speed aircraft like the Concorde. (22:40) How political dynamics influenced the approaches taken by NASA and the Air Force, from rocket models to plane models for space exploration. (29:13) The quest for space exploration has been marked by trial and error.  (31:20) While there are very few remaining opportunities for land exploration on Earth, there is exciting potential for migration to other planets.  (35:52) It can take between 7-14 months to reach Mars, not to mention the many dangers you may be facing along the way.  (40:30) We talk about the connection between how you breathe and weight loss, as well as the importance of consistent airflow in your work and sleep environments. (43:40) Did you know The Right Stuff is also a movie? Make sure to check it out, especially if you are intrigued with this episode! (45:13) The training regimens for many of these missions were so intense that when the astonauts were actually on the flight, they were seemingly desensitized to the whole experience. (48:55) There was often tension between fighter pilots and test pilots, as well as discussions on whether becoming an astronaut would be harmful to a pilot's military career.  (55:55) That wraps up this episode! Our next episode features Cândido Rondon, who you may remember from our episode on The River of Doubt. Stay tuned for that one! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“He who sees all beings in his Self and his Self in all beings, he never suffers; because when he sees all creatures within his true Self, then jealousy, grief and hatred vanish.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're covering The Upanishads, a collection of ancient Indian texts which explore the philosophical and spiritual teachings of Hinduism. These texts delve into the nature of reality and the self while emphasizing the importance of meditation, self-realization, and the pursuit of knowledge to achieve enlightenment. We cover a wide range of topics including: Consciousness and the interconnectedness of all beings Parallels between The Upanishads and the philosophies of Plato  How cities differ in their homelessness approach Rationalism vs. intuition Our thoughts on the Twitter/X rebrand And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Project Hail Mary (9:00) The Three-Body Problem film (9:08) Silo (9:19)  The Great Library of Alexandria (15:39) Soma (16:18) The 99 Names For God In Arabic (18:46) Upanishads Wikipedia (20:13) Georgism (34:00) Does Georgism Work? Astral Codex Ten (35:11) In Praise of the Gods (44:38) Thunder’s Catch (1:09:47) Books Mentioned: Essays and Aphorisms (0:25) The World as Will and Representation (1:14) Bhagavad Gita (4:00) The Upanishads translated by Juan Mascaro (4:46) The Egg (8:01) Wool, Shift, Dust (trilogy) (9:26) The Expanse (9:46)  The Right Stuff (38:04) Tao Te Ching (38:59) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Analects of Confucius (39:03) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Straw Dogs (45:21) God’s Debris (50:34) What Your Food Ate (1:10:57) (Book Episode) People Mentioned: Nassim Taleb (1:03) Simon Sarris (44:32) Scott Adams (50:26) Show Topics: [1:24] In today's episode, we’re discussing The Upanishads, widely considered as some of the most important and influential works in the history of Indian philosophy and spirituality.  [5:30] We dive into discussion about consciousness, souls, and whether everyone is a part of the same entity. The book suggests that there is a right path to follow, but doesn't necessarily give concrete details about what is good vs. bad. [8:58] There are several upcoming sci-fi movies coming out based on books that we’re fans of. Which ones are you most excited to see? [11:12] Old texts are like a game of telephone: While the message may only change slightly each time its told, it can add up to a large percent over a period of time. We also talk about Plato’s early texts and how they poke at the ideas of Christianity, even before Christ. [16:04] Soma is a ritual drink referenced in many ancient Hindu texts as well as in The Upanishads, thought to possibly contain mushrooms or other psychedelic properties. [18:15] Calling an infinite being by a finite name. In Islam, there are 99 names for God so to capture all properties of God. [20:09] We talk about some of the main parallels between the book and the philosophies of Plato as well as the longevity of large ancient empires (ex: Persian Empire). How did news spread among such a wide area without the communication tools we have today? [26:02] The contrast of ancient artifacts you can find in European cities vs. US cities. Plus, a little tangent on the birthplace of Teddy Roosevelt! [27:47] How cities differ in their homelessness approach. [34:26] What is Georgism and how would it look if it were applied in the US?  [36:32] ChatGPT’s gives it's interpretation of Made You Think. We also reflect on books similar to The Upanishads that we have done in previous episodes. [40:48] Rationalism vs. intuition. We pose the question of whether the ideas from this book were independently developed or whether they sprout from other teachings. It may simply depend on what lens you’re looking at it from. [45:18] Society's move to secularism and what may have repulsed people away from religion.  [49:02] The world is full of mystery. Even someone with a rationalist approach would have to take a step back and recognize there are some things we just don't know. [51:32] Our opinions on the Twitter/X rebrand and how the algorithm can change based on who you're following. The impact of replies in amplifying your tweet.  [57:27] What are the first tweets we see when we open the Twitter app? [1:01:31] The progression of spacecrafts and the advancement of automation systems. India's recent achievement of landing on the moon. [1:06:23] We conclude the episode with a talk on cod, Alaskan salmon, and the chicken farming industry.  [1:11:55] That’s it for this episode! Join us next time as we dive into The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe. Make sure to pick up a copy if you want to read along! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“A river of material flows through us. When we share our works and our ideas, they are replenished. If we block the flow by holding them all inside, the river cannot run and new ideas are slow to appear. In the abundant mindset, the river never runs dry. Ideas are always coming through. And an artist is free to release them with the faith that more will arrive. If we live in a mindset of scarcity, we hoard great ideas.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In true Made You Think fashion, our 100th episode is full of tangents. This week, we read The Creative Act by Rick Rubin which emphasizes the importance of being genuine and vulnerable in the creative process, showing that your own struggles and authenticity can result in meaningful and powerful creative work.  We cover a wide range of topics including: Giving life to the ideas in your imagination Publishing cadences of different successful book series Rick Rubin's backstory in the music industry How media's incentives have shifted from accuracy to clicks Tactics to unblock your creativity And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Great Books Series (0:43) Nat’s Notes podcast (1:03) How to draw an owl (13:32) Hose (19:52) Elden Ring (26:58) Dark Winds (28:35) Eric Weinstein on Kayfabe (38:22) Nightcrawler (44:36) Books Mentioned: The Creative Act Count Down (11:35) (Nat's Book Notes) East of Eden (12:08) (Nat's Book Notes) A Game of Thrones (26:07) Red Rising Series (32:54)  50th Law (40:33) (Nat's Book Notes) Trust Me, I’m Lying (41:44) The River of Doubt (1:01:51) (Book Episode) People Mentioned: Rick Rubin (4:51) Phil Jackson (5:10) Steve Jobs (5:19) Neil Strauss (6:36) Johnny Cash (18:08) Joaquin Phoenix (23:17) George R. R. Martin (26:01) Isaac Asimov (31:11) Show Topics: (0:00) Welcome to Episode 100- We want to say a big thank you to all of our listeners! Whether you were around for our first episode in 2017 or joined us sometime afterwards, we appreciate you listening to our show. (1:01) Nat talks about how he manages his current content schedule from articles and newsletters to podcasts and short form videos.  (4:48) Today, we’re discussing The Creative Act. Think of it as a 'mindset' book rather than a tactical book, and how you can go into reading this book to get the most value out of it. (9:15) This is a great book to read early in your career as it addresses common mental roadblocks you may face within the creative process. Oftentimes, what you output may not be the same as what you initially planned in your mind, but that doesn't make it any less valuable. (14:10) Getting out of your own way is a large part of creativity. The importance of mixing it up and giving attention to even the most simplistic ideas you may have. (19:35) We share a little bit about Rick Rubin’s backstory and how he came to work with so many famous musicians. As the founder of Def Jam, he has worked with several talented musical acts including Johnny Cash, the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, and more. (23:43) Why you should keep the scope of your work smaller, and how that helps you to recognize your work as a moment in time rather than something that has to define you forever.  (29:06) How book and TV series often rely on the momentum from their viewers and readers for the continued success of their future releases, though that momentum can be difficult to drum up.  (32:51) Some authors take long breaks between each of their books while others churn them out right after another. It goes to show that the creative process looks different for everybody. (36:17) A lot of the news outlets serve the purpose of entertaining rather than informing. When compared to WWE, it's something that we know is a sham or is fabricated, but it's still amusing to watch. (42:52) Dangerous positive feedback loops between the media, people seeking their names in the news, and those consuming it. Media’s incentives aren’t necessarily to get things right but to get more clicks and views.  (49:29) Despite some leadership issues within the past decade in America, we've stayed afloat. How long can we stay this way? (56:02) The power of the US dollar and inflation rates in the US vs. other countries.  (59:54) That wraps up this episode. Thanks again to our listeners for hitting the 100th episode milestone with us! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“The ordinary traveler, who never goes off the beaten route and who on this beaten route is carried by others, without himself doing anything or risking anything, does not need to show much more initiative and intelligence than an express package." Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're discussing The River of Doubt by Candace Millard, a story that follows the expedition of Theodore Roosevelt as he explores the Amazon river in Brazil. Though faced with many hardships along the way, Roosevelt finds purpose in this monumental journey after losing the 1912 election. We cover a wide range of topics including: The explorer spirit and the drive to explore the unknown Theories of how long humans have been in the Americas How the crew was able to form relationships with uncontacted tribes The progression of travel methods in comparison to the early 1900s What were in the cards for Roosevelt and Rondon after they returned And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: The Amazon Rainforest may have been shaped by humans (22:35) Reliving Shackleton’s Epic Endurance Expedition (27:41) Kayaking from California to Hawaii (29:00)  Joe Rogan with Dan Flores (31:19) Affirmative Action ruling (36:42) 14 Peaks (52:32) The Alpinist (55:34) Meru (56:40) Candiru fish (1:02:27) Concorde's New York to London flight (1:17:44) United goes Supersonic (1:19:05) Adventure Capitalist (1:21:04) Books Mentioned: The River of Doubt The Comfort Crisis (6:26) Coyote America (31:22) What Your Food Ate (32:57) The Creative Act (1:19:47) People Mentioned: Cândido Rondon (13:54) Graham Hancock (25:48) Dan Flores (31:20) Jimmy Chin (58:03) Henry Hudson (1:12:34) Show Topics: (1:09) In this episode, we're talking about The River of Doubt. After losing the 1912 election, Roosevelt traveled to Brazil to explore the Amazon river, which was largely unknown at that time.  (4:17) The explorer spirit and the urge to explore something that people haven't seen before. While there's not much else for us to discover for the first time on earth, there are still many unique things to go see that only few have. (8:52) Roosevelt and the crew seemed to underestimate what they were getting into, and though underprepared, it ended up being an overall success.  (14:21) We talk a bit more about Rondon and his backstory, as well as what life looked like for him after the expedition. He had contact with tribes that were otherwise cut off from the rest of the world.  (18:26) The relationships with the tribes they came across and how the tribe leaders had to mutually agree before a course of action was taken on Roosevelt's crew. At the time, it was not known that the tribe they had contacted were cannabalists.  (22:37) There's a theory that the Amazon is man-made or at least man-influenced. While there’s evidence of humans in the Amazon from at least 13,000 years ago, how long have humans really been in the Americas?  (27:50) Seafaring canoes and the possibility of natives reaching new land via canoe tens of thousands of years ago. It's also a mystery how many journeys have failed throughout time, as there is likely no record of their expedition at all. (31:29) The drive to explore is in our DNA. Do we feel that need for evolutionary purposes?  (37:40) We talk about the description of the surgery on Roosevelt’s leg during the journey and the backstory behind it. (42:07) Sickness and the prevalence of malaria during the trip. We give some stats on the fatalities of malaria, and the lethality is less than we expected.  (44:19) Roosevelt brought his son, Kermit. Though Kermit didn’t want to go, he went so he can watch out for his dad. Back in this time, going on a trip for months or even years meant you wouldn't have any contact with people back home for that whole span. (48:55) Stories of Roosevelt when he was visited by ambassadors in the White House, and other humorous presidential stories.  (52:32) There have been several amazing stories and documentaries describing the journies of different adventurists and mountain climbers. It goes to show just how important pacing yourself is and knowing how to pack the appropriate supplies.  (1:00:51) Why the crew hardly saw any wild life during their time in the Amazon. Though you're surrounded by them, they're extremely hidden. (1:05:58) Rondon's leadership along the way and how he managed to keep order, despite one of the crew members causing trouble.  (1:14:19) When we think about Roosevelt's journey and compare it to today, we see how far we've come. We can now reach the other side of the world at much quicker speeds and have the potential of seeing more growth in this area during our lifetime, too.  (1:19:53) Stay tuned for our next episode... Episode 100 of Made You Think! What has been your favorite episode so far? Let us know! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“Across the board, dietary advice typically focuses on what and how much to eat, with remarkably little attention paid to how farming practices influence the nutritional quality of food and whether the “right foods” pack the nutrients they once had.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're discussing What Your Food Ate by David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé. Exploring the concept of "food chain reactions," the book unveils the hidden connections between our food choices and their environmental, social, and health impacts. Do you really know what you're eating? We cover a wide range of topics including: The revival of physical bookstores fueled by social media How the health of our soil essentially corresponds to our health Why nutritional diversity is so important The relationship between our diets and overall well-being What are our food cravings telling us? And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Great Book Series (1:04)  Barnes and Noble open 30 new stores (2:55) Reality Has a Surprising Amount of Detail (19:17) Mother Tongue Cooking Club (33:04) Force of Nature (57:55) Pluck (58:19) TrueMed (59:57) Rooted (1:09:26) Dutch Meadows Farm Books Mentioned: What Your Food Ate The Three-Body Problem (5:00) (Nat's Book Notes) Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations (14:59) People Mentioned: Anthony Gustin (15:40) Wendell Berry (15:48) Ben Greenfield (26:57) Justin Mares (28:21) Miles Snyder (33:01) Calley Means (1:01:34) Gabe Brown (1:04:24) Show Topics: (1:35) The revival of Barnes and Noble along with the influence that 'Booktok' has had on physical book stores. (5:11) How different content performs on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube. Each platform serves a different purpose whether it's for entertainment or educational.  (12:16) Today, we’re discussing What Your Food Ate by David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé! Our food is a lot less nutritionally dense than we realize because of way that the food we eat is grown. (14:55) The co-authors' first book talks about the importance of caring for the soil, as that's the base for everything we grow. The same food can have such different nutritional values depending on how it was grown or raised. (20:08) Why nutritional diversity is important and how eating as nutrient dense foods as possible is really important too. When it comes to food, it's best to aim for quality over quantity.  (26:13) When we take a look at the foods we're eating, it makes sense that we may need supplements to give us our essential nutrients that may be otherwise lacking in our diet.  (28:01) What does Europe do differently than the US in terms of growing their food? We also talk about glyphosate levels in the things that we eat. (33:35) We give a brief overview of how the government has subsidized farmers in the US, which plays a role in our food supply and what we eat.  (38:44) Do our food cravings hint to us what we are deficient in? There have been studies done in infants where they chose foods that were beneficial to them when they were sick.  (40:33) It's shown that diet makes a difference in your overall health. Examples: The British WW2 diet and how a study in Japan showed that diet made a difference in mortality rate for those with lung cancer.  (44:45) How we source our food plays a role in our overall health. The nutritional density of the same food can vary just based on how it was raised. (50:39) We share some of our current eating habits from kimchi to sauerkraut, and what we will be having less of. (53:20) So, what solutions do we have and are we trending in the right direction when it comes to the food industry? (59:29) Regenerative farming - can this be seen on a larger scale? Neil talks about the mission of TrueMed. (1:06:28) Nutrients in animals have changed over time due to their diet and breeding, and it has an effect on the nutrients we receive from them, too. (1:10:53) That concludes this episode! Catch us next time where we will be discussing The River of Doubt. As episode 100 approaches us, we're excited to hear your suggestions on what we should do for that episode! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“The Chinese people had invented the compass, paper, the printing press, gunpowder, the seismograph, the crossbow, and the umbrella; they had sailed to Africa in the fifteenth century; they had constructed the Great Wall; over the past decade they had built their economy at a rate never before seen in the developing world. They could return a rental car with exactly three-eighths of a tank of gas, but filling it was apparently beyond the realm of cultural possibility.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're covering Country Driving, a captivating memoir by Peter Hessler that explores the transformation of China through the lens of its rapidly changing roadways and the people who navigate them.  We cover a wide range of topics including: The modernization of Chinese infrastructure Negotiation culture in China Exceptionalism and believing your culture is superior The most popular automobiles in America How conditions for laborers have gotten so bad And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Slate Star Codex reddit thread (0:32) Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History (2:48) Monthly car payments in America (42:35) 2022's best selling cars (46:05) Books Mentioned: The Fish That Ate the Whale (0:11) (Nat's Book Notes) Energy and Civilization (5:42) (Nat's Book Notes) On China (21:52) Cobalt Red (28:57) The Dictator’s Handbook (36:15) (Nat's Book Notes) People Mentioned: Sam Bankman-Fried (0:39) Dan Carlin (2:48) Henry Kissinger (21:51) Show Topics: (0:00) There are some books that can arguably be just a blog post, but we feel this is not the case for Country Driving. (3:35) Country Driving gives insight to what 'Made in China’ means, as we often don't consider the human labor side of the items we own. (6:59) While there are large amounts of ambition and hustle in Chinese culture, is it sustainable and truly for the good of the individual, or is it simply for their own survival?  (9:16) “In China, much of life involves skirting regulations, and one of the basic truths is that forgiveness comes easier than permission.” The central government in China and how enforcement happens moreso on the group level. We also discuss whether people throughout the world are innately the same and how our culture plays a role in how we act under certain circumstances.  (15:33) Negotation culture in China and the patience it takes to draw decisions out until the last possible second. Nearly everything is a negotiation in China, whereas in America, there isn't a whole lot of negotiation. (20:56) Invasion of the Mongols headed by Genghis Khan. As different groups arrived to China, they eventually got absorbed into the current culture. (24:26) One of China’s strengths is the ability to absorb outside cultures. As new figures came into power, they adopted the previous regimes. We also talk about what exceptionalism means in America. (28:00) During China's modernization projects, many workers would be working for just a few instant noodle packets per day. As states become more technologically adept, they continue to mistreat people and extract money from them while also being able to discard the evidence. (33:41) Is it right or wrong to invade a country that’s aggressively using slave labor to harness its natural resources? Though it’s nation building, it also is an invasion on human rights. (39:31) The driving laws and norms in China are different than in the US- From their communication through honking to the lanes they use for turning. (43:11) Why cities in China have their hands tied when it comes to financing.  (48:13) That concludes this episode, thanks for listening! If this episode intrigued you, make sure to pick up a copy of Country Driving and stay tuned for our next episode. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

"First, it's important to remember that merit beliefs aren't necessarily true, nor are crony beliefs necessarily false. What distinguishes the two concepts is how we're rewarded for them: via effective actions or via social impressions. The best we can say is that merit beliefs are more likely to be true." Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! This week, we're talking about Kevin Simler's popular Essay: Crony Beliefs. Our beliefs are essentially divided into merit beliefs and crony beliefs. We talk about the many reasons we hold our beliefs, whether it's for accuracy, showing off, or blending in. We cover a wide range of topics including: Key distinctions between Meritocracy and Cronyism The different agendas that we accomplish through our belief system  Autonomy and individual decision making in the US vs. other countries How crony beliefs show up in the medical field, diet culture, and more What does it take to overturn a belief? And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Listen Notes (0:15) Hardcore History (Dan Carlin) (2:10) Castro podcast app (2:26) Huberman Lab podcast (3:39) Outside the System (6:53) The Danny Miranda podcast (7:53) Books Mentioned: The Elephant in the Brain (9:39) (Nat's Book Notes) Country Driving (40:13) Where Is My Flying Car? (54:03) Atomic Habits (1:03:27) (Nat's Book Notes) People Mentioned: Dan Carlin (2:10) Joe Rogan (5:26) Danny Miranda (7:53) Matt Mullenweg (11:06) Charlie Munger (1:06:28) Show Topics: (0:00) According to Listen Notes, we’re in the top 1% of podcasts! We open the show by talking about podcast stats and the main challenge podcasts face that makes it hard for the show to grow.  (4:42) Differences between podcasts put out by independent creators vs. content distribution companies. (8:33) Today, we're discussing Crony Beliefs by Kevin Simler. He talks about using beliefs as tools or ‘employees’. You have beliefs that you believe in for true reasons, but there are also crony beliefs which you may hold for social or political benefit.  (13:52) We have agendas that we accomplish through our beliefs as they fulfill different reward systems. With Cronyism, we're less concerned about the accuracy of our belief so long as we make the right impression on others.  (20:37) Crony beliefs thrive in areas of ambiguity. However, it's important to note that merit beliefs aren’t always true in the same way that crony beliefs aren’t always false. The distinction comes from how we’re rewarded for our belief and why you believe in it. (24:12) Conspicuousness and standing out so you can be visible to others. It can be hard to tell when someone is sharing something out of the human desire to share and add value, or whether it’s for self-justification purposes. (28:24) There are collections of ideas or rules where as a whole, we feel that we all need to agree on it. We go into the example of traffic laws. Conflicts arise when some groups think an idea has to be mandated whereas some people feel that it's okay ‘as long as it’s not hurting anyone’. (32:06) How something as simple as a traffic light can mean something different in different places in the world. Is it to be obeyed 100% or just for guidance in preventing accidents? (40:08) The US prides itself on democracy, but the individual decision making and autonomy is lower than it is in many other cultures. (47:03) Crony beliefs in the medical field. Many times, it feels riskier to change a belief than to keep going with the current one you have. (49:21) From the outside, it’s difficult to discern what a crony belief is. When it comes time to challenge or change a crony belief, if often would take a large event. Small, gradual changes wouldn't push the dial enough. (54:26) The best way to see if you believe something: Are you willing to test it?  (58:01) The word 'crony' has a negative connotation, but they’re not always bad beliefs to have. We talk about why life wouldn’t be better if we only had meritocratic beliefs. (1:05:24) Could there be a level between crony and merit beliefs? There are many beliefs that are aspirational and positive, but not necessarily true. (1:09:01) We discuss the level of overlap between Kevin Simler's essay on crony beliefs and his book, The Elephant in the Brain. The book is all about the hidden motives that we have, and how we have thoughts that we don't want to acknowledge, yet they drive our behavior. (1:16:45) Harry Potter, Fast and Furious, and Lord of the Rings. Why it's easier to gain traction from remakes and sequels than a whole new story altogether.  (1:20:43) That wraps up this episode! Next up, we'll be reading Country Driving by Peter Hessler. Make sure to pick up a copy of the book if you want to read along with us before the next episode. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“Your unhappiness cannot be blamed on your past or your environment. And it isn’t that you lack competence. You just lack courage. One might say you are lacking in the courage to be happy.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! This week, we're diving into The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. This book is full of wisdom, challenging you to free yourself from the expectations placed on you by others so you can achieve happiness. We cover a wide range of topics including: Pledging loyalty to yourself How "Insta-therapy" can be simultaneously hurtful and helpful When not to give unsolicited advice Are all problems interpersonal problems? Having the courage to follow through on your ideas And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: The End of Medicine (29:40) The Game Changers (29:48) What is a Spoonie? (38:40) Hurts So Good (40:36) Books Mentioned: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (3:17) (Nat's Book Notes) How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World (10:19) Finite and Infinite Games (21:55) (Nat's Book Notes) King, Warrior, Magician, Lover (22:03) Antifragile (46:47) (Nat's Book Notes) Turning Pro (55:57) (Nat's Book Notes) Shadow Divers (56:54) People Mentioned: Alfred Adler (5:38) Will Durant (10:03) Harry Browne (10:18) Nassim Taleb (46:26) Steven Pressfield (55:55) Show Topics: 2:10) On today's episode, we're discussing The Courage to Be Disliked. Written by two Japanese authors, the book is a conversation between a German philosopher and a young man teaching that the past doesn’t control you, as you have ownership over your life and your actions. (7:16) Insta-therapy; social media posts all about therapy and unpacking trauma. While it can be helpful and informational, there can be some downside to it, too. When it comes to therapy, there's a difference between unpacking your life and taking action on it. (12:29) The book talks about lifestyles and how it's something that we can choose at any point in our life. (15:17) Everything you experience is in context of other people. Separation of tasks: Don’t try to do somebody’s tasks for them. "A parent suffering over the relationship with his or her child will tend to think, 'My child is my life.' In other words, the parent is taking on the child’s task as his or her own, and is no longer able to think about anything but the child. When at last the parent notices it, the ‘I’ is already gone from his or her life. However, no matter how much of the burden of the child’s task one carries, the child is still an independent individual." (23:23) Unsolicited feedback. You can usually tell if someone’s feedback is sincere or if it's for their own benefit. (29:54) Vegan diet vs. standard American diet, and how elimination diets are a way to see how your body reacts and what you’re sensitive to.  (34:15) Once we took lead out of gasoline, violent crime rates and other factors went down tremendously. The "Spoonie" community.  (40:46) When you identify with a group, you may tend to believe in all related ideas or beliefs in order to stay a part of that group, even if the ideas are questionable. (42:54) The way the book frames ambition and how you shouldn’t be seeking recognition. By being ambitious, you can contribute to more people.  (45:27) Nat, Neil, and Adil discuss the title of the book and their interpretations of it. It’s impossible to get everyone like you. If you aren’t disliked, you’re restricting your behavior to receive a more favorable outcome, but are you really free?  (51:34) Pledging loyalty to yourself and recognizing that you can't please everybody. (54:14) When you think you can’t do something, it’s often because you lack the courage to follow through on it. You can't fail if you don't start, and that can prevent you from taking action. (56:34) That wraps up this episode! Next up, we'll be covering Country Driving by Peter Hessler so make sure to pick up a copy and read along with us before our next episode. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“It was impossible to expect a moral awakening from humankind itself, just like it was impossible to expect humans to lift off the earth by pulling up on their own hair. To achieve moral awakening required a force outside the human race.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this long-awaited episode, we're covering The Three-Body Problem, a science fiction trilogy by Liu Cixin. Find out what happens when a military group successfully sends signals into space in hopes of making contact with aliens. We cover a wide range of topics including: The difference bewteen exponential and linear cultures Why anything in the "dark forest" should be considered a threat Using hibernation as a form of time traveling Escapism and the need to flee earth to survive The fragility of being a human and remaining healthy And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.   Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: The Last of Us (0:59) Death's End meme (4:21) Casa Grande Ruins (15:29) TransMedics (25:59) Fermi paradox (1:01:22) Books Mentioned: Project Hail Mary (6:17) Where Is My Flying Car? (38:42)  What Your Food Ate (39:19) The Paper Menagerie (51:07) Einstein: His Life and Universe (56:20) The Sovereign Individual (1:10:54) (Nat's Book Notes) The Courage to Be Disliked (1:15:36) People Mentioned: Liu Cixin Ken Liu (49:53) Walter Isaacson (56:20) Show Topics: (0:00) This week, we're diving into The Three-Body Problem! Spoiler alert: If you haven’t read the book and don’t want anything given away, we recommend you come back to this episode later to avoid learning plot twists and key information. (6:13) One of the quirks of the alien species is that they are not able to deceive each other. We also talk about the difference between exponential vs. linear culture. (10:16) The books jump through many genres from a mystery thriller to classic adventure. We provide some of the context of the book and ponder on how other civilizations would view humans in their perspective. (13:37) Nat, Neil, and Adil share their reactions on the end of the story and the inevitable death that everybody faces.  (15:12) Preserving information and monuments over time. There are still stone engravings that hold up today, but even things like paper and hard drives aren’t able to withstand the test of time.  (19:15) This year, The Three-Body Problem is hitting Netflix as a TV series! We talk about what the show may look like and how they will portray the different dimensions. (22:52) A lot can change in just a short time. How would humanity react if we found out today that in a few hundred years, humanity would be destroyed by a group of powerful aliens? (24:12) How the book presented the idea of hibernation and using someone’s skills later as opposed to the current moment. In a way, it's like time traveling. (28:58) Escapism, the space cities, and how easy it is to be poisoned by your own environment. (32:53) Wallfacers and other interesting ideas that the author incorporated into the storyline. The series was very interesting for its many different paradoxes and sociological concepts. (38:30) There's the paradox that we have so much we can potentially solve with our technological advancements, but at the same time, do we really have all of the of smaller components and variables of it figured out? (41:15) The fragility of being human and the importance of micronutrients to our functioning that we may or may not realize.  (47:21) The series is based on the author's back story in the cultural revolution in China. While written in 2007, the books weren't translated into English until 2014 where some parts of the story got slightly changed or adapted. (52:14) Will there be substantial changes in how we understand and view the universe in the next century, and how will these shift our perception of these novels? (1:00:01) There's a sense in today's world that we’ve simply figured everything out, while we arguably have a lot more yet to discover. (1:01:12) The Dark Forest theory. The idea that there are potentially many alien civilizations that exist, and other intelligent lives we come across would presumably be seen as a threat. (1:11:30) Nat, Neil, and Adil share their thoughts on which of the books in the trilogy was their favorite. (1:15:35) That’s a wrap! Next up, we're reading The Courage to Be Disliked. Make sure to pick up a copy if you'd like to read along before the next episode! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“Most people, in fact, will not take the trouble in finding out the truth, but are much more inclined to accept the first story they hear.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're diving into History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides. Full of speeches, history, parallels, and battles, this book provides an account of the Peloponnesian War as told by an Athenian general. We cover a wide range of topics including: The style of combat in 5th century BC vs. modern tactics Effects of the plague of Athens Unhinged Google reviews of the US House of Representatives How war is depicted differently depending on your perspective The difference in lifestyle between the Spartans and Athenians And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Chesterton’s Fence (22:20) Battle of Stalingrad (37:16) Letters From Iwo Jima (49:37) Flags of Our Fathers (49:40) Books Mentioned: History of the Peloponessian War The Three-Body Problem (0:07) (Nat's Book Notes) The Iliad (8:12) (Nat's Book Notes) The Fourth Turning (44:29) The Lessons of History (46:36) (Nat's Book Notes) People Mentioned: Chris Kyle (48:02) Clint Eastwood (49:29) Xenophon (51:11) Show Topics: (1:06) History of the Peloponnesian War- The first and oldest history book that we have. While there are older books about historical events and periods, this book strives to depict things with historical accuracy rather than for storytelling and entertainment purposes.  (6:08) The history was divided into eight books, and each book changes slightly in the style of which it was written. (9:10) What was the Peloponnesian War? We talk about the history of the war. While the Athenians and Spartans were the main players in the fight, there were a bunch of smaller allies mentioned as well. (14:41) "If an opponent made a reasonable speech, the party in power, so far from giving it a generous reception, took every precaution to see that it had no practical effect." Nat, Neil, and Adil read some passages from the book and discuss some of the parallels. (19:44)  "A city is better off with bad laws, so long as they remain fixed, than with good laws that are constantly being altered, that lack of learning combined with sound common sense is more helpful than the kind of cleverness that gets out of hand, and that as a general rule states are better governed by the man in the street than by intellectuals.” Many politicians in the earlier days had a career before they were a politician, and many roles in politics were just on a part time basis whereas today, most elected officials are in that role full time.  (26:19) What do people really think of the US House of Representatives? (28:09) Strength of the Athenian navy. Much of the naval battles included hand-to-hand combat as guns and cannons were not yet in use. This looked much different than naval battles would in today's time.  (35:01) While the sizes of the battles seem very small in comparison to today, it still affected a sizeable percentage of the population. (40:54) The writing style changed as the book went on. In the beginning, there were more detailed descriptions of the actual war, but as it went on, the narrative became more of an accounting of the battles and casualties.  (41:37) The book describes a plague that broke out that ended up killing a lot of people. Why “watch words” were common in this war as a tool to recognize who was or was not on your side.  (47:45) Depictions of war today include the costs that come with war such as the potential of losing your home or family. There can be different perspectives of the same battle just based on what side you're on and where you live. (53:14) That wraps up this episode! As previously hinted, we will be covering The Three-Body Problem next. Make sure to grab a copy to follow along with us! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“It is not the race that makes the civilization, it is the civilization that makes the people: circumstances geographical, economic, and political create a culture, and the culture creates a human type.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're talking about The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant. This concise yet jam-packed book presents pivotal moments and ideas throughout history covering thirteen different areas including religion, progress, government, and character.  We cover a wide range of topics including: The progression of humans as a species Religious entities being replaced by secular entities Why freedom and equality are "enemies" War as a constant of history How tension is necessary for a society to function And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: No Agenda Show (55:01) Moore’s Law (1:15:00) Three Generations Theory (1:18:49) Books Mentioned: The Lessons of History (Nat's Book Notes) The Psychology of Money (3:05) (Nat's Book Notes) Atomic Habits (3:51) (Nat's Book Notes) Antifragile (4:50) (Nat's Book Notes) Fooled by Randomness (4:52) (Nat's Book Notes) The Black Swan (5:05) (Nat's Book Notes) Skin in the Game (5:15) (Nat's Book Notes) The Story of Civilization (7:41) The Story of Philosophy (7:47) (Nat's Book Notes) Gödel, Escher, Bach (10:37) (Nat's Book Notes) Getting Things Done (11:58) Hooked (13:24) (Nat's Book Notes) The Art of Seduction (14:26) (Nat's Book Notes) The Art of War (14:29)  The 48 Laws of Power (15:12) (Nat's Book Notes) The 50th Law (15:21) (Nat's Book Notes) Mastery (15:34) (Nat's Book Notes) The Firm (18:57) A Time to Kill (19:01) Where Is My Flying Car? (28:22) On China (35:13)  The Alchemy of Finance (38:47) The Fourth Turning (1:04:09) Permutation City (1:17:03) The Three-Body Problem (1:23:50) (Nat's Book Notes) Snow Crash (1:25:45) (Nat's Book Notes) Seveneves (1:26:00) People Mentioned: Nassim Taleb (2:18) Morgan Housel (3:06) James Clear (3:50) David Allen (11:57) Robert Greene (14:15) John Grisham (18:56) Tim Ferriss (56:25) Show Topics: (0:00) In this episode, we're discussing The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant. On brand with Made You Think, we start the episode with a good 'ol tangent! (4:19) The difference between fiction and non-fiction authors in the development of their writing and storytelling over time. For nonfiction writers who tend to write about the same few ideas, it can be hard to keep it novel when delivering those ideas. (10:33) What makes a book the best of that author’s career- the quality of their writing or the ideas in the book itself? Nat, Neil, and Adil talk about different authors and books that were the peak of the author’s writing career. (16:59) Authors always seem to be competing with their earlier work or their most popular book. There are also cases where a successful book later on in your career can kickstart the popularity of an earlier book that didn’t get any previous traction. (23:23) Why people tend to avoid books that are commonly recommended by everyone. (27:14) The last chapter talks about progress, where progress refers to our species rather than scientific progress. In many ways (ex: communication, technology) we have progressed, but if you look at it from another viewpoint, more problems stem over time from some of the solutions that we have found. (30:45) No matter how great our lives are, we always find something to be unhappy about. "Our capacity for fretting is endless, and no matter how many difficulties we surmount, how many ideals we realize, we shall always find an excuse for being magnificently miserable; there is a stealthy pleasure in rejecting mankind or the universe as unworthy of our approval." (35:53) The existence of healthy tension- You need a healthy amount of debate and disagreement in order to find the line of best fit. (40:22) “The fear of capitalism has compelled socialism to widen freedom, and the fear of socialism has compelled capitalism to increase equality." We are somewhere in the middle of capitalism and socialism. Freedom vs. equality in opportunity. (47:55) "There is no significant example in history, before our time, of a society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of religion. France, the United States, and some other nations have divorced their governments from all churches, but they have had the help of religion in keeping social order." Everybody believes in something whether it's formal religion or not. There are many alternatives to religion where people gather over a common interest or practice. (52:28) Different groups come with different depths of relationships. We give the example of depth of religious relationships vs. relationships with those you meet in a CrossFit gym. (57:40) It tells you a lot about someone when they have more obscure interests rather than mainstream interests.  (1:00:54) Are influencers taking on the role of 'idols'?  (1:07:26) When it comes to making predictions, it's hard to be completely accurate when there’s always a variable that changes. One thing that has been standard and constant over the years: War.  (1:12:12) Though it's statistically unlikely to encounter a violent revolution in each given year, it's beneficial to have a baseline level of preparedness to survive. (1:14:05) As the population grows, we find more ways to make food. With more food, we grow more as a population. When we think we may hit max population or another ceiling, new discoveries are made. (1:16:10) Without death, can the species still progress? While many may desire the choice of their own immortality, it may not be good for human civilization. (1:21:30) That concludes this episode! Stay tuned as we gear up for our next episodes on Peloponnesian War and The Three-Body Problem. Plus, we talk about other fascinating science fiction books that may pique your interest as this episode winds down. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“Opponents replied that when you modeled a hurricane, nobody got wet. When you modeled a fusion power plant, no energy was produced. When you modeled digestion and metabolism, no nutrients were consumed – no real digestion took place. So, when you modeled the human brain, why should you expect real thought to occur?” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're talking all things consciousness and simulated reality with Permutation City by Greg Egan. Classified as a hard science fiction novel, the book tells the story of a man who seeks to create immortality by creating "software" copies of the mind. We cover a wide range of topics including: The complex nature of consciousness Egan's "Dust Theory" What it's like to live in a simulation Ethics surrounding death and dying The possibilities that come with computer intelligence And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: The Dust Theory (3:51) Biocentrism (7:37) Black Mirror - San Junipero (30:48) Turing test (35:52) Her (39:08) Building a Second Brain (1:07:05) The Expanse (1:08:08) ChatGPT Epilogue to Permutation City Books Mentioned: Godel Escher Bach (0:42) (Nat’s Book Notes) The Three-Body Problem (0:58) (Nat’s Book Notes) The Beginning of Infinity (16:42) (Nat’s Book Notes) The Egg (19:27) The Fable of the Dragon Tyrant (24:26) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (26:58) Where Is my Flying Car? (27:13)  The Comfort Crisis (30:20)  Homo Deus (44:41) (Nat's Book Notes) Altered Carbon (53:41) The Lessons of History (1:02:26) People Mentioned: Greg Egan (3:54) Arthur Clarke (16:39) Issac Asimov (16:40) Andy Weir (19:28) Liu Cixin (1:04:31) Show Topics: (0:00) If you're a science fiction lover, this week's episode is for you! We’re discussing Permutation City, a 'hard science fiction' book from 1994. This book explores many concepts including The Dust Theory and achieving immortality through copying your consciousness. (4:24) Intro to Dust Theory. There are infinitely many universes existing at all space and time. As soon as a universe is perceived by a conscious intelligence, that universe comes to exist, and that universe will always continue to exist as long as there is consciousness to observe it. (8:11) Are we in a simulation? We learn in response to stimuli which is also how LLMs (large language models) learn too. (13:12) Nat, Neil, and Adil define consciousness, discuss the idea of transporting consciousness, and how we differ from LLMs. We have a private and inner mind that generates its own thoughts and feelings. We can't be certain whether computers have this or not. (22:01) There's an 'engine' in our heads that is focused on our survival and continuation. (23:21) Ethics surrounding death. One can argue that life is short, but when you've lived for thousands of years through copying your consciousness, it becomes a question of when it's enough. (28:39) If we could somehow prevent bodily decay and the death of our loved ones, would we ever be ready to die, and is aging something that we can slow down or affect?  (33:43) In the book, from the perspective of the humans, the copies are just programs who look intelligent, but they aren’t real. From the perspective of the copies, it’s all very real. (41:31) Time dilation and running consciousness slower for the copies. The slowdown doesn’t necessarily affect the copy. The time perception is still the same to them, but it may affect how they interact with the real world. (46:08) There's a baseline risk for being alive. You can try to get all of your life risks to zero, but it is best to accept that there will always be some general risk. (51:49) Collaboration in publishing. While most books have a single author, it may add some dimension to get expertise from guest authors with knowledge in different fields. (54:50) What did Greg Egan regret most about Permutation City?  (1:02:11) That concludes this episode! Stay tuned for our next episode on History of the Peloponnesian War. Also on the horizon is The Three-Body Problem. Make sure to pick up a copy if you'd like to read up before the episode. As mentioned, check out this awesome epilogue created by ChatGPT! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“In today’s world, even a non-Stagnated version, the flying car is not a replacement for the car; it is a replacement for the airplane. A reasonably well-designed convertible could fit right in to today’s airspace system; it would fit right into our road system as well. Without the Stagnation there might well be a 50,000 airplane per year market, and enough licensed pilots to buy them. Remember, average family income would be well into six figures. In 1950, about one quarter of one percent of Americans were licensed pilots; that percentage today amounts to over three quarters of a million, which is market aplenty, for a start.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we discuss Where Is My Flying Car? by J. Storrs Hall who calls out the stagnation of productivity since the 1970s and gives us a glimpse of what our future could be if we strive for it. We cover a wide range of topics including: Why growth has slowed since the 1970s What's possible with nuclear energy and nanotech? The zero sum way of thinking How our tolerance for risk has changed over time The progression of aviation from the early 1900s to now And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show:  Kardashev scale (35:02) Israel’s Iron Dome (44:40) AVE Mizar - Flying car prototype (47:46) Joby Aviation (54:04) Osprey military helicopter (55:07) Tesla plunges off a cliff (1:01:17) Interstellar (1:19:59) Space elevator (1:25:37) Popular Mechanics (1:26:51) Books Mentioned: The Three-Body Problem (9:55) (Nat's Book Notes) Dune (10:33) Foundation (10:34) Zero to One (13:57) (Nat's Book Notes) The Comfort Crisis (14:18) (Book Episode) Energy and Civilization (33:59) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (37:22) Project Hail Mary (56:52) The Martian (56:55) (Nat's Book Notes) The Time Machine (1:07:14) The Fourth Turning (1:14:19) (Book Episode) The Art of Doing Science and Engineering (1:32:19) The Making of the Prince of Persia (1:32:40) The Dream Machine (1:33:51) Scientific Freedom (1:34:02) People Mentioned: Dan Carlin (0:56) Vaclav Smil (33:57) Ron Chernow (37:23) Andy Weir (56:53) David Foster Wallace (1:06:25) Paul Graham (1:29:58) Show Topics: (0:36) Podcast analytics: What are the listening behaviors and demographics of our listeners? (4:35) The explanation behind the spy balloons and other UFOs.  (9:52) Nat, Neil, and Adil talk about some book recommendations they’ve received and books they’d recommend to others. (11:56) One takeaway from the book is that we don’t tend to work on things that feel impossible. Much of what we've accomplished is what feels safe and what we know we’ll see success in. (17:42) The book we're discussing today is Where Is My Flying Car? The book talks about the stagnation of the physical world because we didn’t invest as much as we could have in nuclear energy, nanotech, and aviation.  (22:14) Some of the different technologies that have been idealized feel fictional and out of reach. However, we're much further than we know in understanding the technical part of it and these ideas may not be all that unattainable.  (26:44) Early on, the book emphasizes the flying car, then goes to explain that you can’t get the flying car without better energy policies and nanotech.  (30:05) The cost efficiency of nuclear fuel.  (32:03) The Henry Adams curve. How do we make the shift from creating more energy to using the energy more efficiently? The amount of energy your civilization harnesses is indicative of your wealth and quality of living. (35:39) The ‘zero sum’ way of thinking and how it impacts moral behavior. If you don’t have economic growth, you can’t sustain democracy in the long run. (38:09) What would good regulation look like? How the atomic bomb changed the progress and power of countries. (44:45) Climate change and the argument of CO2 as an enemy. If CO2 did increase, it would be beneficial to plants but harmful to humans.  (46:55) Aviation from the 30’s and 40’s and the stagnation over the past few decades in air travel. While we made progress after the first aircraft was made and through WW1 and WW2, the progress since is seemingly slow.  (52:23) The distinction between leading edge vs. depth and the importance of computing progress in space travel.  (58:29) Before the era of computing, many things were controlled by pumps and levers. Our risk tolerance is much different than it once was.  (1:04:40) We have different ideas of what risk is now. We still have the instinct to make progress in society, but it has been redirected towards other things. (1:11:16) The 5 levels of transportation and how your wealth determines your level. There are millions of people who can't afford shoes, yet people in higher socioeconomic classes can afford cars. Both are vehicles for transportation. (1:16:42) What will good tech look like in 50 years? We’ve progressed in telecommunication with audio, video, tv, podcasts, instant messaging, etc. A lot of science fiction is pessimistic about humanity.  (1:22:48) Nanotech and the capabilities you can achieve with it.  (1:30:58) Have you ever read a book and wished it was longer or shorter? (1:42:02) That concludes this episode! Next up, we're reading Peloponnesian War and will get to The Three-Body Problem trilogy down the road. Make sure to pick up a copy if you want to follow along with us! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're covering The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Though it's nearly 2,500 years old, the military tactics and war strategies presented in the book are still being taught in militaries and business schools around the world making this a timeless strategy guide. We cover a wide range of topics including: How perfecting the basics can earn you the win Strategies for being the superior or inferior force The five essentials for victory Using deception on your enemy When you should use an indirect approach or avoid conflict And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Donald Trump's NFT commercial (3:38) Then and now: Uneven bars (27:45) Jocko Podcast 23: The Art of War (29:07) ChatGPT (1:02:33) Did the Greeks see blue? (1:03:03)  Books Mentioned: Tao Te Ching (7:49) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Atomic Habits (9:30) (Nat's Book Notes) The Prince (20:37) Unrestricted Warfare (1:09:27) Where Is My Flying Car? (1:10:35) People Mentioned: Sun Tzu  Colleen Hoover (9:33) Sun Bin (10:24) Lorenzo de' Medici (21:07) Show Topics: (4:02) Today, we are diving back in to our Great Book Series with The Art of War, a book on military strategy and warfare, but the lessons can be applied to fields outside of war, too. (7:36) The book is approximately 2,500 years old. Though Sun Tzu is credited as the author, it's unclear how much of it was his direct writing vs. a compilation of his strategies that are attributed to him. (13:43) One main takeaway from the book is that it really all comes down to the basics and the intuition you get from your experience.  (17:48) The commentary in the book suggests that the book wasn’t written for a military audience, but rather for the King at the time. It may not dive into the actual act of fighting, training, and equipping a military, but it does cover leadership, deception, and strategization. (22:12) "To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself." The enemy can present you the opportunity to win by making a mistake. This can apply in areas outside of war, such as sports. (28:09) Much of the book talks about avoiding war and taking an indirect approach. You can’t change someone’s mind with a direct approach, but you can apply other tactics and more indirect measures to convince someone or change their minds.  (32:47) Nat, Neil, and Adil go over the 5 essentials for victory as well as the importance of the commander’s intent. (35:02) Superior vs. inferior forces and knowing how to handle them. You can turn a superior force into an inferior force by splitting them up and spreading them thin. (38:51) When attacking a weaker force, never corner them. Leaving the enemy an escape lets the less motivated soldiers to leave through the escape route rather than fighting it out. (40:41) The 9 grounds - The book lays out strategies for each of the types of ground. They are helpful for the generals to have a list of possible next steps depending on the situation at hand. (44:57) The basics may appear so simple and common sense, but it’s all about which side can do the basics correctly. By remembering the basics, we aren't forced to try to do too much which is when we end up making an error allowing the other side to capitalize on it. (51:54) Once you have expertise in something, you often notice things that others with just basic knowledge wouldn’t. We talk about why it can also be harder to teach a beginner when you're an expert. (57:28) Rapid fire: Nat, Neil, and Adil cover a few of their remaining notes from the book including the 5 dangerous faults that may affect a general.  (1:09:23) The basics of war can be combined and recombined. It's similar to playing cards where two people may play the same hand completely differently and apply different strategies. (1:10:28) That concludes this episode! Up next, we will be reading Where Is My Flying Car? by J. Storrs Hall. Make sure to pick up a copy if you want to read along with us! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going inside ourselves.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we discuss The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk, and the effects that traumatic stress can have on our mind and body.  We cover a wide range of topics including: Why the mind and body should not be viewed as unrelated entities The role of both parents in raising a well-adjusted child Breathwork, meditation, and starting early How movement and exercise can rewire your brain The rise of therapy and importance of social support And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Agamemnon (1:11) Shiva (27:55) 40th Day after death (28:09) Bonobos (43:30) EMDR (1:00:14) Wim Hof Breathing (1:03:08) Books Mentioned The Body Keeps the Score Merchants of Doubt (3:09) (Nat's Book Notes) (Book Episode) Gödel, Escher, Bach (6:17) (Nat's Book Notes) (Book Episode) Burn Rate (43:22) Breath (1:01:58) (Nat's Book Notes) Deep (1:02:07) The Art of War (1:08:32) People Mentioned Andy Dunn (43:20) Eric Jorgensen (54:23) (Book Episode) James Nestor (1:02:01) Show Topics: (0:00) The Body Keeps The Score seeks to change the discourse around trauma and its symptoms, and it pokes some holes in the way that people have historically thought about mental health. (3:28) The way we think about our bodily health was traditionally very individualistic, when in reality, it’s very complex. The brain and body connection: They’re not two totally different things, rather they’re deeply connected.  (8:09) In addition to the mental and emotional affects of anxiety, there are physical effects too: stomach aches, shortness of breath, muscle tension, and more. We also talk about the importance of gut health. (12:10) Fermentation of beer and sourdough, and the differences when it's fermented commercially vs. at-home. (17:07) A lot of what we consume may have been fermented at least partially in the past, but that's not the case with most foods anymore. Our bodies have evolved to it, and it likely has an impact on our gut health. (19:58) PTSD with veterans and why they could be in one world mentally but another world physically.  (25:49) Handling difficult experiences with social support vs. isolation. If you grew up without a positive parental figure, you may try to find that support somewhere else, even if that support is negative such as joining a gang. (27:11) The rise of therapy. Traditionally, people would use their social or religious communities as the support to confide in and get them through difficult times. Today, there's more individualized support from someone that you previously did not know. (31:30) You don’t process trauma the same way you process language, so talking about these traumatic events can become difficult. There’s a difference between going to therapy and actually doing the work at therapy. (36:00) The book highlights many stories of people where events experienced early on in life are still unresolved for many years into their adulthood. It can take decades to identify where some of our behaviors and thoughts stem from.  (39:54) Imprinting your child. Not everyone is aware of bad habits they show in their parenting style that came from their own parents. It's all about reflecting on how you want to do things differently than your parents as a parent yourself. (45:49) The author argues that it’s hard to have an emotionally well adjusted child without both a male and female role model that embodies some of the stereotypical traits for the child. (56:13) Movement and exercise can rewire your brain and change how you feel about something. It also takes us back to the mind-body connection where you're more likely to feel emotionally better if you physically feel well, too. (58:32) Nat and Neil share their advice on reading the book and how the stories within the book can be helpful, but at the same time, difficult to read. (1:01:51) The benefits of breathwork and meditation, and how you can teach those skills very early on in life. (1:07:59) That wraps up this episode! Join us next time as we cover The Art of War by Sun Tzu. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode we discuss The Analects of Confucius and virtuous living. We cover a wide range of topics including: Confucian virtues The differences between Confucianism and Taoism The value of friendships between the young and their elders How to govern through example in a Confucian way Transmitting the values of ancients to contemporary times Ancient Chinese religions And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Mentioned in the show: Desnudo Coffee in Austin Johnathan Bi and David Perell's Girard Lecture series link Hardcore History: Wrath of the Khans Hardcore History: The Death Throes of the Republic Ancient Chinese religions Dolphin birthing center TikTok Books mentioned: The Clouds by Aristophanes Falling Upward by Richard Rohr People mentioned: Rumi (24:35) Richard Rohr (48:26) Johnathan Bi and David Perell (54:00) Graham Hancock (1:14:51) Show Topics: (0:00) Feedback about the Made You Think title – time for a possible rebrand? (1:44) Tangent Fuel Coffee and Desnudo Coffee in Austin (8:18) TikTok SEO's early days and Nat's experience on BookTok (12:40) About Confucius (15:45) Socrates, Confucius, and Buddha lived in the same 100 years (18:12) Confucianism vs. Taoism (20:28) The meaning of Books 10 and 18 in Analects (23:20) Confucianism vs. Stoicism (24:35) Confucius or Rumi? Adil reads quotes from each and Nat and Neil guess the author (31:34) The Golden Rule appearing in Analects - twice! (33:54): How to retain an author's original meaning while translating their work, especially when translating poetry or religious texts (36:35) How The Clouds by Aristophanes contirbuted to Socrates’ death (38:00) The meaning of filial piety and how Confucius prescribes mourning for one’s parents (42:03) How our society is stratified by age and the difficulties in making friends with people much older (48:26) Falling Upward by Richard Rohr (52:20) The narcissism of small differences and Girard (54:55) Governing through virtue and example (59:15) Genghis Khan breaking up groups with homogenous sets of beliefs – TK LINK Genghis Khan series (1:00:03) Parallels between the decline of the Roman Republic and the US – TK LINK Rome series (1:05:10) Unexpected appearance of the word “God” in the text, ancient Chinese folk religions, matrilineal cultures (1:10:48) Confucius's views on friendship and how to choose your friends (1:11:47) Confucius transmitting values from earlier periods which were abandoned by his contemporaries (1:14:51) Graham Hancock interviews and conspiracies (1:20:15) “The pine and the cypress are the last to lose their leaves” (1:24:00) Final notes and wrap-up If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode we discuss The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter, and how our modern lifestyle and pursuit of ease might be making us miserable, stressed, and anxious.  We cover a wide range of topics including: The connection between boredom and creativity Misogis and how to discover what you're truly capable of Why you don't necessarily want "less phone" How rucking could be a massive exercise hack The proper "dose" of outdoor, tech-free time And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: GORUCK (0:40)  Raising Your Ceiling (8:28) Peter Attia’s Podcast episode with Michael Easter (9:01) Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (11:22) Eight Mattress (48:36) Tim Ferriss Podcast episode with Josh Waitzkin (54:14) Books Mentioned: The Comfort Crisis Emergency (12:52) (Book Episode) Antifragile (13:47) (Book Episode) The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying (1:11:49) Moonwalking with Einstein (1:15:01) (Book Episode) Analects of Confucius (1:33:32) People Mentioned: Michael Easter Nassim Taleb (14:13) Josh Waitzkin (54:08) Sogyal Rinpoche (1:11:48) Show Topics: (0:00) Rucking as a way to make you fit overall and where on your body you should be carrying the weight when you walk. (4:32) How your eyes and body adjust to virtual reality. In general, your eyes dilate differently when you’re using a screen vs. not using a screen.  (8:25) In today’s episode, we’re diving into The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter. The book is centered around the author’s caribou hunt in Alaska to challenge the idea of what comfort means to him. (12:51) Good writing is more about helping explain a concept you’re beginning to think about in a way that you haven’t been able to conceptualize on your own yet rather than teaching you something brand new. (15:19) Boredom is another theme talked about in the book. We tend to favor a highly comfortable life full of entertainment, and we get uncomfortable when we’re bored. However, making your life more comfortable isn’t necessarily going to improve it in the long term. (17:59) We live in a world where there is always something you can do so you never have to sit in boredom when you’re waiting. Because of this constant need to entertain ourselves, we’re losing time that we could be spending processing and crafting new ideas. The more that we can train ourselves to be comfortable in boredom, the more we regain our ability to not be so hyper-anxious and reactive all the time.  (20:56) The connection between boredom and creativity is similar to the idea of rest recovery for working out. You wouldn’t work out the same muscle every day without a rest day. We’re essentially contracting the attention muscle all day long when we’re on our phones all the time and not giving it the recovery time it desperately needs. (23:00) So what’s the solution? Let yourself get bored. Rather than thinking “less phone” think “more boredom”. Making space for your thoughts and resetting the baseline. (30:58) What’s a sustainable way to get your brain rested regularly and how much outdoors time is recommended each month? (33:13) Misogis are challenges that allow you to reframe your perception of what you’re capable of achieving. Each year, it’s encouraged that you take on a challenge, one that’s really hard and one that is unique where you can’t compare yourself to others.  (39:42) From Spartan Races, to pushup challenges, to training in the heat of a Texas summer, Nat, Neil, and Adil reflect on some of the harder things that they’ve experienced. As a species, we’re very capable of doing hard things that we often don’t push ourselves hard enough for. (49:00) The author’s struggle with alcoholism. Everyone self-medicates differently, whether it’s alcohol, conflict, or something more positive. It’s a matter of what you choose to fill the space with. (54:01) The language we use to approach things is critical. You can always find a way to enjoy a situation that most people would label as “bad”. (1:02:08) How do you reset from a bad mood or from feeling anxiety? Nat, Neil, and Adil talk about the ways they stay active.  (1:04:54) How much exercise should you do and what’s the right amount? The more you can do, the better (of course, without injury and overtraining yourself). (1:09:24) Training yourself for long runs and building up your endurance. (1:11:34) “Western laziness is quite different. It consists of cramming our lives with compulsive activity, so there is no time at all to confront the real issues. This form of laziness lies in our failure to choose worthwhile applications for our energy.”  Filling up our time with things that may or may not be meaningful, but we often don’t realize that we’re doing it. (1:14:36) When you look back over a long period of time, the days where you’re outside of your normal routine is what tends to stick out to you.   (1:19:47) Finding the right amount of novelty to live a happy life. Is it possible to go too far into routine or too far into novelty? (1:23:36) Nat, Neil, and Adil share some of their key takeaways and lessons learned from the book. This includes finding more ways to be uncomfortable, embracing that discomfort, and prioritizing physical activity. (1:31:24) That concludes this episode! We hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for our first episode of 2023 as we cover the Analects of Confucious. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

In today’s episode, Nat Neil and Adil discuss the Tao Te Ching by Laozi. We each picked a few of our favorite chapters from the book to read and discuss, resulting in a wide-ranging discussion of work, happiness, ambition, finance, philosophy, and all our usual favorite subjects.  Some of the topics we covered were: The importance of not over-extending yourself, being moderate and patient What does it mean to prioritize “inaction”?  The balance between short and long-term productivity Which parts of the Tao do we each struggle with the most What it means to seek a “middle path.”  Plus lots of tangents around fitness, entrepreneurship, work, other books, and more. Be sure to stick around for the end, where Nat and Neil discuss our new plans for the show and where it’s going in 2023.  Remember to subscribe if you haven’t, and leave us a review on iTunes or Spotify if you liked the episode! Timestamps (1:10) - How different drugs created different financial crashes & philosophies (3:22) - Background on the Tao Te Ching (11:15) - Variations in the translations of the Tao Te Ching (17:00) - What is the “real” version of old texts? (21:20) - The theme of finding the middle ground, and inaction. Chapter 64. “If you rush into action, you will fail. If you hold on too tight, you will loose your grip. Therefore the Master lets things take their course and thus never fails.” (27:00) - The importance of doing nothing. Chapter 48. “He who conquers the world often does so by doing nothing. When one is compelled to do something, The world is already beyond his conquering.” (33:50) - The difference between short-term and long-term productivity. Sometimes doing nothing in the short term is the best strategy for the long term.  (42:00) - Chapters 68, 24. The importance of being balanced, avoiding going to extremes. Avoiding the consequences of intense competition. “He who stands on tiptoe does not stand firm.” (51:00) - What’s something you’re doing that’s incongruous with the advice in the Tao? Neils: Shiny object syndrome. (54:00) - Nat’s: Impatience with professional success. (1:05:00) - Adil’s: Shiny object syndrome. (1:07:00) - The problem with the practical vs. the ideal, giving and receiving advice.  (1:15:00) - Unintuitive advice in fitness. (1:21:00) - Aiming at a specific goal vs. aiming in abstract. (1:24:00) - The power of having a good adversary for bringing out your best. (1:28:00) - Wrapup: Upcoming books, plans for the podcast Mentioned in the Show Byrne Hobart (on Lunar Society) (1:10) Analects of Confucius (two episodes from now) (4:51) Tao in You Website (11:15) ChatGPT (14:00) Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle (25:00)  The Alchemy of Finance by George Soros (29:05) Tyler Cowen (31:50) Cal Newport on Sam Harris (33:40) John McPhee (34:00) Children of Time, Adrian Tzchaicovsky (Nat got the age wrong, he was 46) (56:00) Godel Escher Bach, Douglas Hofstadter. Episode link (1:04:00) Antifragile, Nassim Taleb. Episode link (1:12:00) The Gibraltar skull (1:14:00) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Episode link. (1:15:00) Finite and Infinite Games. Episode link. (1:22:00) The Inner Game of Tennis. Episode link. (1:23:00) Robert Nozick (1:24:00) John Rawls (1:24:00) Huberman Lab Podcast (1:25:00) The Comfort Crisis (next episode!) (1:29:00)

Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, Neil, Nat, and Adil give you a full 70 minutes doing what they do best: Going on tangents. Originally set to continue with the next book on their Great Books Project, the energy and caffeine took over as they dive into a variety of interesting discussions, stories, and ideas. This is an episode you don't want to miss! We cover a wide range of topics including: Our favorite virtual reality video games and table games How new leadership at Twitter has impacted the app recently The strengths and limits of GPT-3 Preventing burnout in longer-term or creative projects Being under-employed (on purpose) And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: FTX (0:26) SuperHot (2:07) Satisfactory (4:54) Terraforming Mars (9:18) Catan (9:34) Klask (10:27) 7 Wonders (11:38) Monopoly Deal (12:11) Epic Gardening (17:12) FAMA (30:05) Tweet Deleter (33:21) Twitter employees quit in droves (37:33) Github (50:39) LEX AI (59:38) GPT-3 (1:00:33) All-In Podcast (1:09:15) Books Mentioned: Tao Te Ching (0:03) (Nat's Book Notes) Enders Game (7:12) The Pathless Path (21:51) People Mentioned: Elon Musk (9:22) Kevin Espiritu (17:18)  Paul Millerd (21:50) Marc Andreessen (31:53) Show Topics: (1:44) “Should we talk about the book?” This question answers itself as Nat, Neil, and Adil dive into conversations about their favorite virtual reality video games and board games, as well.  (7:05) A lot of games out there actually help you develop business and life skills. Although video games encourage high amounts of screen time, there is a lot of skills you can learn from them. There are also physical board games representative of the real world but with some fictional elements to it, making it very appealing and educational.  (14:22) It was at this point that the co-hosts decided they're too full of tangents to do a book episode. Nat, Neil, and Adil go back to talking about board games and the fun of strategic games. (18:00) Preventing burnout in longer-term projects. You can’t be on all the time. Creative work is also hard to do for extended periods of time because it can be limited by your energy and mental output. We may even have certain parts of the month or year where we’re extra productive and wonder why we can’t always be that way, but it’s important to remember that resting is just as important as being productive. (21:48) The idea of being under-employed purposely. If you've worked for a larger company or consultancy, you often have the feeling that you always have to be "on". When you work for yourself, it’s easy to fall back into the thought pattern that you have to be working all the time. (28:26) Social media and podcast presence while also having a job. There are now ways for employers to check the online behaviors of their employment candidates and screen them using AI-powered tools. (34:01) Some educational or funny content we save or bookmark for later tend to get lost in our library of likes. Platforms should create a better system for organizing and saving likes and bookmarks so they can be useful when you need to visit them again. (37:31) The mass quitting and letting go of employees at Twitter. Workplaces that are solely digital and how it compares to companies with a real-world product. The margins are very tight in retail and operating expenses have to be considered. Can these big tech companies run with only a small percentage of their workforce? (43:03) The operating expenses of Twitter and how the new leadership has impacted the app over the past couple weeks.  (47:52) Twitter never became the main social media app, which gives it a certain appeal. Human communication is very context based. Tweets can often taken out of context because you're limited in how much you can explain yourself in a series of tweets, whereas in an article or podcast episode, you can fully describe what you mean by something without it getting twisted. (51:22) How communication and can often be unclear over the Internet. Tone can’t always be portrayed over a tweet reply, for example, making the receiver wonder whether it’s playful or aggressive. (55:20) Twitter’s algorithm and how it puts content on your feed. A lot of it may depend on the content that you interact with, what you ignore, and who you choose to follow. Is it possible for AI to sift through and optimize your social media feeds? (1:00:35) GPT-3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3) and it’s capabilities. How can different tools and platforms incorporate GPT3 AI and what are some of its limits? (1:06:11) That wraps up this episode! Stay tuned for our next episode where we will actually discuss Tao Te Ching. If you'd like to listen to our other episodes in our Great Book series, check out our two most recent ones: The Odyssey and The Iliad. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

"Tell me about a complicated man. Muse, tell me how he wandered and was lost when he had wrecked the holy town of Troy, and where he went, and who he met, the pain he suffered in the storms at sea, and how he worked to save his life and bring his men back home. He failed to keep them safe; poor fools, they ate the Sun God’s cattle, and the god kept them from home. Now goddess, child of Zeus, tell the old story for our modern times. Find the beginning." Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, Neil, Nat, and Adil continue with the next book on their Great Books Project: The Odyssey by Homer. This book begins at the end of the Trojan War as Odysseus embarks on his journey home. Listen along as we talk about Odysseus' adventures, flashbacks, and of course, plenty of tangents. We cover a wide range of topics including: The argument of Odysseus as a hero vs. anti-hero Crypto, market cap, and the downfall of $BIRD AI and the future of how we write The reunification of Argos and Odysseus How guests are valued in different cultures And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: Socratic dialogue (3:33) 300 (6:29) Chesterson’s Fence (17:46) Bicameral mind (22:07) Domestication of dogs (33:51)  Bird Founder’s Stake Now Worth Less Than His Miami Mansion (47:05) Episode 7: A Crash Course in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Cryptocurrency(1:07:58) Carthage (1:13:41) Lex (1:18:20)  The Infinite Article (1:22:04) Blinkist (1:23:40) Books Mentioned: The Odyssey The Iliad (1:08) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Dante’s Inferno (8:39) The Fourth Turning (17:29) (Book Episode)  The Lessons of History (36:10) (Nat’s Book Notes) The Hobbit (40:45) Ulysses (47:58) Gödel, Escher, Bach (49:10) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Infinite Jest (49:10) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Atlas Shrugged (49:11) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (55:48) Tao Te Ching (1:04:05) (Nat's Book Notes) Seeing Like a State (1:05:52) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) The Art of War (1:06:04) The Peloponnesian War (1:06:16) The Pioneers (1:07:30) The Epic of Gilgamesh (1:14:09) (Book Episode)  People Mentioned: Ian McKellan (0:50) Plato (3:43) Eminem (4:18) Will Durant (34:53) Ryan Reynolds (43:38) James Joyce (47:59) Daniel Tosh (51:14) Stephen King (55:48) Brett Favre (58:01) Show Topics: (0:36) In this episode, we’re continuing from where we left off on our Great Books List diving into The Odyssey by Homer. In case you missed our previous episode on another great by Homer, The Iliad, make sure to go check that one out! The Iliad and Odyssey differ in the way the narrative unfolds, despite being written by the same author. (5:17) The Odyssey is an oral story meaning that it’s been passed down by word of mouth. Nat, Neil, and Adil talk about some of the main differences between the Iliad and the Odyssey where the Odyssey was more story-driven and the Iliad presented more lessons and takeaways. (7:21) Odysseus: Was he a hero or an anti-hero? In some contexts, he’s portrayed as ‘god-like’ and admired for his strength and achievements. In other cases such as in Dante’s inferno, Odysseus is deep in hell for his crimes. (10:49) Where the story begins, it come years after the end of the Trojan War. There’s multiple layers to consider when recognizing the reliability of the narrator: Which of Odysseus' stories were dramatized by the author and how would it be different if told in Odysseus' exact words?  (14:56) In short, the story is about Odysseus’ journey home from the Trojan War and all the adventures that happened along the way. One theme along his journey home was the idea of 'don't assume you know better', and to respect the wisdom of the gods or your elders. (18:49) Although the Greek gods are supposed to be listened to and respected for their knowledge, there is always conflict and fighting among the gods.  (21:25) We bring up the bicameral mind discussion from the last episode. Thinking of the gods not necessarily as deities but rather the intuition in our own minds. When it’s framed like that, it tells the lesson to not distrust your instinct too much. (25:13) What was the reasoning of Odysseus returning home in disguise? Though he was gone for 20 years, none of his loved ones recognized him under his disguise as a beggar. (30:33) The reunification of Argos and Odysseus. His dog recognized him immediately, though Odyssesus couldn't respond appropriately as he was still in disuise. Not many families in The Odyssey had dogs. History of the domestication of dogs. (36:49) How characters in the story trusted and treated their guests. Odysseus' loved ones didn't know it was Odysseus they were welcoming, yet they treated him very warmly. It's easier in a smaller community to be more welcoming of a guest because you may have a shared history and culture, and more similarities.  (40:34) If The Odyssey were a movie in today’s time what would it be like?  (45:54) Another episode, another tangent! We talk about cryptocurrency, the meaning of market cap, and projects that went significantly down in value shortly after launch. (47:55) Ulysses is a modern retelling of The Odyssey, but it's considered by many to be hard to read. There’s a difference when you have to read something vs. when you want to read something. It also matters at what point in your life you're reading a certain book. (51:37) Trolling on Twitter - when people don’t recognize what’s trolling and what’s not. (53:48) Nat and his progress on the book he’s writing. It can be hard to keep writing every day knowing it won’t be published for a long time. Nat, Neil, and Adil also talk about drug and alcohol use in famous figures such as Stephen King and Brett Favre. (1:03:24) The next book we’re reading is Tao Te Ching, another Eastern text thought to be written around 600 BC. Check out our Great Books List for links to each book we will be reading! (1:07:18) The Pioneers - building a town was so much different in the 1700s than it is now. How the west was settled by Americans who violently took over the territory. The stories we hear today on settlement are only the ones that survived. There are countless other stories in history that we’ll never hear. (1:15:04) The use of AI and how it can replace many jobs we do today, including writing. Can you have quality writing without a person and their experiences behind it? (1:22:02) Every article comes to an end, but what if there was technology that can continue to write itself as you are reading the text based on what you are interested in reading next? Lex (a tool by Every) gives us a summary of the Odyssey. (1:26:36) That concludes this episode! Stay tuned for our next episode: Tao Te Ching. If you'd like to listen to our other episodes in our Great Book series, here are the first 3: Epic of Gilgamesh, Genesis, and Exodus. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“Like the generations of leaves, the lives of mortal men. Now the wind scatters the old leaves across the earth, now the living timber bursts with the new buds and spring comes round again. And so with men: as one generation comes to life, another dies away.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, Neil, Nat, and Adil continue with the next book on their Great Books Project: The Iliad by Homer. This book explores the themes of fate, gods, and the glory of war. Listen along as we dive in to the stories of the Trojan War centering around the greatest warrior, Achilles. We cover a wide range of topics including: The consequences of Achilles' rage and wrath Bicameral mind and the development of consciousness How war and battles were depicted at this point in time  What differentiates us from animals? Why gaining new experiences can expand your viewpoints And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: Episode 81: The Book of Exodus (0:28) Episode 80: The Book of Genesis (0:39) Riverside (1:18) Clubhouse (1:40) Twitter Held Discussions for $4 Billion Takeover of Clubhouse (2:05) Nat Chat episode featuring Neil (13:21) Bicameral Mentality (26:20) Achilles and Patroclus (55:49)  Nat’s Ethics notes (59:36) Godfather movie (1:09:28) Books Mentioned: The Pioneers (5:16) The Peloponnesian War (12:13) Prometheus Bound (14:26) The Odyssey (26:16) The Mahabharata (38:21) The Qur'an (56:20) (Book Episode) The Epic of Gilgamesh (57:56) (Book Episode) Infinite Jest (1:06:30) (Book Episode 1) (Book Episode 2) (Nat’s Book Notes) East of Eden (1:09:07) (Nat's Book Notes) The Three-Body Problem (1:10:16) (Nat's Book Notes) Atlas Shrugged (1:12:27) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) People Mentioned: David McCullough (5:16)  James Patterson (8:34) Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (45:04) Jason Momoa (45:18) Russell Crowe (45:33) Brad Pitt (45:50) Tom Hiddleston (46:00) Vladimir Putin (49:57) Joe Biden (50:02) Nassim Taleb (1:06:16) Show Topics: (6:08) In today's episode, we're discussing The Iliad by Homer, written around 8th century BC. We’ve moved forward ~500-1000 years from where we started on our book list. Make sure to check out our Great Books List and follow along with us as we put out new episodes every 3 weeks! (11:00) Homer included a lot of data on the ships back then, and The Iliad stores that historical information. There’s some element of using stories to record historical information. (13:16) Reading about history makes you reflect on the accuracy of the narrative as it could have been written to serve the story they would most like to portray. As we read more of these books written in the same era, we may see some of the same historical events happening and spoken about in different ways, similar to how news outlets report the same events or world issues in much different ways. (16:29) Very rarely does everyone objectively agree that something or someone is good or bad. Most conflicts will have people on both sides of the coin who have different backgrounds, values, and opinions. (19:47) These gods are depicted as very human-like, and they do not closely resemble gods in the way that we typically think about gods. They are imperfect, and they also get urges and emotions just like we do. (21:18) The stories of Achilles and the consequences of rage. Not only does he lose his bride, but also his best friend. On top of that, he loses his honor and dignity. As the story ends, it’s all about how he regains that honor and dignity and is able to move on from his mistakes. (26:20) Bicameral mind: Humans back then were lacking what we call consciousness today. They heard and obeyed demands they heard in their minds from what they identified as gods. They didn’t hear their own mind as their own thoughts and urges, but rather as gods telling them to do it. When did consciousness develop? (28:42) It’s implied in this text that we are not like the animals, and being able to suppress our urges of rage and wrath is what differentiates us. We have morals and know right from wrong.  (34:23) Praying- Did it mean back then what it means now? Or is it more similar to manifestation and paying more attention to the things you wish for, such as money? It’s conceptually similar because it's a ritual that takes up a big part of your headspace. (38:13) Neil makes a connection to the concepts in The Mahabharata where the good guys do a lot of bad things to win the war, and the bad guys act more honorably than even the good guys in some ways. (42:21) The Ajax and Hector fight scene. Nat explains the difference in ancient military conflicts where many may have been resolved by the two armies marching up and meeting. If one army is much larger, the opposing army would admit defeat. If the army size is more balanced, they would choose a fighter on each side to battle against each other. (44:55) It’s not a complete episode of Made You Think without a tangent! Who would play the characters of the Iliad if it were shot as a movie in today’s time? (46:58) Achilles' battle with Hector. There are a lot of these duels, and while most remained honorable and respectful, this one does not. War was portrayed very different back then, and while it was still brutal, there were rules to war where everyone was on the same page rather than it being a free-for-all. (51:21) The book has an interesting way of depicting the dynamics of male relationships. Achilles was extremely distraught over the loss of Patroclus. What was the extent of their friendship and how much of it has to do with the translation over time? (56:17) Adil shares his experience reading the Qur'an where the author offers different translations side by side to help the reader get the full Arabic meaning of the text. When you translate a text into English, a lot of the meanings and artistry in the original language may get lost.  (1:00:15) We all have ideas and concepts that we have focused on for long periods in our lives. Once you exhaust the value from an idea, you move on to new ideas and viewpoints that build from the previous. For example, you may read something early on in your life but not extract much value from it until later in your life when you have a new foundation on a given topic. (1:03:01) Gaining experience to attach your newfound knowledge to. We each experience things at different points in our lives. Examples: losing a loved one or having kids. These experiences often change how you may think about things in your life. (1:07:53) A monastic person spends a lot of time alone with the voices in their head, and they in some way become a trusted person when it comes to certain matters: Interpreting dreams, helping others to identify the significance of their thoughts, understanding consciousness, etc. (1:08:58) In most good books, it’s clear who the good vs. bad characters are, but this is not true in all cases. There are many books and movies with very complex characters that go deeper than just whether they're good or bad. (1:10:59) That wraps up this episode! The next book on our list is The Odyssey by Homer then it's back to the Bible for the book of Deuteronomy. You can catch our previous 3 episodes of the Great Book Series here - Epic of Gilgamesh, Genesis, and Exodus. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

"The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land." Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, Neil and Nat discuss the next book on their Great Books Project: the book of Exodus. We pick up from where we left off in Genesis and dive into the many key themes of Exodus as Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt. We cover a wide range of topics including: Exodus as the origin story of Judaism Exclusionary vs. inclusionary nations  Operating systems for building a successful community Connections between the Code of Hammurabi and Exodus Early human civilizations in the 2nd millenium BC And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: Cleopatra lived closer to the computer age (3:44) CrowdHealth (14:48) Babylonia (44:34) Göbekli Tepe (46:18) 2nd Millenium map (46:27) Notre Chico - Caral-Supe civilization (47:50) Easter Island heads (48:55) Angkor Wat (49:46) How Exodus revises the laws of Hammurabi (1:01:49) Books Mentioned: Epic of Gilgamesh (0:22) (Book Episode)  Genesis (0:43) (Book Episode) The Iliad (1:03) (Nat’s Book Notes) The Qur'an (1:42) (Book Episode)  The Network State (8:55) The Odyssey (24:37) (Nat's Book Notes) People Mentioned: Hammurabi (31:45) Marco Polo (50:43) Show Topics: (0:12) In today's episode, we're continuing the Great Book Series with Exodus. If you haven't checked out our previous episodes from our book list, make sure to go check out Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis! (4:23) When reading stories that have stood the test of time, there has to be some reason for their significance. Even without the religious aspect to it, they wouldn’t have been passed along or written down if they weren’t important in some way.  (8:52) What is a nation? Some nations are very closed and exclusionary where you can’t become a member or citizen. The U.S. is a more missionary-type nation that allows people to become citizens even if they were not born here. (12:36) A more exclusionary type of nation can often lead to a higher quality of life. Conversely, if you let more people in, there would be less resources for all. An open society that is also highly supportive with enough resources, is it possible to have both?  (17:13) Genesis ends with all the sons of Israel going to Egypt and settling there, however they’re living there enslaved. God communicates to Moses to get his people out of Egypt. When we think about why the story of Exodus has persisted through the years, one of the main themes that gets discussed is the fear of God aspect that was shown to the Israelites and Egyptians through the plagues. (20:04) The 10 plagues. There were locusts, hail, and disease which were likely interconnected as one thing leads to the next. However, at this particular time there may not have been a realization that these are connected, and instead, the people saw them all as individual plagues.  (25:58) Much of the story has a narrative style until we reach the chapters stating God's law. When we go back to thinking about how this was passed down orally for potentially hundreds of years, these stories and laws may have been told differently at one point and these were the parts that settled and got written down. (31:22) The Old Testament provides a layer of ethics for others to follow, and it was a huge advancement to not take one wrongdoing and kill someone over it but rather to punish them for what it is they’ve done. If you have a society that escalates violence, it will always become more and more violent. (34:57) There’s an element of the story where God is a protector to the Israelites, and although they were enslaved in Egypt, they were ultimately able to be led out of there through Him. (37:24) Monotheism and polytheism. In the text, other gods are being referenced, and those other gods are depicted as merely false idols made up by the enemy or misinterpretations. Genesis starts with Adam and Eve, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the start of the whole world, rather just where this story and Jewish history begins. (43:05) Many developments happened in the areas of Israel, Egypt, and Babylonia around this time. It could have also been that they had the means of documenting their stories where other areas didn’t. Nat and Neil discuss these very early on civilizations and cities. (49:39) The dates and timeline of some historical events can be really surprising. It’s hard to wrap our heads around the fact that the world was way less interconnected than it is today. We live in a time where everything has already been explored and accounted for. (53:51) Western culture tends to be more isolated whereas other cultures tend to be more communal. It’s common for people who come to the US to feel lonely compared to their home country. Operating systems for building a successful community with longevity. (59:10) Kosher laws and its importance. Not all of these laws have held up today, for example not eating shell fish and pork. This was also an era before refrigeration. The language 'eye for an eye' and 'tooth for a tooth' is vastly similar to the Code of Hammurabi. Did Hammurabi come up with the idea and the surrounding areas adopted it or was it already a fairly widespread idea at the time? (1:02:16) It can be challenging to judge the intent of someone’s actions, so often times it’s judged by the outcomes of their actions. Neil gives an example. Charging and collecting interest on debts. The burden of the responsibility falls on the lender where they have to be sure they make a good decision about who they lend money to. (1:08:54) Laws are a big theme in Exodus, this includes laws on the regulation of slavery. As Moses led them out of slavery in Egypt, they provide some basic human rights for people coming out of slavery. There’s also the idea of a covenant, which is an agreement between the people and God. If you follow it, you get rewarded. If you don’t follow it, you get consequences. (1:13:18) The idea of canceling debt every 7 years in the Bible. Would that work in practice? Nat and Neil share their final thoughts on Exodus and how it compared in their minds to Genesis. (1:17:38) Thanks for listening! Next on our book list is Iliad by Homer. Make sure to stay tuned and check out our list of what's next. You can catch our previous 2 episodes of the Great Book Series here - Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, Neil and Adil discuss the next book on their Great Books Project: the book of Genesis. The book begins with the story of creation and wraps up with the lives of Jacob and Joseph, with numerous stories, lessons, and genealogies in between the 50 chapters.   We cover a wide range of topics including: Science and religion: Do they conflict or complement each other? The beginning of time and formation of Earth How depictions of God, or a higher power, differ across religions The stories of Adam, Eve, Jacob, Joseph, Abraham, Isaac, and more Whether the Bible should be interpreted literally vs. allegorically And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: Jordan Peterson’s Bible series (1:17) Aaron Rodgers on the Aubrey Marcus podcast (10:58) Ayahuasca (11:05) Unicellular organisms (26:32) Fermi paradox (29:59) Idiocracy (37:26) Idiocracy opening scene (37:42) Islamic attitudes towards science (39:55) Unmoved Mover (1:07:40) Watchmen (1:13:35) Books Mentioned: Epic of Gilgamesh (0:58) (Book Episode) The History of God (7:45) The Bible (Karen Armstrong) (7:49) Bhagavad Gita (19:10) (Nat's Book Notes) Rare Earth (28:04) Vehicles (31:25) East of Eden (58:30) (Nat's Book Notes) Of Mice and Men (1:00:44) The Grapes of Wrath (1:00:52) Biocentrism (1:11:16) People Mentioned: Jordan Peterson (1:14) Karen Armstrong (7:24) Nassim Taleb (41:15) Jennifer Lawrence (58:55) Steven Spielberg (59:28) John Steinbeck (1:00:30) Show Topics: 0:28 We continue the Great Book Series with the book of Genesis from the Old Testament. 3:30 Adil and Neil talk about their familiarity with Genesis before they read it for the show. The book was passed down through the oral tradition, and wasn’t written down until hundreds of years after it was spoken. It has also been translated into over 700 languages. It poses the question, who wrote down the story, and how much of it has changed being passed down orally?  7:11 Adil talks about books he has read previous to Genesis by Karen Armstrong. One thing he notes is that the Bible was not meant to be read literally. Of course, there are parts that can be taken literally, but many of the stories are allegorical and symbolic in meaning. 12:45 Jacob's story: Jacob wrestles with someone who is unnamed, though interpreted as God. At one point, they touch hips and he walks away injured, but he has that injury for the rest of his life. This story, if not taken literally, can allude to the internal scars that you have battling and wrestling with your inner demons. 14:01 The structure of Genesis. First comes the story of creation, followed by the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. The term Toledot meaning “generations” or "descendants. The last section of Genesis is dedicated to Jacob, which sets up for the following book in the Bible, Exodus. 15:27 The story of Joseph and Jacob. This story resonates on a moral level with people because it serves as a reminder that the journey is just as important as the destination. Your journey may not always go as planned. Even if you have everything you want, you may still have regrets about how you got there. 19:00 Neil makes a connection to the Bhagavad Gita. One of the morals of this story is very similar. In the end, the good guys got what they wanted and won the war, but lost everything in the process. Was it worth it? It’s a similar message that Jacob’s life represents in Genesis.  20:05 The redeeming arc for Jacob came through his brother Esau and how he forgave Jacob for his wrongdoings. When they met, it may appear that Esau was upset and Jacob was ready to meet his fate, yet he ended up being forgiven. Through that forgiveness, Jacob was transformed. 23:21 We’re all on our own path to learning, both spiritually and religiously. Growing up, you tend to adopt the beliefs of your family and other surroundings. We often believe that when something isn’t completely certain, that it must be wrong. 27:16 Evolution, the beginning of time, and extraterrestrial life. When you think about how everything has been formed in a way that led to life here on earth, it’s astonishing. If the universe is indeed infinite, then it’s very possible that it lines up for other life forms to exist elsewhere, and they could exist under completely different conditions than on Earth. 31:23 Adil makes a connection to the book Vehicles. The knowledge we have isn’t always solid and requires faith to believe in.  34:10 Organized religion has tended to go with a more literal meaning, for example modern Christianity in America. One common belief is that if you’re scientific, you can't also be religious and it’s made into a dichotomy. It's possible that they can be completely aligned with each other. Both can be viewed as tools for understanding the world better, and they don’t have to necessarily be viewed as opponents. 36:03 Why do subjective experience exists? If the goal of life is just to produce offspring and continue the circle of life, why do we have this personal experience of life, and how is it beneficial? There isn’t much of a scientific explanation for it. 38:55 A lot of the early scientific research in Europe was done by religious people to prove God was real, and that aspects of religion that can be backed by science. The two stories diverged and this led to religious texts being interpreted more literally. However in other religions, Islam for example, it's typically believed that science and religion work together. 41:34 Adam and Eve story, and the significance of the serpent if you take the Bible symbolically. The snake has a unique hold in human psychology. Neil and Adil talk about different animals and how they’re perceived in different communities and religions. 46:15 Eve's name means "living" in Hebrew, but it comes from a root that can also mean "snake". There are a lot of unanswered questions that came up, and as we continue to Exodus, we may learn some of these answers to these questions. 51:20 The curses in the book of Genesis are all tied to the knowledge of self awareness and the future. Childbirth was the curse passed on to women, and even early on, women have a knowledge of the pain of it. Men have the curse of labor and work. While the benefits of knowledge and self awareness are received, this also comes with these curses. 53:00 Two main ways that God both gifted and punished His people were through fertility and land. Neil and Adil discuss the story of Abraham, Issac, and Ishmael.  1:01:33 "In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you shall return." In Abrahamic religions (including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism), they bury their dead. In other religions, there is no burial. 1:06:33 Depictions of God in different religions. In some religions they feel a depiction of their god it’s a good way to connect, but in others it can feel alienating. 1:07:13 With each theory about how the universe was created, you can keep asking the question, "What came before that?" The infinite universe as constantly expanding and contracting. The idea of biocentrism, and how it's the observer that makes something a reality. 1:14:36 Thanks for listening! Stay tuned for our next episode on the book of Exodus, and be sure to keep following along as we work through our Great Books List.  If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“Humans are born, they live, then they die, this is the order that the gods have decreed. But until the end comes, enjoy your life, spend it in happiness, not despair. Savor your food, make each of your days a delight, bathe and anoint yourself, wear bright clothes that are sparkling clean, let music and dancing fill your house, love the child who holds you by the hand, and give your wife pleasure in your embrace. That is the best way for a man to live.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, Nat, Neil, and Adil begin their Great Books Project starting with the oldest book on their list, Epic of Gilgamesh. This piece has been regarded as one of the oldest written stories to exist. It follows the story of Gilgamesh, who is two-thirds god and one-third man, as he searches for the secret of immortality following the death of a loved one. We cover a wide range of topics including: How written stories have been passed down through centuries Parallels between Gilgamesh and other religious texts An assortment of theories such as the flood myth and the Black Sea hypothesis Should you interpret ancient texts literally? Why not all science is necessarily good science And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.   Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: The Ancients (7:02) The Library of Alexandria (7:59) Sumerian Kings list (10:17) Images of the tablets (23:11) Flood myth (35:35) Black Sea Hypothesis (34:51) Letting children choose their diets (41:32) Masa Chips (42:11) Definition of Europe in early- to mid-antiquity (52:43) Nat's essay - Church of Science (55:04) Remote Viewing (57:22) Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Lab (59:16) Princeton ESP lab must have foreseen its end (59:24) Sleep paralysis (1:00:40) Books Mentioned: Theogeny (1:13) Works and Days (1:17) (Nat's Book Notes) The Iliad (1:19) (Nat's Book Notes) Tao Te Ching (1:29) The Egyptian Book of the Dead (6:41) The Three-Body Problem (8:09) (Nat's Book Notes) The Hero with a Thousand Faces (12:22) (Nat's Book Notes) The Power of Myth (12:23) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Denial of Death (14:24) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Socrates (21:52) (Nat's Book Notes) Magna Carta (26:02) The Prince (26:08) First Bite (39:32) People Mentioned: Confucius (1:33) Plato (21:50) Aquinas (26:15) Dante (26:16)   Show Topics: 0:05 We start the Great Book Series off with with The Epic of Gilgamesh. From order of oldest to most recent, we will be reading this list of books and creating new episodes every 3 weeks until the list is complete. Follow along, and read the books with us as we go! 5:34 This book is estimated to date back to as far as 2100 BC. With how old the writing is, it's fascinating to think about how much of the story has changed along the way from the original text. The way a culture recorded its information determines how we think about it today. In the time and location of Gilgamesh, everything was rich in clay so they used clay tablets to record everything.  8:58 With stories that are orally passed down, it's similar to a game of telephone where details get changed along the way. This leads to different areas of the world telling the same story in very different ways. 11:49 There are several themes to the story, and many of these themes and stories are told throughout history. They’re not new by any means. One of the main themes talked about in this part of the episode is immortality. 14:50 At the opening of the story, Gilgamesh is portrayed as almost villain-like. As the story goes on, he ends up redeeming himself on the journey to find immortality. In this book, even the superhuman are very humanized, and they still fall into impulses and desires that all of humanity faces. 17:48 For the stories that stand the test of time, why did they last among the potentially thousands of stories that didn't make it? Gilgamesh starts out as someone so vain with no fear of death. After experiencing a great loss, he seeks to obtain immortality, and tries to reconcile his fear of death. It’s only what you build that will outlast you. This lesson is ironic considering that this is one of the oldest books to exist and was physically written onto tablets. 21:36 How much of this story got lost? While much of the story was able to be pieced together from the Babylonian tablets, not all of the tablets have survived, and some are damaged beyond repair. 23:54 Flood story: There have been numerous flood stories from around the world. There are some parallels of Gilgamesh to the story of Noah's Ark. While some details are general, some details are extremely similar.  As Gilgamesh goes to seek immortality, he encounters a character who resembles the Biblical Noah. 30:35 With many ancient cities being located on large bodies of water, a large flood would affect them much more than we realize. Part of Rome’s advantage was being hilly so that they were able to endure catastrophic events much better in comparison to other cities near water. When stories were written thousands of years ago, we often forget to account for how their geograpical location plays out. 33:32 Flood myth, Black Sea hypothesis, and the aquatic ape hypothesis. The story of Gilgamesh and other stories in history, and understanding how the context of local geography adds to it. 37:45 If you are in tune with how your body is feeling and what it needs, would you naturally know what food and other nutrients your body needs to grow and heal? Often times the noise and busyness make it more difficult to be in tune with our mind and body.  45:24 When they found the story of Gilgamesh on the 12 tablets, it was the first time they found stories very similar in nature to the Hebrew Bible. Other parallels between Gilgamesh and religious text: a 7-year drought, and the story of Adam and Eve.  50:44 The literal interpretation of the stories in the Bible is a relatively new phenomenon. How much of it was cross-cultural influence for other religions that read their Bible completely literal? 55:02 Science can be both good and bad. Not everyone is scientifically literate, and not every study is reliable. Anything you want to prove, you can most likely find a study to prove your point, whether that scientific experiment is fully credible or not.  59:43 Sleep paralysis, dream state, and shared dreams. There are common, unusual experiences that humans have shared while sleeping, with one of those being able to see or sense a shadow being. 1:01:11 Thanks for listening! Next up on our Great Books List, we will be reading the book of Genesis, followed by Exodus. You can keep track of our list here and reach out to us if you have any suggestions.  If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“No matter what I believe to be true, there always seems to be another side to the question. If you were to put me to the torture, I’d probably confess that this is my analytic ideal: to consider the question from as many relevant perspectives as the mind can hold.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, Nat, Neil, and Adil talk about their key takeaways from The Revolt of the Public by Martin Gurri. With technology giving us access to more information than ever, the overall trust level between the public and the governing elite is at an all time low.  We cover a wide range of topics including: The relationship between sources of information and their level of authority Nihilism resulting from a lack of trust in authority and the current system How cancel culture may keep people from taking action on their passions Power relations between the elites and the public The move from criticizing people to criticizing the systems themselves And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: NASA Begins America’s Mars Exploration Approach (30:08) Palmer Luckey - All In Summit (30:41) Anduril (30:55) Manhattan Project (33:38) IRB (34:53) Ben Shapiro’s on cancel culture (40:56) National Enquirer (42:02) Nat’s thread on taking action (43:25) Roe v Wade (48:31) Occupy movement (55:33) V for Vendetta (1:00:24) Pocket Casts (1:24:34) Stitcher (1:24:34) Books Mentioned: Revolt of the Public Seeing Like a State (0:53) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) The Fourth Turning (9:03) (Book Episode)  The Dictator’s Handbook (1:11:33) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) The Iliad (1:17:39) Chaos Monkeys (1:25:50) People Mentioned: Alex Jones (15:01) Dan Carlin (15:06) Joe Biden (19:14) Donald Trump (19:30) Joe Rogan (21:21) Elon Musk (23:44) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (25:53) Nassim Taleb (29:56) Jason Calacanis (30:50) Neil Ferguson (38:44) Ben Shapiro (40:37) Jeff Bezos (42:00) Greg Abbott (45:30) Beto O'Rourke (52:00) Andrew Yang (52:13) (Episode #47, #48) Antonio García Martínez (1:25:50) Show Topics: 0:43 In today's episode, Nat, Neil, and Adil are discussing Revolt of the Public by Martin Gurri. This will wrap up our crypto series, and if you're interested in more like this, be sure to check out some of our previous episodes! 4:02 Adil goes over some of the core ideas of the book, with one of them being the relationship between sources of information and their authority. When there’s fewer sources of information, each source has greater authority. So if there’s only one source, they are the sole authority. There’s been an increase on news sources, and with so many sources, it opens up more opportunity for contradiction between them. 7:10 Negation; Many elections have been won by negation rather than inspiration. As we gain access to more and more information, it can become harder to trust authority. There’s a need for a new system of trust and authority to emerge that can exist within this hyper-access to information we have. 12:09 In the Choices section of the book, there were two parts: 1. What individuals can do 2. What government can do. Gurri frames our current paradigms around authority as being emergent from the Industrial Age. When the public needs answers, they turn to institutions rather than individuals. "That passive mass audience on which so many political and economic institutions depended had itself unbundled, disaggregated, fragmented into what I call vital communities: groups of wildly disparate size gathered organically around a shared interest or theme." 16:33 How can you influence people in a subtle way? Adil makes a pyramid analogy, where the elites are at the top and the public is at the bottom. The elites are interested in increasing the distance between the top and the bottom, however the author argues that in order to succeed in the age of the Revolt of the Public, you actually need to reduce that space. "The quality that sets the true elites apart – that bestows authority on their actions and expressions – isn’t power, or wealth, or education, or even peruasiveness. It’s integrity in life and work. A healthy society is one in which such exemplary types draw the public toward them purely by the force of their example. Without compulsion, ordinary persons aspire to resemble the extraordinary, not superficially but fundamentally, because they wish to partake of superior models of being or doing." In the Industrial Age, it was common to believe that politicians and CEOs were super-people, but as we got more access to information, we became more aware that people aren’t super-people, and that everyone is human. 20:46 It’s not a matter of whether elites are good or bad, there’s tradeoffs to having a society that leans more towards the elite side vs. public side.  26:37 The last chapter of the book is an updated edition, speaking on Trump and how he is in a way, the ultimate nihilistic politician. Reducing your distance from the public as a political figure helps you sell your story more. It’s also about the way that you tell your story. Failing governments vs. failing companies- What’s the difference? 32:34 Lack of big national projects in our lifetime. One big project was the Covid vaccine, but it wasn’t the government that implemented this project. 33:59 The threshold for what’s acceptable in research has changed since the 1970s, so there’s a lot of work that we wouldn’t be able to do now that may have been allowed decades ago. A lot of what politicians and other public figures do is almost immediately knowable due to technology and the speed at which news travels. A possible consequence of this could be fear of taking action. When we get to a point of wanting to take action, we may worry about things that we’ve done in the past that would be resurfaced. 40:03 Cancel culture. If you want to become a positive leader, negative things coming out can hurt you. By acknowledging your faults or even getting ahead of it, you can deflate some of the claims made. 43:04 Many people don’t take action on something that they’re passionate about. By posting about it, it takes away the felt need to act on it. It feels as if you’ve already acted on it, and the job is done. A protest may not convince people to change their mind that much, but a lot of the power comes from reminding politicians that they work for us, and also serves as a release of anger. Democracies have led to this tendency for politicians to promise more than they can deliver, and the public will vote for the politicians that promise to deliver the most, regardless of the amount of faith they have that they can execute those promises. 48:05 There’s room for either political party to step up and bridge the gap on big issues, especially with with the recent Roe v Wade decision.  53:04 Covid’s role in the Revolt of the Public. It changed our relationship with government authority. During this period of time, for many people it was the first time they really felt the presence of government in their life. 55:27 The book has a section about mass protest movements in the US and Europe. The citizens taking place in the protests are generally in the middle or upper-middle class, college-educated, and not actually the ones struggling in society.  59:10 Nihilism as a threat to democratic institutions. As institutions leak credibility and legitimacy, the blame shifts from individuals in the system (such as bad politicians and leaders) to the system. This results in lack of trust of authority, and in turn, people want to destroy everything to feel like there is progress being made in some type of way.  1:04:10 If you could implement one policy what would it be? Adil shares an idea of subsidizing exit costs from one state to another, where if someone wanted to move out of their state, they’d be provided with services and support. This would allow states to see the numbers of people staying and leaving, and there’s consequences for passing unfavorable legislature.  Nat’s idea would be to have government agencies to cut their budgets by 90% for one year. A lot of the problems that exist in our country stem from financial irresponsibility. Neil shared that he would make Congress 10x larger while making it a part time, work from home job. The number of influential people in Congress is so small that it’s easy to bribe them with their district. Initially, being a Congressman wasn’t initially a full time job, as most had other roles and they just happened to serve in Congress too. They were more in touch with how people lived. 1:15:38 Nat shares a new technique he's using to track books he reads. He jots the date that he started reading the book with some notes about what’s going on in life at the time. When finished, he will write in the book what book he’s reading next. Over the years, the books will be networked together in physical form. 1:17:12 This concludes the crypto/libertarian series on Made You Think! The next book we’re reading is The Iliad. We’re using Tommy Collison's Great Books List to guide future episodes, and we're expanding it to encompass a wider range of books. Got any suggestions of books to add? Let us know! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

"Everyone should have an intense interest in what money is and how it’s manipulated by the few at the expense of the many. Money is crucial for survival. It is necessary for maintaining a free society. A healthy economy depends on it. Limiting political power is impossible without it. Sound money is essential for preventing unnecessary wars. Prosperity and peace in the long run are impossible without it."   Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, Nat and Neil are joined by their official new co-host, Adil Majid! In today's episode, they discuss their key takeaways from End the Fed by Ron Paul, a book which explains the fundamental problems with fiat money and provides a history on banking in the US. If you've never challenged the role of the Federal Reserve, this is an episode you won't want to miss. We cover a wide range of topics including: • Currency vs. money; How are they different? • The shift in power from countries to companies • Money printing, inflation, and the fate of the US dollar • The Cantillon Effect, and who benefits the most from this • Why utility is important in the longevity of currency And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.   Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: Great Books Program (2:11) Growth Machine (8:22) Audit the Fed, Sanders and Paul (10:04) Taylor Pearson - Cryptocurency and the Turkey Problem (12:28) Luna (19:45) Tether (20:08) Nat’s Tokenomics 101 (22:35)  Nat's Tokenomics 102 (22:35)  Starlink (26:46) The Tim Dillon Show (29:16) Reagan tells Soviet jokes (35:04) Flexport (36:50) Bank of North America (39:18) First Bank of the United States (39:23) Second Bank of the United States (39:24) Independent Treasury System (39:27) Jekyll Island (48:14) Cantillon Effect (49:45) Fiat money (54:28) 40% of US dollars in existence were printed in the last 12 months (59:15) Iron (1:00:12) DAI Stablecoin (1:01:11) Russia's "Gold Standard" (1:05:06) Ruble as Year’s Best-Performing Currency (1:05:10) Books Mentioned: End the Fed The Revolt of the Public (1:40) The Iliad (2:20) The Odyssey (2:21) Gödel, Escher, Bach (7:23) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order (23:08) People Mentioned: Tommy Collison (2:12) Aristotle (3:29) Seneca (3:30) (Book Episode) Douglas Hofstadter (7:21)  Bernie Sanders (10:00) Ben Bernanke (10:24) Tim Dillon (29:16) Warren Buffet (32:33) Show Topics: 0:32 We're stoked to announce that Adil Majid (who has joined us for episodes #7, #33, #34, #35, #71, #74, #75) is officially a co-host of Made You Think! Nat, Neil, and Adil talk about what's next for the podcast, and share the Great Books list that will be used to guide their book choices on future episodes. 4:01 Why some books have lasted so long, and why there are very few good philosophy books that have come out in the modern world. These old books were written over a long period of time, covering a wider span of history as compared to books written today. 8:32 The book we're discussing today is End the Fed by Ron Paul. One idea brought up in the book is auditing the Fed to see what exactly it is that the Fed is doing and where the money is going. We use the terms money and currency interchangeably but conceptually they’re different things. The U.S. dollar is not money, it is currency. 15:34 Paul makes a case that there should be a free market of currencies, and people should create currencies that compete with the dollar. This ties in well with cryptocurrency where there are numerous coins, all with different rules and tokenomics for each currency. Historically, it hasn’t always worked this way. 19:00 Creating stablecoins in crypto, they fail when they don’t have a clear and necessary utility. Many projects will create new stable coins pegged to the dollar, but unless there’s a specific market where that coin has utility, it falls out of circulation. 23:49 One interesting change that we’re living through is the shift of power from countries to companies. Because many of the big and powerful companies are in the US and tied to the US dollar, the dollar retains it value and utility. 27:19 The era that we grow up seems to play a role in how we view and trust the government, as well as our support level of major wars. When things feel the best is when the down trend begins. Likewise, the uptick begins when things are at their worst. 32:54 With a pessimistic attitude, we have to remember how resilient countries are. We also don’t have to solely rely on the government to fix the slump that we’re in, there are companies that can fix some of these issues we're facing. 38:22 What is the Fed, and what systems were there before it? There were 4 systems before: Bank of North America , First Bank of the United States, Second Bank of the United States, and the US Independent Treasury System. Adil gives a brief history of these systems and how it has led to where we are today. 45:13 When you think about different sectors of crypto, sound money is underrated in the US. Gold for example, Neil shares the significance of investing in gold in Indian culture. Rising inflation rates in the US. 48:14 Jekyll Island and the Cantillon effect. Whoever is closest to the money printer benefits the most. Some people are effected more than others by inflation. How banks benefit from inflation. 54:28 Funding war with Fiat vs. hard money. Once we had the ability to print unlimited amounts of money to fund war, we didn’t have to stop due to the economic cost of continuing as we may have had to before. 57:50 We keep having to print more and more money to get out of each economic downturn, and Paul predicts that at one point there will not be any amount of money to get us out, potentially leading to the collapse of the US dollar. What happens if or when we get to this point? 1:04:30 Hypothetically speaking, is there a way for the Fed to transition to having backing for the dollar? Does it have to collapse, and where are we in the current collapse? 1:08:54 Consumer debt crisis- if that all starts to collapse and unwind, the effects of that could be pretty devastating. Parallel economies. 1:11:43 Thanks for listening! Next episode, we will be covering The Revolt of the Public, so be sure to pick up a copy before our next episode! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We'll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“A story told by the conscious mind has a beginning, a development, and an end, but the same is not true of a dream. Its dimensions in time and space are quite different; to understand it you must examine it from every aspect-just as you may take an unknown object in your hands and turn it over and over until you are familiar with every detail of its shape.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! After years of mentioning Carl Jung and his work in previous episodes, we're excited to jump into a Jung book. Man and His Symbols  explores the subconscious mind and the symbols that are revealed to us in our dreams. Is it time for us to start paying deeper attention to the messages we receive in our dreams? We cover a wide range of topics including: How the subconscious mind communicates through symbols in dreams Your shadow side, and how to acknowledge your shadow rather than silence it The effects of different drugs on the brain Nuclear vs. communal family structures and how this has changed over time Why true control is about letting go rather than trying to maintain your control  And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat and Neil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.   Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: Plato's Chariot Allegory (32:27) Crows remember faces (35:04) Elephant intelligence (35:50) LSD and the Elephant (36:11) Milgram Experiment (38:50) MAPS (39:54) NASA spider experiment (40:58) Visakan Veerasamy's thread on quitting smoking (43:02) More Americans are seeking mental health treatment (53:38) Books mentioned: The Power of Myth (0:47) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) God is Dead (11:35) Switch (31:25) The Elephant in the Brain (34:05) (Nat's Book Notes) The Revolt of the Public (1:07:19) The Alchemy of Finance (1:18:45) People Mentioned: Carl Jung (0:36) Jordan Peterson (0:42) (Book Episode) Sigmund Freud (5:18) Plato (14:52) Sam Harris (19:56) Chip and Dan Heath (31:20) Mircea Eliade (33:48) (Mythic Consciousness)  Kevin Simler (34:07) Robin Hanson (34:07)  Andrew Yang (1:09:41) (Episode 47, Episode 48) George Soros (1:18:50) Show notes: 1:17 In this episode, Nat and Neil are talking about Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung. The idea of the unconscious brain is of the main themes, and while we don’t have direct access to it, dreams serve as symbols to better help us understand our unconscious.   5:11 Jung argues that the symbols we see in dreams are not universal. If the same object appears in several people’s dreams, it could be interpreted differently for each person. A lot of what makes Jung's work compelling is that he’s not trying to argue things as scientific fact. Through sufficient practice and learning what dreams can represent, you can get closer to understanding how the subconscious and unsubconscious mind interact.   9:02 Believing things empirically vs. scientifically. Jung ties religion to this idea: There are many religious symbols that we may not understand directly, but there’s an empirical reason why people believe it, even if it's not scientifically backed.    11:51 We want to feel in control and not feel like there are things beyond our control. We have thoughts, likes, and ideas that are all unique to us- where do they come from? "Many people mistakenly overestimate the role of will power and think that nothing can happen to their minds that they do not decide and intend." 15:45 There’s a rational argument brought up by Jung in the book. If dreams exist, it must have some sort of evolutionary purpose and that’s how it came to be. What is that purpose of these nighttime hallucinations? There has to be a reason why certain symbols show up for people. 19:00  We’ve lost a lot of contact with our subconscious, which could be why psychedelics are so effective. If we re-established this connection with our subconscious, there wouldn’t be such a need for pharmaceutical facilitation for this connection. 21:54 Part of why we lost touch with our subconscious could be because we have so many distractions, whether in our conscious mind or surrounding environment.  25:12 When you’re always busy, you feel like you’re in control because you feel like you’re moving forward and making progress. There’s a sense of comfort feeling like you’re in control.  29:06 The multi-part mind vs. the solo persona: How does one begin to think of their mind through a different lens? Nat makes a comparison to Switch- There’s an elephant and a rider. The elephant is the subconscious and the rider is the mind who is rational and who tries to control and direct it, but there’s only so much control you have over it. 32:47 The way we think about consciousness is a newer phenomenon than we previously thought. There also wasn’t always language to describe these ideas, so it was purely symbolic.  38:25 Science and experimentation have both changed over the decades too, with more regulations put into place now. Nat and Neil talk about the affects of different drugs on the body, as also shown in some animal experiments too. 43:40 Caffeine, tobacco, nicotine, THC, alcohol, and effects of different drugs on the brain. In some cases, the delivery of the drug (smoking or vaping, for example) ends up being more harmful to your body than the substance. 49:22 Jung talks about how we have this shadow self that makes us uncomfortable. One way to deal with our shadow side is to numb it. The solution is to “turn directly towards the approaching darkness” to find what it wants from you. It’s about how you incorporate your shadow rather than silence it or hide from it, which is not a long term solution. 53:35 Therapy has become more popular now over the years. Is there a reason for this? If you’re using therapy to work through challenges in your life, it can be very helpful. It becomes unproductive when you use it as a crutch to avoid doing the harder things you know you need to do.  57:02 Parenting and fostering independence in your child.  Remembering that raising them in the home is not forever, and after they move on from your care they will need to be able to help and support themselves in society. Nat and Neil discuss nuclear vs. communal families and how those dynamics are different. 1:03:24 The faith in governmental institutions is very low at this point in time, it brings to question how the future may change in terms of education and homeschooling. 1:08:41 The people that we respect the most are the ones who act like real humans, and this stands for politicians too. If a politician is willing to be personable and fully believes in their ideas, they tend to be more well-liked among the people. 1:12:28 Your shadow can be very powerful. Whatever you find you dislike in someone else may be what you actually dislike in yourself. Seeing it reflected in another person is painful because it reminds you of that trait in yourself. It's important to acknowledge the shadow rather than avoid it. 1:17:29 Thanks for listening! Make sure to pick up a copy of Man and His Symbols if you were intrigued by this episode. In future episodes, we plan to read End the Fed and The Revolt of the Public. Make sure to grab a copy and read up before the episode!   If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

"The despot is not a man. It is the Plan. The correct, realistic, exact plan, the one that will provide your solution once the problem has been posited clearly, in its entirety, in its indispensable harmony. This plan has been drawn up well away from the frenzy in the mayor’s office or the town hall, from the cries of the electorate or the laments of society’s victims. It has been drawn up by serene and lucid minds. It has taken account of nothing but human truths. It has ignored all current regulations, all existing usages, and channels. It has not considered whether or not it could be carried out with the constitution now in force. It is a biological creation destined for human beings and capable of realization by modern techniques."   Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, Nat and Neil are joined by Adil Majid to discuss their key takeaways from Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott. This book discusses how states seek to make the territory more legible in order to guide its functioning. However, this planned social order often disregards vital features of any real, functioning social order. How do certain schemes to improve the human condition end up failing?   We cover a wide range of topics including: Government’s desire for legibility vs. local control and power Infinite coastline paradox The importance of feedback loops and adaptability in a system How high modernism has been implemented and why those implementations have failed Connections between the book and cryptocurrency   And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.   Links from the Episode:   Mentioned in the show: High modernism (5:58) Window tax (20:25) The Blind Cafe - San Francisco (35:32) The Infinite Coastline (43:22) Rise Roar Revolt (1:07:14) India’s Economy Hinges on the Return of Workers Who Fled to Their Villages (1:14:58) Stepn (1:31:38) Will STEPN Bring Crypto to the Masses? (1:36:23) Slate Star Codex Book Review (1:40:57)  A Big Little Idea Called Legibility (1:42:25) The Intellectual Yet Idiot (1:42:36) Books Mentioned: Seeing Like a State Extreme Ownership (22:31) (Nat’s Book Notes) Scale (23:19) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Four Thousand Weeks (37:47) Merchants of Doubt (49:49) (Nat’s Book Notes) The Fourth Turning (1:08:55) (Book Episode)  The Dictator’s Handbook (1:20:43) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) The Conscience of a Conservative (1:39:43) People Mentioned: Nassim Taleb (9:06) Jocko Willink (22:32) Geoffrey West (23:19) Arthur Hayes (1:26:28) Barry Goldwater (1:39:44)   Show Topics: 1:04 Today we’re joined by Adil Majid (previously in episodes #7, #33, #34, #35, #71, #74) to cover Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott. There’s often an assumption that it’s the fault of the people when planned systems fail, when really it’s the fault of the governing body implementing these rigid systems.   5:58 There are a few major concepts in the book. One of these main concepts is legibility. A state needs to understand what’s happening on the ground and also needs a way to measure it. Scientific forestry as a way to produce timber more efficiently.   11:56 “Thus, plants that are valued become "crops," the species that compete with them are stigmatized as "weeds," and the insects that ingest them are stigmatized as "pests."”    Scott argues that there’s more variables than any of the high modernists can understand. A high modernist cannot acknowledge that there are more variables than they know, and that they are not in full control of those variables. You can’t adjust one variable and be able to fully predict all the effects.   15:01 One of the mistakes of the high modernist desire for legibility is confusing the visual external order with internal underlying order and structure. Things can have a deep sensible underlying order that doesn’t make sense from the outside. Trees as an example; The distribution of roots, stems, and leaves is efficient in capturing light and water but if a human designed a tree, it may look real different. This same idea can be applied to cities.   17:10 The systemization of last names.    19:48 There are consequences of implementing these rigid systems. Many times, the systems put in place end up changing the exact thing that they’re supposed to regulate.    21:31 The government uses legibility to make things easier to understand, and it’s how they gain control. The amount of control you have can depend on how many levels are within your system. This ties into Extreme Ownership where the military has different levels of hierarchy, but on the ground, you get a lot of individual freedom to execute the mission. If you try to maintain strict order all the way down, things can go poorly. If you allow things to spread out and have variation at the ends, the system tends to be more resilient.   25:11 Authoritarianism is high modernism without feedback loops and democracy is high modernism with feedback loops. Adil describes metis (local knowledge) and techne (mathematical absolute truths). Things naturally float to the top, and you have to fight to keep the local knowledge at the local level.   29:10 High modernism is suitable for techne. You need to have these slightly chaotic systems where you can experiment and fail in order to better develop. The beauty of the local knowledge is that it’s experimental. Feedback loops and being able to adapt.   34:11 How did our five senses evolve to be the way they are? Our visual life is very stimulating. We lock on to things that are bright, surprising, fast-paced. Screens give us so much of that novelty that other things can appear boring to look at.   39:18 The book talks about grouping people, and they lose their individual characteristics by being dropped in the buckets based on non-representative characteristics. The map vs. the terrain.   43:08 The infinite coastline. The more you zoom into it, the more you have to add variations which makes it longer and longer. Theoretically as you zoom into something so deeply, you have an infinitely long coastline. Nat, Neil, and Adil discuss: What are the implications of higher fidelity?   46:30 High modernism works if you can convince people it’s the best way forward. The element of authoritarianism; the more you try to force people to go along with an idea the more negative pushback you’ll get. The recycling and no smoking movements.   51:37 Complex systems can get wrecked by very small changes. Some systems need every moving part in order to run efficiently, and just the absence of one part can throw the system for a loop.    55:22 Adding chips to farm equipment. What was the efficiency improvement? These highly industrialized systems can be good at increasing output, but one little ding in the system and it can fall apart.   1:03:45 India and their legibility efforts. Neil talks about the national ID card for banking and other purposes. A lot of underground stuff goes on in order for people to avoid getting their ID card. The government has gone as far as banning the largest paper currency note overnight and issuing a new one in hopes to get people to go to a bank to switch it or deposit it.    1:08:58 Would India be a country if the British had never come there? India was originally made up of hundreds of individual states, so there are many regional identities still today.   1:11:17 National languages and global languages: How do they come to be, and is it even possible to change them now that they're established?   1:14:48 During Covid, people in India who moved to cities for jobs ended up moving back to their villages as the cost of living wasn’t worth it. Within the village is their support system. This move from a legible system back to an illegible system is a good thing for the individual, but not necessarily for a government that wants more legibility.   1:17:27 Nat summarizes the core ideas of the book. Highly authoritarian states such as China and North Korea and censorship on the internet. How North Korea has been so authoritarian for so long and has been able to keep it that way.   1:21:35 Work-to-rule: This is where employees do just the minimum that is required from them and follow all regulation and safety guidelines. This in turn can lead to a decrease in productivity as workers are no longer working during weekends, breaks, etc.    1:23:31 How does this book tie back into crypto? A lot of the early crypto crowd is inherently anti-legibility.    1:32:42 Stepn is a lifestyle app that encourages its users to “move-to-earn”. Nat shares 3 ways you can tell that it’s time to exit the project so you don’t lose your investment.    1:39:20 Thanks for listening! Got any book suggestions for a future episode? Hit us up on Twitter!   If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“A Fourth Turning lends people of all ages what is literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to heal (or destroy) the very heart of the republic.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, Nat and Neil are joined by Adil Majid to discuss their key takeaways from The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe. The authors uncover how history moves in cycles, or "turnings", and how our past could very well predict our future. This episode will challenge the way you have traditionally thought of time as linear, and open your eyes to cycles that are much bigger than ourselves. We cover a wide range of topics including: What is a turning, and how does each generation influence the next turning? Gold, Bitcoin, and inflation of the US Dollar The possibility of parallel systems Current events that may be leading us to the climax of the crisis era The four themes (High, Awakening, Unraveling, and Crisis) and the ways they have tied in to the events of American history And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: Athletic Greens (1:41) Major brands freeze Youtube ads (2:15) Blinkist (2:48) Oatly: The New Coke (3:25) Bankless (5:09) Martyrmade Podcast: Thoughts on Ukraine (47:05) China and Taiwan conflict (50:14) SNL Skit: Republican or Not (1:06:19) SNL Skit: Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks (1:06:39) The Political Compass (1:08:40) Balaji Srinivasan on Communist Capital vs. Woke Capital vs. Crypto Capital (1:09:59) Full Send Podcast with Donald Trump (1:15:34) Man enters White House with knife (1:22:56) "I support the current thing" Meme (1:25:32) What You Didn’t Know About the Apollo 11 Mission (1:28:54) Operation Warp Speed (1:32:00) Cases of Polio-like Symptoms in the Bay Area (1:35:07) Dalio's Long-Term Debt Cycle (1:38:32) Episode 7: A Crash Course in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Cryptocurrency (1:40:12)   Books Mentioned: The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe Dictator’s Handbook (4:23) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Sovereign Individual (6:15) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) King, Warrior, Magician, Lover (32:14) (Book Episode) The Mandibles (43:14) Seeing Like A State (54:15) (Nat’s Book Notes) Demon in the Freezer (1:30:48) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1:37:35) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Alchemy of Finance (1:39:13) Denial of Death (1:40:21) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Scale (1:40:35) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes) Sapiens (1:40:40) (Book Episode 1) (Sapiens Episode 2) (Nat's Book Notes) Homo Deus (1:40:40) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes)   People Mentioned: Neil Howe William Strauss Ray Dalio (45:36) Lyn Alden (51:04) Joe Rogan (1:14:05) Steve Bannon (1:35:35)   Show Topics 0:19 Adil Majid joins the podcast today to help Nat and Neil break down The Fourth Turning by and William Strauss Neil Howe. You may remember him from some of our previous episodes (#7, #33, #34, #35, #71), so go check those out if you haven't already! 4:39 The Fourth Turning was written around the same time as Sovereign Individual, and shares some connections as both books discuss adapting to the next phase or cycle in civilization. 9:18 The four turnings: "The High", "The Awakening", "The Unraveling" and "The Crisis". The current cycle, also known as "The Crisis", would have started around 2005, and may go on until around 2026. These turnings are such a zoomed out way of looking at periods of time, and most people that are living have not been around long enough to experience each turning. "Over the millennia, man has developed three ways of thinking about time: chaotic, cyclical, and linear. The first was the dominant view of primitive man, the second of ancient and traditional civilizations, and the third of the modern West, especially America.” 14:51 Neil talks about some of the bigger, zoomed out cycles such as the ice age cycles and climate cycles. We only see the micro-cycles because that’s our perspective on time. 15:40 In some religions such as Christianity, time is thought of as linear. Rather than accepting the cycles and seasons of the year and time, we try to fight them to create this linear constancy, because that's what we are familiar with and what we can see. 17:50 Trends in substance abuse and alcohol. The way that our parents' and grandparents’ generations treated alcohol is much different than how the younger generation treats it. This brings us to the four archetypes discussed in the book: Prophets, Nomads, Heroes, and Artists. Prophets give birth to Heroes, and vice versa while Nomads give birth to Artists, and vice versa. In theory, this will determine your archetypal behavior. 24:17 The turnings tie into the generations. As one comes of age, they influence the next turning. Based on the timeline from the book, we’ve all been in a Crisis era for most of our adult lives (if you’re around 30). What does it mean now that we’re within a few years of coming out of this period of crisis? 26:06 The "High" occurred post World War 2, between 1946-1964. This period of time was big on collectivism and community. It was not a High for everyone, however, as this was before the civil rights movement and the women’s suffrage movement. After WW2, people began creating a better life and enjoying the high after surviving the war. Their children grew up in a time of abundance, but the abundance wasn’t experienced by everyone, and this led to different civil movements as they entered the period of Awakening. 30:55 Between the Awakening and the Unraveling is a long period of decline. The Awakening is a period of challenging the morals of the previous generation, and the Unraveling is putting those things into practice. From there, it then leads to the period of Crisis. 34:36 We see this conflict today where older Gen Z and Millennials are growing up with student loan debt.  The previous generation grew up in a period of abundance off the High of post WW2, which paved the way for that generation to live a comfortable life. 38:28 Where did the Crisis start? Nat, Neil, and Adil discuss several events such as 9/11, the Iraq war, and the 2007 financial crisis that may be marked as the start of the Crisis. 45:26 Not every Fourth Turning has to end in war, but every previous one has ended in a war, thus why the conflict in Russia/Ukraine is so notable, as well as conflict between China and Taiwan. 50:33 Gold, Bitcoin, and inflation. Which country could tip the scale?  55:03 Preparing for the Fourth Turning. Neil makes a connection to The Mandibles, where if the Government ever decides to cease wealth or shut down the stock market, the value that we currently hold in the market will decrease significantly, although we may have thought it was safe.  “Really know where your money is.” 1:00:28 Adil describes the technological arms race that’s happening. Ideas shifting in political parties even within the past decade.  1:09:55 Woke capital, communist capital, and crypto capital. Is there a possibility for parallel systems where one area of the country/world may align with one ideology and another area aligns with another approach? The Internet, as an example. 1:16:59 Another symptom of the crisis mentality is mistrust of organizations that were typically trusted by previous generations. 1:21:09 The storming of the Capital on January 6th. This had the potential to be a climax moment, but didn’t end up turning into something massive. 1:25:29 This year's Oscars brought a shared moment between everyone. Most things you see in the media will produce two total opposite reactions, whereas in this particular moment, the experience and reaction was very much the same across the board. These shared moments create a sense of unity. 1:35:16 This book is controversial, partly because the concepts in this book are hard to prove as factual. It’s comfortable to think we have everything figured out, without challenging anything or institutions. 1:38:41 Thanks for listening! Make sure to grab a copy of the next book we will be covering, Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung. Stay tuned, as Adil will be back for another future episode where we discuss Seeing Like A State.   If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“The man who is striving to solve a problem defined by existing knowledge and technique is not, however, just looking around. He knows what he wants to achieve, and he designs his instruments and directs his thoughts accordingly. Unanticipated novelty, the new discovery, can emerge only to the extent that his anticipations about nature and his instruments prove wrong. . . . There is no other effective way in which discoveries might be generated.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, Nat and Neil discuss their key takeaways from The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn. While the book is geared towards an academic audience, a lot of interesting ideas were brought up in terms of scientific progress, where Kuhn argues that science is anything but linear.  We cover a wide range of topics including:  Paradigm shifts in science (and other areas, too!) What is normal science, and how does it differ from paradigm-shifting science? Connections between science, religion, and politics The direction and timing of inventions over time How sciencing everything may lead to negative outcomes  And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat and Neil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: Copernican system (11:20) Monday Medley (11:56) The Joe Rogan Experience (18:03) Nat’s SS and Medicare tweet (20:50) Burton Oil (29:24) Neil’s tweet on rationalists (35:20) Dancing Gorilla experiment (47:07) Bobbie formula (53:15) Obesity rates in Mexico (57:34)  WTF Happened in 1971? (58:22) Metamask (1:00:28) Rainbow Wallet (1:00:29) Outside the System (1:03:46) (Check out Neil's new podcast!) Fountain (1:03:50) Lightning Network (1:04:30) What Viagra was originally used for (1:10:56) Tesla's vision of wireless energy (1:15:21)  Riverside (1:23:40) Books Mentioned: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Nat's Book Notes) Gödel, Escher, Bach (0:58) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Finite and Infinite Games (3:23) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Happy Accidents (3:37) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) King, Warrior, Magician, Lover (28:53) (Book Episode)  The Dictator’s Handbook (41:03) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Merchants of Doubt (41:56) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Energy and Civilization (42:56) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Three-Body Problem (1:20:50) (Nat's Book Notes) The Martian (1:21:21) (Nat's Book Notes) Hail Mary (1:21:27)  Seeing Like a State (1:24:19) (Nat's Book Notes) Infinite Jest (1:24:44) (Book Episode I) (Book Episode II) (Nat's Book Notes) People Mentioned: Malcolm Gladwell (2:35) Albert Einstein (6:45) Isaac Newton (14:53) Nicolaus Copernicus (14:53) Werner Heisenburg (14:56) Nassim Taleb (24:44) Al Gore (28:36) George Bush (28:39) Joe Biden (28:56) Nikola Tesla (1:14:59) Andy Weir (1:21:23) Adil Majid (1:24:12) Show Topics: 0:43 Today, Nat and Neil dive into their takeaways from The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn. The phrase "paradigm shift" was coined by Thomas Kuhn and used throughout the book to describe fundamental changes in underlying assumptions.  4:47 Kuhn argues that science doesn’t progress linearly, it goes through cycles. There are foundational truths and beliefs that current science is being built on, and when those beliefs crack, we have to establish new ones. It doesn’t mean the old ideas were unscientific, but perhaps insufficient or incomplete. 8:01 Neil applies the 'map vs. territory' analogy. Territory is the real natural world, and every theory and paradigm we test out is the map.  11:54 The book talks about normal science as trying to solve a puzzle. When you buy a jigsaw puzzle, you know what the picture looks like and that all pieces will fit together somehow. In the same way, theories of experiments have already predicted what the results of your experiment should be, you’re just running the experiment to confirm it. Paradigm shifts are so rare and accidental because most of science is filling in gaps of the current paradigm, as that's also where the funding is. "The scientific enterprise as a whole does from time to time prove useful, open up new territory, display order, and test long-accepted belief. Nevertheless, the individual engaged on a normal research problem is almost never doing any one of these things." 15:20 What are the things in science today that feel like they might be invented to explain the anomalies in the current paradigm? Dark matter and gravity for example. 17:59 There aren’t enough debates on science, and it’s important to ask the question WHY to better understand the underlying assumptions. If you disagree with one of the provided assumptions, you can challenge it.  22:09 The book explains how science is an ever-evolving process that requires challenging the current assumptions in the paradigm. Asking questions is the scientific thing to do. We can have conflicting paradigms and ideas, and use those to get an accurate view of the world, but obviously nothing is perfect.  25:50 Over time, science has become more politicized. Global warming rebranded into climate change. 30:31 Most issues are never completely binary like they're positioned to be. The abortion debate  for example. There are 2 different paradigms with completely different underlying assumptions: 1) Individual choice is more important than when life begins and 2) Life begins at conception and it’s not an individual choice type of thing.  35:03 Every choice has a tradeoff. One problem in politics is when candidates aren’t upfront about the tradeoffs of a certain choice or pretend that there isn’t any, which makes it harder to believe them. Nat and Neil talk about the start of Covid with the stay-at-home orders and wearing a mask. 39:08 Linking to Dictator’s Handbook (episode here), it is advantageous for politicians to say problems are more urgent and pressing than they are because you can use that to retain power and influence. 43:41 Differences in generations and the trust in scientists. Younger generations are starting to suffer the consequences of explorations like combining science with food. Does science need to be added to everything? 46:41 People find what they’re looking for. If you go in with a set of beliefs, you won’t be looking for anything that confirms against your beliefs, in fact you may discard anything that argues against what you think is right without acknowledging the other set of values. 51:20 What's a Made You Think episode without a tangent? Nat and Neil talk about the vaccine/Autism debate. With dietary changes and other factors in the first year of a child’s life, why are some scientists so set on vaccines being connected to Autism? 58:22 Paradigm shifts aren’t in science only. Nat and Neil talk about paradigm shifts in technology, Web3, single sign-on, and more. 1:05:29 A new paradigm of community ownership, fundraising, and access to capital arose as NFTs became bigger. There are now new standards for membership, and how we can own music, art, etc. 1:07:05 Paradigms are like little blips on the map, and occasionally one will present a lot of solutions to existing problems. The same things happens in both science and technology. 1:11:46 Normal science vs. paradigm-shifting science. What would have been figured out anyway vs. what was truly a leap forward. 1:14:44 The direction and timing of different inventions. There are some things that develop slowly for years but then have a period of rapid development because the underlying technology catches up. Are there things that we are technologically ready for now but just haven't come up with yet? 1:19:28 Inversely, there are also inventions where the timing wasn’t dependent on the underlying technology. 1:23:30 Thanks for listening! If you want to read ahead before our next episode, make sure to pick up a copy of The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We’ll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“It can be said that life's perhaps most fundamental dynamic is the attempt to move from a lower form of experience and consciousness to a higher (or deeper) level of consciousness.” In this episode of Made You Think, Nat and Neil discuss their key takeaways from King, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette. This book presents the 4 archetypes of manhood, and explores what undeveloped masculinity looks like in the form of the archetype Shadows. In this episode of Made You Think, we cover a wide range of topics including: The differences in Male vs. Female adulthood initiation King and Tyrant energy in politicians The rise in adult male virginity in the past decade The Shadows of each of the 4 archetypes Underdeveloped masculinity (Otherwise known as Boy psychology) And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat and Neil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.   Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: Maasai Ritual (15:59) The Business of Being Born (30:53) Tonic Masculinity - Dr. Cam Sepah (42:03) Manager vs. Leader (47:15) Warrior Genes (59:18) Adult male virginity stats (1:08:40) Filtering by height on Bumble (1:09:21) FDA tweet on national cereal day(1:14:21) Colin Powell's 40-70 rule (1:40:53) OKCupid blog archive (1:47:14) SolPay (1:50:15) Books Mentioned: King, Warrior, Magician, Lover The Way of the Superior Man (1:07) (Nat's Book Notes) 12 Rules for Life (1:57) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Laws of Human Nature (2:10) (Book Episode)  Man and His Symbols (2:14) The Fourth Turning (11:09) The Power of Myth (15:10) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Escape from Freedom (22:13) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Dictator’s Handbook (57:01) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Mate (1:06:06) (Nat's Book Notes) Models (1:06:08) (Nat's Book Notes) What Got You Here Won’t Get You There (1:17:08) Extreme Ownership (1:23:48) (Nat's Book Notes) The Alchemy of Finance (1:39:20) Flow (1:43:43) Thinking, Fast and Slow (1:44:23) Layered Money (1:53:46)   People Mentioned: David Deida (1:09) Joseph Campbell (2:01) Robert Greene (2:07) Carl Jung (2:14) Paul Millerd (2:34) Robert Moore (5:17) Douglas Gillette (5:17) Tucker Max (31:00) Dr. Cam Sepah (42:01)  Jordan Peterson (52:44) NLE Choppa (1:05:49) Mark Manson (1:06:08)  James Altucher (1:28:05) Tony Robbins (1:29:47)   Show Topics: 0:30 In today's episode, Nat and Neil cover the book King, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette. This is the first book episode since Episode 66 with just Nat and Neil (featuring pop-ins from Pepper and Baby Eliason!). 5:12 King, Warrior, Magician, Lover provides a blend of psychology and ancient tradition. Moore and Gillette define four male archetypes that stand out through history, as well as the shadow forms of each of the archetypes. 7:52 Masculinity doesn’t mean these ideas are just for men; it’s a spectrum. It's just as beneficial for women to know and understand these archetypes and their shadows, too. 10:15 Knowing all forms of these archetypes, including the shadow form, can allow you to better adapt as an adult. The book's definition of patriarchy: "In our view, patriarchy is not the expression of deep and rooted masculinity, for truly deep and rooted masculinity is not abusive. Patriarchy is the expression of the immature masculine. It is the expression of Boy psychology, and, in part, the shadow—or crazy—side of masculinity. It expresses the stunted masculine, fixated at immature levels." 14:12 Boy psychology. A lot of what may be considered toxic masculinity today is what the book would call underdeveloped masculinity, or Boy psychology. Today, there seems to be a lack of societal rituals or clear transitions that take you from your boy stage to your man stage. In essence, your Boy ego has to die for your Adult ego to be created, it's not clear where that happens. 18:57 During your teenage years, you’re somewhat psychologically competent to be an adult, but with so many restrictions on schooling, parenting, etc. it doesn't allow a lot of freedom to explore independence. It also creates a household struggle because there’s not much externally to struggle against. If you’re not being psychologically stimulated and challenged outside of the home, you may create that challenge in the form of conflict within your home. For many, the desire for challenge and quest is met through sports or other extra curricular activities. 22:04 School doesn’t solve this desire for challenge, it may arguably make it worse. The struggle teens face with school isn’t a struggle that is meaningful or fulfilling. In school, your work is mainly about following a rubric or certain criteria, which limits creativity and fits students into a box. It’s not until college where young adults are given more autonomy and responsibility. Even then, many students still fit themselves into the box that they think they’re supposed to be in. 27:51 The difference between male adulthood initiation and female adulthood initiation. There are completely different experiences between men and women who become first-time parents, because women are the ones carrying the baby and experiencing all that comes with it. 30:30 It can be argued that in some ways, modernity is destroying the womanhood initiation ritual around giving birth. The birthing industry in hospitals isn’t designed around creating the best experience for the mother or retaining the sacredness of the experience. 36:38 Being more aware of environmental factors, diet, sunlight risks, etc. once you’re a parent. 40:22 "They are all boys pretending to be men. They got that way honestly, because nobody showed them what a mature man is like. Their kind of “manhood” is a pretense to manhood that goes largely undetected as such by most of us. We are continually mistaking this man’s controlling, threatening, and hostile behaviors for strength. In reality, he is showing an underlying extreme vulnerability and weakness, the vulnerability of the wounded boy." This quote gives insight on the wounded boy mentality, similar to what Nat and Neil reference a high-chair tyrant. 42:44 Nat and Neil introduce the 4 archetypes: King, Warrior, Magician and Lover.  King energy in many ways is father energy. Being a good King isn’t about being a ruler, it’s about being a good leader and being able to provide strength and security. Kids want a noble father figure to look up to in order to see a sense of security and leadership. When they don’t have that, they don’t feel as secure within the family unit.  47:49 King energy is feeling present, centered, and in control. The inverse of King is similar to a Tyrant, who is never satisfied. The Tyrant is always looking for more material things, more work, and worries nonstop. 51:48 We all have King energy in us, and when you don’t think you can rely on your own King energy, you form a dependency on someone else for that security instead. As a child, your father should be the source of the King energy, and manhood is when you begin develop your own King energy internally. 54:01 King energy in politics. On some level, the sense of hopelessness as civilians may come from a lack of King energy in politicians. Not many leaders are strong in their sense of King energy, but many give the Tyrant energy. King energy in political leaders fosters a sense of security and hope. 58:25 Warrior energy. Warrior instinct is a part of us in our psychology. You need to embrace your Warrior energy so the shadow side isn't manifested. Nat and Neil talk about warrior genes. How to channel your Warrior energy for good uses.  1:02:08 How do you measure if you’re the best you can be? It’s hard to test that. There's physical combat, physical challenges, intellectual challenges, but there’s not much else to accurately measure this. If you have weak Warrior energy, everything is happening to you and you feel like nothing ever goes right. With positive Warrior energy, you’re in control and choosing your fate. "The warrior is always alert. He is always awake. He is never sleeping through life. He knows how to focus his mind and his body. He is what the samurai called “mindful.” He is a “hunter” in the Native American tradition." 1:06:05 The choice of letting a situation or environment rule you can evoke the shadow version of these archetypes. Inversely, if you maintain control of your situation, you can harness the proactive and positive versions of these personalities. Sometimes you have to do what’s hard to live a fuller life, and not settle for the easier choices that end up being unhealthy for you. 1:08:32 The rise in male virginity, especially since 2008. Is it due to dating apps and advance in technology? 1:15:04 Shadow Warrior energy can appear similar to an obsessive-compulsive personality. This is where  you overcommit and take on too many challenges. The compulsive personality digs in and works harder rather than taking a step back when faced with danger signs. The healthy Warrior knows what to destroy in order to create. 1:20:16 Magician archetype: There’s a duality in the Magician and Warrior archetypes because the Warrior is the one who acts and implements while the Magician is the thinker and the planner. It pays to have a healthy balance of both archetypes. 1:23:45 A good leader is able to step back and observe so the best decisions can be made. If you’re too high on Warrior energy without the Magician energy, you may be doing too much action with little to no thought. And vice versa.  1:27:02 Using access to special knowledge for selfish purposes or for power, similar to negative gurus with overpriced content.  1:34:25 The Manipulator is the shadow side of the Magician. They always seek to control their experience and how others perceive them. “Whenever we are detached, unrelated, and withholding what we know could help others, whenever we use our knowledge as a weapon to belittle and control others or to bolster our status or wealth at others’ expense, we are identified with the Shadow Magician as Manipulator. We are doing black magic, damaging ourselves as well as those who could benefit from our wisdom.” 1:37:29 Lover archetype, perhaps the most spiritual one. The Lover is very creative, and is in touch with their premonitions or intuitions about people, situations, or their future. 1:40:53 A lot of people want to have 100% of the information before making a decision, but it can take too long to have all of the information. If you have 40-70% of the information needed to make a decision you should make the decision. Any less than that, you may not make a good choice. 1:44:48 The Addict is the inverse to the Lover. The Addict rides on the ultimate and continuous high, adventure to adventure. Addictive behavior. 1:48:21 Thanks for listening! If you want to read ahead before our next episode, make sure to pick up a copy of The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We'll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

“Democracies are not lucky. They do not attract civic-minded leaders by chance. Rather, they attract survival-oriented leaders who understand that, given their dependence on many essentials, they can only come to and stay in power if they figure out the right basket of public goods to provide.” In this episode of Made You Think, Nat and Neil are joined by Adil Majid to discuss their key takeaways from The Dictator's Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. The Dictator's Handbook delivers five rules for staying in power and succeeding within the political system. In this episode of Made You Think, we cover a wide range of topics including: How dictators get in power and stay in power The Selectorate theory Taxation and why leaders are so fond of taxes FIFA, Olympics, and giving bribes for more power Decentralized finance as an alternative to the current financial system   And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the Show Episode 7: A Crash Course in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Cryptocurrency (0:43) Episode 33: An Animal of No Significance: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari – Part I (1:25) Episode 34: Money, Power, and God: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari – Part II (1:40) Selectorate theory (4:57) Assets of the Federal Reserve (22:00) Ba'ath Party; Saddam Hussein (29:05) Caliphate (54:11) Arab Spring (1:11:10) Democracy Index 2017 (1:12:28) ConstitutionDAO (1:16:01) Corruption in FIFA (1:15:43) Bribing in Olympics (1:15:43) Marijuana episode (1:24:27) A Tale of Two Talebs (1:33:19) Ledger (1:59:31)   Books Mentioned The 48 Laws of Power (2:09) (Nat’s Book Notes) The Sovereign Individual (4:36) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Seeing Like a State (4:37) (Nat's Book Notes) Antifragile (1:31:38) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Bitcoin Standard (1:34:26)   People Mentioned Robert Mugabe (10:32) Elizabeth Warren (12:49) Bernie Sanders (12:50) Elon Musk (13:10) Ron DeSantis (15:13) Donald Trump (15:42) Machiavelli (23:45) Fidel Castro (41:41) Che Guevara (41:47) Rasputin (42:48) Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (1:11:40) Julias Caesar (1:21:25) Nassim Taleb (1:32:23) Gary Vaynerchuk (1:33:53)   Show Notes 1:10 Today we are joined by Adil Majid. You may remember him from some of our previous episodes (#7, #33, #34). Today’s book is the Dictator’s Handbook, a book that shares the rules of the game in politics exactly how it is. What we think is good or bad in politics may be the exact opposite. 3:27 Relying on a larger coalition of individuals results in a more equitable and just system. How this idea ties in with decentralized finance. 4:57 Adil talks about the Selectorate theory and the 3 different groups: the nominal selectorate, the real selectorate, and the winning coalition. The primary goal of a leader is to stay in power and to do this, they must keep the support from members of the winning coalition. 9:59 The way our voting system in the U.S. narrows who's vote counts. Politicians can play the game of staying in power by understanding which votes they need. "When addressing politics, we must accustom ourselves to think and speak about the actions and interests of specific, named leaders rather than thinking and talking about fuzzy ideas like the national interest, the common good, and the general welfare. Once we think about what helps leaders come to and stay in power, we will also begin to see how to fix politics. Politics, like all of life, is about individuals, each motivated to do what is good for them, not what is good for others.” To stay in power, politicians are not making decisions about general welfare and the common good. Bueno de Mesquita notes that it's all about what's good for them, not for us. 12:33 This brings up the question, why do politicians seem to believe things so extremely? An outside-in approach: A candidate needs to appeal to the extreme then come back to the middle and more neutral voters to win a general election. 18:25 Questionable social media sprees from politicians, and how it could be a tool for covering something up. Inflation and stimulus checks. 24:42 There are five basic rules leaders can use to succeed in any system.  Rule 1: Keep your winning coalition as small as possible. Having a small coalition is to your advantage in taking and keeping power. There are fewer people to keep happy, and keeping them happy is a key to staying in power. 30:50 There are so many institutions in government but not all of them are necessary in keeping and maintaining power. Corruption as an essential political tool.  "The causal ties run both ways: power leads to corruption and corruption leads to power." 33:59 Informational asymmetry between members of the winning coalition and the nominal electorate. Transparency within companies; there's certain information that is only shared with the leaders that is not available to all within the company.  37:38 Rule 2: Keep your nominal selectorate as large as possible. Nat, Neil, and Adil discuss rigged elections. These are a periodic reminder that everyone is replaceable. The way to thrive in a dictatorship is not to be the dictator himself, but to be a highly irreplaceable member of the winning coalition. It’s tough to be irreplaceable, as you also don’t want to become a threat. 43:30 Once you accumulate power, it’s all about keeping power. It’s chaotic to transition from one leader to the next. Fratricide is the act of killing one's brother. How this has been seen in history before as well as in animal behavior. 45:32 Rule 3: Control the flow of revenue. If your leader doesn't know how to make money and increase wealth for your country, it's essential that they know who to pay to stay in power. Example: Mugabe from Zimbabwe stayed in power despite starvation and epidemics throughout the country. It was less about what happens to the people, as long as the army was paid. “When debt exceeds the ability to pay, the problem for a leader is not so much that good public works must be cut back, but rather that the incumbent doesn’t have the resources necessary to purchase political loyalty from key backers." 49:25 Taxation: Maximize taxation while maintaining productivity if you’re an autocratic country with no natural resources. Taxes on crypto in other countries vs. the U.S. 54:02 “It seems that many non-Muslims, realizing that they could reduce the tax collectors’ reach by becoming Muslim, put their religious beliefs aside and converted." Some religious empires collected taxes instead of direct rule. There was also tax farming where central authority bids on the taxes from different regions, and kept some of the collected tax for their own use. 58:17 Official exchange rates vs. street rates. The street rates would essentially be a better deal because the government was taking a cut out of the official exchange rates. This idea connects again with cryptocurrency where if a transaction isn’t traceable by the government, it can be a good deal for everyone involved.  1:04:20 "Rule 4: Pay your key supporters just enough to keep them loyal." Dichotomy in the lives of people in the same country, Saudi Arabia as an example. Some people live very wealthy, whereas some areas of the country don’t even have paved roads. Within the same country are extremely different ways of living. 1:08:54 A dictatorship is so much easier to control than a democracy when it comes to foreign aid. They’re no longer under American control when they become a democracy. 1:12:58 Relationship between military and government in other countries. 1:14:56 "Rule 5: Don’t take money out of your supporter’s pockets to make the people’s lives better." Bribes in FIFA and the Olympics. Buying votes to win hosting rights for your country. 1:20:19 Dictators who try to support the people at the expense of their coalition often found themselves on the losing end. “Julius Caesar’s mistake was to help the people at the expense of his backers and this too cost him his life." 1:23:25 The progression of making marijuana legal in the states. States have power in some large topics such as marijuana legalization and abortion where one state may create laws in complete opposite of another state. 1:29:10 Political divide these days can often appear less about the individual policies and more about whether it should be a Federal or State issue.  1:32:01 Nassim Taleb tangent, and the story of how Nat got blocked on Twitter. 1:37:00 Getting sick as a dictator. Those who depend on you are no longer secure, so they’re looking for someone else. It's important to have a succession plan lined up that your key supporters believe in. They don't want their future to come into question. 1:41:40 The monarchy in England and other European countries, and the way that they’re born into power. 1:45:28 The more democratic a group is, the weaker it is. If it’s weak, slow, and requires a lot of consensus, there is less power. Same goes for companies. 1:50:13 Crypto and selectorate theory. Some tokens are very autocratic while some are very community-owned and community-driven. Low exit costs in crypto, if you don’t like what you see, you can take your money and go elsewhere. 1:59:40 Thanks for listening! Adil will be back in a future episode where we cover Seeing Like a State. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We'll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

"The most beautiful as well as the most ugly inclinations of man are not part of a fixed and biologically given human nature, but result from the social process which creates man. In other words, society has not only a suppressing function—although it has that too—but it has also a creative function. Man’s nature, his passions, and anxieties are a cultural product; as a matter of fact, man himself is the most important creation and achievement of the continuous human effort, the record of which we call history." In this episode of Made You Think, Nat and Neil are joined by Paul Millerd to discuss their key takeaways from Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm. In this book, Fromm makes a connection between the rise of capitalism to the beginning of man's conflict with the modern sense of freedom. In this episode of Made You Think, we cover a wide range of topics including: Positive freedom and negative freedom Finding work that is internally motivating rather than work that is thrust upon you How the economic system impacts our psychology Comparison: Why it's easy to compare your progress and accomplishments to others' The two-fold approach on the pursuit of power   And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Paul on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the Show Episode 69: The Quest of the Simple Life (6:19) Mixergy (24:33) 2Pac video (33:04) Episode 66: Making the Navalmanack (36:07) Principal of 2 Schools (48:26)   Books Mentioned Escape From Freedom (Nat's Book Notes) Awaken the Giant Within (9:47) (Nat’s Book Notes) The Art of Loving (27:02) Amusing Ourselves to Death (35:16) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) Finite and Infinite Games (38:14) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (42:12) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Beginning of Infinity (52:10) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (53:00) The Pathless Path (58:15) King, Warrior, Magician, Lover (1:12:37) The Dictator’s Handbook (12:40:17)   People Mentioned Tony Robbins (9:49) Cal Newport (36:51) David Perell (59:40) Tiago Forte (59:41) Tim Ferriss (1:01:53) David Foster Wallace (1:03:26) Scott Alexander (1:07:20)   Show Notes 0:34 Today we are joined by Paul Millerd, long-time MYT listener and author of The Pathless Path. Paul touches on the ideas of negative freedom and positive freedom that were discussed in the book, and shares how those ideas have fit into his story over the past few years. 4:19 A lot of what we think that we want is not what we actually want. Paul shares the underlying reasons of why he left his high-paying job years ago upon reflecting on the principles that were most important to him. "All our energy is spent for the purpose of getting what we want, and most people never question the premise of this activity: that they know their true wants. They do not stop to think whether the aims they are pursuing are something they themselves want." Many people go through their life going through the motions without actually reflecting on what is most important to them. 11:06 Nat talks about his experience living off of passive income in South America. While complete freedom from obligation sounds attractive, there’s an importance in having something meaningful to work towards.  16:45 "Capitalism not only freed man from traditional bonds, but it also contributed tremendously to the positive freedom, to the growth of an active, critical, and responsible self." In Fromm's time, your job was your primary identity. With the growth of business and capitalism, more options are created on what you can be. Some people cling onto what they know because it's stable and secure, and the idea of having so many options in front of them creates fear. Others lean into that freedom of having more possibilities and transcend their status in life. 20:29 Insecurity coming from a loss of identity and place in the world. When you separate yourself from your regular job, it can be challenging to understand your identity. People tend to ask more questions to those who aren’t in a typical job but rather control their own schedule.  25:27 Having individuals or influences in your life. These days many people find these influences through media. It’s helpful to have examples out there of people who have taken a path less traveled and strayed from norms. Nat, Neil, and Paul discuss another one of Fromm's Books: The Art of Loving. Love is what we’re all aiming for, and there are many ways we can arrive at love. One way is work. It gives us a connectedness to self and the world.  29:29 When you find things that bring you meaning, double down on those. Lean into those things that bring you meaning and embrace it. While there is much less toil now than when the book was written, we must recognize the gap that leaves. Your mind has so much time to think, and too much time to think can lead you to feel empty. 31:20 Fromm begins to hit on mindfulness. "Man misses the only satisfaction that can give him real happiness—the experience of the activity of the present moment—and chases after a phantom that leaves him disappointed as soon as he believes he has caught it—the illusory happiness called success." Finding things that are internally motivating that resonates with you vs. doing things that are thrust upon you by others or society. Living in the present moment, not living for the future state. It can be hard to overcome our compulsion to immediately fill gaps in our day with our phones or other stimulation.  34:29 How the economic system is impacting our psychology. Fromm calls on people to be aware of it. As humans, we take in as much information as we can all the time, it’s hard to turn it off. There’s reward in being online and having your presence online, but it also consumes your time.  Your psychology mixed with the psychology you get from the system is evolving together, this can be a barrier to leaning into the positive vision of freedom. 38:11 Neil talks about the connection with Finite and Infinite Games. Whether it’s the self-employment game, crypto, or other, there’s so many “games” you can play. Where you get caught is if you start thinking that game is reality. If you remember that it’s a game, then that’s all it is. It can still add meaning and enjoyment to your life. 42:30 The alternate path of being a creator isn’t always the best option for everyone. Pseudo-freedom. Not everyone is wired the same way. The development of remote work in the past decade. It provides a new way to relate to your work and for some, is more comfortable and less restricting.  46:53 Is there an alternative metric to tracking work aside from tracking hours? How to measure outcomes at work. "Life has ceased to be lived in a closed world the center of which was man; the world has become limitless and the same time threatening. By losing his fixed place in a closed world man loses the answer to the meaning of his life; the result is that doubt has befallen him concerning himself and the aim of life." 49:58 The world has changed so much in the past 150 years from many different standpoints, including technology and what the average day-to-day looks like. Even within the past few decades along, there has been so much change. Will things continue to evolve rapidly or will it level out? 54:40 When things change, how is it decided what will change? We may think the world will change in one way but it’s unpredictable the way it would actually go.  1:00:15 When comparing yourself to others, you have to remember to play your own game. What others do may fit them better than it will fit you. Even those who you compare yourself to surely has someone that they compare themselves to. 1:05:01 It’s impossible to be good at everything, and to have it all. There are some things you can’t have simultaneously. Do you truly want all these things or are you just conditioned to want it? 1:08:16 The pursuit of power, and the two-fold approach. 1:12:22 When the reality we want in our mind isn’t the story that’s actively happening, it can bring us anxiety. Deciding if what you want is worth the costs you pay to get there.  1:16:19 Thank you for listening! Make sure to pick up a copy of Dictator’s Handbook and King, Warrior, Magician, Lover to follow along before our next episodes. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We'll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

"To feel that it is bliss to be alive, health alone is needed.  And by health I mean not the absence of physical ailment or disease, but a high condition of vitality. This the country gave me; this the town denied me.  The only question was then, at what rate did I value the boon?" In this episode of Made You Think, Nat and Neil are joined by Andrew Lynch to discuss their key takeaways from The Quest of the Simple Life by William Dawson. The setting takes place in London in the early 1900s, and Dawson takes us through his reflections and insights as he moves from the city to the countryside to fulfill his desire of living a more simple life. We cover a wide range of topics including: • Finding value in the work you do • How organic social interactions differ from planned social events and meetups • Cost of living in a small village vs. big city • The idea of having a 3rd place where people spend time in outside their home and workspace • Why money shouldn't be the main metric you base the success of your life on And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Andrew on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: Scribe Media (0:56) Andrew’s "How I Got Fired" article (1:10) FIRE Movement (3:04) King Ranch (7:10) Right Move (9:01) Fountain (1:19:30) Breez (1:19:31) Books Mentioned: The Quest of the Simple Life Letters From a Stoic (2:38) (Nat’s Book Notes) (Book Episode) Alchemy (43:38) Shop Class as Soulcraft (1:05:26) People Mentioned: Tucker Max (0:57) Zach Obront (0:58) Morgan Housel (1:36) Seneca (2:42) Tim O’Reilly (34:03) Rory Sutherland (43:34) Chamath Palihapitiya (47:14) Nassim Taleb (1:03:49) Show Topics: 0:10 Our guest today is Andrew Lynch, long-time Made You Think listener from the UK who works as a finance director and writes about health, wealth, and wisdom on his website. 1:25 The book we're discussing today is the Quest of the Simple Life. This memoir by William Dawson is timeless, in that many of the thoughts and ideas expressed by Dawson in the early 1900s still ring true for many people in today's age.  5:12 It's difficult to find the perfect spot to settle in when you want to have everything: a nice piece of land, river views, proximity to what's important yet space away from everything. The homes that check all of your boxes are hard to come across, and often times not available. 9:01 Andrew shares some insights on the countryside areas that the author is moving to in the UK.  10:15 One problem with moving to the countryside that wasn’t mentioned in the book is the social aspect. Moving to the country often means less social interaction and more distance between yourself and your circle of people.  13:41 "There is none of that pleasant 'dropping-in' for an evening which is possible in country towns of not immoderate radius. Time-tables have to be consulted, engagement-books scanned, serious preparations made, with the poor result, perhaps, of two hours' hurried intercourse." The author makes the case that it’s actually easier to socialize in a smaller village than a big town because there’s less distance to travel, it's more condensed, and you're more likely to run into friends out and about in a smaller town. 16:56 A "third place" is somewhere (bar, coffee shop, social area) where you can run into friends without having to schedule anything. Unplanned social interactions. Nat talks about creating small town energy in a big town. 20:21 The social schedules that occur in college. It's ideal to have all of your friends living within the same few mile radius as you, and you're sure to have many natural encounters simply by visiting the popular places on campus. Andrew talks about social clubs and activities, such as Crossfit. Having connections within those places encourages you to go there more often knowing you will see people you're familiar with week-to-week. 22:43 Can you create a "third place" organically, and does it defeat the purpose if its not organic?  26:27 Nat, Neil, and Andrew discuss the tie between money and social life, as well as money and family size. When you have more money, having more children is no issue. You can afford more help and childcare, and you can keep up with your lifestyle even when your family size grows. Family size can also be bigger in lower income families because they tend to not frequently go out to eat, travel, and make big purchases. They don't have the luxurious life to keep affording. Where does this leave people in the middle? 30:11 Some people choose to stay closer to family and friends their whole life. Their location now has that built in social network. There's also those who move often, and are tasked with finding new friendships and connections wherever they move to. 32:13 "The thing that is least perceived about wealth is that all pleasure in money ends at the point where economy becomes unnecessary. The man who can buy anything he covets, without any consultation with his banker, values nothing that he buys." It’s easy to try and measure the success of your life on the money you have, and while it unlocks different opportunities, it’s not the be-all and end-all of our existence. Andrew makes a connection to a quote from Tim O'Reilly: "Money is like gasoline during a road trip. You don't want to run out of gas on your trip, but you're not doing a tour of gas stations." Money gives you more options and opens more doors, but the point of a road trip isn’t to accumulate as much gas as you can. 34:45 Commuting, work styles, and how things have shift post-Covid. Since this shift, it's tough for many businesses to justify employees having to come in at 8 hours per day. Blending of the office and the 3rd place, and how you can turn an office into a social, yet productive environment 38:58 What is the underlying dissatisfaction that gets solved by moving to the country? Nat points out that there aren’t better food options, there won’t be more people to meet, so what is it solving? Is it the outdoor life and nature of being in the country? "Those rare excursions which I took into the genuine country left me aching for days afterwards with an exquisite pain." Its arguably instinctive to want to be outdoors in nature. 41:17 "If I could choose for myself I would even now choose the life of pleasant alternation between town and country, because I am persuaded that the true piquancy and zest of all pleasures lies in contrast." The setup of having both, a little bit in the city and a little bit in the country. When someone finds they can’t have both at once, they take middle ground which is the suburbs. 46:00 “Men may chafe for years at the conditions of their lot without in any way attempting to amend them." The lesson here is to either make the most of your current situation, or take action on what you want to change. It may feel good to complain because you’re letting your frustration out, but in the end, no progress was made. It’s easy to whine but harder to do something about it. 51:17 We have to be honest with ourselves on the things we say we’ll do. Some things sound great on paper, and we hope to accomplish them, but it doesn’t make us any better or worse of a person whether we accomplish it or not. 55:02 It’s important to remember that everyone has their own preferences. People share different preferences on whether they like to complete projects with others or work alone. We can’t compare ourselves to someone who has a totally different style than us.  56:58 Cost of living in the city vs. countryside. Money seems to "fall off" of you in the city as things are more pricy. Little purchases add up because in a city, there’s so many more little places that you can spend your money throughout the day. 59:16 Neil and Andrew share some outdated sayings and beliefs in the book. 1:02:52 Physical labor around the house is just as good as exercising, and you also get something else out of it. When you renovate your house and take on some of the physical projects yourself, you get to see the outcome of the work you put in. It’s tangible.  1:08:12 Working with big companies vs. small companies. In most instances, it’s easier to see the difference you’re making in a small company. The company culture also differs based on company size. It's all about finding something to do that your heart is also in to. 1:12:21 Andrew and Neil share their biggest takeaways from the book. A few lessons they learned: So much of what we choose is not for ourselves, but of what others will think about it. Make decisions based on what's best for you. Using money as a metric isn’t the best way to think. Don't force yourself to do work that you don’t like. Spend more time outdoors. Be more deliberate. 1:19:00 Thanks for listening! Make sure to grab a copy of The Quest of the Simple Life as well as The Dictator's Handbook if you’d like to read up before our next episode. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We'll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

Made You Think is back! And if you heard our previous update episode from a few weeks ago, consider this the Update 2.0 on what's to come for the podcast. We are excited to bring you new episodes this year, so stay tuned and follow our show on Spotify so you don't miss an episode. In this episode of Made You Think, Nat and Neil cover a wide range of topics including: The rapidly growing world of Crypto and Web3 Podcasting 2.0 - How you can further support your favorite podcast hosts  The Anti-work movement How the pandemic has exposed the fragility in supply chains Corruption in Congress  And much more. Make sure to follow Neil and Nat on Twitter and give some suggestions on what books you'd like us to cover. We hope you enjoy this episode! Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the show: Solidity (5:05) Solana (7:36) Avalanche (7:39) Polygon (7:40) MYT #7: A Crash Course in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Cryptocurrency (7:58) MYT #11: This Podcast Will Save Your Life: Emergency by Neil Strauss (10:26) Wild Planet (11:54) Podcasting 2.0 (12:16) Anchor (12:40) Adam Curry - The Joe Rogan Experience (13:06) Lightning Network (13:21) New CEO of Twitter, Parag Agrawal (15:31) Neil’s Twitter thread of quotes (19:03) Anti-work Reddit (19:22) Over 40% of New Stores Opening in the U.S. Are Dollar Stores (28:05) The Next: Justin Mares (30:28) EatWild (30:30) MYT #48: UBI Q&A. A Conversation with Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang (42:01) Fountain (44:06) Books Mentioned: Emergency by Neil Strauss (10:22) [Podcast Episode] Gulag Archipelago (22:11) [Neil's Twitter Thread] The Fourth Turning (35:54) Dictator’s Handbook (43:02) The Quest of the Simple Life (43:07) People Mentioned: Nader Dabit (4:25) Adam Curry (13:04) Parag Agrawal (15:16) Jack Dorsey (15:25) Nancy Pelosi (39:14) Andrew Yang (42:01) Show Topics 0:00 We’re back again! Neil and Nat catch up and fill you in on what’s to come for the Made You Think podcast. 1:02 Security in cryptocurrency; Nat shares an error he made early on in crypto that ended up costing him. While there is lack of good educational material in this space, one way you can learn crypto programming is reading open source smart contracts. 5:48 The speed at which Web3 is moving makes it near impossible to keep up with every new thing going on. The key is to pick a niche or chain to stay on top of. Since the bull run of 2017, so many uses of cryptocurrency have been uncovered. 10:18 Neil and Nat talk about their favorite survival foods and reflected briefly on their Emergency episode.   12:11 What is Podcasting 2.0? You can now tip podcast creators directly using the lightning network. Think Patreon, but without any centralized authority.  19:22 There’s now a growing group of people who are anti-work. Neil and Nat discuss wealth disparity in the U.S. and how inflation has played a role. 24:55 Being a small business owner has its many challenges. Between the failure to prosecute crimes against small businesses and the hardships faced by store owners over the past two years of Covid, it’s the smaller businesses who are having to close their doors permanently.  29:00 Fragility of supply chains. This affects prices of products at grocery stores as well as the consumers who choose which products to buy, especially those with lower incomes. 33:09 Given the many systemic issues mentioned in the episode, Nat and Neil chat about the competency of our leaders to solve the problems the country is facing. A significant change is needed, but it’s currently unknown what’s it going to take and how long. 38:15 Neil briefly discusses some ideas found in the Dictator’s Handbook. Differences in authoritarian vs. democratically-elected systems. Corruption, lying, and our current system. Is the system too far gone? (Flashback to our Andrew Yang episode!) 42:47 Thank you for listening! Hear what’s next for the Made You Think podcast and make sure to grab your copies of The Quest of the Simple Life and The Dictator's Handbook if you’d like to read up before our next episode. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We'll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. Until next time!

Hey everyone, this is an update episode.  Made You Think is coming back this month! The biggest change is that Nat will not be a co-host on most episodes moving forward, due to other time commitments. Instead, we'll have other co-hosts on each episode, some of whom you've heard on the show before.  For those that want to follow along, the next two books we're covering are: The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics by Alastair Smith and Bruce Bueno de Mesquita The Quest of the Simple Life by William James Dawson You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We'll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads.   Learn more about Podcasting 2.0 here: https://medium.com/@everywheretrip/an-introduction-to-podcasting-2-0-3c4f61ea17f4 If you need help setting up your wallet, DM Neil on Twitter at @therealneils and he'll help you get started.  As usual, if you have any book or content recommendations, we'd love to hear them. Excited to be back! 

“Even today, what to study and how to study it are more important than where to study it and for how long. The best teachers are on the Internet. The best books are on the Internet. The best peers are on the Internet. The tools for learning are abundant. It’s the desire to learn that’s scarce.” - Naval Ravikant In this episode of Made You Think, Nat and Neil are joined by Eric Jorgenson. Eric is a writer, product strategist, and author of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant.  We cover a wide range of topics including: How Eric came to the idea of writing The Almanack What Eric's biggest lessons and takeaways were from authoring this book What topics didn't end up making the final cut  The future of education and online courses The idea of leverage and how it can be used And much more. If you haven't already, make sure to check out our last episode where we talked in great depth about The Almanack and discussed our key takeaways from the book. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a tweet to Nat, Neil, and Eric! Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Previous MYT Episode (0:35) Naval on Shane Parrish's podcast (2:27) Readwise (10:30) Bonus Section: Education (27:07)  Building a Second Brain (32:22) Lambda School (32:55) How To Think Like Elon Musk - Made You Think Episode (44:37) SpaceX (45:40) Books Mentioned The Almanack of Naval Ravikant Debt: The First 5000 Years (11:23) Infinite Jest (13:58) (Nat's Book Notes) (Book Episode pt. 1) (Book Episode pt. 2) Vagabonding (52:02) (Nat's Book Notes) People Mentioned Naval Ravikant Trevor McKendrick (7:38) Elon Musk (41:41) Tim Ferriss (50:40) Show Notes: 0:52 - Eric Jorgenson, author of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, shares how his idea of writing the book came to be. 5:35 - From the start, Eric knew he didn’t want it to just be a summary book. How he was able to hone in on the writing style of the book to capture the interest of his readers all the way through. 9:20 - Highlight density. Using highlight data to estimate book quality. Skipping chapters and not finishing books. 14:14 - Eric’s key takeaways from the book and what knowledge he has carried away from writing it. The importance of equity, accountability and leverage. We have the tendency to want to do everything ourselves rather than to create systems and put the pieces together. 19:04 - How Twitter and other social media usage affects mindset and energy. Discussions of Naval’s Twitter usage and utilizing it as an outlet for his unfiltered thoughts and ideas. 21:56 - What were the communication patterns between Naval and Eric during the creation of The Almanack? 24:05 - The variety and depth of Naval’s ideas. Eric allowed himself to take time to dive in and explore these topics to let them sink in before writing about it. 26:02 - One topic that didn’t make the final cut was Education. Naval has talked about the flaws within the education system as well as the future of education. If you’re curious to read more, you can find that here! The rise of online courses and the potential for digital course creators. When you’re learning locally, you have the best person in the area teaching you. When you’re learning on a platform that’s global, you’ll be learning from the best of the best, plus increased accessibility. 32:44 - The future of online learning and career preparation is promising. How will the online course market grow within the upcoming decades? Tiktok education in the format of 60 second videos shot from your phone. 37:45 - English as the language of business and the history of the qwerty keyboard. 40:50 - If Eric could write about another influencer of thought, who would it be? 42:10 - Elon Musk, PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX. Writing a biography about Elon Musk: he has a hefty list of accomplishments but his principles and concepts are timeless. 48:24 - What do we know about Naval’s relationships and family? His ideas and concepts are what he is widely known for, so not much is known about his personal life. 53:53 - Eric’s next steps includes creating a course to help build a framework on this idea of leverage that Naval often speaks about. 57:01 - Leverage can be utilized at a personal, managerial, and company level in many different ways. Productivity of a company is no longer about how many employees there are. People leverage. 1:01:59 - Pick up a copy of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant on Amazon, follow Eric on Twitter, visit navalmanack.com, and follow along with upcoming projects on Eric's website! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! Find us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason. The best way to stay up to date on future episodes and show updates is to join our email list at Made You Think Podcast. Check out ways you can support the show here!

“My old definition was "freedom to." Freedom to do anything I want. Freedom to do whatever I feel like, whenever I feel like. Now, the freedom I'm looking for is internal freedom. It's “freedom from." Freedom from reaction. Freedom from feeling angry. Freedom from being sad. Freedom from being forced to do things. I'm looking for "freedom from," internally and externally, whereas before I was looking for “freedom to." On this episode of Made You Think, Nat and Neil discuss The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson, Jack Butcher, and Tim Ferriss. This book contains insights to wealth and happiness according to investor and entrepreneur, Naval Ravikant. From Naval's podcasts and essays to tweets and interviews, his collection of wisdom is put into one piece of writing, sparking great conversations and discussions from Nat and Neil (and tangents of course!) We cover a wide range of topics including: The relationship between wealth and happiness How Naval frames the idea of mental peace Why tools and technology are essential in leveraging the online space Differences between being a contrarian and a conformist Angel investors vs. early investors And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat and Neil on Twitter to hear which book will be the topic of the next episode! Links from the episode Mentioned in the show Angel List (1:50) Product Hunt (5:27) Social Capital in Silicon Valley (8:08) Honeycomb Credit (10:14) Aurochs Brewing (10:39) Facebook Bitcoin Ads and Scams (12:44) Happiness and Income(17:30) Growth Machine (31:56) The Systems Mindset (34:57) Effortless Output in Roam (38:16) Forte Labs (39:36) Open Innovation Leads (42:41) Books mentioned The Tower (20:00) (Book Episode) In Praise of Idleness (1:11:10) (Nat’s Book Notes) (Book Episode) Finite and Infinite Games (1:15:08) (Nat's Book Notes) (Book Episode) Denial of Death (1:15:23) (Nat's Book Notes) (Book Episode) Way of Zen (1:15:29) (Nat's Book Notes) (Neil's Book Notes) (Book Episode) Letter From a Stoic (1:15:35)(Nat's Book Notes) (Book Episode) Psychology of Human Misjudgments (1:15:47) (Book Episode) People mentioned James Altucher (12:44) Dave Chapelle (21:40) Show notes 0:34 - Today, Nat and Neil are discussing The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson, Jack Butcher, and Tim Ferriss. This book is based off of interviews, podcasts, tweets, and other content from Naval Ravikant, exploring his worldview and how he perceives different ideas such as wealth and happiness. Additionally, Naval is a well-known investor and former CEO of AngelList.  5:51 - Angel investors vs. early investors. The reasons why someone may choose to invest early in a growing company, with one of those reasons often being to increase your social capital. 10:15 - Small business crowdfunding. How a brewing company in Pennsylvania leverages their customers and local community. 12:20 - Naval was also into cryptocurrency, and co-founded a cryptocurrency hedge fund with his brother, Kamal. He's what they call a Twitter philosopher, and is able to provide timeless wisdom into small packages that resonates with a lot of people. 16:50 - “Let's get you rich first. I'm very practical about it because, you know, Buddha was a prince. He started off really rich, then he got to go off in the woods.” Is there a link between increased wealth and happiness? Wealth first, so you can have the freedom to say ‘no’ to things that don’t make you happy, and from there you can build a happier life. 22:01 - “To me, the real winners are the ones who step out of the game entirely, who don't even play the game, who rise above it. Those are the people who have such internal mental and self-control and self-awareness, they need nothing from anybody else.” Money and fame. It’s hard to say no to money, and at what point do you say no to something? Examples of public figures who have stepped out of the public eye. 24:59 - Earlier in Naval’s career, he was quick to temper, and it’s been a big goal to get that under control. It can be hard to balance business and mental peace, especially when you’re at the level that Naval is. 28:18 - The idea of “Freedom from” comes back into play here. Having more control of people who you work with and work for, and wealth gives you the power to say ‘no’ to things that make you unhappy or drain your energy. Clearing up mental space. 33:42 - It’s important to use automation and outsource repetitive work to save your resource of time, which ultimately allows you to scale your income. “Technology democratizes consumption but consolidates production.” 38:07 - Leveraging online tools. The nearly unlimited scalability of an e-product or online course. There’s real value in having an audience of supporters and an email list. 44:05 - “Learn to sell, learn to build. If you can do both, you will be unstoppable.” The two go hand-in-hand when you can learn to build things that can sell itself effortlessly while you sleep. The broader definition of ‘sell’ includes marketing, too. “The year I generated the most wealth for myself was actually the year I worked the least hard and cared the least about the future. I was mostly doing things for the sheer fun of it. I was basically telling people, "I'm retired, I'm not working." Then, I had the time for whatever was my highest valued project in front of me. By doing things for their own sake, I did them at their best.”  This ties back in with the idea stepping out of the game, it’s more difficult to do if you’re trading your time for money. 50:55 - Code and media are both extremely scaleable. A one-time creation of a video, podcast, course, etc. can be accessible and profitable for years to come with little to no additional effort on the part of the creator. 52:53 - Product revenue vs. ad revenue. 53:39 - Made You Think custom themed Yeti or merch? Tweet us @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason! 54:55 - The price of a paycheck and the reward that freedom brings. What’s more valuable to you: freedom, money, or can you ultimately have both? 58:29 - “One day, I realized with all these people I was jealous of, I couldn't just choose little aspects of their life. I couldn't say I want his body, I want her money, I want his personality. You have to be that person. Do you want to actually be that person with all of their reactions, their desires, their family, their happiness level, their outlook on life, their self-image? If you're not willing to do a wholesale, 24/7, 100 percent swap with who that person is, then there is no point in being jealous.” You don’t see the ‘behind the scenes’ of someone else’s life, especially when you only know what they put on social media. Jealousy and comparison. Think about what you would lose if you were to actually switch lives with somebody else. 1:00:35 - The difference between being a contrarian and a conformist. Beliefs you took in a ‘package’ should be reevaluated individually. Thinking for yourself rather than minimizing yourself to fit into a certain box or group of beliefs. 1:06:18 - Signaling. Deliberate signaling to filter who ends up around you, but signaling can also be inadvertent. Political signals. 1:10:50 - Rapid fire quotations from the book… and go! 1:17:24 - One last paradox - how is Naval so big on peace of mind yet so active on Twitter? 1:19:22 - Make sure to grab a copy of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant and tell Eric Jorgenson and Naval Ravikant how much you enjoyed this episode. Follow us on Twitter to find out what book we are reading next! And tweet us about some potential MYT swag ideas... If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! Find us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason. The best way to stay up to date on future episodes and show updates is to join our email list at Made You Think Podcast. Check out ways you can support the show here!

From a fundamental biophysical perspective, both prehistoric human evolution and the course of history can be seen as the quest for controlling greater stores and flows of more concentrated and more versatile forms of energy and converting them, in more affordable ways at lower costs and with higher efficiencies, into heat, light, and motion. Energy and Civilization by Vaclav Smil provides an explanation of energy in its relation to society. Smil dives deeply into the history of energy. From scavenging and foraging to the modern uses of water, wind, and solar power, energy drives every existing thing in today's world. Interestingly enough, it's difficult to place what exactly energy is, as it's not as tangible as other forms of measurement. Nat and Neil discuss their key takeaways from this book in today's episode of Made You Think. We cover a wide range of topics including: Survival features that are unique to humans  Energy density of different foods, and how diet has adapted over time  Pre-historic methods of gathering food efficiently Renewable and non-renewable resources  Technological advancements in transportation  And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat and Neil on Twitter to hear which book will be the topic of the next episode! Links from the episode Mentioned in the show Nat's Youtube channel (1:27) Bitcoin episode with Taylor Pearson (8:24)  Only humans sweat(18:32)  Flood Myth (28:59) Protein Poisoning (36:40)  Crime hypothesis (1:07:25)  Traffic and infant health(1:08:47)  China air quality in COVID (1:17:17)  Hiroshima (1:20:07)  List of Nuclear Disasters  (1:20:49)  Medical errors (1:27:35)  Boom unveils its first prototype (1:38:56)  Books mentioned The Prize by Daniel Yergin (6:15) The Fish That Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen (7:03) (Nat's Book Notes) Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (9:44) (Nat's Book Notes) (Book Episode pt. 1) (Book Episode pt. 2) Scale by Geoffrey West (9:45) (Nat's Book Notes) (Book Episode) The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant (12:15) (Nat's Book Notes) The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant (14:06) (Nat's Book Notes) Smoke Signals by Martin A. Lee (1:29:51) (Nat's Book Notes) (Book Episode) The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris (1:33:43) (Book Episode) People mentioned Bill Gates (8:07) Richard Feynman (17:05) Show notes 0:16 - Thank you for the support of the Made You Think podcast! Nat and Neil dive into discussion on the book Energy and Civilization by Vaclav Smil this week. If you’re curious to pick up a copy, you can do so here. 8:33 - Energy and Civilization discusses how energy has shaped the progress of humanity and the history of civilization as humans harness more and more energy. Energy drives everything in today’s world from basic human activity to the technological advances throughout time. 13:06 - Is growth limited by the energy that could be harnessed? The author uses energy as his lens to viewing the growth and history. 14:58 - Energy and Pre-history. By nature, humans are made to conserve energy. It’s shown in many everyday tasks such as walking on two legs rather than four and regulating our body heat by sweating. Energy is essential to everything, however it’s hard to place what exactly energy is, as it’s not as tangible as other forms of measurement. 18:13 - Ability to exercise and sweat. Humans are the only species that sweats. While many animals lose water to cool down in the form of panting, humans can do so at a much higher rate through sweating. The idea of a panting threshold in running, and how training can increase how long you can run without panting. Different factors in exercise such as physique, body weight, and training style. 24:09 - Temporary dehydration. Humans can function being dehydrated better than animals, and that ultimately benefits our species from a survival standpoint. Humans’ ability to live in different climates as compared to animals who may only live in a certain temperature range. 30:14 - Energy density of different foods. How diets differ between species based on their need for nutrients and what is essential for their survival. Additionally, energy expended while hunting and gathering also needed to be considered. Energy cost vs. energy returned. Is what you are consuming enough to cover the work you did to hunt or gather the food? 40:47 - Farming, foraging and pasturing. Early farming typically required higher energy input when compared to foraging, but it also could provide a more reliable food supply and support a higher population. Pasturing can also be argued as highly reliable and fairly energy-efficient. 44:06 - Traditional farming. Domesticated animals such as dogs and horses, and the way they have co-adapted with humans. Their partnership with humans in farming and companionship. Evolving to modern foods and diet. 50:05 - Prime movers and fuels. This section of the book talked about a variety of energy types such as water power, wind power, gunpowder, biomass fuels, wood, charcoal, etc. Being efficient with the resources that are available. Are there tools or pieces of knowledge that have been forgotten or lost from the previous society? 57:49 - Use of charcoal and it’s importance in pre-historic times. Various amounts of energy used in different methods of cooking. 1:01:32 - Renewable and nonrenewable resources. The oil industry. Oil sands in Canada reserve around 165 billion barrels. 1:07:25 - Nat shares about the hypothesized link between elevated lead levels in children and crime rate in the U.S. in the late 1900s. Neil discusses a study linking E-ZPass with reduced prematurity and low birth weight in infants whose birth givers lived within 2km of a toll plaza. Possible implications of air pollution. Use of alternate means of energy such as solar power. 1:12:12 - The reality vs. the narrative in oil supply and energy. Fluctuation of prices. The journey from fossil fuels to renewable energy; viewing it as a transition rather than a light switch. The author talks about the advantages of using fossil fuels in comparison to using the natural elements for an energy source. 1:16:54 - COVID’s effect on air quality and cleanliness. 1:17:38 - "No terrestrial civilization can be anything else but a solar society dependent on the sun’s radiation.” Not only are living beings dependent on the sun’s radiation but other forces such as wind and water flow as well. The sun has always been a source of energy. 1:18:26 - Nuclear energy. The first nuclear reactors were for submarines. From there, they were used on land to generate power. When we think about nuclear energy, people are quick to picture the dangers of it and the atomic bombings. 1:21:35 - Metrics surrounding death and death reporting. Excess death rate in the COVID era has gone down in many cities due to people staying in, overall less driving, decreased going out and drinking. Medical mistakes; when is it necessary for one to go to the hospital? 1:28:52 - Supercharged political issues: nearly every topic out there involves a split in views or invokes a reaction from many people. Marijuana, taxes, gun control, COVID. Legality across different states. 1:37:06 - Fossil fuel civilization. The speed of innovation, especially in the 20th century. Advancements in forms of transportation such as jets and airplanes, and the largely increased energy usage in comparison to the previous century. Software innovation has seen quicker growth than hardware innovation in the past few decades. So much of it has been in our phones or in the digital space. 1:44:32 - When we think about the future in energy and development, which companies and innovations will be leading? Nat and Neil share their final thoughts of the book. 1:47:10 - Thanks for listening! If you’d like to support the Made You Think podcast, you can leave a review, share with a friend, and stay tuned for future episodes. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! Find us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason. The best way to stay up to date on future episodes and show updates is to join our email list at Made You Think Podcast. Check out ways you can support the show here!  

Scale by Geoffrey West focuses on the the principles and patterns connecting the ways that cities, organisms, and companies grow. West, a theoretical physicist, studied the way in which sizes of mammals related to their life expectancy, and further connected these laws to the growth and longevity of cities and the world of business. Nat and Neil unpack these laws and principles on today's podcast episode. We cover a wide range of topics including: The idea of '1 billion heartbeats' per lifetime How COVID has impacted growth of cities and business Human life expectancy Paradigm shifting innovations Growth in its relation to socioeconomic factors And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Scale by Geoffrey West! Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Readwise (0:02) Antilibrary (Umberto Eco) (4:41) Evernote (1:07) Notion (1:07) Roam (1:07) Airr (8:58) Of Mice and Elephants: A Matter of Scale (21:08) Steve Jobs introduces WiFi…with a hula hoop! (48:43) Books mentioned Seeing Like A State by James C. Scott (7:36) (Nat’s Book Notes) Antifragile (7:40) (Nat’s Book Notes) (Book Episode) The Blueprint for Armageddon by Dan Carlin (8:48) The Startup Gold Mine (Neil Soni) (13:05) Scale by Geoffrey West (14:08) (Nat’s Book Notes) Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett (27:08) (Nat’s Book Notes) (Book Episode) The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch (30:05) (Nat’s Book Notes) (Book Episode) The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (35:31) (Nat’s Book Notes) Happy Accidents by Morton Meyers (59:02) (Nat’s Book Notes) (Book Episode) In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell (1:17:44) (Nat’s Book Notes) (Book Episode)   People Mentioned Umberto Eco (4:41) Dan Carlin (8:48) Geoffrey West (14:08) David Deutsch (27:03) Daniel Dennett (27:08) Arthur Clarke (50:14) Nassim Taleb (1:29:30) Show notes: 0:27 - Using Readwise to gather your notes to export to other sites. Scanning book pages of physical books. Nat and Neil discuss their preferences surrounding digital vs. physical books. 6:32 - Re-reading books. The difficulty of finding a ‘mind-blowing’ book to read. If you have any book recommendations for a future podcast episode, send them our way! 8:45 - Airr - Highlight audio as you listen to podcasts. How to make podcast listening more educational for yourself. Purposes of podcasts can be both educational and entertaining. The massive market for “How To” content. 14:08 - This week’s episode is on the book Scale: The Universal Laws of Life, Growth, and Death in Organisms, Cities, and Companies by Geoffrey West. The book talks about how things grow, continue to grow, decline in growth, or decay. The author primarily focuses on growth of organisms, cities, and companies, as the book title suggests, but also within these large structures are smaller substructures that grow and change, too. Some of the same laws of growth apply in seemingly different systems. 20:31 - There are many things that scale along with size that are not growing at a 1:1 ratio. The number of heartbeats in a specific mammal’s life is roughly the same across species. Neil describes an article in which each species receives an average of 1 billion heartbeats per lifetime. The heart rate varies on size of the being. Different lifespans between species. From an objective standpoint, an elephant tends to live longer than a mouse, but subjectively, do life spans feel the same length to each individual creature? 23:45 - How humans fit into this research of lifespan vs. body size. Differences in lifespan pre-technology vs. today’s era. Life extension - whether or not the maximum life expectancy can be extended. The age of 125 seems to be the maximum at this point according to West. 28:02 - Entropy and natural decay in the cell’s ability to replicate. You can bring things from disordered back to ordered, and with that creates externalities. Example: the waste created when we use the bathroom. Are there ways to minimize that?   30:46 - “The problem is that the theory also predicts that unbounded growth cannot be sustained without having either infinite resources or inducing major paradigm shifts that reset the clock before potential collapse occurs. We have sustained open-ended growth and avoided collapse by invoking continuous cycles of paradigm shifting innovations, such as those associated on the big scale of human history with discoveries of iron, steam, coal, computation, and most recently digital information technology.” (pg. 31) This quote is talking about finite-time singularity. This leads into a discussion in paradigm shifting innovations in today’s world. Resetting the paradigm clock. 35:45 - The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin - One thing brought up in this book is that humans, technologically, are an exponentially developing species. Geoffrey West brings up the possibility of hitting a wall and running out of paradigm shifts. To continue growing at an exponential rate, do we have to keep discovering this innovations at an exponential rate? 37:12 - Growth and the way society is structured. A shrink in population would pose the issue of how a generation smaller in numbers would have to be paying Social Security for the generation above them. Continued growth is ‘built-in’ to the system, and if it doesn’t grow at the anticipated rate, a collapse is possible. 41:09 - Across different cultures and countries comes different values: community, family, the state, society, tradition, religion. In America, it’s perceived that one’s self is the most valued, also referred to as individualism. 45:06 - The release of new inventions and technology in the ‘80s and ‘90s: computers, digital cameras, cell phones, and laptops. From big, clunky, and colorless inventions to high-speed and attractive new pieces of technology. It becomes interesting to think about how unique and magical these inventions feel at the time they come out, and also how quickly the next piece of upgraded technology follows. 52:11 - There are products that improve and add more features at a higher rate, and products where that growth is not as rapid. As noted in the book, these paradigm shifts happen, there’s a massive spike, and new innovations slowly come from that spike. The spike jump starts the innovations, and the innovations slow until there’s another spike. 54:26 - Discussions over whether COVID will bring a new spike. There have been many changes in our society with the way we work, make money, education, etc. that it poses the question on what will follow. Making use of underutilized resources. It comes down to what is more efficient. 56:34 - Intellectual capital has been opened up in a new way since COVID, as we are no longer expected to be in the same place. The downfall of Silicon Valley between COVID, remote work, and being on literal fire. With people working remotely now more than ever, it seems to point us in the direction of growth in the digital space and information innovation. 1:00:07 - How these changes in the way we live and work will affect the scaling laws discussed in the book. Urbanization in the U.S. People moving out of big cities. Changes in the way companies and their employees are now working. 1:06:05 - Companies and their current policies: remote, in-person, or a mixture of both. Depends on the needs and what industry they are in. Coworking spaces and working remotely around people, without actually working with them. 1:10:10 - Human’s ability to regulate their internal body temperature. West brings up global warming, and how an increase of 2 degrees Celsius could increase the pace of all biological lives by 20-30% - living and dying faster. Inversely, if you could lower your own body temperature by 1 degree Celsius, you could enhance your life span by 10-15%. 1:14:32 - Growth of cities and its relation with socioeconomic factors: wages, innovation, crime, pollution, etc. “The multiplicative compounding of socioeconomic interactivity engendered by urbanization has inevitably led to the contraction of time. Rather than being bored to death, our actual challenge is to avoid anxiety attacks, psychotic breakdowns, heart attacks, and strokes resulting from being accelerated to death.” (pg. 332) 1:20:03 - Population size in cities and productively interacting with others - discussions on whether innovations can come from a city that stays stagnant or even decreases in size. Commute times and the ‘one hour’ rule. 1:25:03 - Shared ideologies from across the world without a way to bring those people together. Sense of community from these shared interests and ideas, even if there is no physical meeting place for all to share. 1:29:58 - The next book we will be reading and discussing is Energy and Civilization by Vaclav Smil. Feel free to pick up a copy of the book to read along with us before the next podcast episode! If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! Find us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason. The best way to stay up to date on future episodes and show updates is to join our email list at Made You Think Podcast. Check out ways you can support the show here!

Made You Think is BACK! In this episode of the podcast, Nat and Neil catch up after a year and a half hiatus. Their plan was to catch up on what’s been going on, but that didn’t happen as they ended up talking a lot about COVID, the economy, politics, some books they’d read, and a whole lot more. We cover a wide range of topics, including: The rise of Tiktok and Twitter Media coverage and confirmation bias Cargo cult science and research in the Health field How COVID has affected the workplace Our take on schools reopening And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to stay tuned for future episodes! Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Oatly Article (18:15) Subreddit: Not the Onion (46:06) Cargo cult science (59:03) ALS (1:08:09) Right To Try Law (1:10:34) Uyghur Muslims (1:20:46) Operation Mockingbird (1:23:00) Wealth Disparity (1:32:11) Airtable (1:43:26) Zapier (1:43:27) Roam Research (1:43:50) (Nat's Blog Post) Notion (1:44:00)   Books mentioned Infinite Jest (4:08) (Book episode) Discipline & Punish (5:26) (Book episode) The Denial of Death (5:41) (Book episode) Hiroshima Diary (5:45) (Book episode) Atlas Shrugged (11:02) (Book episode) You Are A Badass (12:42) Outliers (12:44) How to Lie with Statistics (50:22) Scale (1:44:58)   People mentioned Kanye West (5:26) (Album Notes) Dan Carlin (9:58) Jen Sincero (12:42) Mark Manson (13:32) Jeff Nobbs (19:03) David Perell (22:13) Steve Jobs (26:38) Sam Harris (40:20) The Riddle of the Gun (Book episode) Donald Trump (51:29) Nancy Pelosi (51:30) Richard Feynman (59:06)   Show Topics 3:05 - Nat and Neil catch up and reflect on past podcast episodes. How like-minded people have connected over Made You Think (MYT) podcast with nearly 250,000 downloads. The future of MYT and what listeners can expect from the podcast.   9:28 - Podcasts as well as other forms of media have evolved in what it takes to be successful and keep their audience interested. Between making things ‘pop’ and sticking to their roots, authors and artists alike need to balance making money and doing the work they want to do.   14:12 - The rise of popularity in Twitter and Tiktok in both regular users and those looking to earn. Discussions of other social media platforms and how they have evolved in popularity.   19:33 - The price of being an influencer: receiving more criticism over the Internet, nearly everything you say can be taken out of context, internal battles with your mindset. Having a large following can come with downsides, but there are ways you can respond that are helpful and productive.   27:26 - Recognizing what people are trying to get from critical comments or responses. How to respond, diffuse, or block out the incoming negativity on social media. It’s easy to think they’re coming at you from a place of dislike, when it could be for attention, for conversation, or for clarification on a topic.   32:24 - What’s real vs. what’s not? Social media can easily distort our senses about what is going on. Covid, riots, media coverage and confirmation bias. We are quick to discard information that doesn’t match the beliefs of ideas that we support. It’s important to recognize the bias in order to have the discussion.   40:02 -  Stereotypes. Media can paint the picture that a certain idea is contained in an idea set, and if you believe one idea from the set, you believe all within the set. Overlap between ideas are assumed   43:05 - Mask usage during the Covid times. The term ‘anti-masker’. Different states have different laws regarding masks. As of August 10, Wisconsin’s state agency requires employees to wear masks even on Zoom calls   45:58 - With all that’s happening in the world, especially the year of 2020, it’s almost laughable we can’t tell real news from fake news. What institutions can we trust with the most up-to-date news?   50:15 - False information: fault of the media and those in positions of authority, or fault of the people? We want to be able to trust what we read and hear without needing to fact check everything.   55:25 - Health and nutrition research studies. The samples, methods, biases, and why those make a difference in the results of the study. Trials and results often only published when it is in your favor or confirm what it is that you wanted to prove.   59:10 - Richard Feynman’s speech on the dangers of cargo cult science. Feynman’s tells of a tribal society who often received supplies and materials from an airplane during war times. They tried to re-attain these goods by creating imitation runway landings and bamboo radio antennas. Although they were doing all the preparation work to receive the supplies, they did not understand why it didn’t come. Science that lacks integrity, although looks “scientific” is what we call cargo cult science.   1:02:55 - Link between science and marketing. Funding a study that will produce results in your favor to appear more credible and support your message. Hydroxychloroquine and it’s supposed ability to treat Covid topic attracting strong opinions on social media, to the form of bot usage.   1:07:40 - Drug approvals and Right to Try law. Drug companies need to pass phase 3 testing to receive support from insurance companies, and also most report results from treatments of patients from the Right to Try law. Often times with those patients being extremely sick given their only option is to shell out the money without the help of insurance, it could hurt the chances of drug approvals.   1:13:57 - The rate at which the vaccine for Covid is coming vs. treatments for other diseases. There is the ‘hype’ element behind Covid mixed with the way lifestyle has been impacted by the virus that has pushed up the need to find a vaccine for it quickly.   1:17:58 - North Korea: Covid cases in Korea, the death hoax of Kim Jong-un, and North Korean wine.   1:20:01 - Number of cases in the U.S. and how we are perceived by other countries. Uighur concentration camps in China. Propaganda and distrust of media. What is propaganda within our country being spread and being exported out of the country? We have seen a lot of propaganda both for and against Trump during his presidency, that accelerated the distrust of media.   1:23:00 - Operation Mockingbird. While some of the information surrounding Operation Mockingbird is unconfirmed, it’s interesting to read into these theories regarding operations to eavesdrop on journalists, alleged CIA operations to manipulate news media for propaganda purposes, etc.   1:27:11 - Fearful mentality within our country stemming from the upcoming election, riots, protesting, and lingering worry from Covid.   1:30:02 - Reopening schools debate is becoming very politically charged. Not to mention the food distribution that schools provide. With families staying home, and many families disproportionately being affected by Covid, the question becomes how will they be able to physically attend their jobs while the children are home, and provide the extra 2 meals per day that the schools were supplying?   1:32:11 - Wealth disparity. The large companies are benefitting from the downfall of their smaller competitors from the decline of consumer demand due to Covid. Other companies with an online presence saw a boost in business as good and services moved online. The debate whether companies will stay remote long after the virus to lower company costs.   1:39:27 - With work moving online, this brings the option of hiring workers from overseas that’s lower in cost relative to the U.S. Cost of being an employee vs. employer.   1:42:22 - Tools for automation.   1:44:55 - Scale by Jeffrey West is the book used for the next podcast episode. Stay tuned for future episodes. We are happy to be back!   We're back with an off-topic episode of Made You Think after almost a year and a half hiatus. The plan was to catch up on what's been going on, but that didn't happen and we ended up talking a lot about COVID, the economy, politics, some books we'd read, and a whole lot more.   If you've missed us or are new to the pod, this is a great way to dive back in before our next real episode which should be out in a week or two.

Infinite Jest is a book meant to be an actively read –it’s meant to take a certain amount of work to finish it and try to figure out what’s going on. While David Foster Wallace, the author, spends words and words in beautiful descriptions, he purposefully omitted, exchanged, and told through the characters lenses parts of the story. In this episode Nat and Neil are going through some of the theories people have created to help understand the book. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Hal's relationship with the mold and DMZ Mario's ascendance References to Hamlet, 1984, and other books and authors If Infinite Jest will become a film A MYT classic: Aquatic Apes Theory! And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out the previous episode on Infinite Jest for more in-depth review of the book. Also, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, another of the longest books we read, that ended up filmed for a movie. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Reddit [3:20] Creative Commons [3:30] What Happens at the End of Infinite Jest? (or, the Infinite Jest ending explained) – Aaron Swartz Blog [3:40] Futurama [11:33] Pineapple Express [11:35] Aquatic Apes Theory [16:02] The Wraith – The Ambiguities Blog [20:11] Lost [23:40] John Wayne and Avril Conspiracy Theories [25:28] Medusa [33:36] Atlas Shrugged (film series) [40:30] Game of Thrones [43:00] The Office [45:10] Books mentioned Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (book episode) Hamlet by William Shakespeare [5:23] The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka [7:48] 1984 by George Orwell [26:50] The Pale King by David Foster Wallace [36:50] Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [46:38] (book episode) The Romance of The Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong [47:07] Les Miserables by Victor Hugo [47:10] War and Peace by Tolstoy [47:29] People mentioned David Foster Wallace Aaron Swartz [2:25] 0:00 – Spoiler Alert: this a commentary to Infinite Jest book. We discuss theories about those parts of the book that were left without There will be spoilers. Refer to the previous episode for more deep book review. 3:55 – Theory #1. The ghost/wraith is pretty obviously Hal’s father, the guy who made the Entertainment. He’s spirit was kind of resurrected by the radiation coming from the garbage dumped in the are he was buried. Allusions to Hamlet. JOI created Infinite Jest to take Hal out of his shell of silence. Unreliable narrators. 6:49 – Theory #2. DMZ or Madam Psychosis. The wraith steals the drug to give it to Hal via the toothbrush. Parallel with Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Hal’s experiences with the mold. He couldn’t communicate → Eats the mold → Communicates, but emotionless and stoic → Gets DMZ → Can’t talk again, but gains emotional complexity. 9:55 – Theory #3. Effects of marijuana withdrawal. Hal’s collapse and Gately’s help in the hospital. Digging up Hal’s father’s head. Connection with Gately’s vision. Hal, Gately, Joelle and John Wayne looking for the anti-Entertainment cartridge but it’s not there anymore. The suspect falls on Orin. How he new about it? Probably because of Joelle (they were dating). 13:21 – Weird theories around Avril, Hal-Orin-Mario’s mom. Apparently Avril is modeled after DFW’s mom. Theory #4. She is an A.F.R. or O.U.S. member, the secret terrorists or intelligence organizations. Affairs with John Wayne, Charles C.T. (stepbrother?). 16:10 – Theory #5. Orin, the oldest brother, fathered Mario with Avril. Avril can be the hand model. Orin doesn’t go to his father funeral. Other stories of parents abusing their sons. Who was in the car with Avril? 18:59 – Why was ghost Jim moving stuff around in the tennis academy? 19:59 – Theory #6. Why DFW uses the word wraith instead of ghost? The wraith explains to Don that it takes enormous effort for him to appear to Don: “Wraiths by and large exist (putting his arms out slowly and making little quotation-mark finger-wiggles as he said exist) in a totally different Heisenbergian dimension of rate-change and time-passage.”  Therefore, the wraith has to stand still for extremely long periods of time to appear at all to Don. 21:07 – Theory #7. Speculations that Jim ends up possessing Hal. 22:24 – Theory #8. How did DFW write the book? Did he mapped all out and then intentionally leave out specific sections so people can come up with theories? TV shows with open twists. Apparently Infinite Jest was longer. 24:53 – Theory #9. C.T. is Mario’s father. 25:23 – Theory #10. Avril and Luria are the same person. Theory #11. Orin didn’t die by the end of the book. 1984 flashbacks in the scenes with Luria. 27:08 – Mold in the basement. Mold that feeds on mold. Criticism against mold as a real thing, and more as a metaphor of the teens age difficulties. 29:33 – Theory #12. Did Hal watch the Entertainment or part of it? Doubts about how he got a copy of the movie. 31:11 – Theory #13. Hal has internally self synthesized DMZ because of the mold. 32:26 – Orin thought Joelle and Himself were lovers. Maybe that was because he didn’t want to attend his father funeral. Speculations about covering Joelle: is she disfigured or is she really so beautiful that needs to use a veil? How Joelle got acid in her face. Molly’s story. Joelle using a veil after filming Infinite Jest. 35:30 – What was the movie about? Things the reader is not allowed to know. Other DFW books. Difficulties explaining what’s the book about. Addiction and living passively. 40:00 – Would Infinite Jest make a good movie or not? Problems with Atlas Shrugged bad movie. Formats evolving after Netflix. Most of the value in Infinite Jest comes from the descriptions, not that much happens between the characters. Getting the chaotic feeling to a movie. DFW against an Infinite Jest movie. Longest books. Sierra Leone and Quebequian terrorists. 48:55 – If you enjoyed this weird episode of Made You Think, we appreciate any review on iTunes or if you share with your friends. If you didn’t like it, it’s OK, that’s an experiment, so go listen to a normal episode of the podcast. The previous episode about Infinite Jest is probably a much better introduction to the book than this episode. Find us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason and join the email list at Made You Think Podcast. The email list is the best way to stay up to date on future episodes and things that are going on with the show. Check out ways to support the show at madeyouthinkpodcast.com/support.  

“This wise old whiskery fish swims up to three young fish and goes, 'Morning, boys, how's the water?' and swims away; and the three young fish watch him swim away and look at each other and go, 'What the fuck is water?' and swim away.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. This is a huge novel taking time in a fictitious 2010 characterized by a non-conventional timeline and a lack of a plot. Despite it’s challenging structure and the fact of being a fiction, it has a lot of philosophical nuggets about particularly on the activeness vs passiveness way of living. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Hitting goals and sense of satisfaction Letting life happen to you while watching TV Accurate visions of the world in 2020 Best porno-like book titles How Nat & Neil broke and got back together 1-on-1 sports and their secondary effect on us And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, another book that critics how media and TV are ruining our lives, and The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey, another book that shows how tennis is not just about hitting balls with a racket. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Kindle (link Amazon) [8:06] iPad [9:10] Netflix [17:50] The Office [18:36] BoJack Horseman [19:50] Cup & Leaf [40:44] A Crash Course in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Cryptocurrency (crypto episode) [42:57] AA - Alcoholics Anonymous [50:30] Ad Blocker [1:05:56] The Trouble With Facebook by Sam Harris [1:06:25] Snapchat [1:07:26] Skype [1:09:10] Mushroom Coffee [1:14:50] University of Arizona [1:18:39] The College Dropout by Kanye West [1:32:20] (album episode) The Matrix [1:33:07] Primer [1:33:14] Books mentioned Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter [2:25] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Ulysses by James Joyce [7:16] Finnegans Wake by James Joyce [7:17] The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus [37:59] (book episode) Cleveland is King by Brendan Bowers [38:20] The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz [45:12] Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [46:37] (book episode) Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault  [46:47] (book episode) 12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan Peterson [46:55] (book episode) Strange Loops [47:07] (book episode) Mastery by Robert Greene [47:10] (book episode) Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman [47:16] (book episode) The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey [52:05] (book episode) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell [58:55] Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [1:15:19] (book episode) Elegant Complexity by Greg Carlisle [1:15:50] Hamlet by William Shakespeare [1:22:44] People mentioned David Foster Wallace Quentin Tarantino [18:10] Michael Schur [18:58] B.J. Novak [19:36] Kyrie Irving [38:15] LeBron James [38:50] Taylor Pearson [42:57] Trump [1:04:20] Sam Harris [1:06:25] Mattan Griffel [1:19:26] David Perell [1:28:23] James Joyce [1:30:00] Martin Scorsese [1:32:00] Kanye West [1:32:20] (College Dropout episode) Joe Rogan [1:35:41] Show Topics 0:00 – Spoiler Alert: it’s a fiction book, there will be spoilers. However, this is not a normal book. There is not much of a plot, so to say. This is probably a book intended to be re-read. It’s self referential, once you reach the end it intends you to go back to the beginning. 2:50 – The book doesn’t follow the timeline of events. If you are confused, congrats! That’s the point of the book :). The “missing” year is where most of the action takes. 3:35 – “Fiction is about what it’s like to be a f**cking human being”, David Foster Wallace. The central plot of our lives is just a narrative fallacy. The book gives a sense that it’s like life, in a weird way. Life is extremely complex, but we try to give it a narrative with sequential events. The characters don’t suffer a major transformation. The book ends right before all the crazy stuff is going to happen, but nothing happens yet. 6:26 – DFW intended the book to be an active work of fiction as opposed to just something you  seat back and read. There are more than 350 endnotes with essential information to the plot, so you can’t skip them. It’s highly suggested to read it on a Kindle because of them. 9:45 – There are no dates to anchor yourself on. The 10 years where the story takes place, they stop using numbers for the years, but a company’s name that sponsors or subsides that year (“subsidized time”). 11:23 – One of the central characters (that is barely referenced btw) created a movie that is so entertaining that people would watch it till they die. This movie is called “Infinite Jest”. Again, the book is chaotic and focus on the characters details rather than a story. Some parts start getting boring (eg. a kids tennis play) but you don’t want to skip them because something important is said in a couple of sentences. Random passages are really beautiful essays. 13:29 – It’s such a weird book to even talk about. It seems we are talking about a dream that we had. Supernatural characters (a ghost, a guy that levitates) may confuse you and make you doubt about your comprehension. 15:12 – Each chapter is made up of many subchapters, that can have from one sentence to 30 pages. Usually, the point of view is changed for any new subchapter, like into a different character who might be in a different place or even year or day. Sometimes you don’t know what day or character you’re getting drop in to until you’re a couple of pages into it, so it’s moving around a lot. 17:05 – What would the book like if it was written knowing Google exists? What would a movie about Infinite Jest be like? Tarantino could direct this movie. Michael Schur, co-producer and actor of The Office TV series owns the movie rights to Infinite Jest. There are many reference to the book and the author in The Office. Other TV show, BoJack Horseman, seems to be loosely based on this book. Addiction component in the book, and addiction issues that the author had. Psychological addiction to marijuana. 21:52 – Broader context of the main characters. There are basically three or four groups that have their own separate stories and those main groups intersect throughout the novel. There is the tennis academy. A particular family with 3 brothers, Hal, Orin and Mario. The addiction home next to the tennis academy. And the groups of terrorists together with those who are fighting them. The book is hilarious at many times, including laughing out loud funny and horrible tragic things at the same time. There are some absurd parts of the book, that are also very funny because of the way they are written. 26:04 – Weird plots. The wheelchair terrorists that want to kill Americans with a movie. The undercovered anti-terrorist agent that dresses like a woman. The male character enamored with “her”. Kid with his forehead stuck in a glass. The way Jim commits suicide sticking his head in a microwave. Hal tricking the psycho therapists having a major breakthrough. The list of people dying watching the film at one guy’s house. Death by passivity. Examples of characters that stuck between an easy passive life and the will of doing something bigger. 36:12 – Beautiful nonfiction parts. Discussion of kids hitting their goals: “one is that you attain the goal and realize the shocking realization that attaining the goal does not complete or redeem you, does not make everything for your life “OK ” as you are, in the culture, educated to assume it will do this, the goal. And then you face this fact that what you had thought would have the meaning does not have the meaning when you get it, and you are impaled by shock.” “It is more invigorating to want than to have”. Kyrie Irving, the basketball player, pissed off after winning everything with the Cavaliers. Finding new hills to climb instead of contenting of reaching the top. Happiness comes from the climb, not much from the achievement. Boredom aversion. Losing the impetus to perform after hitting your goals. Veterans missing the war. “If you’re worried you can feel safe, and if you feel safe you should be worried”. Books with porno titles. 47:34 – Infinite Jest is the fictional version of Amusing Ourselves to Death. Heavy critic on TV. Avoiding letting life happen to you, instead of an active life. Effects of the addiction phase, and breaking through it. Cleanse from addiction hero journey. Self improvement and infinite games found in 1-on-1 sports like tennis, box, or martial arts. Yes, you’re fighting against another player, but mainly the fight is against your brain. 53:53 – Transcending own limits. The opponent is yourself. Most characters are fighting an internal battle throughout the novel. Relationship between DFW and his editor. All typos were intentional. First and third person narrators through the book, and the relation to typos. 1:00:53 – The author sees irony almost like a safety valve that people use to avoid feeling real things. Mario, one of the characters, says (or thinks) “there is some rule that real stuff can only get mentioned if everybody rolls their eyes or laughs in a way that isn't happy.” Laughing to avoid deep conversations. In the book, the author takes serious things and wraps them in absurd and funny incidents to make them tolerable or digestible. 1:05:06 – Predictions of the internet. Advertising invading every surface and communication. Snapchat filters. The rise and fall of video calls: “the amazing things about phones is that you can be paying half attention while assuming the other person is giving you their full attention”. The problem of video calls. 1:12:48 – We broke. No, we haven’t, but we missed the opportunity. 1:15:01 – The support of the reading companion. Getting through the first pages of the book. To read or not to read Infinite Jest. Is it worth it? Signaling. Perceptions about the book, what they liked and what not. Nat: “it’s one of the most incredible books I’ve read that I never ever want to read again”. Neil compares this type of difficult to read books with beers. Endurance and feeling of accomplishment. 1:28:23 – The Infinite Jest Reader’s Club. Writers that want to prove how smart writers they are. Fashion designers showing off. Impressing your peers and justifying your professional existence. Kindle reading time estimation. DFW use of psychotropics. Worsts things of the book. 1:40:26 – Stay tuned if you want to listen to a more spoilered version of this book. Find us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason and let us know your version about what happened in the book. Leave a review and share it with your friends if you like the show. Join the email list at Made You Think Podcast, which is the best way to stay up to date on future episodes and things that are going on with the show. Check out ways to support the show at madeyouthinkpodcast.com/support.

Let us call the collection of these forces that push and pull at us from deep within human nature. Human nature stems from the particular wiring of our brains, the configuration of our nervous system and the way we humans process emotions, all of which developed and emerged over the course of the 5 million years or so of our evolution as a species. In this episode of Made You Think, Nat and Neil talk about The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene. The author examines human behavior and suggests that it can be explained by different laws. Each law is presented and described in details: what every law means in your life, what you should do with it, how you should interpret it, and how you should use it. We cover a wide range of topics, including: How humans really behave and how one should adapt to it Historical and contemporary examples to better understand each law How to apply each law to your life Why corporations don’t give much importance to Twitter (and it’s because of Trump) The effect of context on our mood and behavior (yes, Nazis and Twitter examples) Why you may feel miserable even with 1 billion in your account And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Mastery by Robert Greene, a fantastic book on sculpting your mind and your life in the pursuit of mastery, as well as Denial of Death by Ernest Becker, another book that delves into the idea that fearlessness is essential for individual success outside of a traditional path, and even within it.   Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we’re running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Irrationality [8:50] Self-awareness [10:37] Narcissism  [12:49] Role-playing [17:16] South Sea Bubble [32:22] Black Swan Preparation [33:05] Herd Mentality [35:16] Instagram Influencer [35:39] The Godfather [38:45] Matrix [39:25] Primer [39:42] Self-sabotage [44:01] Mueller Report [45:45] Around the Horn [46:58] Pardon the Interruption [47:08] Crossfire [47:40] UC Berkeley [49:00] Lyft [49:22] New York Times [49:50] QueensBridge Venture Partners [50:41] Nazi [53:17] College as an incubator of Girardian terror by Dan Wang [59:40] American Psycho [1:01:44] Theranos [1:05:38] Enron [1:07:41] Apple [1:06:13] Nat's Article: Increasing the Difficulty [1:09:29] Social Justice Warrior [1:12:07] Neil's Article: Entertainment Isn't Dumb [1:16:40] Netflix [1:16:51] Cup & Leaf [1:17:45] Estee Lauder [1:21:23] Taco Bell [1:22:09] Slacktivism [1:31:38] Star Trek [1:38:19] Books mentioned The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene Mastery by Robert Greene (book episode) [01:33] Antifragile by Nassim Taleb (Nat’s notes) (book episode) [1:34] Letters from a Stoic by Seneca (Nat's notes) (book episode) [1:35] The 50th Law by Robert Greene [03:00] The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene (Nat’s notes) [03:13] Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio (Nat’s notes) (book episode) [6:58] Poor Charlie's Almanack by Charlie Munger [10:11] What Every Body is Saying by Joe Navarro [17:42] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells [25:12] 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) [28:50] 12 Years A Slave by Solomon Northup [55:36] Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) [1:00:31] The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch (book episode) [1:29:26] Made in America by Sam Walton [1:32:30] The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker [1:34:45] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson [1:36:27] (Neil’s notes) People mentioned Robert Greene [01:15] Joe Rogan [07:55] Donald Trump [09:17] Charles T.  Munger [10:11] Bill Clinton [18:17] Barack Obama [20:07] George W. Bush [21:33] Sam Harris [24:41] Daniel Kahneman [24:42] David Wallace-Wells [25:12] Jordan Peterson [28:50] Isaac Newton [32:27] Fredo Corleone [38:45] Nas [50:20] Steve Jobs [1:06:13] Tim Ferriss [1:11:54] Seth Godin [1:22:31] Kanye West [1:25:37] Sam Walton [1:32:28] Ernest Becker [1:34:45] Ray Kurzweil [1:35:44] Show Topics 01:12 – Nat and Nate are major fans of Robert Greene. Takeaways from their top Robert Greene books, Mastery and The 50th Law. 5:12 – The laws of human nature is based on how humans act and behave and what one can infer about other people or learn about them based on their behavior. Each law goes in-depth on historical and contemporary examples. 8:50 – Law of Irrationality: You may think you are rational but you're not. The first step towards becoming rational is to understand our fundamental irrationality. We all fall into this trap of thinking that we're the rational ones and everyone else is irrational. Green believes that we all have irrational beliefs and the best way to become more rational is having that awareness of yourself that you are also not a fully rational creature. What stems out from irrationality is the conviction bias or superiority bias, where you think like you're better than everyone. The key to stop making irrational decisions is self awareness and reflection. Increase your reaction time: when some event or interaction requires your response, train yourself to step back. 12:50 – Law of Narcissism: Transform self love into empathy. The idea of healthy narcissism is everyone is a narcissist to some extent, but if you're healthy about it, you have a stronger, more resilient sense of self and can recover more quickly from wounds and insults. There is not much validation needed from others. Social media is the medium of overly narcissists. Also, there are two monologues happening sometimes on shows like podcasts where you just happen to be speaking at each other, but you're not really having a conversation. Everybody just wants to feel heard, that's why people are posting on social media.. 17:12 – Law of Role-playing: See through people's masks. Bill Clinton never lost sight of the fact that as president, he had to project confidence and power, but if he was speaking to a group of auto workers, he would adjust his accent and his words to fit the audience and he would do the same to a group of executives. Most of the time, trying too hard to adjust to your audience can be offensive. 21:38 – Law of Compulsive Behavior: Determine the strength of people's character. A lot of people do have some form of compulsion in how they act. The toxic types and drama magnets fall in this type of behavior. There are certain people, like in high school or in college, who always have drama no matter what's going on. The Laws of Human Nature can be read in two different ways – with the eye to learning more about other people or with an eye towards yourself. We go through Sam Harris’ interview of Daniel Kahneman and Joe Rogan's interview of David Wallace Wells, author of The Uninhabitable Earth. 26:43 – Law of Covetousness: Become an elusive object of desire. This law is very true for relationships, for instance, people who are using dating apps. The people you're connecting with on dating apps are always seemingly perfect, but then as you get to know them, you realize they're all human beings, they’re not perfect. Also, it states that if you don't give somebody too much information about yourself, then you have that air of mystery and they can project whatever they want to project onto you. In an era of so much advertising and marketing, it affects your decision-making, what is something that you actually want and what's something you need. We tackle the 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson, where he emphasizes on how many of our desires are actually internally-driven versus driven by what we're seeing other people do. 31:52 – Law of Short-sightedness: Elevate your perspective. It's basically civically training ourselves to detach from the heat of the moment. For any group or team, you kind of want someone in charge of revealing all the ways something could fail. Expecting the unexpected, the black swan preparedness. The concept of herd mentality, where you doubt your own logic in money and selfies. Take those Instagram influencers. 38:07 – Law of Defensiveness: Soften people's resistance by confirming their self opinion. Everyone thinks that they're autonomous and acting of their free will. Also, most think that they're intelligent and that they're good and decent. Regardless of whether or not those things are true, it behooves you to confirm people's beliefs in that about themselves. Fredo Corleone is a perfect example. He is the family idiot who also does some sleazy things and gets the family in trouble, but despite all of that and all the evidence staring him in the face, he still thinks he's an intelligent and good human being. Primer on being a Master Persuader: five strategies for instilling those beliefs in the people you're talking to. 42:50 – Law of Self-sabotage: Change your circumstances by changing your attitude. This part lists out a lot of bad mental routines people get into. When you see one of these self-sabotaging mentalities come out constantly from people, it makes it very hard to be around them. This happens in Twitter feed, where if you were constantly surrounded by political or hostile tweets or news, even if they're not directed at you, it changes your mood entirely. The click bait headlines confirming existing biases. 51:22 – Law of Repression: Confront your dark side. Part of the job in studying human nature is to recognize and examine the dark side of one’s character. You can't deny that there are going to be parts of your character that are bad. Seeking those out and figuring out where they're coming from can improve yourself to deal with those parts of your behavior. There's like very little genetic determination for whether you're a good or bad person. There may be some inclinations, but a lot of whether or not you become like a well-socialized or antisocial person is going to be from your environment and your upbringing. We dive in the two circumstances that can bring that type of thing out and study Nazi’s and slavery. Slave owners were not necessarily cruel individuals, it’s just that they were accustomed to such as they grow up. 57:53 – Law of Envy: Beware the fragile ego. This delves into how you can pick up on other people, the little things they say and do that convey some sense of envy or insecurity around you. Women talk about this a lot with other women but men are not exempted from this. The closer you are to other people, the more you will envy them and resent them. We touch on College as an Incubator of Girardian Terror by Dan Wang – how there is no clear sign of any diversity on college campuses. Also, there are different things that motivate people, and all these motivations are mashed up in our brains leading us to have different types of behaviors. The concept of Alpha dog, where it's more on status than the actual money itself. 1:04:58 – Law of Grandiosity: Know your limits. You should tie any feelings of greatness to your actual work and achievements in your contributions to society and not to something special about you because that's where it can get dangerous. A case in point is Theranos. If the projects you attempt are below or at your skill level, you'll become easily bored and less focused. If they are too ambitious, you will feel crushed by your failure. 1:10:18 – Law of Gender Rigidity: Reconnect to the masculine or feminine within you. Some of the things that you find attractive in the opposite sex is something that you need to develop within yourself. This is a good tool for introspection and personal development. Greene used these masculine and feminine traits as descriptors. Opposite traits complement one another. 1:13:13 – Law of Aimlessness: To advance with a sense of purpose. You'll be most motivated and happiest if you have a higher sense of purpose or mission that drives you on what you are doing as opposed to just following the direction or the goals of your parents for you and your peers. Purpose is doing something where you actually want to wake up and instantly start moving. People judge themselves if that sense of purpose isn't something big and special. 1:18:08 – Law of Conformity: Resist the downward pull of the group. Being aware that you're not immune to the way being in a group will change how you think. Notice how being around people changes the way you're behaving and thinking. Making decisions based on what you want think, not just what the group wants or thinks. LinkedIn launch table. Different groups hold different heuristics. Corporate America doesn’t use Twitter, they think it’s a Trump thing. 1:22:35 – Law of Fickleness: Make them want to follow you. You want to turn yourself into someone that people want to follow. There are three core things under this law: listening skills, dedicating yourself by respecting people's individual needs and proving that you're working for the greater good, and then taking the leadership as a huge responsibility and making sure that you're considering the welfare of the group as early on in your career as possible. Not letting other people categorize you so they will pay more attention trying to find out more about you. You want to develop the highest possible standards for your work and training yourself to be super aware of how your manner in tone are affecting the people around you. Reputation is going to play a really big role in whether or not you can succeed in becoming some kind of leader. The idea of sending mixed signals and showing qualities that are ever so slightly contrary. If you send mixed signals, if you're not allowing people to instantly categorize you, they're going to pay more attention because they're trying to figure you out. 1:26:10 – Law of Aggression: See the hostility behind the friendly facade. Too friendly person who you don’t actually know is irritating. We all have aggressive tendencies. Aggressiveness spectrum. Aggressiveness can be seen in sports too, and they can bring out that aggressive part in people who might not have thought they were aggressive. Everyone has an aggressive side, whether you exhibit it overly or passively, and your task is to not deny that you are aggressive, but to learn how you can channel it into something productive. Almost nothing in the world can resist persistent human energy. The trick is to want something badly enough that nothing will stop you or double your energy. And lastly, “most people engage at some cathartic release of their angers, some giant protest, and then it goes away and they slip back into complacency or become bitter”. 1:31:02 – Law of General Myopia: Seize the historical moment. Society moves in cycles of like kind of four generations. The first generation is that of revolutionaries who make a radical break with the past to establish new rules and create chaos. The second generation craves some order, and they want to stabilize the world and establish some new conventions in dogma. Then the third generation has little connection to the founders of the revolution and they're less passionate about it, they just want to make life comfortable and they don't want things to be getting upset. And lastly, the fourth generation feels society has lost its vitality and they're not sure what should replace it. The goal is to understand as deeply as possible the spirit of your generation, of the times that you live in. Learn how you can take advantage of it and how that has affected how you perceive the world. The premise behind Sam Walton’s Walmart. “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.” 1:34:35 – The Law of Death Denial: Meditate on your common mortality. Essentially, we don't like to think about the fact that we're going to die and that makes us act in ways that we might not. It causes us to buy into philosophies that will save us from that fact. We dive into the technological transcendence being the modern version of religion. No one is ever going to upload their brain into a computer. We must think of our mortality as a kind of continual deadline. We must stop fooling ourselves. We could die tomorrow and even if we live for another 80 years, it is but a drop in the ocean of the vastness of time and it passes always more quickly than we imagine. We have to awaken to this reality and make it a continual meditation. 1:41:31 – Find us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS and @nateliason and let us know what are yours thoughts about the book and the episode. Leave a review and share it with your friends if you like the show. Join the email list at Made You Think Podcast, that's the best way to stay up to date on future episodes and things that are going on with the show. Check our supporters at madeyouthink.com/support.  

If psychedelics are one thing we can all agree on, is that it will make a lot of people happy. There's a lot of people who could use a heavy dose of psychedelics to stop being angry. There's something about stepping outside of yourself and even up the reality that comes with these types of experiences that is getting even more useful in a culture that is becoming even more obsessed with the day to day and itself. In this episode of Made You Think, Nat and Mansal Denton talk about Food of the Gods by Terence McKenna. This is a fun book episode about Terence McKenna’s take on psychedelics. First of which is that because mushrooms or “shrooms” basically grow faster in Caledon it leads us to see respect and certain religious adoration towards animals and lastly, that psychedelics are originators of religion. We cover a wide range of topics, including: What are psychedelics and its misconceptions How the society take these substances into account Why animals seem keen into psychedelics How psychedelic substances are lowering the floodgates of one’s experience Terence McKenna’s TWO ideas on psychedelics How religion coincided with psychedelics Mansal’s authentic Ayahuasca experience and the hunt for a good Shaman And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Food of the Gods by Terence McKenna! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Smoke Signals by Martin A. Lee, a book about the history of marijuana and the war on drugs in the US. Check also The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell that talks about the origin of religions. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we’re running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Nootropedia [1:28] Nootropics [1:35] Psychedelics [1:39] OYASIN [1:46] Psilocybin mushroom/Magic Mushrooms “Shrooms” [4:28] MDMA for PTSD [4:30] DMT [11:43] Ayahuasca [11:59] Chacruna Leaves [13:37] N,N-DMT [13:49] 5-MeO-DMT [14:00] LSD [15:39] Stoned Ape Theory [16:20] Dominator culture [31:38] Marijuana [32:17] Vape [34:30] MAOI [36:01] Nicotine gum [36:43] Juul Vapes [37:00] Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia [38:21] Soylent [39:07] Polio [41:12] Opium [41:21] Ibogaine [44:29] Iboga [44:51] Burning Bush [49:40] Amanita Muscaria Mushroom [50:21] Aztec [54:31] Sweat Lodge Ceremony [55:06] Kundalini yoga [57:43] Ayahuasca Shaman [1:00:00]   Books mentioned Food of the Gods by Terence McKenna How To Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan [4:15] The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley [18:23] People mentioned Mansal Denton [0:33] Michael Pollan [4:15] Trump [8:15] Nixon [9:58] Timothy Leary [10:07] Dennis McKenna [17:07] Albert Hoffman [17:46] Ram Dass [17:56] Aldous Huxley [18:21] Hamilton Morris [38:21] Dr. Dan Engle [47:30] Jesus on Psychedelics [49:45] Santa Claus on Psychedelics [50:07] Show Topics 1:25 - Mansal Denton is the co-host for today’s episode! He has recently left an organization called Nootropedia, where his whole focus was helping people optimize their mental performance using nootropics. He found that some of the best nootropics were psychedelics and from that path he moved into another organization called Oyasin, which is a lifestyle brand reharmonizing people with the natural world. A high-level view of what he's interested right now: he believes that all of the external problems in the world are a manifestation of what's going on in our minds collectively at the society and that psychedelics can be a powerful tool to solve what's going on in our minds. He thinks that transformational or peak experiences are things that we all crave and could help change our perspectives someway. 4:00 - Interesting shift of perspective in society about Psychedelics and plant medicines. “How To Change your Mind” by Michael Pollan is a great influence to this. Some of the kinds of psychedelics are Silicide, Magic Mushrooms, and MDMA for PTSD. It is so compelling and helpful for PTSD. 6:25 - If psychedelics are one thing we can all agree on then it will make a lot of people happy. There's a lot of people who could use a heavy dose of psychedelics to stop being angry. There's something about stepping outside of yourself and even up the reality that comes with this types of experiences that is getting even more useful in a culture that is becoming even more obsessed with the day to day and itself. Imaginary world which is everything in the internet, a reality that doesn’t exist in a physical way. Recreating our relationship with our internal map is something everyone can benefit from, like meditation, like a recognition of something lost. 7:55 - Society's take on psychedelics. Safety and inherent risks with these substances despite its legality in some places. Be smart. In today’s generations, there are negative responses to these plant medicines. War on drugs has done injustice to psychedelics. 10:54 - What kinds of drugs people are comfortable taking and which ones they aren't. Coffee, alcohol, tobacco, and aspirin are drugs all of us use that alter our daily experience. 12:00 - Drugs and hunting. Drugs and animals. Ayahuasca doses given to dogs for more effective hunting today in the jungle. Which plants are mixed with Ayahuasca. There’s an archaeological evidence that people were making ayahuasca thousands of years ago. 14:42 - McKenna’s Hypothesis: hallucinogenic compounds may have actually had influence in developing our own self-reflective abilities. DMT vs LSD trips. Stoned Ape Theory. 18:16 - Brain as primarily a filtering tool. Idea that the brain functions not to understand our environment but to filter out all of the less important noise from The Doors of Perception. Consciousness as a subtractive process, not an additive. Psychedelic substances are lowering the floodgates of one’s experience to open your senses to everything that’s going on in your environment that you’re normally unaware of. Examples: appreciating trees, books you never heard of and hearing it a lot of times after within a week. There is some part of your brain that becomes receptive to that specific thing. 20:57 - Research on the brain about finding truth and logic in certain aspects of life are actually developed more with the intention on how can you create truth to make others believe. Humans are actually social animals. Our brain may not be interpreting actual reality rather it is interpreting reality socially. Elements of stimuli not normally present in our normal consciousness. 22:20 - Why animals seem interested in psychedelics. There’s some element in psychedelics that’s completely pressing reset in our consciousness that almost every species can benefit from. It’s actually an evolutionary disadvantage for animals to be tripping but all animals have habitual patterns which are sometimes helpful and sometimes not. Having these patterns interrupts allowed animals to change habits that proved to be more advantageous. Animals know how to micro-dose psychedelics. The higher the dose of LSD the more tolerant you become. 25:53 - Intention VS. External Environment. Psychedelics can be powerful tools or just for recreational use. Retreats for self-reflection. McKenna says there’s a stigma against taking drugs or substances alone. Respectful use in productive settings and not in rave parties. Taking it on your own makes more valuable experiences. When with somebody, sometimes the ideas come from all over the place and it’s hard to have coherent conversations when you are tripping. It is important to identify what’s the intention to take psychedelics, ex. to escape reality or to explore and reflect or connect. It’s harder to be locked into a monotonous routine that you hate if you’re having these psychedelics driven wake ups every few months. 31:38 - Legal drugs fits in the Dominator Culture. How would work, life, and environment be changed if people had access to psychedelics. We’re seeing it a little bit with Marijuana, as it becomes more and more legalized. It will always depend on the intentions. Stimulants and alcohol fall in the legal drugs category. A lot of these drug compounds create a baseline that is manageable. Psychedelics create peak experiences. There’s so much value in doing both in a regular basis. 34:30 - Why is Nicotine addictive? Nicotine itself is not actually a dangerous chemical, cigarettes are. If you’re smoking pure tobacco, that’s probably safe. Vapes are intense smoking administration method. Nicotine is only addictive when it is combined with MAOI. Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia on MAOI Inhibitors. 39:39 - How people seem to believe that Science and Rationality are the new god. Science is great but incomplete and can get things wrong like drugs with side effects. Drugs that you can do while going to work or do more work are okay while drugs that you would have to relax in the process aren’t okay, for instance, Marijuana. The term “Marijuana”. The propaganda on Mexicans and Blacks liking to get high to not do work and then attack people as racism. 43:07 - Empathy is so heightened in psychedelics - you start to feel this sense of protection for the earth. Michael Pollan’s take on psychedelics relating to modern environmental movement came predominantly out of psychedelic experiences in the 60’s and 70’s. 44:27- Ibogaine experience. Effects of Ibogaine. There are so many great applications of Iboga but high doses can harm the ones with heart conditions. It can cure addiction, like alcoholism, as well. Ayahuasca has similar effects, generally less statistically significant than Iboga. You can find Ayahuasca, LSD or mushrooms even in the US. Iboga it’s not something you mess around with on your own. Where do people do or take Iboga? 48:07 - Mckenna’s Idea that because mushrooms grow faster in Caledon we see respect and certain religious adoration towards cows in some eastern religions. A lot of religious and cultural texts have similarities, plausible stories of psychedelics being involved. Was Jesus the effect of collective consumption of psychedelics? Psychedelics are so mind-altering, great substances to help humans write down the myths. 51:13 - McKenna’s Idea that psychedelics are originators of religion. In doing them, you experience many of the same feelings and sense of connection and visual experiences of some of what you might see in religious texts. Experience on DMT. McKenna says, “God is not an idea. God is a lost continent in the human mind”. Divinity schools will agree that psychedelics can reliably create mystical experiences and connect to a Higher Power. Ayahuasca sessions and spiritual connection. Aztec religion takes Silicide mushrooms as flesh of the Gods. 55:06 - What kind of Higher Power you’re relating with -- Nature, External, or Ephemeral? Spirituality is very personal. You cannot really explain it but just feel it. The importance of doing deep multi-experience retreats is that you get to connect to a higher power. Mansal’s Kundalini yoga experience. Sweat lodge ceremony. 1:00:15 - How to find a good Shaman and the authentic Ayahuasca experience. Mansal’s recommendation is find referrals, but you don’t need necessarily to travel Peru. For newbies, it’s best to take Ayahuasca with a Shaman to keep you safe. In his hunting experiences, Mansal finds it valuable to do psychedelics before & after hunting yet never during the hunting. 1:05:50 - How to get connected with Mansal IG: @mansaldenton and grab Mansal’s email listening to the episode. Reach Nat on Twitter @Nat Eliason (@nateliason) and let him know what you are yours thoughts about the book and the episode. Leave us a review on iTunes and let your friends know about it. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

Hi guys, this is an update episode. After end of the year hiatus we are looking back to read more books! But... we need your feedback.  Listen to this episode and let us know what's your preferred podcast format. Tweet Nat at @nateliason or reply his newsletter. Excited to share with you new episodes soon!

“A Martian scientist with no understanding of visual perception could understand the rainbow, or lightning, or clouds as physical phenomena,  though he would never be able to understand the human concepts of rainbow, lighting, or cloud, or the place these things occupy in our phenomenal world.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat critically discuss the article What Is It Like to Be a Bat? by Thomas Nagel. This is the most famous piece on the mind-body problem. In it Nagel explores the mind-body issue, freedom, knowledge, meaning and value of human life. This article was penned down at an era where physicalism and materialism were prevalent, the idea that you can reduce all aspects of the mind to simply firings in the brain. However, Nagel was unpersuaded that physicalism of materialism gives an all-encompassing account of human experience. “Without consciousness the mind-body problem would be much less interesting with consciousness it seems hopeless.” We cover a wide range of topics, including The mind-body consciousness problem Creating an objective interpretations of reality. Learning skills to overcome reporters biases Consciousness in animals Artificial intelligence (AI) and hacking of consciousness And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of What Is It Like to Be a Bat? by Thomas Nagel! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our book episodes on consciousness like Godel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstadter, Sapiens by Yuval Harari, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett, and The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show The Beginning of Infinity on Wikipedia [04:52] (book episode) Pod Save America Podcast [19:20] HARO Help A Reporter Out [22:14] Fox News [23:30] CNBC [23:30] Turing Test [30:53] Chinese Room [31:13] Chess [32:00] Go game [32:40] Watson AI [39:53] Joe Rogan interviews Elon Musk [47:34] The Man in the High Castle Television TV series [54:08] Hardcore History ep 62 – Supernova in the East I [54:42] Books mentioned What it is to be like a bat? By Thomas Nagel Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter [00:39] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Way of Zen by Alan Watts [01:02] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [01:06] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett [1:11] (book episode) The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch [01:16] (book episode) The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris [16:53] (article episode) How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff [24:30] The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson [36:08] (Neil’s notes) Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [56:40] (Nat’s notes) (book episode part 1 & part 2) Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holiday [23:01] The Man in the High Castle Novel by Philip K. Dick [54:08] Plato's Republic [20:10] People mentioned David Deutsch [05:25] (Infinity episode) Daniel Dennett [08:25] (Darwin’s episode) Bobby McMullen – Blind Bike Rider [09:44] Donald Trump [12:23] Charles Darwin [30:15] Pepper the Poochon [33:40] Sam Harris [37:19] (Guns episode) Yuval Noah Harari [37:19] Douglas Hofstadter [43:36] Nick Bostrom [43:53] Karl Marx [46:02] Elon Musk [47:34] (on this podcast) Hiroo Onoda [55:17] Show Topics 01:00 – Consciousness. The article is about the theory of mind and consciousness, looking into the mind-body problem. Aspects of the mind can be linked to how the brain responds. 01:58 – Challenge to physicalism rather than refute reductionism. Reductionism and physicalism cannot be fully understood; thus, making these two theories flawed. “Every reductionist has his favorite analogy for modern science. It is most unlikely that any of these unrelated examples of successful reduction will shed light on the relation of mind to brain”. Nagel seems not to refute reductionism but rather exposing a big whole in it and saying you can't take reductionism seriously until you fill this hole. 03:43 – Mind-body consciousness problem. Without consciousness the mind-body problem would be much less interesting with consciousness it seems hopeless. “It seems unlikely that any physical theory of mind can be contemplated until more thought has been given to the general problem of subjective and objective”. 05:27 – All problems are soluble given enough intelligence in time. 06:08 – Subjective filter for any information. Physicalism and reductionism create an objective interpretation of reality. Physicalism and reductionism in some ways rely on creating an objective interpretation of reality. All the thoughts human beings have are grounded from the subjective view of the world. 08:00 – Humans cannot understand a “what it is like aspect” because they are not in that very situation. A bat was used to demonstrate this concept. Human beings cannot comprehend how a bat moves and survives by echo-location thus this highlights human cannot understand subjective experience from human data. 09:04 – Humans can learn to echo-locate. An excellent example is Bobby McMullen, who is a blind mountain biker; he uses echolocation and his senses to mountain bike. 10:14 – However, according to Nagel, even if a human could echo-locate, that is still not equivalent to how bats echo-locate. 10:35 – Subjective interpretation of reality cannot be stepped out. This means something outside of one’s understanding cannot be fully grasped or comprehended. This concept applies to understand to someone who is totally different from you. You can never know exactly what they went through or understand what they do why they do some things; it is easy to judge someone thinking they are making irrational actions without viewing their actions from the subjective experience. 12:12 – How would look post-Trump era discussions. Urban Democrats have different interests and value systems than rural Republicans. Where to draw the line for life? Understanding pro-life people. Pro-gunners point of view. Having a gun in Texas is a must. 18:28 – Divided political sphere. Humans choose a side that will agree with their preconceived opinions. 19:58 – Decentralization makes it really hard to create a cohesive story and narrative for a population. 20:20 – Gell-Mann amnesia effect. Phenomenon where one will believe about something they know not about because it has been reported. Journalists are almost never trained to actually understand what they are reporting on, not confirming the authenticity of their sources and misunderstanding statistics. 24:00 – Learning how to read research articles is an important skill these days as we can't rely on media anymore. Famous bad reporters interpretations. Bacon is bad for you as smoking. Coconut oil is bad because saturated fats. 26:26 – Hanlon's Razor. Applying that to even news reporters, they are not doing it necessarily maliciously, they are doing it for one of two reasons- it works, people click on it and read it; the second thing is a lot of these sites are effectively content firms. This circles up to what Nagel is saying about subjective character of experience which we cannot step outside of and not understanding what it is like to be someone else. 28:20 – Test for consciousness. Mirror test for animal self awareness. 30:38 – AI discussion. What means a computer is conscious? Turing test is not enough. Reaching intelligence by brute force. Computers that don't want to play chess. 33:33 – Consciousness in animals. Every animal has a level of consciousness and awareness in the same fundamental way a human does. Dogs dreaming. 35:30 – The self is not necessarily an actual thing. Nagel is trying to keep the sense of self and the potential challenge to him is this thing you are trying to hold on to the mind, the sense of self is an illusion; there is not really anything special for what we think about this consciousness. 37:47 – Challenging reductionism. Nagel is challenging reductionism by pushing for a more helpful theory of mind that says it’s all mental- making it hard to comprehend any one’s mind. 38:43 – Subjective phenomena cannot be explained. Questions that arise with a conscious AI: can you unplug it? Can you reset it? Is it a slave? Riding horses and animals that work for humans. 40:26 – Artificial intelligence (AI) and consciousness. That will just reach a point where it is so competent that it is indistinguishable from interacting with another human. 43:05 – AI scare. An AI is sufficiently intelligent to be a threat to us all, it is sufficiently intelligent to know it shouldn't let us know it exists. AI that optimizes for paperclips can destroy the world. 43:38 – Use of the term is. E = mc2. Knowing that something is true without necessarily understanding why it is true. Consciousness and intelligence exist within its closed system. 50:10 – Knowledge is a justified true belief, based on theoretical understanding. “You can know that something is something without understanding what it means for it to be that thing.” 53:41 – Tangent. Japanese soldiers fighting after the war was over. 57:47 – Subscribe to Patreon to get our book notes, highlights, bonus material and support us without the need of ads. Sign up before october to participate to the next live hangout! Also, recommend us books (even via Instagram), and participate of our private community. Find us on Twitter @Neil Soni (@TheRealNeilS) and @Nat Eliason (@nateliason). Leave us a review on iTunes to get possible guests on the show. You can just write “Love this podcast! Neil and Nat are super fun.”. Check our supporters at madeyouthink.com/support. We are drinking delicious Lapsang Souchong tea from Cup & Leaf. If you want some tangent fuel, try the Mushroom Lemonade  Coffee and Chai Latte from Four Sigmatic. Perfect Keto Nut Butter is amazing. Try it frozen for an incredible texture. Check Kettle & Fire Mushroom-Chicken blend, now available on their site. Use our Amazon affiliate link to support the show effortlessly. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com.

The truly good are those who believe in God and the Last Day, in the angels, the Scripture, and the prophets; who give away some of their wealth, however much they cherish it, to their relatives, to orphans, the needy, travellers and beggars, and to liberate those in bondage; those who keep up the prayer and pay the prescribed alms; who keep pledges whenever they make them; who are steadfast in misfortune, adversity, and times of danger. These are the ones who are true, and it is they who are aware of God. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss The Quran, the book revealed to the prophet Muhammad, and foundation of Islamism. This is a very special and interesting episode because there is so much discussion about Islam and its roots, Muslims, and the relevance in cultural and political news. We cover a wide range of topics, including: The different writing styles of the Quran at the beginning and the end Interpretation of Arabic and context at the time of Muhammad Strategies to build and spread virally a set of beliefs Changing views on sex, alcohol and women The validity of 600 AD concepts on today’s world And much more. Please enjoy, and try always to build your opinions reading books at their source! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell, a book that deconstruct the need of religions, as well as our episodes on Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (book episodes part 1 & part 2), a book that spans on the history of human existence. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Jihad [6:50] The Crusades [9:09] Inquisition [9:10] Bonus Material on Patreon [11:40] Sharia Law [12:45] Buddhism [15:05] Mecca [16:20] History of Islam in India – India: A History. Revised and Updated [34:59] Enforced Monogamy - Jordan Peterson [38:38] Crony Beliefs [39:03] I'm a college philosophy professor. Jordan Peterson is making my job impossible. Post on Reddit [39:10] Islamic State [41:06] Reformation [44:40] Cryonics [49:57] Rick and Morty arcade life simulation episode [53:31] Burqa [1:37:24] Inception [1:52:54] Books mentioned The Bible [5:00] The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell [5:26] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff [7:40] The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson [9:50] (Neil’s notes) Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [10:00] (Nat’s notes) (book episode part 1 & part 2) Old Testament [11:24] New Testament [11:24] Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault [40:04] (Nat’s notes) (href="https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com/discipline-and-punish-by-michel-foucault/">book episode) Code of Hammurabi [58:31] Way of Zen by Alan Watts [1:00:15] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Smoke Signals by Martin A. Lee [1:19:47] (book episode) People mentioned Muhammad The Prophet Moises [19:10] Abraham [19:11] Jesus [19:12] Noah [22:02] Angel Gabriel [31:50] Satan [31:51] Saint Brigid Celtic Goddess [33:36] Jordan B. Peterson [38:15] (on Twitter) (12 Rules episode) Sam Harris [10:55] (Guns episode) Show Topics 2:33 – We think we picked a very good translation/interpretation of the Qur’an. The translator/interpreter includes lots of useful comments in the footnotes, why he prefers to interpret in a certain way, including comparisons with other interpretations. He gives good historical context of the Arabian peninsula at the times of Mohammad. Modern interpretation of ancient books affected by old translations. 6:30 – Politics in translation. Jihad: depending which scholars you listen to, it can mean a religious war limited to the context of when the book was written, or a war that has to be conducted all times. Times when Christianity was militarized. Other religions militarized: Nationalism and Communism. Is Islam a religion of peace militarized for bad use vs a religion violent at its roots? 11:35 – Ancient religious books were less about shared myths and more about legal codes prescribing how to handle human behavior. The problem with religions is when they mandate to impose them on other people. Buddhism is an exception, viewed more as a private practice. 16:15 – Intro. At Mohammad era, in Arabia there were polytheistic tribal religion. Judaism and Christianity were still not spread. People believed in Allah and many other gods. Islam expanded through the whole Arabian peninsula in just 10 years, before the Quran was even finished. Virality at top level. Qur’an is considered the direct words of God, while the Testaments are interpretations of its prophets. The Quran writing style: God speaking directly to you vs a story about God in third person. 22:12 – Mohammad was supposedly illiterate. Mohammad memorized the Quran and just spoke it. The manuscript was compiled later. There were lots of wars for power in the region at the time. Polytheist leaders saw Islam as a threat to their power. Quran is divided in 114 sections. The longest are at the beginning. The shorter ones more to the end, are more repetitive. 27:27 – First part of the Quran is very friendly with People of the Book (Hebrews and Christians). The chief conflict was against the Polytheists. Conflict shifts as the book goes on. Cracks between the three Abrahamic religions. Judaism: we are waiting for the Son of God. Christianity: SoG is Jesus. Islam: no, SoG is Mohammed, or all the prophets together are related to God, but not a direct son. 31:02 – The use of the word We. Polytheism absorbed and organized in Angels and God hierarchy. Christianity absorbed and on-boarded other religions by Sanctification of their deities. Example: Saint Brigid Celtic goddess in Ireland. Islam in India. Converting Hindus to Muslims with tax incentives. 35:50 – Acceptance of Jewish and Christians. Need to declare oneself Muslim, but no need to consider oneself Muslim in private. ‘Produce your evidence, if you are telling the truth.’ In fact, any who direct themselves wholly to God and do good will have their reward with their Lord: no fear for them, nor will they grieve. Double standard when requiring for evidence. Challenging other believes asking for evidence. People need evidence to challenge own beliefs, but don't require it to trust them, word of God is enough. What postmodernism says vs what it is. 41:10 – Reconciling differences in the Quran from the beginning to the end. [This is] a statement of the Truth about which they are in doubt: it would not befit God to have a child. He is far above that: when He decrees something, He says only, ‘Be,’ and it is. ‘God is my Lord and your Lord, so serve Him: that is a straight path.’ But factions have differed among themselves. What suffering will come to those who obscure the truth when a dreadful Day arrives! How sharp of hearing, how sharp of sight they will be when they come to Us, although now they are clearly off course! Warn them [Muhammad] of the Day of Remorse when the matter will be decided, for they are heedless and do not believe. Other books in Islam. Any changes today in religious books means God was wrong. Modern Christianity reconciling writings to today's context. Secular Jewish. Room for interpretation on supernatural events. Quran is much more about political actions than supernatural events. 47:16 – Idea of Paradise is pretty plain: a garden with clean water streams, free food, and attractive virgins. No mention of more complex wishes or benefit. Christian books don't mention heaven, but once we die we just have to wait until the Final Judgement day to come. Large scale conspiracies. 50:20 – Tangent. Cryonics is a religion. You have to wait until the prophet comes and unmelts you. Uploading your brain to a computer is religion for computing people. Need to believe in something. Life simulated. 54:00 – Tangent. Psychedelics revelations. Psychedelics and extension of time. Moises and use of drugs. Psychedelics being a part of spiritual life. When asked about the experience of revelation Muhammad reported, "sometimes it is revealed like the ringing of a bell. This form of inspiration is the hardest of them all and then it passes off after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says."[4]:43 57:15 – Definitions of being good. At the beginning of the book a good person worships God and follow dictates of good conduct. Punishment for crimes and forgiveness. Significance of the opening In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy. Optimizing for mercy by following Quran's principles. Fully repenting because you understand what's really wrong. 1:02:04 – Jewish idea that if everything is going wrong is because God is displeased with humanity. Contrasting of polytheistic religions comparing natural context: Indus Valley vs Nile River. Deities punish humans with floods, or reward them with crops. Omnipotent being seeing what you do may prevent you from acting bad. Useful concept for making a society more cohesive. 1:06:32 – Islam starts to spread beyond boundaries and other regions push back. The book stop preaching peace and encourages fighting for the religion. Fight in God’s cause against those who fight you, but do not overstep the limits: God does not love those who overstep the limits. Kill them wherever you encounter them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, for persecution is more serious than killing. Do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque unless they fight you there. If they do fight you, kill them—this is what such disbelievers deserve— but if they stop, then God is most forgiving and merciful. Fight them until there is no more persecution, and worship is devoted to God. If they cease hostilities, there can be no [further] hostility, except towards aggressors. Fighting is ordained for you, though you dislike it. You may dislike something although it is good for you, or like something although it is bad for you: God knows and you do not.’ They will not stop fighting you [believers] until they make you revoke your faith, if they can. If any of you revoke your faith and die as disbelievers, your deeds will come to nothing in this world and the Hereafter, and you will be inhabitants of the Fire, there to remain. But those who have believed, migrated, and striven for God’s cause, it is they who can look forward to God’s mercy: God is most forgiving and merciful. Politicizing Islam. Violence in Quran was for attack or defense? 1:12:41 – How to bring a God's prescription from 620 AD to modern era. God's prescriptions made in a way you can't be peaceful with non believers. You have to fight for religion or you go to hell. 1:15:36 – Intoxicants and gambling. The sin is greater than the benefit. Marijuana and tobacco were not considered intoxicants at the time. Date wine and honey wine. Changing thoughts on alcohol. 1:20:43 – Women’s place. Your wives are [like] your fields, so go into your fields whichever way you like, and send [something good] ahead for yourselves. Apparently there was a belief in Arabia at the time that certain sexual positions were impure, but the Qur’an is saying you can “enter your wives however you please." 1:21:54 – Why would God care about that? Interesting comments in the footnotes about sex and Jesus. 1:22:50 – Eating. Forbidden foods to avoid illness. Best practices to kill an animal for food. Cortisol releases when strangling an animal. You are forbidden to eat carrion; blood; pig’s meat; any animal over which any name other than God’s has been invoked; any animal strangled, or victim of a violent blow or a fall, or gored or savaged by a beast of prey, unless you still slaughter it [in the correct manner]; or anything sacrificed on idolatrous altars. You are also forbidden to allot shares [of meat] by drawing marked arrows—a heinous practice! 1:25:08 – Prescriptions for lewd acts. Muslim lesbians and gays. Stoning in fundamentalist societies. Condemning and offering mercy as a converting tool. If any of your women commit a lewd act, call four witnesses from among you, then, if they testify to their guilt, keep the women at home until death comes to them or until God shows them another way. If two men commit a lewd act, punish them both; if they repent and mend their ways, leave them alone—God is always ready to accept repentance, He is full of mercy 1:28:19 – Fighting. Prepare whatever forces you [believers] can muster, including warhorses, so that you frighten off God’s enemies and yours, and warn others unknown to you but known to God. Whatever you give in God’s cause will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged. But if they incline towards peace, you [Prophet] must also incline towards it, and put your trust in God: He is the All Hearing, the All Knowing. When the [four] forbidden months are over, wherever you encounter the idolaters, kill them, seize them, besiege them, wait for them at every lookout post; but if they repent, maintain the prayer, and pay the prescribed alms, let them go on their way, for God is most forgiving and merciful. Proselytizing. Simple choice if you were living in the area: either you are going to be hunted down and killed or you join the religion. Islam designed to spread as quickly and effective as possible. We did not wrong them; they wronged themselves. Their gods, which they called on beside God, were no use to them when what your Lord had ordained came about; they only increased their ruin. Absolution of guilt in participating in the fight. 1:30:32 – Start of the separation from Christianity. Underlining Son of Mary vs Son of God. People of the Book, do not go to excess in your religion, and do not say anything about God except the truth: the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was nothing more than a messenger of God, His word, directed to Mary, a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers and do not speak of a ‘Trinity’—stop [this], that is better for you—God is only one God, He is far above having a son, everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him and He is the best one to trust. 1:31:48 – Adultery. What is considered adultery and what not. You have to cast adulterers out even if it is your children. Integrity of the religion. Strike the adulteress and the adulterer one hundred times. Do not let compassion for them keep you from carrying out God’s law—if you believe in God and the Last Day—and ensure that a group of believers witnesses the punishment. The adulterer is only [fit] to marry an adulteress or an idolatress, and the adulteress is only [fit] to marry an adulterer or an idolater: such behaviour is forbidden to believers. 1:33:40 Prescriptions for women covering their bodies. And tell believing women that they should lower their eyes, guard their private parts, and not display their charms beyond what [it is acceptable] to reveal; they should draw their coverings over their necklines and not reveal their charms except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters’ sons, their womenfolk, their slaves, such men as attend them who have no desire, or children who are not yet aware of women’s nakedness; they should not stamp their feet so as to draw attention to any hidden charms. It was not clear what it is acceptable for a woman to reveal even in Arabic language. Preventing sexual attraction. Dancing and sexual desires. Don't go beyond ordinary behaviors. Elderly women allowed to show more than younger because of lower attraction. In case of rape, it is suggested that the fault falls on the woman. Most of practices, especially about woman covering themselves, come from the edicts and not the Quran. 1:41:44 – In the Quran are mentioned 4 prayer times, not 5. So celebrate God’s glory in the evening, in the morning— praise is due to Him in the heavens and the earth—in the late afternoon, and at midday. The burden of proof is on everyone else except for Mohammed, God or Islam. You [Prophet] are not, by [receiving] God’s grace, a madman: you will have a never-ending reward— truly you have a strong character— and soon you will see, as will they, which of you is afflicted with madness. Your Lord knows best who strays from His path and who is rightly guided. So I swear by what you can see and by what you cannot see: this [Qur’an] is the word [spoken by] an honoured messenger, not the words of a poet—how little you believe!— nor the words of a soothsayer–how little you reflect! This [Qur’an] is a message sent down from the Lord of the Worlds: if [the Prophet] had attributed some fabrication to Us, We would certainly have seized his right hand and cut off his lifeblood, and none of you could have defended him. 1:46:22 – Qur'an gets boring at times, describing paradise repeatedly and saying believers will go to heaven, non believers to hell. It was intended to be recited, not written and read. In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy Say, ‘He is God the One, God the eternal. He begot no one nor was He begotten. No one is comparable to Him. 1:54:00 – Join the Patreon if you're not there yet. We talk about very exciting episodes coming up (and Inception!). Get access to our hangouts, get the book notes we use for the show, and participate on our community. You can support the show in additional ways buying stuff on our Support page. Also, very important, tell your friends and help spread the show through word of mouth. Leave reviews on iTunes. Or leave Amazon book reviews ;) If you hated this episode, make it go viral. This is our first source book. Give us feedback on Twitter: @Neil Soni (@TheRealNeilS) and @Nat Eliason (@nateliason). If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com.

Dom DeLuise, celebrity fat man (and five of clubs), has been implicated in the following unseemly acts in my mind’s eye: He has hocked a fat globule of spittle (nine of clubs) on Albert Einstein’s thick white mane (three of diamonds) and delivered a devastating karate kick (five of spades) to the groin of Pope Benedict XVI (six of diamonds). Michael Jackson (king of hearts) has engaged in behavior bizarre even for him. He has defecated (two of clubs) on a salmon burger (king of clubs) and captured his flatulence (queen of clubs) in a balloon (six of spades). Rhea Perlman, diminutive Cheers bartendress (and queen of spades), has been caught cavorting with the seven-foot-seven Sudanese basketball star Manute Bol (seven of clubs) in a highly explicit (and in this case, anatomically improbable) two-digit act of congress (three of clubs). In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer. It is a fun book episode about how Joshua Foer came from nowhere to win the US memory championship with the challenge and coaching of Ed Cook. In the book Josh shows how to train our brain memory “muscle” and remember everything. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Why and how poetry, religion, and epics are interconnected because of memory Mnemonic techniques to remember numbers, names, cards, everything How to hack our brain to “live longer” Incredible memory stats How to impress your crush and make your dates memorable And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our fun episodes on Emergency by Neil Strauss, a book for preppers, as well as our recent episode on How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff, a short an easy book that shows how media can be manipulated. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show How to win the U.S. memory championship [3:12] The Google Effect [8:40] Playstation [15:09] Twitter [19:35] LinkedIn [19:35] Pearl Harbor [21:35] 9/11 [21:36] Anki [26:34] Lindy Effect [29:10] Nat's book notes and Brain [48:49] Evernote [53:00] World Memory Records [59:17] Memrise [1:01:11] Ed Cook on Tim Ferriss Podcast [1:02:11] Duolingo [1:02:58] CMU [1:04:22] Fight Through the Suck – Justin Mares [1:07:28] 10000 Hour Rule on Google [1:12:15] The World Memory Championships [1:17:03] Joshua Foer TED talk [1:17:32] 21 (film) [1:18:04] Books mentioned Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [1:50] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [1:52] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [1:52] (Nat’s notes) (book episode part 1 & part 2) Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter [2:21] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Emergency [2:32] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman [6:11] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Torah [11:00] The Quran [11:00] The Tower – Hotel Concierge [31:16] (article episode) Essays by Montaigne [47:27] 12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [50:15] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Way of Zen by Alan Watts [50:16] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [50:17] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson [50:18] (Neil’s notes) The 4 Hour Chef by Tim Ferriss [1:02:34] Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell [1:03:48] Peak by Anders Ericsson [1:03:56] Remember, Remember by Ed Cooke [1:15:52] The Memory Book by Harry Lorayne [1:16:32] People mentioned Joshua Foer Albert Einstein Ed Cook [3:40] Homer [5:36] Plato [5:50] Simba [16:13] Mufasa [16:33] Adil Majid [17:55] (Crypto episode) Sigmund Freud [18:20] Pepper the Poochon [23:06] Montaigne [47:12] Tiago Forte [51:46] Cicero [53:56] Frank Sinatra [56:26] David Beckham [56:32] Superman [56:37] Alex Mullan memory grandmaster [59:43] Tim Ferriss [1:02:11] Anders Ericsson [1:03:41] Malcolm Gladwell [1:03:48] James Franco 1:18:17 Michael Serrick 1:18:24 Show Topics 3:12 – Extreme memory is not innate, comes from training. Until books became affordable, there were no easy means to record and keep information. We had to use our brains and information was passed down orally. There is no need of crazy photographic memory or some innate ability, but just training the "muscle". 7:50 – How many phone numbers do you remember? If you don't have to struggle to remember it, you'll not remember it. For efficiency your body doesn't want to do anything more than needed. Poetry and religion and epics are connected to memory training. 11:20 – The story of how Josh learnt the techniques of extreme memory. First technique: remembering names. Associating name sounds with a vivid image. Remembering not westernized names. What names can you remember with these images? Nailing down in front of a Playstation. A lion's son being chased by an gnat. A wizard dealing cards to Freud. When introducing someone to your friends, name your friends a lot so the new comer can remember their names. 19:04 – Practicing these techniques on Twitter or LinkedIn. Challenges in the competition. Remembering participants' attributes in a fake dinner, cards, string of numbers, and a poem. 20:33 – Second technique. Chunking. Remembering in chunks is easier than in smaller bits. In reduces the pieces of information. Example: string of 12 numbers chunked into the two big surprise attacks on American soil. Combining large chunks numbers into bigger images. Keeping the order of numbers by keeping a path to your memory palace. 25:41 – The time you need to dedicate each day is pretty small compared to its ROI. Remembering cards by associating 3 of each each time. These tactics were used for a long long time, even thousands of years ago. The importance of context. A big part of why this works is because we are good at remembering things in context but not when it's random information. Chessmasters examples. 31:03 – Increased perceived longevity. Nuances and quantity of experiences increases perceptual time. Life seems to speed up as we get older just because life gets less memorable, more repetitive. Monotony collapses time and novelty unfolds it. Downside of the idea of flow. Time experience is based on what we can remember. 37:15 – Tips to make a date memorable. Tips for planning parties. Plan 3 phases of a party, for example move the party in different rooms, different drinks, and change activities. It will feel like a longer party even if it took the same amount of time. It's kind of narrative fallacy used to our advantage. 41:05 – Memory images. Creating images for everything. Our brain prefers visual information and novelty. Collect numbers wandering in your house. The funnier, the looter, the more bizarre images, the better. Our brain takes 20% of our energy consumption. We forget dreams because our brain thinks it's junk data. 44:26 – Make images dirty and sexual. Use multiple senses too. Include smells, feelings, multi-sensory experiences. How we can remember songs even if we don't listen them for 10 years. Write your feelings and thoughts at the end of each book you read. Very useful if you are getting into speed reading or want to remember what the book was about, snippents will give you cues to remember it. Nat's book notes are efficient to remember core parts of a book. Neil's tactic to give attention to books’ concepts. 50:53 – Repetition. Nat's 3 layers strategy: pull out all important sections, bold important parts of sections, then highlight the most important part of the bolded part. Layer 4: adding a summary. 53:02 – The Method of Loci. Using memory images based on your environment. If you have to remember a speech, visualize the points you want to talk about at specific places. You can remember your speech by looking at specific parts of the auditorium or walking through the stage. Useful to remember dance movements. Advantages of the memory palace vs the Loci method. 55:59 – Remembering numbers. The PAO system: Person, Action, Object. First, associate an image to numbers going from 0 to 99. Remembering a 6 digit number can be done mixing the person of the first pair of digits, with the action of the second, and object of the third. 1:01:00 – Tangents. Memory training companies. 1:03:20 – Learning advice. How to get further the OK plateau. Experiments on memorizing. How the early University experiments on memory looked like. Reaching the peak of memory training is not about the hours put in, but the quality of those hours. During the first phase, known as the “cognitive stage,” you’re intellectualizing the task and discovering new strategies to accomplish it more proficiently. During the second “associative stage,” you’re concentrating less, making fewer major errors, and generally becoming more efficient. Finally you reach what Fitts called the “autonomous stage,” when you figure that you’ve gotten as good as you need to get at the task and you’re basically running on autopilot. You could call it the “OK plateau”, the point at which you decide you’re OK with how good you are at something, turn on autopilot, and stop improving. Breaking up the OK plateau. When you deliberately want to get better at something, you may get initially worse. Sometimes you need to go down to get at a higher point later. It's not enjoyable in the short term. You have to deliberately make yourself uncomfortable to break the plateau. Changing variables to find where the weaknesses are. The 10.000 hours rule. 1:14:18 – Other books and resources about memory training. 1:18:48 – Get the story part reading the book! If you want to listen the bonus material, get the book note we use for the show, go to our Patreon page. There you can comment about the book too after they come out. You can also join our monthly hangout. On our first hangout we have a very interesting conversation for an hour and a half. You can support the show in additional ways buying stuff on our Support page. Also, very important, tell your friends and help spread the show through word of mouth. Leave reviews on iTunes. Or leave Amazon book reviews ;)   Find us on Twitter @Neil Soni (@TheRealNeilS) and @Nat Eliason (@nateliason). If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

“When you hear a statistic say that the average American brushes their teeth 1.02 times a day, ask yourself how could they have figured it out? Does it make sense that it could have been researched effectively? In this case they would have had to ask and don't you think it's a safe assumption that people lied?” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff. In this book we learn how to spot deceptive statistics, ways surveys are manipulated and the hidden agenda behind every piece of data. “If you can’t prove what you want to prove, demonstrate something else and pretend that they are the same thing. In the daze that follows the collision of statistics with the human mind, hardly anybody will notice the difference. The semi-attached figure is a device guaranteed to stand you in good stead. It always has.” We cover a wide range of topics, including: Biased samples & discarded data Stereotypes, demographics and diversity in data The Sphinx, Aquatic Apes and Conspiracy Theories Grapefruits, Graphs and Guantanamo How to question and uncover the truth behind statistics And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff! You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching “Made You Think.” If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Influence by Robert B. Cialdini for a book with a similar structure, or the book Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Taleb for more on the deception of data. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Mushroom coffee [00:22] Caffeine [00:28] Goodreads [03:29] Amazon [06:22] Biased samples [08:17] New York City [09:18] Australia [09:26] Russia [09:31] Africa [09:34] Greenland [09:59] Liberal media [10:39] Republican [10:55] Middle Eastern [11:09] Saudi Arabia [11:14] CNN [11:19] American Flag [11:23] Israeli Soldier [11:27] Have more students been killed in schools than soldiers in combat zones? [12:15] Gallup Poll [14:06] Evolution [14:50] Fox and Friends [16:04] Twitter [16:05] Opioid epidemic [17:10] Biased averages [17:56] Mean [17:56] Mode [17:56] Median [17:56] US income [18:41] Power laws [20:35] MD [21:10] Phd [21:11] Startups [21:34] Revenue [22:07] Mode (statistics) - Wikipedia - Kim and Korean families [25:27] Tweet – Huge Plot Hole In Reality [26:21] Miraval Wellness Resort [26:35] Yoga [26:42] Massages [26:43] Healing Crystals [26:44] Spa [26:45] Plant based diet [27:04] Sphinx [28:15] Patreon [28:19] Crony belief [28:55] American Medical Association [28:58] Heart disease [28:58] PubMed [29:06] Aquatic Apes [29:45] Doctors [31:21] Robin Hanson on Sam Harris’ podcast [32:00] Self-Improvement [33:57] Christianity [33:59] Monogamy [34:13] Tariffs [35:24] Nazi [36:31] Alt-right [36:41] National Debt [38:32] Democrats [38:28] Congress [38:39] Lockheed Martin [39:24] UBI [39:39] Marines [40:22] Navy [40:22] Air Force [40:22] Joint Strike Fighter [40:44] VTOL [40:59] Supersonic [41:00] The F-35 Is a $1.4 Trillion National Disaster – War is Boring article [42:15] FOMO [42:42] Energy subsidies [42:55] Iowa [43:15] Corn State [43:17] Benevolent Dictator [43:25] Legalizing marijuana [43:44] Ethanol [43:48] Guantanamo [43:50] 2020 election [44:27] P-Value [45:50] Zoloft [46:06] ADHD medication [46:35] Big Data [47:49] Correlation and causation [48:34] FDA [50:33] Statins [51:40] Lipitor [51:30] Birth Control [51:31] Aspirin [51:32] Alcohol [51:48] Opioids [51:53] Marijuana [51:55] Naringin [52:24] Grapefruit Drug Potentiator [53:19] Graphs [54:39] Logarithmic Y-axis [57:04] Nostrum [58:08] Nat’s article – Could that Be Explained by Marketing? [58:40] Cigarettes [59:18] McDonalds [01:05:26] Tequila [01:06:56] Gluten [01:06:58] Estrogen [01:07:03] Hops [01:07:05] Phytoestrogens [01:07:8] Soy [01:07:59] Carnegie Mellon [01:10:23] WEIRD research [01:13:45] Harvard [01:14:33] Montana State [01:14:37] Maasai Tribe [01:15:05] Capitalist society [01:15:14] Communist society [01:15:17] Johns Hopkins [01:18:12] Wall Street [01:20:50] Utopia [01:23:02] Nat’s article – Social Disobedience [01:29:14] Medium [01:29:35] The Need for Social Disobedience – Nat Eliason on Medium [1:25:40] PornHub [1:34:10] ARPU [01:34:39] Alexa ranking [01:35:19] Reddit [01:36:43] Xvideos [1:36:45] VK [01:37:04] Twitch [01:37:41] eBay [01:37:47] Books mentioned How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Taleb [02:59] (Nat’s notes) You are a Badass by Jen Sincero [06:51] Influence by Robert B. Cialdini [07:58] (book episode) The War on Normal People by Andrew Yang [20:46] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler [31:50] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Kanye – College Dropout [01:10:39] (album episode) Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [01:11:29] (Nats’ Notes) (book episode) Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault [01:21:58] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) People mentioned Darrell Huff Nassim Taleb [02:48] (Antifragile episode, Skin in the Game episode) Jimmy Fallon [09:16] Donald Trump [10:37] Hillary Clinton [16:10] Bernie Sanders [16:38] Bill Gates [19:39] Ben Greenfield [30:06] Peter Thiel [30:13] Rhonda Patrick [30:16] Joe Rogan [30:29] Barack Obama [30:35] Robin Hanson [31:48] (Elephant in the Brain episode) Sam Harris [31:55] Jordan Peterson [33:14] (12 Rules for Life episode) Andrew Yang [44:30] (The War on Normal People episode, Q&A episode) Nicolas Cage [48:34] Taylor Pearson [01:11:53] Socrates [01:31:22] Show Topics 01:01 – Fun book to read, great pocket guide. Easy to internalize many of the ideas. Useful for everyday life and not getting tricked by data. People rely on data, easily let their opinion be swayed by statistics. The book shows there are so many ways to game a statistic. Learning these rules will serve you well. 03:02 – Lots of overlap to Fooled by Randomness, similar themes for similar problems. This not a new book. Published in 1954 and is more relevant today than ever. 03:38 – Amazon reviews, can’t rely on reviews to be honest, for books, restaurants etc.  People give arbitrary scores for unrelated reasons. Scoring using 1-5 or 1-10 isn’t a useful benchmark. Don’t use 7 as a score, 6 or 8 have more concrete meanings. Book reviews skewed by the emotion you feel after reading. Books that are feel-good are rated higher even though if they’re not useful over the long term. 07:23 – Bonus material, 25 minutes, mini-episode on Sphinx conspiracy theories. Check out the Patreon to get it. 07:33 – Book structure, 6 chapters. Different ways statistics can be manipulated. Final chapter gives questions on how talk back to statistics. How to think about data. Similar layout and structure to the book Influence. 08:21 – Biased samples. Where a sample is not representative or too narrow, results are also going to be the same. Psychiatrist example – everyone seems neurotic if you only work with neurotic people. Jimmy Fallon sketch, testing people’s geography knowledge. The joke is that Americans are stupid but they only show those that fail. Also the environment and element of surprise impacts data too. Biased data can’t tell you anything useful. 10:39 – Media portrayal of Trump voters. Using unflattering stereotypes that then becomes accepted as the norm. Media also uses the tactic of showing biased stereotypes of protests and violence to influence opinions on the Middle-East. 11:54 – Statistics on deaths in school vs military. Total deaths may be more in school but this data gets used to imply probability and likelihood of death – which is a completely different statistic. Presenting data one way to provoke an alternative interpretation. Data is being used to tell a story that serves an agenda. When we hear a statistic we assume it’s real, we need to question it more. 14:06 – Discarded data – Example of gallup polls, who answers these polls? Do you know anyone who has been polled? This shows that the sample is not truly representative. Twitter surveys on evolution and skewed data due to restrictive demographics in sampling. The method of survey affects the outcome. Phone polls vs online polls change age demographic. Difficulty of getting a representative sample. All samples will be biased in some way.  They key is knowing what is the bias in your sample so it can be corrected or highlighted. Hillary Clinton, opinion polls. Bernie Sanders on healthcare spending. 17:56 – Averages and mean, mode & median. How average can mean 3 different things and are used in certain scenarios.  The term average doesn’t mean a lot, need to understand how it was calculated. Mean is hugely skewed by a single outlier but outliers make little difference to the median. As Taleb says, never cross a river that’s on average four feet deep. Averages for income, height, grades, education and how they should be calculated. You can use mean average on things like education because there is a limit to the number of degrees someone can have. 21:34 – Startups and how they calculate their daily active users or revenue per user can be deceptive. Year to date revenue gives a better understanding than monthly. Incomes in a neighborhood can change depending on the average that is used. Once can seem high to prop up real estate figures. The other can seem low to support home owner association protests. Both use the same data manipulated to serve an agenda and presented in different ways. When to use the Mode? Use mode when dealing with non-numerical values to discover the most fashionable or most popular item. 26:35 – Health resort promoting ill informed seminars on the nutritional value of meat. Lots of common myths that we don’t do much research on. The top result on google is not always accurate, it isn’t being fact checked so we should know to research these things. 28:15 – Bonus material. Sphinx and conspiracy theories. Theories not being taken seriously by archeologists. Aquatic apes, crony beliefs and things we want to be true. 29:51 – Difficult to research for everything you hear, you have a time limitation on having to form a belief.  Find sources that you can trust and discount those who don’t have the authority to speak on a particular matter. Testing authority & parents. Authority and taking advice of doctors despite how long ago their education may have been. 32:01 – Dangers of listening to people who are not experts in a particular topic. Who is qualified to talk on a particular subject? Everyone thinks everyone should have an opinion on everything. If you trust someone in one area, don’t trust them on everything. The danger of intellectual heroes. Being fans of Taleb but knowing he is not always right. Admire someone’s work but don’t look to them for guidance on everything. Don’t agree with all someone’s opinions. Don’t criticize someone for favouring one viewpoint of someone you think is completely bad. 34:32 – Difficulties of political debate. Not possible to openly agree with Trump on a specific idea like tariffs. People automatically assume you agree with him on everything.  Opioid manufacturers being indicted, seems like a great idea but you can voice those opinions. Politics as the new religion. Now is more like picking a side and blindly sticking to it. Loss of discourse. Idea sports. 38:21 – Political parties flip ideals when they are in charge. No incentive to pay down the national debt. Involves imposing unpopular cuts and taxes. Cutting unnecessary spending seems logical. Latest military jet, expensive but unfit for purpose. 43:40 – Changing opinion of Trump. He wasn’t as radical as everyone was expecting. He wants to win a second term. Bernie Sanders may be more the type of person to make radical changes. Bernie Sanders as a dream podcast guest. Debating with Andrew Yang. 2020 Election.   44:54 – Discarded data. Companies continue to run experiments until they get the outcome they want. Significant portions of experiments have been discarded. What is classed as a statistically significant result? If you run 1000 experiments and 999 fail to show significant results. Using the 1 result as showing something significant without presenting the rest of the data. Antidepressant studies show negligible impact compared to a placebo but also had lots of negative side effects. Yet only those studies that showed net positive effects got published. 46:48 – Cosmetics and food companies regularly use skewed samples in their data. Skin complaints and using regression back to the norm as proof of product working. Companies start another study and keep going until they get the results they need. 47:49 – Big Data. The larger size the data set the more likely you will be able to prove whatever you want by slicing the data in particular ways. Correlation and causation. Nicolas Cage movies vs School Shootings. Ice cream consumption vs murder rates. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Climate change vs Piracy. Nicolas Cage movies vs Swimming Pool Drownings. You can pair any two things together that rise and fall in the same trends. This does not mean that one affects the other. Small samples have a huge variance. It’s possible to get 8/10 heads when flipping a coin but so much less likely to get 80/100 however the result is still the same. You can get a significant result by using a smaller data set. Most pharmaceutical tests are not done on women. Most drugs go to market without being thoroughly tested on the female biology, the interaction with estrogen, birth control. Limited studies on the interactions with other drugs. You would think it should be tested alongside common medications. Grapefruit juice and other fruits have properties in them that amplify the potency of certain drugs so you have to be careful not to take it alongside certain medications 54:39 – Graph manipulation. Show 3 different graphs with the same data but from different perspectives they look totally different. By having axes that don’t start at zero they don’t tell the whole picture. Zoom in on a significant portion of the results making the incline of the line on the graph steeper or shallower according to the data included. How you frame the graph makes a difference in the perception of the same data. 58:08 – Semi attached figure is when you say one thing and imply another. You can’t say something cures colds but you can say it kills 300k germs in 11 seconds in a test tube. This data then lets people make up their own minds and infer an incorrect conclusion. Cigarettes statistics and the preferred brand of physicians. The statistic doesn’t tell you anything. Weather and the number of accidents. Even though fog is more dangerous there will always be more accidents in clear weather because there is more clear weather days than foggy days. Trying to compare 2 stocks by share price is a common mistake. 01:02:08 – Statistics used for catchy headlines and for their shock value. Accidents in the home are more common – makes you feel like it’s more dangerous. True of anywhere that you spend the most time. You can represent the same data in many different ways so it sounds completely different. 01:04:38 – Correlation vs causation. Smoking vs low grades. Easy to infer that one causes the other but it could be the opposite or other lifestyle factors. People who eat McDonalds vs heart disease and correlating that to eating meat. Beer bellies and the correlation to poor health. Often combined factors including environment and other common habits associated to beer drinking. 01:08:40 – Changing attitudes to college. Myth of college equaling success. Negates the other factors of how you got to college that contributes to your success. You don’t get to see alternative histories. College popularity is dropping, poor choice of investment. 01:11:01 – How to talk to a statistic, questions to ask to understand the data you are being presented with. Who Says So? Who is telling you this information and what is their bias or agenda. When presented with impossible statistics think how did they get that data? Look at the demographics of academic psychological studies – most participants are college students. Think about if studies can be replicated. 01:15:29 – How Does He Know? Look out for evidence of a biased sample or a sample that has been improperly selected. Is the sample big enough to give a reliable conclusion. 01:15:44 – What Were their methods? Does it make sense that people could actually know this information? Cancer diagnosis and changing rates. Survival seems longer as we are detecting it earlier, doesn’t actually mean the treatments have an impact. Also people are living longer to become more susceptible to cancer. And a growth in population so naturally numbers will rise. 01:17:25 – What’s Missing? Looking at raw data can give you a true picture. Johns Hopkins and female students. Look at startup growth, how they measure it. Percentages don’t tell you if they have 100 users or 10k users. Raw percentages are misleading. This also happens with diversity, gender. Expecting women to be exactly 50% of elected representatives. However that doesn’t account for the application pool and what happens when you reach that 50%. Do you limit diversity? Male vs Female leadership in Wall Street Organizations. Sexism. Dichotomy creates oppression. When you try to balance you create an alternative discrimination. 01:23:10 – Did somebody change the subject? The reasons for collecting data often skew the results. Do people want to be counted, are people incentivized to give a truthful answer? China example, different census record, one for military and tax reasons the second for famine relief. 01:24:27 – Does it make sense? If you hear a statistic that doesn’t seem plausible or too incredible it’s usually a good sign to be skeptical. 01:25:08 – Bonus material, sphinx conspiracy theories, join the patreon to access it. Overall a good book, quick read, quite entertaining and funny. Super useful. Internalize the questions and use them against outlandish statistics. Look for multiple examples to prove something is good or bad. People often take one or two experiences and extrapolate that to mean always. 01:31:54 – If you want to know everything that's coming up on the show, get access to that on our Patreon. You also get our detailed book notes and really fun bonus material. We also do monthly Hangouts, next one is going to be like mid-September. We don't like ads we're going with the the crowdfunded method. If you want another way to support podcast, go to MadeYouThinkPodcast. com/support. We have some of our wonderful partners there. Tell your friends about the show, shout us out on PornHub. Leave a review on iTunes. Hit us up on Twitter, @NatEliason and @TheRealNeilS, we'll see you all next week. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

"Not long ago kids would argue over which console was better now teenagers whisper cuckold and Nazi like it's considered good manners. We are in the midst of a profound rearrangement of what traits are to be incentivized and rewarded, driven by some 7 billion people each acting with what they believe to be the best of intentions, but who can foresee with what success and with what result." In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss The Tower. In this article we learn about ideas as memes that spread virally and art as a means of being understood. "The Judeo-Christian capital G—o—d, robed, bearded, opinionated, deadlifts, thematically male, is the avatar of civilization, just check the year. Even so, His omnipotence is not uncontested. He knows this. You should see what He did to the guys with the golden calf. God said, “Let there will be light,” and there was light. But just as Nyx preceded Zeus, that means the darkness was already there. And the house always wins at the second law of thermodynamics." We cover a wide range of topics, including: Diversity, privilege, racism & cultural stereotypes The importance belonging and the power of action Memes, memories, outrage and descent into chaos Art, Happiness and Tangents on Tacos & Texas And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to check out the article The Tower on the Hotel Concierge blog! You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching “Made You Think.” If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on I am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter for more on self-image and self-invention or our episode on The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris for another fascinating article on extreme views. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Cuckold [00:06] Nazi [00:07] Wait but Why blog [00:47] The Last Psychiatrist [02:28] Doxing [02:52] Hotel Concierge [03:16] Samizdat [03:18] Amy Schumer offers you a look into your soul – The Last Psychiatrist [03:32] Tower of Babel [04:31] God [04:45] Virus Theory [05:39] Memes [05:58] Dominance hierarchy [06:21] Humanism [07:08] Bigotry [07:19] Dichotomy [08:38] Multiculturalism [08:55] Diversity [08:56] Nyx [11:22] Zeus [11:25] Second law of thermodynamics [11:23] Bible [12:36] Primordial Chaos [12:42] Religion [12:51] Mythology [12:51] The Big Bang [12:59] Entropy [13:33] Politics [14:20] Eros [14:32] Ananke [14:32] Super-ego [15:28] Socialism [17:02] Communism [17:03] Duration-neglect [17:42] Dilettante [18:24] Nomad life [20:41] Judaism [21:47] Yahweh [21:59] Old Testament [21:59] Circumcision [22:06] Prohibition [22:09] Christianity [22:41] Tyranny of the minority [23:05] Kosher [23:09] Postmodernist [25:44] Dogma [26:38] Superstition [26:39] Toxic Masculinity [27:38] Gene [29:05] Political Correctness [29:15] Democracy [29:18] Evolution [29:42] CNN [30:43] Virality [31:42] Clickbait [32:16] Islam [32:56] Apostasy [32:59] Birth control [33:24] Churn rate [33:57] Non-compete clause [34:00] Spread of Christianity [34:53] Missionary [34:58] Proselytization [34:59] Spanish Inquisition [35:12] Catholicism [35:16] Atheist [35:31] Halal [36:11] Saudi Arabia [36:14] Dubai [36:21] Emirati ID [36:26] Jainism [37:28] Buddhism [37:37] Schizophrenic [40:19] Hollywood [42:22] Agnostic [44:46] iPads [45:40] United States [45:48] World War II [46:38] London [46:48 The Blitz [46:48] Hedonic treadmill [47:16] JavaScript [48:58] Google [53:37] Facebook [53:38] National Memory Championship [54:38] Racism [57:32] Discrimination [57:33] Stereotypes [58:07] Hamptons [01:00:51] Carnegie Mellon [01:01:05] Carnivore Diet [01:01:24] Keto Diet [01:01:53] Paleo Diet [01:01:53] Chinese tourists [01:02:17] Louvre [01:03:53] Opiates [01:06:18] Fox News [01:06:38] World Trade Towers [01:06:51] Gun control [01:10:12] Estee Lauder [1:13:00] YC [01:13:09] Hierarchy of needs [01:15:16] Trade Tariffs [01:16:30] UK [01:17:13] Brexit [01:17:14] Middlebury school [01:18:13] Democrats Are Wrong About Republicans. Republicans Are Wrong About Democrats [1:18:17] Misperceptions of Republicans and Democrats [01:18:17] LGBTQ Cultural appropriation [01:19:50] Microaggression [01:19:51] Colonist [01:20:31] Tacos [01:21:49] Texas [01:21:55] Harvard sued for alleged discrimination against Asian American applicants - Discrimination article [01:22:48] MLB [01:24:24] Affirmative action [01:27:35] Diversity [01:27:41] Exeter [01:28:46] Minerva [01:29:36] Stanford [01:31:42] SATs [01:32:49] Harvard [01:37:12] IIT [01:37:12] UBI [01:47:00] Books mentioned The Tower 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson [07:43] (book episode) The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus [17:28] (book episode) Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [22:56] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Torah [25:24] The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins [29:00] The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch [29:29] (book episode) Sapiens by Yuval Harari [29:31] (Nat’s notes) (part I, part II) I Am A Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter [38:26] Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler [38:49] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Bible [44:11] Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut [45:27] The Motivation Hacker by Nick Winter [49:05] Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer [54:27] The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris [01:10:16] (article episode) Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan [01:23:56] Black Panther by Ta-Nehisi Coates [01:23:56] Tibetan Peach Pie by Tom Robbins [01:35:02] People mentioned Hotel Concierge (Author Unknown) Tarantino [01:17] Jordan Peterson [07:43] (12 Rules For Life episode) Thaddeus Russell [09:11] Nassim Taleb [11:40] (Antifragile episode, Skin in the Game episode) Sigmund Freud [15:17] Elon Musk [20:04] Richard Dawkins [28:59] Douglas Hofstadter [38:28] (Godel, Escher, Bach episode) Gwern [42:31] Jesus [44:01] Mary [44:08] Joseph [44:09] Nick Winter [48:52] Joshua Foer [54:32] Ed Cooke [54:47] Mark Manson [58:14] Donald Trump [58:21] Apu [59:15] Jackie Robinson [01:24:19] Ben Nelson - Founder of Minerva [01:29:34] Tom Robbins [01:35:00] Andrew Yang [01:47:04] Show Topics 00:27 – This is one of our occasional article episodes where we have found an article so interesting and profound that it warrants an episode. This article is bordering on us on a short book. Very fun to read. The article is The Tower from a blog called Hotel Concierge. We don't know who this writer is but he/she/they are amazing. 03:59 – The Tower is based on the Tower of Babel which is built to be closer to God and to unite humanity in one place, under one language. This is destroyed by God and humanity is spread across the world. The analogy is that that with modern communication, being able to talk instantly with everyone it is creating this Tower of Babel like effect, leading to outrage culture. 05:48 – Our need to be understood and to feel in control is fuelling that outrage and rebellion. Previously unprivileged groups are now succeeding in the dominance hierarchy. We all need a set of beliefs and having any beliefs are better than none. If you have no beliefs, then you just sort of become a vessel for other people’s ideas. 07:44 – There is always a tendency towards more chaos. Art in all forms is an attempt to be understood. Privilege as how easily your art and memes can be understood. Multiculturalism and diversity go counter towards the goal of assimilation. A lot of white liberals who were fighting for diversity don't actually want diversity. They don't want different cultures. They want the same culture in different colors. 10:21 – This is a well-written persuasive article. “The Judeo-Christian capital G—o—d, robed, bearded, opinionated, deadlifts, thematically male, is the avatar of civilization, just check the year. Even so, His omnipotence is not uncontested. He knows this. You should see what He did to the guys with the golden calf. God said, “Let there will be light,” and there was light. But just as Nyx preceded Zeus, that means the darkness was already there. And the house always wins at the second law of thermodynamics.” The writing style comes off as masculine. Even before God created light, there was still was darkness. Tendency back to the chaos of darkness. You have to deliberately fight against chaos. Human desires for acceptance and control. 14:40 – Acceptance and Control. “Only when we see ourselves reflected by the universe can we believe that it is part of us.” Our tendency towards chaos causes us to feel unhappy and unfulfilled “Ananke hates nothing but entropy. Ananke rewards us for turning atoms into tools and tools into appendages, so much the better if those atoms comprise other humans, viz. the high of domination” “Ananke compels us to learn, to make the universe predictable, to gain control over time, what next happens, and space, what happens next.” 16:23 – A feeling of control is important for us to be able to have any life satisfaction. “Minimum wage jobs are worse because of their pointlessness more than because of their indignity, work harder/better/faster/stronger and no one cares, screw up and you’re replaced without a missed beat.” No control over work and no sense of belonging. Working just like a cog in a machine. 17:35 – “No direction, no story; the days blur together until arthritis leaves you crippled. Stoned summers don’t get you off the hook, duration neglect compresses both good and bad sensations. No matter how pleasant, when nothing is happening, the superego starves. There’s a reason couples fight on vacation.” Not only do we need control and reflection but we need a narrative that has a story to it. Happiness comes from working towards a goal. 18:13 – “Being a dilettante is too easy, flatlines don't form memories.” You need an arc to your story a narrative. “Reinventing yourself between brunches feels good.” 18:52 – It does seem possible to achieve multiple things in your life with focus which is different to bouncing around to new ideas “the illusion of control—until you’ve dreamt the same dreams too many times and they no longer get you high.” Getting excited over a vision is not making progress. If you don’t pick something you will be running around aimlessly. 21:25 – The reason God destroyed the Tower of Babel was he wanted to punish this consolidation under one belief system, one language. Ideas as memes.  If something isn't carefully designed then it can spread fairly naturally. Ideas are going to naturally evolve and spread and so religions get weaker over time. It is easier to wholly conform to a religion than to partially conform and have to make those decisions. Kosher vs non-Kosher. By keeping these very strict rules it made these religious concepts spread virally. Criticism to Humanism because it doesn't really give any prescriptions. Ideas need to take a concrete stand otherwise they are a weak belief system. Your religion becomes a decision making framework but if you are just open to everything then you have no answers. 26:40 – Reasoning through everything is exhausting. Trying to place blame on bad actions on someone's upbringing or genetics means nothing is every anyone’s fault and no-one can be held accountable. “When someone slaps your hypothetical girlfriend's ass in the proverbial club, what does humanism say you should do? At least toxic masculinity has an answer.” 27:45 – If you don't have a code of conduct one will be provided for you. We have a suppressed memetic immune system. It’s statistically inevitable that every meme will attain its most infectious form. A meme is a term introduced by Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene to reference an idea that spreads through a culture, like a gene spreads through the animal world. Political correctness is a meme and democracy is meme. 29:42 – Just like evolution happens faster in animals that breed more often, the more iterations memes go through the more viral they become. We are now in an era where free flow of information is causing us to consume all of these viral memes. Do the ideas control you or do you control the ideas? One can actually control their sources of inputs. Then one becomes a vessel for the ideas that take control of her. 31:54 – “A pathogen that is too restrained will lose out in competition to a more aggressive strain that diverts more host resources to its own reproduction.” Replication is the key to success. High switching cost, once one have publicly committed to these ideas. It’s difficult to move out of a religion due to surroundings and strong deterrents. Parents pass their religion on to their children and with few leaving a religion this just creates more people passing on these beliefs. “But as long as transmission continues despite the virulence, virulent pathogens will have the advantage.” 35:31 – Some religions have weakened over time, you can say you're Christian and you don't actually have to do anything. Alcohol consumption in UAE. Compliance due to deterrents. Trying too hard to not have any memes means you become susceptible to becoming a vessel and getting sucked into the ideas that are around you. All art is memes and all memes want to do is spread. Human desire to share information. 38:51 – “Art is compressed communication. The better the compression, with regards to both perceived fidelity and amount of information contained, the more artful the art”. Both writing and art are ways to purify your mind from chaos. Any form of media is art, this podcast is too. 39:15 – “I think “ease of having one’s art understood” is a defensible conception of “privilege”. Being understood is a huge part of life satisfaction. Diversity in Hollywood, it makes sense that it doesn’t get any more diverse as they are making films for their target culture. “Gwern seems to think that if we banned Guardians of the Galaxy the relevant audience would switch to Douglas Hofstadter. The assumption here is that nonfiction exists, distinct from and more truthful than fiction. I don’t buy it.” 44:15 – Pre-Renaissance – The popular memes of the time of religion was the art and message that lasted. Your religion is another form of privilege. “So who has more privilege, a cis-white-hetero billionaire with full-checklist depression or an unemployed transgender black woman who, despite this, is basically content? Either the billionaire has less privilege, in which case “privilege” is a Harrison Bergeron happiness tax, or the suicidal person has more privilege, in which case, how much does “privilege” matter, really.” “I’ve met Upper East Side kids less fulfilled by their iPads than Sub-Saharan kids without running water were with “catch the rock.” Happiness and privilege are not the same. You can be happy without privilege and depressed with wealth. Statistics on suicide being mostly wealthy younger people or those at the end of their life. Suicide and depression rates go down during war time. Being well off is not the solution for happiness, doesn't automatically make you happy. “Saved wealth buffers against tragedy but suffering finds a way.” 47:36 – “Like a forgotten drive to work, we are amnestic to routine, and memories of “eat, menial labor, sleep” blur together in the rearview mirror. The important-yet-oft-forgotten obverse is that, independent of happiness, wealth buys freedom from routine.” “A night at the opera is no more fun than pizza and brewskis, but the former is novel, for a time, and the latter soon fades from memory.” The importance of memory on happiness. Novelty of an experience puts a little placeholder in our memory, a hedonistic measurement. Most of traveling isn’t actually that fun but there are moments that do stick with you. Enjoyment tracking of extreme sports vs video games. We remember the peaks more than the consistent or length of enjoyment. You don’t remember the world like a spreadsheet. Entrepreneurial businesses vs standard job. Earnings might be the same but there are more more memories and signposts throughout the entrepreneurial journey that make it worth it . You only get the peaks from climbing your own mountain. 52:27 – Experiencing self vs Remembering self. You need those indicators in your memories for happiness, to reflect back to you who you are. Ed Cook plans parties with several different thematic parts so that it feels like a multitude of new experiences and memories all within one three hour party. Mark Manson recommends going to multiple bars on dates so it feels like you have a lot to remember and look back on. Same how large or distinct life experiences feel lengthy even if they were just for one day. 57:10 – “Contrary to the pop-ethical consensus, discrimination is not caused by having too many stereotypes but too few. If you wake to find a lithe man dressed in all black standing over your bed and holding a katana, it may be quite reasonable to infer that he is a hired ninja and that you are in grave danger. If, however, you assume this about every East Asian man that you encounter, you lack nuance of stereotypes.” Nuances of stereotypes within race, religion and politics. “Race and gender are social constructs, but the cultural norms that correlate with race and gender—and goth, prep, jock, etc—are real.” Where there are these intergroup conflicts over trivial differences. To counteract a stereotype you need an alternative worldview that narrows down that stereotype into a more nuanced view. Framing an argument against stereotypes as don't be racist join or die, fails and it's infuriatingly counterproductive because it doesn't create a new stereotype to work with. Stereotypes portfolio. 01:06:00 – “The racist stay racist and now feel that society is out to get them. hashtag MAGA.” Being told you are racist is really counterproductive. The opposite of feeling you belong. This causes people to accept the label and not change their world view. 01:07:54 – “Once acceptance becomes orthodoxy even private dissent becomes grounds for ostracization. No matter your other convictions you become a stereotype that society will single-issue-vote off the island, just ask Brendan Eich. Of course I support gay marriage; my point is that if one’s views before were “well, it is kind of weird,” then being told “soon there will be enough of us that we won’t have to deal with people like you at all”—that makes homophobia logical. And at least you can change your opinion of gay marriage. It’s much harder to change being white and low-class.” You can’t talk about the middle ground. It is the two extremes that are virulent. The opinions seem to be all or nothing. False correlation between number of words written about something leading people to think that thing is more prevalent in society, like words in an article relate to more crime. Intermittent fasting and the bubble of understanding within social groups. When we meet someone outside of our own knowledge we realize the bubble that we are in. “No one is born hateful, stranger anxiety doesn’t even start til six months. But culture war is history being written by the winners, first draft. Conservatives are offered the choice of fighting the ever-changing tides of social values or toiling away in obscurity while journalists pretend to like soccer. People want to be understood. And they will rage all sorts of ways against the dying of the light.” 01:14:38 – “The upper-middle class—mostly urban, mostly blue—claims by far the largest share of America’s income, more than the middle class and far more than the 1%. This, despite their protests to the contrary, gives them disproportionate control over the news and entertainment industry, which in cyberpunk America is tantamount to controlling the culture.” Urban culture controls the media so you’ve got the rural conservative that feels constantly misunderstood that leads to Trump. Global need to be understood, “I’m saying that the specific way the media talks about race and culture, creating an incoherent set of rules regarding “appropriation” and etiquette, proudly crying out that this is the end of those boring, selfish white people, has made the situation much, much worse. If the left wanted to prevent assimilation, there would be no more effective way.” When there are all these rules, where everything is cultural appropriation then it makes it easier for people to throw their hands up and admit defeat and continue with their world view as they cannot correct it. 01:21:05 – Every culture has a past. Judge people on how they are today. Stop punishing people pay for what their ancestors did. Forced assimilation doesn’t go well – like asking people to have X percent of your meals as Mexican food vs allowing people to naturally adopt a culture and its food – like tacos in Texas. 01:22:48 – Asians in America are succeeding at everything faster that most other groups ever have. These are positive changes to the power structure. Make what you want to see. Jackie Robinson as the first Black baseball player. His coach knew as the first black player he would receive aggression and wanted to make sure that his reaction to this would offer an alternative stereotype than the expected violence. This would pave the way for others after him. “Ergo, you decide to hire some minority writers to write your minority characters. Applications rush in. How are you going to decide who makes the cut? “You know, the usual. Interview. Letters of recommendation. College transcript—” This is how the system protects itself against change. At every step of the social hierarchy, what is required for a person of color or a woman to succeed is determined by the values of the ruling class. I think that’s “white patriarchal supremacy,” but don’t quote me. Of course, the same principle applies to e.g. homosexuals and Jews; thankfully those traits are easier to hide.” 01:29:41 – Extracurricular activities weed out poor people as they are exclusive to those with disposable income. Is it true diversity if just the rich kids from Buenos Aires or Mexico City get into a school but poorer Latino kids in the US don’t stand a chance. Tom Robbins spent 8 years while trying to get his big break in writing. That takes privilege to have that time to create art and not to have student debt. “These “gifted” but “troubled” people will bumble through their whole lives, getting second through tenth chances, mysteriously finding that anything involving an authority figure goes their way, as they ruthlessly condemn capitalist injustice, never realizing that criticizing privilege is…the language of privilege.” 1:37:30 – When you think of how many do not have privilege and are not understood and cannot express themselves. It's easy to imagine all of the outcasts conspiring to destroy that Tower. Nobody wants to feel like their beliefs are not allowed. 01:41:42 – The Prescription. “What’s the solution? There’s only one and it is so radical that I hesitate to even suggest it: stop being a pleb. You. Stop treating words as a substitute for action. Stop paying time and money into institutions that loan a symbol of mastery in lieu of actual depth. Stop looking for such symbols in others. Stop judging policies by the veneer of good intention rather than the details of consequence. Stop looking past people, because this is all the same, isn’t it? Working from a map, a stereotype, a symbol, instead fighting for the complex truth? None of this horror requires malice or even stupidity. All it requires is taking the easy way out.” 01:42:05 – Such great writing, narrative style is just so fun. Ton of bonus material for this one. If you're not already supporting us on Patreon, you can go to patreon.com/madeyouthink. You'll get all our recordings for the episode, detailed notes on the article including bolding and highlighting everything. You’ll see which articles are coming up and you can also join us for our monthly hangouts. Thank you to everybody who has joined we love you. We do also have a support page on the site madeyouthinkpodcast.com/support. Just tell your friends. Leave a review on iTunes. If you want to get in touch with us tweeting is probably best option. Do it at @TheRealNeilS and @NatEliason. Until next week! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com  

“The prestige of the government had undoubtedly been lowered considerably by prohibition”, Albert Einstein observed when he visited the United States in the early 1920s. “Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than laws which cannot be enforced.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss Smoke Signals by Martin A. Lee. In this book we take a walk through the history of marijuana, from it being a legal, useful plant and the third largest crop in the U.S to it being illegal and harshly but selectively punished. We see how racism and the variety of political backgrounds have shaped the PR of this ancient plant. “It was a move that served as a pretext for harassing Mexicans. Just as opium legalization in San Francisco 40 years earlier was directed at another despised minority, the Chinese. In each case the target of the prohibition was not the drug so much as those most associated with its use. Typically in the United States drug statutes have been aimed or selectively enforced against a feared or disparaged group within society.” We cover a wide range of topics, including: The history of marijuana, benefits and uses Arguments for and against legalization Political figures and their contribution to The War on Drugs Effects of consumption, psychedelics and edibles Tangents on wellness retreats, duels and fact checking fake news And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Smoke Signals by Martin A. Lee! You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching “Made You Think.” If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Homo Deus by Yuval Harari for more on the domestication of plants and animals. Or for a totally different type of episode check out Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter as a counter to this linear, fact based book. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Marijuana [00:32] Neolithic period [01:21] Recreational drug use [02:42] Colorado [02:49] World War I [03:57] World War II [03:58] Virginia [05:27] New York [05:28] Maryland [05:31] Washington, DC [05:32] Austin, Texas [05:38] Shaman [06:18] Biochemistry [06:23] THC [06:26] Psychedelics [06:50] Spirit Journeys [06:53] Hindu texts [07:03] Soma [07:06] Moses [07:52] God [07:53] Ten Commandments [07:54] Ayahuasca [07:59] LSD [08:10] High on Mount Sinai? – Hebrew University’s professor’s theory – Reuters [08:18] The Burning Bush (Ex 3:1–6): A study of natural phenomena as manifestation of divine presence in the Old Testament and in African context [08:18] Hebrew University [08:27] Israel [08:28] Sinai Peninsula [08:31] Amazon Jungle [08:35] Higher Consciousness [09:43] Joe Rogan Experience #1133 – Dennis McKenna [10:25] Silicide [10:26] Mushrooms [10:27] Pharmacological research [10:44] Hemp [12:54] CBD [13:56] Omega 3 [15:18] Declaration of Independence [15:28] Cotton [16:22] Tobacco [16:23] Dietary fat [18:33] Duels [18:40] WeWork [19:01] Estrogen [23:26] Cooking oils [24:46] Soy Oil [24:52] Corn Oil [24:52] Canola Oil [24:57] Arizona [25:32] Miraval Retreat [25:38] Mindfulness [25:38] Healing crystals [26:34] Mysticism [26:39] Civil war [28:26] Hashish candy [28:28] Sears Roebuck Catalog [28:30] Sativa [28:53] Indica [28:54] Edibles [30:11] Salvia [31:30] Paris [32:15] Prohibition [32:54] Mexican Revolution [33:35] California [35:03] Texas [35:11] Ivy League [39:23] FDA [41:18] Patents [41:27] Marinol [41:42] Whey protein [41:57] Keto Diet [42:11] Epilepsy [42:29] Skin diseases [42:32] Autoimmune disorders [42:34] Obesity [42:37] Glaucoma [42:56] Parkinson's [43:24] Federal Marijuana Farm [43:52] California Cannabis Law [44:10] Syria [44:48] Marijuana Tax Act [44:57] Federal Bureau of Narcotics [46:17] FBI [46:27] Great Depression [46:28] Opiate Epidemic [47:06] Alcoholism [47:08] Maryland [47:14] GreenDoc [47:31] San Francisco [48:38] Eaze App [48:44] Postmates [48:47] Ubereats [48:48] Skype [49:10] GrubHub [50:17] LaGuardia committee [50:57] New York Mayor [50:59] Jews [52:23] African-Americans [52:23] Mexican Government [52:56] Congress [54:34] Homophobia [54:39] Pro-family [54:43] Amphetamines [55:13] NIDA agency [55:30] Jamaica [55:38] Postpartum Depression [57:23] Nausea [57:25] Stress [57:33] Anxiety [57:35] Cortisol [57:41] Breast milk [57:45] Meditation [58:15] Heroin [01:01:42] Oxycodone [01:01:59] Libertarians [01:01:23] Protein [01:02:54] Amino acids [01:02:56] Iron [01:02:58] Magnesium [01:02:59] Vitamins [01:03:01] Self-medication [01:05:50] Chemo [01:05:54] Leukemia [01:06:04] Endocannabinoid system [01:06:54] Cannabinoid Receptors [01:07:06] Types of cancer [01:08:20] Peripheral nervous system [01:08:52] Immune system [01:08:54] Lymph cells [01:09:01] Endocrine glands [01:09:02] Reproductive organs [01:09:03] Alzheimer’s Disease [01:09:07] MDMA [01:12:00] Books mentioned Smoke Signals by Martin Lee Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter [04:45] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse [05:11] (book episode) The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus [05:17] (book episode) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley [07:08] The Bible [07:52] Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [20:44] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Sapiens by Yuval Harari [20:46] (Nat’s Notes) (part I, part II) Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas [31:58] People mentioned Martin A.Lee Albert Einstein [00:06] Barack Obama [02:37] Joe Rogan [10:31] Terence McKenna [10:35] Dennis McKenna [10:40] Thomas Jefferson [15:24] George Washington [16:30] Donald Trump [18:51] Al Capone [36:53] Nassim Taleb [44:36] (Antifragile episode, Skin in the Game episode) Franklin D. Roosevelt [44:59] Malcolm X [45:56] Harry J. Anslinger [46:07] Richard Nixon [51:23] H. R Haldeman [52:03] Newt Gingrich [54:48] Ronald Reagan [58:49] Nancy Reagan [58:53] Bill Clinton [01:05:08] Show Topics 00:31 – This seems to be one of the longest marijuana books in existence. 390 pages but incredibly detailed. So much history of this ancient plant. Includes scientific, medical and recreational history as well as legislative and political history. The book focuses on the US history of marijuana and some within Europe too. 02:09 – The book starts as soon as the U.S was colonized around 1776 and includes insights right through to 2009. The push on recreational legalization started happening right after this book came out. We knew that cannabis had been illegal for a long time but didn’t know how it became that way. It’s strange to consider that there used to be a law that farmers had to grow hemp. Lots of things in the book are counter to what your original impression might be. We are not high for this episode, this book is too linear and fact-based for that. 05:47 – The book includes a little bit of background on the history of cannabis and the uses. We know old tribes around the world were using psychedelics and other plant medicines to induce spirit journeys or healing rituals. It seems to be a global constant that people are using mind-altering drugs for spiritual experiences. There are theories around certain bible stories being a recounting of a psychedelic experience. 07:59 – Ayahuasca as an incredible psychedelic, several plants found in the Amazon are known for their mind altering capabilities. Drugs have been used in rituals for a long time. Cannabis seems to be like revered for that reason in many of these cultures. Marijuana is a psychedelic when consumed certain ways. It would be pretty easy to think that by taking this plant you're communicating with God. You can't really get these experiences any other way. 11:03 – Looking at the benefits of marijuana and how it can change your perception of the world. Dennis McKenna explains that your brain filters everything you interact with in life and you're looking at it through a lens. With psychedelics and even marijuana some of those filters start to fall away. In some ways you start to see things more clearly. You see things from a different perspective. It puts you in an altered state of consciousness. The uses and harms of marijuana – marketing problem vs framing problem. 12:54 – The distinction between hemp and marijuana is really interesting. They are the same plant but owning hemp products is legal as it is non-psychoactive. So much of society depended up on hemp up until the 1800’s, clothes, paper, rope, oil. It is nutritionally dense too. The production of hemp was so important it was a matter of national security. It’s amazing how public opinion of a product can change. It was the third largest crop until it was criminalized. 200 years later people are getting thrown in jail for possession. Are there any things that we take for granted that will just be like completely illegal in the future? 19:01 – WeWork banning meat consumption on expenses. Vegetarianism would contribute to the reduction in numbers of animals if meat consumption goes down. We can’t sustain the numbers of animals if it is not for consumption. In Homo Deus it mentions that 50% of all non-domesticated fauna have either gone extinct or are on the road to extinction in the last 200 years. 21:18 – Argument against eating chicken. Smaller animal with less meat, not eating chicken is the easiest way to reduce the amount of suffering created through your diet. Also for dietary reasons due to excessive estrogen. 25:49 – Wellness retreats and limited health science knowledge. Some people are vegan for health reasons, some for virtue signalling reasons. They only make choices that are externally visibly as being health conscious. Behind the scenes, like cooking with lower quality oil, poorer choices are made. 28:15 – Origin of the word marijuana from Mexico. Modern strains don’t have much CBD any more because they have been bred to have increased THC. THC is the psychoactive component and CBD is the healing component. Eating it is a very different experience to smoking it. Four times as strong as it is digested and processed by the liver. Varying trends over the years in consumption. Chewing, ingesting, smoking. Hashish clubs and dinner, as part of puddings. 32:44 – The term marijuana came from Mexican slang. Prohibitionist started using it take advantage of growing racism against Mexicans. Became attributed to being a Mexican thing. California was the first to outlaw it in 1913. 35:21 – “It was a move that served as a pretext for harassing Mexicans. Just as opium legalization in San Francisco 40 years earlier was directed at another despised minority the Chinese. In each case the target of the prohibition was not the drug so much as those most associated with its use. Typically in the United States drug statutes have been aimed or selectively enforced against a feared or disparaged group within society.” Recurring theme of using drug laws as a form of racism. Looking at the arguments to keep marijuana illegal, some say this is a way to like catch people who are doing other crimes. Also that the police choose to not go after the actual drug dealers. There are more low level consumers who are easier to prosecute. Laws seem to be enforced extremely selectively. By being put in jail that increases the likelihood of becoming a more serious criminal. 40:23 – Marijuana has so many medical uses. As a society we are used to single target drugs but cannabis has over 200 different active compounds. The pharma industry is mostly interested in patentable compounds – a plant isn’t patentable. Cannabis has been found to reduce side effects of lots of conditions. Remarkable stories of it stopping the progress of glaucoma, stopping people turning blind. People in states that do not have legal marijuana access for medical purposes have to rely on friends bringing it to them illegally. 44:36 – False narratives portrayed to the public about the effects of cannabis use. Taleb said that if any time somebody uses children or women as the reason for something being bad, they're probably lying. It was said that “marijuana will make Mexicans and blacks lust after your wives”. 44:59 – Acts of cannabis taxation were brought into force and enforced harshly before people even knew the law existed. The punishment does not fit the crime at all. Harry J. Anslinger put together a campaign against marijuana for more funding and to keep his job. Doctors are now getting tired prescribing opiates and seeing people get addicted to them so are turning to dispensing cannabis where usage is legal. In San Francisco there are startups that will deliver marijuana products in under 30 minutes. 50:47 – So many research initiatives are being done and they overwhelmingly say it's not harmful however Anslinger ignores them. Side effects are debunked and the LaGuardia committee refutes every claim. 51:41 – Moving on in history to Nixon. “Nixon linked cannabis to loudmouth to racial protesters. ‘They're all on drugs’. He brusquely told an aide. Susceptible to bouts of paranoia the commander-in-chief blamed the Jews for spearheading efforts to legalize cannabis. ‘You know, it's a funny thing every one of those bastards that are out there for legalizing marijuana is Jewish, what the Christ is the matter with the Jews Bob?’ Nixon asked his closest advisor HR Haldeman. In private conversations with his inner circle tricky dick also Savaged African-Americans. Nixon emphasized that ‘you have to face the fact that the whole problem is really the blacks. The key is to devise a system that recognizing this while not appear in to’ Haldeman wrote in his diary.” 52:30 – You can't like just make a law that it's illegal to be black or Jewish but you can pass a law that targets them. Crackdowns on production did nothing except increase the price of marijuana and make more Mexicans want to farm it. Distinctions between alcohol and marijuana. “Nixon, a heavy drinker, drew a rather fuzzy distinction between marijuana and alcohol. ‘A person doesn't drink to get drunk a person drinks to have fun while a person smokes pot to get high’, the president told a friend” “Addicted to sleeping pills and amphetamines and often South on liquor Nixon staggered through the White House in a daze talking to portraits of past presidents that hung on the walls" 54:08 – Everybody who's heavily against legalization is a hypocrite in one way or another they're either alcoholics or they're taking painkillers. It seems like a fairly common theme. Studies on effects of marijuana consumption in Jamaican mothers. “The ganja moms and their kids did not appear to be harmed by marijuana exposure in the womb. There were no physical abnormalities, no cognitive deficits and no neonatal complications nor were there any discernible differences between the three day old babies of mothers who used marijuana and the three-day-old non-exposed babies. They were surprised to discover that after one month the babies of mothers who had used ganja throughout their pregnancy were actually healthier more alert and less fussy than one month old infants whose mothers did not take cannabis. Test results for one month old infants whose mothers also ingested ganja while breastfeeding were even more striking heavily exposed babies were more socially responsive and more autonomically stable than babies is not exposed to cannabis through their mothers milk. Alertness was higher motor and autonomic function or autonomous systems were robust. They were less irritable less likely to demonstrate in balance of tone needed less examiner facilitation than the neonates of non using mothers. And then when they were tested at four and five their team found absolutely no difference between the children of ganja moms and children of non-users.” 56:58 – These studies showed little side effects, seems quite beneficial. Nancy Reagan was a chronic user of prescription tranquilizers. Her daughter basically said her mother's anti-drug advocacy may have been a form of denial. Dangers of overstating the harmful nature of cannabis has other effects. “Uncle Sam cried wolf too often first. Marijuana was said to create maniacal Killers then to produce inert masses of lazy indulges when teens caught on they weren't getting the Straight Dope about marijuana. They were more likely to ignore warnings about genuinely dangerous drugs.” 01:00:26 – Perception of marijuana impacts other harder drugs. Whenever an authority says something is unhealthy we now re-consider if that is true or not. Fortunately we are now in a time we can fact check anything instantly. Nutritional value of red meat and checking what is true. 01:04:04 – It's really clearly a racism thing, whites and blacks use illegal drugs at the same rate however blacks were arrested prosecuted and jailed at much higher rates. This book covers the war on drugs and how it escalated from the 50’s through to the 90’s. Benefits of marijuana, fasting and ketosis on chemo patients. There could be so much more research on these things. Feels like a crime to make something so helpful, illegal. Horribly ironic in some sense because you know Reagan died of Alzheimer's. It seems like doctors just have known of these benefits it for years. 01:10:37 – Oxycontin and number of deaths. It’s crazy how something so deadly is legal. “Purdue Pharma multi-billion dollar blockbuster was linked to thousands of Overdose deaths. Of the almost 500,000 Hospital emergency room visits in the US in 2004 more than 36,000 involved Oxycontin.” No one has ever died from marijuana ever write as far as we know. People will say it's a gateway drug. The only way it's a gateway drug is when it's illegal as it forces you to create a relationship with a dealer. 01:12:53 – Since legalization teen marijuana use is unchanged in both, Colorado and Washington State. Amazing how political the history is, in a mix of racism and fear mongering. All of the research around the benefits is fairly compelling. “The Economist, the blue-chip British magazine editorialized that the FDA's stance on marijuana lacked common sense adding, if cannabis were unknown and bio-prospectors were suddenly to find it in some remote mountain crevice, its discovery would no doubt be hailed as a medical breakthrough. Scientists would praise its potential for treating everything from pain to cancer and marvel at its rich pharmacopoeia, many of whose chemicals mimic vital molecules in the human body.” 01:15:46 – There has also been significant reduction in opioid usage in the states with active dispensaries for cannabis. 01:16:08 – If you’d like to support the show go to patreon.com/madeyouthink. You get access to fun things like all of our bonus material our detailed notes for each episode and hangouts. You can get that at Patreon and we appreciate the support of the show. We like to keep it ad free and natural. We appreciate everyone who is already supporting us there and everyone who is going to go support us after this show. It means a lot. If you haven't left a review on iTunes, we'd really appreciate that as well. Let your friends know about the show and you can always message us on Twitter at @NatEliason and @TheRealNeilS. There are other options at madeyouthinkpodcast.com/support related to shopping. We'd love to hang out with you in the Patreon community and talk more there we'll see you there and we will see you next week. Thanks everyone. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com  

“There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. In this book we learn about the Legend of Sisyphus and his never-ending toil. How to find meaning in the struggle and hope for the future. “The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks and this fate is no less absurd but it is tragic only at the rare moments when it becomes conscious.” We cover a wide range of topics, including: Meaning of life, Suicide, Law & Death Evolution, the Brain as an Illusion & the Decline of Religion Tangents on Tesla, Twilight Zone & Twitter The Absurd Man, Consciousness and Japanese Duels And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching “Made You Think.” If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on The Elephant in the Brain for more on taboo subjects of the mind or our episode on The Book of Five Rings for ideas on philosophy and a retrospective look over life. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Syphilis  [02:10] Antibiotics [02:21] Suicides [03:06] Meaning of life [03:35] Ethics [03:56] Metaphysics [03:57] Antinatalism [04:27] Evolution [05:48] Humanity [05:54] Post Modernists [07:05] Last Will and Testament [07:32] Absurd Man [08:50] Freakonomics Podcast – The Suicide Paradox [11:34] Euthanasia [12:30] Libertarianism [13:15] Stroke [13:24] Prohibition [13:48] Morphine [14:02] Life Insurance [14:16] Hospice Care [14:27] Painkiller Medication [16:57] Facilitated Suicide [17:11] Malpractice [17:24] Hospital [17:53] Liability [18:05] DNR [18:53] Washington [19:24] Legality of Cannabis[19:30] Alcohol Laws [19:44] California [19:50] Colorado [19:51] Byzantine [19:57] Mississippi [20:13] Texas [20:14] Pennsylvania [20:14] Nebraska [20:15] Lawsuit [20:44] Small Breweries [20:51] Lobbying [20:53] Alabama [20:58] Government [21:22] Nanny state [21:47] Austin [22:12] Dallas [22:19] Houston [22:20] Pickup Trucks [22:40] Red Pill [23:20] Atheist [23:50] God [23:53] Consciousness [24:36] Solipsism [27:58] World Simulation [28:15] Automaton [28:38] The Matrix [28:44] Costa Rica [34:19] Dog Refuge in Costa Rica [34:24]   Japanese Duels [36:59] Akane no Mai – Westworld episode on Musashi [37:10] Character Map [38:14] Kindle X-Ray [38:57] Game of Thrones [39:35] Emergency Awesome - YouTube [39:51] Click (film) [42:31] Post Religious [46:12] Secular [46:19] Genetics [47:32] Nihilism [47:45] Nationalism [48:01] Dichotomy [49:22] Hedonism [53:24] Ivory Tower [56:07] Intellectual Yet Idiot [56:09] Frugality [57:44] Stoicism [57:45] Minimalism [58:25] Confirmation Bias [59:10] Rome [59:54] Amazon [01:00:10] Amazon Valuation [01:00:23] Microsoft [01:01:13] Netflix [01:01:18] Apple [01:01:25] Nokia [01:01:43] Twitter [01:01:47] iPhone [01:01:49] Google [01:02:08] IMDb [01:02:32] Alexa [01:02:46] Twitch [01:02:59] Zappos [01:03:00] Pillpack [01:03:03] Audible [01:03:05] Kiva Systems [01:03:06] Goodreads [01:03:08] Stack Overflow [01:03:15] Basecamp [01:03:17] Domo [01:03:17] Business Insider [01:03:18] Washington Post [01:03:21] LivingSocial [01:03:27] AmazonBasics [01:03:40] Tesla [01:03:57] Hyperloop Transportation System [01:04:28] Legend of Sisyphus – Wikipedia [01:07:52] Nomad lifestyle [01:22:37] A Nice Place to Visit - Twilight Zone episode [01:23:02] Uncomfortable Reading – Neil Soni [1:24:14] Crony Belief [01:26:06] Lindy Rule [01:26:24] Gestalt [01:26:49] Guardians of the Galaxy [01:26:59] Disney [01:27:08] New York Times [01:27:43] Wall Street Journal [01:27:44] Harvard discrimination [01:31:01] Books mentioned The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [05:01] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Sapiens by Yuval Harari [05:27] (Nat’s notes) (part I, part II) Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch [05:29] (book episode) Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett [05:32] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Stranger by Albert Camus [08:22] Mastery by Robert Greene [09:55] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Cowboy Conservatism by Sean Cunningham [21:14] Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [24:23] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler [25:07] (Nat’s notes) (Neil's notes) (book episode) I am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter [26:41] Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter [26:47] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi [37:13] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy [38:06] The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey [44:58] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Letters from a Stoic by Seneca [58:36] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Happy Accidents by Morton A. Meyers [01:17:39] (book episode) Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse [01:17:56] (book episode) The War on Normal People by Andrew Yang [01:41:56] (book episode) The Jungle by Upton Sinclair [01:25:40] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) People mentioned Albert Camus Anthony Bourdain [03:01] Young Jamie [06:44] Joe Rogan [06:44] Kafka [07:28] Jordan Peterson [23:57] (12 Rules For Life episode) Musashi [37:02] (The Book of Five Rings episode) Adam Sandler [42:22] Yuval Harari [46:58] (Homo Deus episode, Sapiens episodes Part I, Part II) Seneca [57:56] (Letters from a Stoic episode) Tim Ferriss [58:30] Epictetus [59:27] Jeff Bezos [59:53] Elon Musk [01:05:00] Nietzsche [01:06:37] Dostoevsky [01:12:05] Mark Manson [01:21:57] Nassim Taleb [01:25:39] (Antifragile episode, Skin in the Game episode) James Gunn [01:26:47] Sarah Jeong [01:27:57] Andrew Yang [01:41:46] (War on Normal People episode, Q&A episode) Show Topics 01:28 – This week’s episode is Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. It is a philosophical book exploring the meaning of life, questioning if suicide is ever the rational choice. Themes include, humans questioning their cosmic significance and when life is a struggle, is it still worth living? 06:19 – The book is an essay in 4 sections, Absurd Reasoning, Absurd Man, Absurd Creation & Myth of Sisyphus. Camus was insecure about his work, similarly to Kafka who didn’t wish for his uncompleted works to be published after his death. Camus’ other work, The Stranger, was good, entertaining but it’s easy to hate the main character. Having read more by Camus it’s easier to understand his other works better. 10:03 – Taboo topic of suicide, often discussed as a wholly bad thing and something we should prevent at all costs. This book is a personal exploration of whether or not it makes sense. There are plenty of statistics to suggest that talking about suicide and reporting on suicides causes an increase. We have a natural aversion to talking about it. This essay is an argument against it as none of the reasons presented for it are considered convincing. 12:40 – For those in unbearable pain, what is the compassionate thing to do? This directly competes with the human with the human instinct for not ending a life. If someone is in pain, should it be illegal to let them go? Is it cruel and selfish to extend someone’s life artificially? The practice of assisted suicide still exists even though illegal but just via more illicit means. 14:38 – Insurance has no incentive to keep people alive as they stop paying out for care but hospitals stop getting paid when people die. Waiting for people to pass naturally is often a long drawn out process. Hospitals have to be vigilant in these situations before death to avoid malpractice lawsuits. Their desire is to minimize liability when someone does die. It is often a morally difficult decision for families. Legality of negative actions (not giving an intervention) vs positive action (assisting or speeding up the process of dying). 19:31 – Laws around alcohol and cannabis. Texas is very polarized compared to other states like Pennsylvania. 22:37 – “Living naturally is never easy, you continue making the gestures commanded by existence for many reasons. the first of which is habit. Dying voluntarily implies that you've recognized even instinctively the ridiculous character of that habit. The absence of any profound reason for living, the insane character of that daily agitation and the uselessness of suffering” 24:00 – The brain as an illusion. Consciousness doesn’t have much control, just along for the ride. Can often result in a feeling of chaos or overwhelm. Hard to explain this concept to others not familiar with these subjects. Internal vs external experience of “I”, sub personalities and the internal chatter of the mind. It’s hard to consider that everyone experiences that about themselves. Considering everyone has their own unique experiences, it’s easier to think that it’s just me and the world and you’re all part of the simulation. Perhaps everyone else's consciousness is a figment of our imagination. 29:16 – Determinism vs Free Will & Evolution vs God. You can also think there is third option between non free-will and non determinism, where your brain is still deciding things, there is free will but it’s not yours. Very philosophical episode so far, contemplating the randomness in the universe. 32:07 – Man’s attachment to life. We get into the habit of living (surviving) before we acquire the habit of thinking. Animalian Drive, social bonds and the coexistence behaviors of other animals like chimps & dogs. Human’s drive to co-operate overrides our other urges. However scarcity causes confrontation. 35:52 – Violent crime can be thought of as failure of the cognitive mind. Crime levels show that we co-exist together relatively peacefully. Especially considering density of population, e.g on the island of Manhattan, most of which haven’t killed someone while living there. Getting through lengthy books, taking notes and needing character maps to follow plot. 40:27 – “Rising, streetcar, four hours in the office or the factory, meal, streetcar, four hours of work, meal, sleep. And Monday Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday according to the same rhythm. This path is easily followed most of the time but one day the ‘why’ arises and everything begins in that weariness tinged with amazement begins. This is important weariness comes at the end of the acts of a mechanical life, but at the same time it inaugurates the impulse of consciousness.” Meaningless of the routine. Moment of clarity after extended periods of working hard. The movie Click and fast forwarding through the autonomous parts of life. How often are you in the driver's seat? How often is life on autopilot? Autopilot can used as a function to get out of your own way. You couldn’t function if you were aware of the absurdity of life for your whole day at your factory job. That would cause more suffering. You have to be satisfied with your life so that when the consciousness comes in you don’t feel weary of how absurd it is. 45:38 – “He feels within him his longing for happiness and for reason. The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world” Changing notions of religion, no longer an unhesitant belief - without religion people are now ‘woke’. Science answers the how and what but doesn’t answer the why. Science and religion should be separate. If religion and nationalism are fading away, what are we a part of then? Jordan Peterson is an example of figureheads that people are looking up to in place of religion. Externalize the meaning of our lives onto these people - like an over obsessive mother who won’t let their child grow up, or obsession in romantic relationships. 49:13 – There is no objective meaning of life however we have an innate longing and desire for meaning - how do you reconcile those two things? “The mind's first step is to distinguish what is true from what is false. However, as soon as the thought reflects on itself what it first discovers is a contradiction. Of whom and what indeed can I say I know that? This heart within me I can feel and I judge that it exists. This world I can touch and I likewise judge that it exists. There ends all my knowledge and the rest is construction for if I tried to seize this self of which I feel sure. If I try to define a to summarize it it is nothing but water slipping through my fingers.” 50:06 – What does the mind do that the brain doesn’t do? We are always stuck within that contradiction. Lots of overlapping themes with GEB episode. “If through science I can seize phenomena and enumerate them I cannot for all that apprehend the world. Were I to trace its entire relief with my finger I should not know anymore” Simply having the data from science isn’t the same as understanding and knowing. The mind is like water dripping through fingers, we can’t hold on to the concept. “What is absurd is the confrontation of the irrational and the wild longing for clarity whose call echoes in the human heart. The absurd depends as much on man as on the world. At this point of his effort, man stands face to face the irrational, he feels within him his longing for happiness and for reason. The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world.” We want to be happy and we want reasons for existing but the world has nothing to offer us we can never find an external explanation for being and so we either have to create one ourselves or just accept that we will never have one. It’s a hard concept to be comfortable with. 52:51 – Chapter 2. Examples of the absurd life. Revolt, Freedom, Passion. It's the actor who recognizes that everything is ephemeral. Life ends at the end of the role. Mini universes are created within plays. The actor - in those 3 hours he travels the whole course of the dead-end path that the men in the audience take a lifetime to cover. You can sit and observe an actor but you can never do that with your own life. 54:40 – The Conqueror. Fighting and taking action, demands respect. Not sitting thinking. But they are not contemplating their life. Comparison of the conqueror to business. Choosing action over contemplation. 56:47 – Who is the "I". Discussing this topic makes you very self aware. These observations are not reasons not to pursue things in life. Stoicism and Minimalism are great philosophies for people who don’t want to feel bad about giving up on their goals. However some people interpret Stoicism as saying to go for your goals. There is fun in accomplishment. Your mindset is often reflected in what you’re reading. Our differing mindset applies different meanings to the same books. Our minds don’t hold on to thoughts we disagree with. We extract what is valuable. Our struggles and wealth can play a part on our viewpoint. Epictetus in poverty vs Seneca with wealth. 01:00:00 – Tangent. Modern wealth, Jeff Bezos and the escalating new heights of wealth. Which tech companies would you be least surprised to not exist in 10 years? Amazon, IPO’s, Tesla and stock prices. 01:06:05 – Humans long for happiness and reason but absurdity is born from our need and the silence of the world. It’s a philosophical contradiction. Nietzsche said we had killed God in becoming God ourselves. That we are taking power and trying to be the arbiters of our faith. We decide what is meaningful. The goal is to not wait for heaven in the afterlife but to create that eternal meaningful life here. 01:07:42 – The Myth of Sisyphus. He defied the Gods and put Death in chains so that no human needed to die. When Death was liberated and it became time for Sisyphus to die, he tried to escape. The Gods decided to punish him for all of eternity. He would push a rock up a mountain and upon reaching the top, the rock would roll down again leaving Sisyphus to start over. Is Camus saying that we are all Sisyphus now? Trying to defy death? Stuck in the absurd meaningless tasks of life. Despite being the Absurd Man, Sisyphus has accepted his fate and continues doing it. “He is as much through his passions as through his torture. His scorn of the Gods, his hatred of death and his passion for life won him that unspeakable penalty in which the whole being is exerted toward accomplishing nothing. This is the price that must be paid for the passions of this Earth.” Trying to live eternal life here on Earth means we have condemned ourselves to the meaningless repetition. We are doing this senseless toil and we are occasionally conscious of it and trying to find meaning. To live a meaningful life you stay in the routine and stay “unwoke”. Once you’re conscious of the absurdity of life and try to do something about it you are trying to become like God. 01:11:59 – However there is meaning in the task itself, there’s a happy ending to this story. Camus was saying there’s not a God but there doesn’t have to be for your life to have meaning. There is hope in the returning steps of Sisyphus. “A face that toils so close to stones is already stone itself. I see that man going back down with a heavy yet measured step, toward the torment of which he will never know the end. That hour, like a breathing space which returns as surely as his suffering, that is the hour of consciousness. At each of those moments when he leaves the heights and gradually sinks toward the layers of the Gods, he is superior to his fate. He is stronger than his rock.” In those moments, walking back down after the rock, he still has some control and he is conscious of it. 01:14:24 – “I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain, one always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks, he too concludes that all is well. The universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futiile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night filled mountain in itself forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” 01:15:03 – “All of Sisyphus' silent joy is contained therein. His fate belongs to him. His rock is his thing.” A struggle can make your life meaningful. Tackling a goal can be uplifting. Finite and infinite games and horizon thinking idea. Goals as directional, metrics to shoot for. Being obsessed with a goal you ignore other opportunities and miss out on serendipitous discoveries. Tangent on goal setting, and adapting and changing the goal as you progress. Reaching the goal is not what makes you happy. You have to enjoy the struggle. 01:22:29 – The appeal of a nomadic life. However living the easy, happy life isn’t possible all of the time. Only by losing, does winning mean anything. Sisyphus can choose how he feels about the struggle. 01:23:22 – It’s very easy to keep reading books you already agree with, to avoid struggling with difficult feelings. When you read things that challenge your belief, feeling and challenging that discomfort is something necessary to do. Discriminating some races feels wrong while others not. 01:32:30 – “For the rest of men he knows himself to be the master of his days. At that subtle moment when man glances backward over his life. Sisyphus returning toward his rock in that slight pivoting he contemplates that series of unrelated actions, which become his fate, created by him combined under his memories eye and soon sealed by his death. Thus convinced of the holy human origin of all that is human, a blind man eager to see, who knows that the night has no end, he is still on the go, the rock is still rolling.” The book ends on a hopeful note, answers the question of suicide. Even though life may seem absurd, you can find meaning in the absurdity and the struggle. You can find your rock. 01:34:36 – Thank you to everyone supporting us on Patreon. We have some lovely bonus material to go with this episode. The first tier is $5, if you think we’re worth more than a fancy coffee we would love it if you supported the show. At that level you get the bonus material, notes for each episode, community area to talk about the show, Q&A. At the $10 tier you get to join at monthly one-hour hangout for a casual chat. We feel Patreon is a better model for the future than advertising. Check us out there or you can go to MadeYouThinkPodcast.com/Support - we’ve got our sponsors there. We’ve got a link through to Amazon you can bookmark, you can go to Kettle & Fire for their delicious Bone Broth - use code THINK for a discount at checkout. Go to Perfect Keto for their healthy supplements. Four Sigmatic for the great mushroom coffee and Cup and Leaf . You’ll get 20% off with code THINK. Also check out our Made You Think Tea Bundle. 01:41:46 – Keep telling people about the show. If you haven’t listened to the episode with Andrew Yang we’d love to hear what you think about the format. We also love getting book recommendations, let us know on Twitter. I’m @TheRealNeilS and I am @NatEliason Until next time, have a good one everyone. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com.

“Discovery requires serendipity but serendipity is not a chance event alone. It is a process in which a chance of event is seized upon by a creative person who chooses to pay attention to the event, unravel its mystery and find a proper application for it.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss Happy Accidents by Morton A Meyers. In this book we look at the serendipity of so many scientific discoveries and the author suggests how we can foster these chance happenings to make giant leaps in research and discovery. “Penetrating intelligence, keen perception, and sound judgment — is essential to serendipity. The men and women who seized on lucky accidents that happened to them were anything but mindless. In fact, their minds typically had special qualities that enabled them to break out of established paradigms.” We cover a wide range of topics, including: Penicillin, Petri Dishes and Moldy Mary The impact of freedom on research Tangents on Private Schools, Social Media & Conspiracy Theories Modern Diets, Drugs and Toxins turned into cures Self experimentation, Ostracism and changing Medical opinions A possible special kayaking retreat for supporters And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Happy Accidents by Morton A Meyers! You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching “Made You Think.” If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episodes on Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb where he shares other stories of scientists trying treatments firsthand, and Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Cornway for more on controversial science, academia and Pharma companies. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Bottom Up Methodology [01:31] Scientific Method [1:48] Penicillin [05:27] LSD Discovery [05:48] Contact High [06:01] Dogmatic [06:19] Petri dishes [08:01] Lifehacker [08:47] The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn [9:31] Narrative Fallacy [16:17] Fleming Nobel Prize Speech [17:38] Peoria, Illinois [26:03] Corn Steep Liquor [26:09] Merck [26:48] Squibb [26:48] Pfizer [26:48] World War I [27:42] Aquatic Apes [29:04] Sippy Diet [30:27] Tetracycline Antibiotic [31:47] Acid Inhibitors [34:14] Statins [34:36] Carbohydrates [36:16] LDL [36:20] LDL receptors [36:33] Viagra [38:26] Asbestos [39:46] Facebook Groups [42:14] Discord Groups [42:15] Carnivore Diet [42:49] Shake Shack [44:04] M&M’s [44:07] Purina Dog Food [46:08] Stats of College Debt – Tweet [46:32] CMU [52:40] Choate School [53:45] Sidwell Friends [54:23] Boarding Schools [54:34] Alkylating Agents [57:15] Geneva Convention [58:08] Patreon [01:02:08] Google Trends on episode 35 [1:02:00] Epidemics [01:02:27] SARS [01:02:54] Influenza [01:02:56] Syphilis [01:03:22] Fish Aquarium Antibiotics [01:04:53] FDA [01:07:51] Nazi Testing [01:08:04] Japanese testing on Chinese prisoners [01:08:08] Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male [01:08:19] Eugenics [01:10:18] Darwinism [01:10:31] (related podcast) Russian Gulag [01:11:38] Thalidomide [01:11:52] Diethyl Glycol [01:12:59] Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act [01:13:10] Accutane [01:15:06] Doxycycline [01:16:26] Microbiome [01:16:52] Eczema [01:17:43] Steroids [01:17:36] Spartan Race [01:20:09] Nat’s Instagram [01:20:15] Blockchain [01:21:06] X-Rays [01:22:29] Morphine [01:23:51] American Urological Association [01:24:48] CVS patient statistics for Viagra [01:29:42] Netflix [01:31:18] Spleen [01:32:47] Confirmation bias [01:34:43] Ego death [01:39:38] Dissociative experience [01:39:40] Magic mushrooms [01:40:02] LSD Therapeutic Research Study [01:41:03] NASA [01:46:22] Direct to Consumer Drug Advertising [01:46:29] ADD [01:47:41] Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder [01:47:58] Prozac / Seraphim [01:48:09] Paxil [01:48:18] Female Sexual Dysfunction [01:48:24] Lipitor [01:48:57] Zoloft [01:49:16] UBI [01:53:07] Ethereum [01:59:48] Books mentioned Happy Accidents by Morton A Meyers Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch [00:42] (book episode) The War on Normal People by Andrew Yang [00:51] (book episode) Antifragile by Nassim Taleb [07:02] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn [9:31] Boron Letters by Gary C. Halbert [14:44] Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [30:00] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway [01:02:02]] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway [01:02:02] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [01:02:36] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Words that Work by Frank Luntz [01:28:24] LSD My Problem Child by Albert Hofmann [01:40:51] Brave New World by Aldous Huxley [01:48:46] People mentioned Morton A Meyers David Deutsch [00:42] (Beginning of Infinity episode) Andrew Yang [00:51] (The War on Normal People episode) Winston Churchill [05:04] Alexander Fleming [05:29] Nassim Taleb [07:02] (Antifragile episode) (Skin in the Game episode) Thomas Kuhn [09:21] Peter Thiel [10:12] Gary C. Halbert [14:44] Charles Darwin [18:39] (Daniel Dennett’s book) Ernst B Chain [22:31] Moldy Mary [25:56] Barry Marshall [31:07] Robert Koch [32:10] Bill Clinton [01:00:32] George W Bush [01:01:18] Erik M. Conway [01:02:02] Yuval Harari [01:02:45] (Homo Deus episode) (Sapiens part I and part II) FDR [01:13:08] Claude Bernard [01:22:24] Frank Luntz [01:28:24] John William Gofman [1:31:35] President Eisenhower [01:34:48] Timothy Leary [01:40:28] Albert Hofmann [01:40:51] Steve Jobs [01:41:00] Louis Pasteur [01:45:32] Aldous Huxley [01:48:46] Show Topics 00:26 – The book is fun to read, light, enjoyable, easy going. An exploration of scientific discovery and progress and how consistently it is influenced and driven by the role of Serendipity. A case opposite or complementary to the Scientific Method. Serendipity defined as a combination of accidents and sagacity. 05:05 – Not all discoveries are immediately realized or understood. Winston Churchill – “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened”. Penicillin and LSD examples. The dangers of being dogmatic without leaving room for the unexpected. 06:53 – Central theme of the book–How do you foster that serendipitous mindset? Nassim Taleb says that serendipity comes from chance encounters, like a cocktail party. The potential gain from a chance encounter is worth the effort of stepping outside your comfort zone. 07:42 – Trying to harness serendipity for your own benefit. Serendipity through disorder and randomness. Investigating how scientists can foster serendipity in their lab work and how academia and education and research grants, peer review could change because of that. 09:41 – Normal vs revolutionary science, Meyers is dismissive of puzzle solving. Normal science is making incremental improvements on existing knowledge, whereas serendipity fosters revolutionary discoveries as they come from a change in the ordinary methods. 10:51 – Two stages to serendipity. You need something unusual to happen and you have to recognize it to take advantage of it too. 11:21 – Innovation departments rarely come up with paradigm-shifting ideas and products. Need a certain mindset to make the most of these opportunities. Reason, intuition and imagination. Too much experience in a field can cloud your judgement on new ideas. 13:51 – The book is primarily about serendipity in medicine and science but it can be applied to most fields. Breaking out of the norm and finding inspiration for innovation in other industries. Looking at magazines to apply to blog copywriting. 15:33 – "Analogical thinking has certainly been a cornerstone of science." Another theme in the book is looking for one thing but ending up on a totally different path. All of the people making discoveries seemed to have a level of independence in their research to follow a new path when it interests them. The narrative fallacy involved in serendipitous scientific discovery or startups growth. 17:40 – Alexander Fleming and discovery of Penicillin as anti-bacterial.  Fleming said that if he was working on a research team at the time it would have been ignored as it wasn’t what he was working on. Being free allows you to pursue these anomalies. 19:04 – Darwin and the finches in the Galapagos. Being told to go and study something brings different results than if you’re free to follow your own curiosity. The constraints of research impose harmful limits on discoveries. 19:54 – Structure of the book is Introduction of the premise, 30+ chapters of examples and the conclusion. Myers suggests at the end of the book that the structure for scientific research and funding is counter to the ability for these serendipitous events to happen. 20:50 – More on Fleming and Penicillin. Odds of it happening were astronomically low. He was away for two weeks and on returning and viewing his petri dishes on his desk discovered an anti-bacterial zone around the mold. It wasn’t until 7 years later that another researcher realized what he had found. 23:09 – For Fleming it took a number of environmental factors that allowed Penicillin to be discovered at all: heat, location, time. Penicillin wasn’t originally pitched as a drug, originally suggested as a way to isolate bacterial colonies. Then there was the huge scale up and production process of the drug. Peoria (IL), the role of corn syrup, and the mold discovered by chance. 29:00 – Bonus Material Discussion, Aquatic Apes, Patreon, future episode ideas. 29:52 – Causes of ulcers, used to be thought of as stress and spicy food. Discovery that it is caused by bacteria in 1981. Marshall ran an experiment on himself to take the bacteria, give himself ulcers and cure himself with antibiotics. Pharmaceutical industry had a strong incentive to not prove this as the cause, current drugs of acid inhibitors were reaching sales of $6 Billion dollars in 1992. 35:04 – Pharma companies lobbying to decrease acceptable cholesterol ranges to induce more people into treatments. Changing opinions of statins within last 10 years. Effects of low cholesterol on longevity, links to all-cause mortality. Reducing cholesterol and precursors to creating testosterone in diet has lead to a reduction in testosterone and erectile dysfunction requiring a need for Viagra. 39:59 – What are we currently doing in society now that we will look back on and question in the future? Possible future problems associated with over consumption of social media. Mental and physical health complaints are unknown. 41:53 – Pull away in society from open sharing, moving towards private communities. Effectiveness of diets, feeling good vs having long term health benefits. Benefits of adopting a new diet may be equal to reducing other harmful choices – like stopping drinking for a month. The changing conventions of meal-times, quality of dog food, college debt. 47:12 – Tangent. Education and the need to change the K through 12 program instead of starting with College reform. The benefits of private vs public school. Mixing with different socioeconomic backgrounds, expense of private school. Both build very different sets of social and academic skills. Bay Area dystopia, where citizens pay lots in taxes that go into public schools, but parents end choosing private ones. 55:53 – Chemical weapons, World Wars and the changing use of toxins into cures. Bombing a ship leading to the first chemo treatments for cancer. North Korea and the development of nuclear tech (more info in the Bonus material). Google health trends being able to predict health outbreaks based on search volume. Sex hormones and noticing the change of tumors in animals after castration. 01:07:55 – Consequences of controversial testing on wartime prisoners that have given us useful data. Study of African-American men with syphilis, they were told they were having free medical treatment but they were mislead and were being studied for the untreated effects of syphilis over 40 years. Possibilities of current testing on prisoners or other conspiracies. 01:11:52 – History of Thalidomide being marketed as a sedative and pain management. Widely distributed before it was realized it had the side effect of severely inhibiting fetal development. U.S avoided this because the FDA already setup due to a drug being administered alongside Diethyl Glycol which was toxic, killing over 100 children. Testing required before products could be marketed. Thalidomide now used as an anti-cancer drug as it inhibits new blood vessel growth. 01:15:05 – Acne treatments and the imbalanced side-effects on fertility. Use of cleanser on the face strips natural oils. Use of antibiotics for acne which causes destruction of the microbiome. Latex gloves that may transmit more bacteria than your hands. Effects of steroids and keto on curing eczema. Nat not using shampoo even after a Spartan race. Body naturally cleansing. 01:21:06 – Tangents, aquatic apes, blockchain, negative reviews. 01:21:59 – Heart chapter and testing of catheterization. Self-experimentation and the need to prove theories. Ostracism and dangerous procedures. 01:24:44 – Viagra, originally for treating angina, it was found that this medication increased blood flow and became a cure for impotence – renamed to erectile dysfunction. Self-experimentation on erectile dysfunction. "The annual scientific meeting of the American Urologic Association is usually a pretty staid Affair but one meeting has entered the annals of folklore in the early 1980s. During the course of his lecture on the effectiveness of injecting substances directly into the penis to increase blood flow one urologist announced that he had performed such injections on himself only an hour earlier. Stepping from behind the lectern and he dropped his trousers and proudly demonstrated to the audience his own erect manhood. Urologists who attended this meeting still shake their heads at the memory." 01:28:00 – The power of names and the words used, like pro-life and pro-choice. How you phrase something changes the impact. Pharmaceuticals changing the names of conditions to promote sales of new drugs. Sales of Viagra were $780 Million in the first 9 months of 1998. 01:30:02 – 1% of women take Viagra to increase arousal and sensation and orgasm strength. Netflix’s biggest competitor is sleep, Viagra’s biggest competitor is death. 01:31:48 – Cholesterol testing on rabbits. Cholesterol data seems outdated with the book being 11 years old. Comparison of Chinese soldiers and lifestyle and diet. Lack of nutrition education in Doctors, mostly educated by pharmaceutical companies. People seem to want to take a pill rather than change their lifestyle or diet and doctors have lack of trust in the patient that they will try to improve their own situation. 01:38:07 – Psychiatric stuff. Hoffman discovering LSD by accidentally pouring it over his skin. LSD microdosing experiences. 01:42:40 – Tangents on kayaking, LSD microdosing and the Made You Think – Patreon $1000 Tier. 01:43:06 – Conclusion. Modern sciences are antithetical to the process of serendipity and how our institutions penalize our ability to take advantage of it. Government contracts and grants impose constraints. If you're getting money to research a specific topic you will be disincentivized from exploring things that deviates. If you're a free agent, then you can run down those rabbit holes. 01:44:31 – Peer reviews. Most businesses are judged by their customers but academia is judged solely by their peers. Ostracism as a consequence of investigating fringe theories. Direct to consumer advertising for drugs. Diseases and disorders that seems to be created and renamed just to increase drug sales. Long terms effects of drugs. 01:52:19 – On Patreon you get all kinds of goodies. Bonus materials, detailed notes for each episode and book highlights. You get a space to discuss the show with both of us. You can also join for our monthly live Hangouts. If you join the $1000 a month tier you can join us for a major excursion – Made You Trip! 01:54:57 – Patreon is a great way to support the show and let us keep doing this ad free. So we don't have to break up the episode with ads and we keep rolling with the tangents. 01:55:48 – Leave a review on iTunes that is super helpful for us because we show up as a recommended podcast and also is a great way for us to book guests. Other ways to support the show, you can go MadeYouThinkPodcast.com/support and tell your friends. 01:57:58 – If you want to talk to us, you can talk to us on Twitter anytime. I'm @TheRealNeilS and I am @NatEliason. If you're shopping on Amazon click through on our link. We super appreciate that.  All right, we will see everyone next week. See you guys next time. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

“That's really one of the most powerful things about Universal Basic Income. You start to believe in a sense of abundance and possibility.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat speak to Andrew Yang, the author of The War on Normal People, a follow up to our previous book episode. Today we are discussing the possibility of Universal Basic Income for all. “The bigger people think, the more they wake up. We can make this real together.” We cover a wide range of topics, including : Objections and barriers to adopting UBI The cost of UBI and if can we afford it Video games vs the real world Social Credit Systems and Basic Jobs VAT and economic migration Trump and running for president in 2020 And much more. Please enjoy this interview with the author of The War on Normal People by Andrew Yang. You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching “Made You Think.” If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and our episode on Emergency by Neil Strauss for related topics discussed in today’s show. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Universal Basic Income [00:30] Roosevelt Institute [04:02] VAT [06:16] Freedom Dividend [07:49] Twitch [10:00] Social Credits [13:24] World of Warcraft [13:50] Pink Collar Jobs [11:19] Blockchain [16:45] (Crypto episode) Ypsilanti, Michigan [18:15] Yang Ventures [18:18] Mynt  [18:31] UBI Pilots [18:59] Solyndra [20:18] The Hamptons [34:32] Enlightened Self-Interest [34:38] Allegiance [30:36] Scrooge McDuck [39:48] Reddit Andrew Yang AMA [43:35] State of the Union Address [43:47] Yang2020.com [47:23] One For Humanity [48:14] Cryptocurrency [54:09] (Crypto episode) Joe Rogan Podcast [59:40] Tim Ferriss Podcast [59:41] Vocal fry [01:01:59] Books Mentioned The War on Normal People by Andrew Yang [00:17] (book episode) Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [07:10] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson [35:20] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Emergency by Neil Strauss [38:08] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Raising the Floor by Andy Stern [47:44] Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [52:02] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (book episode) Sapiens by Yuval Harari [53:22] (Nat’s Notes) (part 1, part 2) Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch [01:00:40] (book episode) College Dropout by Kanye West [01:00:56] (book episode) People Mentioned Andrew Yang Yuval Harari [07:06] Sam Altman [19:09] Chris Hughes [19:10] Cory Booker [25:11] Jeff Bezos [32:04] Donald Trump [40:43] Barack Obama [41:50] Bernie Sanders [41:47] Chris Rock [42:31] George Bush [42:34] Jesus Christ [42:41] Kanye West [1:03:24] Questions Asked 01:01 – What are the main challenges and objections to UBI? 01:36 – Are any of these objections compelling? 05:04 – Isn’t UBI just cycling money from the top consumers to those that are below $120k a year in spending? 08:18 – Do you see any differing objections between liberals and conservatives to UBI? 09:24 – Do you think there will be a portion of society that replaces work with video games and do you see a growth in the gaming industry because of UBI? 14:40 – How would we implement the social credits app in cities for real? 17:33 – Does it have to be the government that starts a social credit initiative? 20:35 – If you were elected, how are you viewing the idea battleground? 21:10 – How do you get past the inertia to convince people UBI is necessary? 25:00 – How do you feel about basic jobs? 26:40 – What makes the basic jobs idea attractive to other candidates and some voters? 29:15 – Is making the majority of the population reliant on a government subsidy making it easier for a totalitarian president to take control after you? 30:58 – You said in the book we are moving to a winner-take-all economy in a variety of fields, where you have a handful of companies controlling Government policy. Do you see a future where that is possible and how do you stop that? 35:20 – Have you read Sovereign Individual? 35:32 – In Sovereign Individual there is an idea that as wealth disparity grows, eventually the elite will separate themselves from the rest of the population. Do you see any concern for that? 38:54 – Will we see countries trying to attract citizens to move and will VAT be a factor in that? 39:59 – How bad would it have to be before more people left? What’s the threshold? 41:24 – Do you think that Trump getting elected is helpful to someone who’s not a career politician, helping them get elected in 2020? 45:40 – Has communicating a very statistics and quantitative approach been a struggle for you when speaking to audiences? So much of politics is about the emotional appearance. How have you adapted to that? 54:09 – Extra Question that we didn’t get to ask - Would adoption of a VAT accelerate a crypto economy and how does that change the estimates of how we would pay for UBI? Show Topics 1:11 – The main objections to UBI are : How can we afford it? Will it turn people into less happy, lazy wastrels? Won’t it cause mass inflation? 1:44 – Universal Basic Income is affordable but we’ve poorly managed budgets in the past and there is stigma around hoarding money. We need to believe in sense of abundance and possibility. Culture and mental barriers and block around hoarding money. 3:28 – Cost of UBI in the US would cost $2 Trillion. It would be $1000 per month given to each person, we call it the Freedom Dividend. It would cause economy growth due to increased taxes and spending. 4:27 – Benefits of UBI. We would get more out than we put in. It reduces health issues, crime and has many secondary benefits to putting the money into the hands of the people. 05:57 – How the money would be spent. The wealthy vs the majority. VAT taking from those who spend the most and given to the bottom 80%. Money sitting in bank accounts causes a stagnant economy. 07:27 – Basic Income as both appealing Liberals and Conservatives. Most people seem to think it is impossible, shows decline of society and lack of faith in democracy. 10:21 – Video games and the growth of the eSports economy. Parents as an early form of UBI for large groups of young people. Will additional income cause people to withdraw into games more or will it allow them to participate in real life more? 11:03 – Lack of appealing opportunities for men in the real world. The digital world as the cheapest form of entertainment, more money equals more options and less time spent in the digital world. 12:05 – Games used as a sense of accomplishment and emotional highs, which can wear off over time. UBI will give opportunities at a time when people are looking for something new. 13:24 – Social credits as a socially constructive gamification of the real world. Gaming impulse transferred into the real world and other outlets. Current philanthropic trials are small by comparison and Government could apply resources. 20:02 – Yang’s plans as president. Government currently too risk averse. Electing a president with UBI as a main objective would be a huge step towards it. Congress people would have to listen to their constituents. 24:08 – Nothing is as effective as cash to people when talking about control of programs. People losing faith in government programs. Basic jobs as a bad idea, no long term value in unproductive work as more jobs get automated. Unproductive jobs lead to unhappy people. Instead find out what work is inside of each person. The idea of Basic jobs doesn’t value people. Valuing people as stakeholders and not serves. 30:10 – People heading towards reliance on the government. UBI as better way, gives people a higher-level of integrity and self-determination. Any government change to UBI would cause riots and is still a powerful check on the government. Doing nothing will lead to bloodshed and revolution. Antitrust laws and harm to consumers. 32:38 – Defining human success independent of economic or monetary measures. Wealth getting concentrated in ever smaller pools is bad for all businesses. Riots in America looking more likely, how can we prevent that instead of waiting. 37:54 – Enlightened self-interest and lifting others up. Renouncing citizenship for tax reasons. Ad campaigns trying to encourage economic migration. VAT not a powerful factor. 40:17 – Lack of entrepreneurial migrants. Electing Andrew Yang would be a compelling message to immigrants. The opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian guy that likes facts and figures. Clear message through recent politics, people are desperate for change. 44:54 – Using Universal Based Income as a lever to address a crisis. The road to the 2020 election. Challenge of evolving as a person over time. Humanity First and One For Humanity project. Reduction of labor as a central role, the rise of automation and an economy that values people first. 48:36 – Possibility of a follow-up episode. Listeners, send in any questions. Next time we could dive deeper on Venture For America and his other policies. Check out his site Yang2020.com. Follow Andrew on Twitter @AndrewYangVFA and @andrewyang2020 53:29 – Influences of Yuval Harari. Andrew’s perspective is super refreshing for a politician. Getting other authors on the podcast. 57:44 – If you’re enjoying this show we would love to see you over on our Patreon page. You get the bonus material, detailed book notes, all of our questions from interviews and upcoming books and the opportunity to join Neil and I on a live Q&A hangout. Patreon helps us to keep the show as we want it without ads interrupting the flow of the conversation. 01:01:22 – Keep telling your friends about the show, leave a review on iTunes. It helps us to show as up as a recommended podcast. We read all of them and we super appreciate it. If you want to support the podcast in another way you can go to MadeYouThinkPodcast.com/Support. We do have a bunch of products there that we use on a regular basis. If you click through or use the coupon code it does help support the show, I guess we should mention Amazon as well as listed on there and you can go do your normal shopping on Amazon doesn't cost you anything. 01:03:08 – The interview format is new for us so we’d love to know what you think. Send us an e-mail or tweet. On Twitter I’m @TheRealNeilS and I’m @NatEliason and we will talk to you there, see you all next week. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

"The normal American did not graduate from college and doesn't have an associate's degree. He or she perhaps attended college for one year or graduated from high school. She or he has a net worth of approximately $36,000, about $6,000 excluding home and vehicle equity and lives paycheck to paycheck. She or he has less than $500 in flexible savings and minimal assets invested in the stock market. These are median statistics with 50% of Americans below these levels” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss The War On Normal People By Andrew Yang. This book is a balanced and optimistic view on Universal Basic Income, the economic impact of the automation of jobs and our options for the future. "half of American households already rely on the government for direct income in some form." We cover a wide range of topics, including: Universal Basic Income and Government benefits Statistics on unemployment, labor and the changing workforce Technology, automation and robot dog walkers Centralization of certain jobs in certain cities Remote work, freelancers, the gig economy Taxes, Cryptocurrencies & Video Games Tangents on Fortnite, Rolex and ad revenue in sports And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The War On Normal People By Andrew Yang. You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching “Made You Think.” If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Sovereign Individual for opposing views. Along with our episode on The Elephant In The Brain for more on human nature and the desire for success. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Waking Up Podcast [01:08] Universal Basic Income [02:48] Mass Shooters [04:43] Social Revolution [04:46] Median Statistics [05:33] Labor Participation Rate [06:22] Manufacturing States [12:33] Detroit Riots [13:11] W-2 [13:43] Retraining Programs [15:12] Technology Industrial Wave [15:43] Amazon Warehouses [17:17] Walmart [17:25] Paralegals [19:33] The Sims [23:02] Hive Mind [23:27] UpWork [32:56] Slack [36:40] Esports [37:00] Twitch [37:09] Extremistan [37:12] Mediocristan [37:14] Gig Economy [40:44] Rover [40:52] Wag [40:52] Twilight Zone [42:10] Flywheel effect [45:35] Lincoln University [47:24] Biggest question Nat had have from reading @AndrewYangVFA's UBI book (on Twitter) [55:00] Unlimited Brewing [55:55] The world’s top economy: the US vs China in five charts [57:50] Cryptocurrencies [01:05:50] (Crypto episode) TransferWise [01:09:05] Blockchain [01:09:26] Winner-takes-all effect [01:09:54] Patreon Bonus Material [01:12:19] Fortnite [01:17:46] Call of Duty [01:18:03] Mad Max [01:21:11] ISIS [01:21:17] Social Credits [01:22:48] Million Dollar Bill [01:22:48] Vietnamese Dong [01:23:51] Trump’s Tax Plan [01:27:20] Totalitarianism Article [1:31:45] Yang2020.com [01:31:58] The New Deal [1:32:38] The Great Depression [01:33:40] Obamacare [01:35:22] Selection Bias [01:39:03] Books mentioned The War On Normal People by Andrew Yang Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson [03:17] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama [01:12:47] Sapiens by Yuval Harari [01:18:47] (Nat’s Notes) (part 1) (part 2) Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [01:18:48] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [01:31:47] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (book episode) Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson [01:38:43] (book episode) People mentioned Andrew Yang Sam Harris [01:00] Winston Churchill [04:25] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [37:06] (Antifragile episode) (Skin in the Game episode) Donald Trump [01:03:10] Barack Obama [01:12:12] Youval Harari [01:19:04] Robin Hanson [01:38:05] Show Topics 01:42 – The book feels optimistic and fairly balanced and offers Universal Basic Income as a good solution to our current situation. Andrew sets the stage well with the magnitude of the problem. 03:04 – We have both come from a place of not thinking UBI was a good solution and our views have been changed several times on this, since reading Sovereign Individual and now this. 04:19 – It feels like this could the best of the option that we currently have if we want to maintain this current system and avoid social revolution. 05:10 – Yang starts the book off by emphasizing the scale of the problem using median statistics or labor participation rate, unemployment rate and number of disability claimants. 06:30 – There is a massive number of people who are working age but are no longer looking for work. This is not evident when viewing the unemployment rate as they are discounted. However the labor participation rate is 63% which is lower that all other industrialized economies. 06:58 – One in three people have left the job market entirely. They have self-selected to no longer participate in the search for work and are not counted as unemployed. 08:09 – "half of American households already rely on the government for direct income in some form.". The majority of these are on disability for muscular tissue issues, mood disorders, anxiety or depression. 09:09 – There is a whole industry of lawyers who help people get onto disability who then take a cut of the back dated payments. 10:26 – Similarities between the level of disability payments and the proposition of UBI. However with disability payments, you are dis-incentivized from trying to find work as payments would stop. This causes a large number of people to stay on disability for longer and find untraceable ways of earning additional income. 11:10 – Yang says that 94% of all jobs created within the last 10 years were temporary contractor jobs with no benefits. People are not going to risk their $12,000 disability payment for a job at $7 per hour. 11:35 – Disability has less than 1% churn rate, very few people get off it. It’s like the anti-SaaS startup. 11:59 – Increases in disability payments correlate to the areas with the biggest job losses. Highest in the old manufacturing states. Does the government recognize that these payments are just another type of welfare for those that have lost their jobs? 12:31 – In Michigan of the 310,000 who left the workforce between 2003 and 2013 half went on to take disability payments. They don’t have any other options available. 13:29 – The Government doesn’t seem to actively fight benefit fraud with more people joining but few leaving. Missing of checks to see who is health is improving enough to move back into work. 14:29 – Inefficiencies of job retraining programs and the lack of transferable skills between old industries losing jobs and new (mostly technical) industries with jobs available. "The test is not 'Will there be new jobs we haven't predicted yet that appear?' Of course there will be. The real test is 'Will there be millions of new jobs for middle-aged people with low skills and levels of education near the places they currently reside'. And the answer to that seems almost certainly no." 15:44 – In previous industrial waves people have been able to adapt due to similarities of skill. Automation is now removing low skilled jobs entirely. Automation in car factories, Amazon warehouses. 18:30 – Automation isn’t solely for low skilled, Blue Collar jobs. Anything repetitive and routine can be automated. This will impact White Collar workers too. “Routine jobs of all stripes are those most under threat from AI and Automation and in time more categories of jobs will be affected.” 19:21 – Automation in law, research and reduction in personnel. Repetition as a tool for learning. Loss of high-level expertise as no-one has the foundational knowledge that comes from early repetition. 20:42 – Tangent. A Science Fiction story to make you think! In a distant future, expertise on computers has been lost and no one knows how to resolve a computer bug. A future where humans are reliant on computers to retain the knowledge for them. 22:42 – Computers no longer needing humans. The Sims, the hive mind of the Internet. Memes, Russian hackers, and Wikipedia created by AI destroying humanity. 25:19 – Assumptions of UBI imply an increase of entrepreneurship. What happens when you pay people to not work? Current level of cash wealth for the average American is $500. The expense of Healthcare means that one ER visit can put people into long term financial difficulty. Defaulted medical bills are then just another form of welfare. 27:50 – Median salary in the US is $31,000. Cost of living in New York and San Francisco. Impact cost of living has on average job wages. Manhattan vs Brooklyn. 32:14 – The author criticizes the idea that those that lose their job can just start working remotely. Those in the US can’t compete due to cost of living with locations like the Philippines and Sri Lanka. Tech skills required are also a barrier to entry. 36:10 – Professional eSports players and the popularity of Twitch and the platform reinforcing the popular streamers causes them to be more popular. Extremistan vs Mediocristan. 39:11 – Lack of service jobs, the rise of the gig economy, dog walking apps. Robot dogs and cyborg owners. 42:39 – Hyper-concentration of money and talent in 6 cities: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington DC. Reinforcing loop effect. Venture Capital money and secondary cities that are on the rise. The effects of anchor companies in smaller cities. 50:01 – Potential to see an exodus of people moving away from high cost of living areas due to remote work. The increase of remote working technologies which helps team collaboration. 52:32 – Geography is destiny. Jobs disappear where society falls apart and the smartest leave first. Reduction in families relocating across state lines. 54:14 – The ‘useless’ class being subsidized by the 1%. Will this cause talent to leave on a international level? Yang says inertia, lower taxes, standard of Education keep people in the U.S. 55:40 – VAT, international transactions, selling to the UK from the US. Micro economies and city-states. China GDP. Impact of taxes in lower cost of living regions. 01:01:50 – Moving abroad, spending in different economies. Moving to Canada because of Trump. Tipping point for people leaving their state or country because of high tax levels. 01:05:41 – Tangent. Cryptocurrencies as an alternative to being taxed. Adoption of Bitcoin and untraceable payment systems. Exchange rates and paying freelancers. TransferWise, PayPal. UBI as being a better option than the status quo. 01:10:20 – Yang doesn’t present UBI as a perfect solution but it’s an option to divert us from the direction we are already headed in. 1:12:00 – If you want to hear Neil’s comments about Obama’s book, support us on Patreon and listen to the bonus material for this episode. 01:13:14 – The explosion in popularity of video games for unemployed men. The average playing time went from 3 hours per week to 8 hours per week in just a few years. 01:14:32 – E-sports, ad revenue, disposable income of an unemployed audience. Comparisons with NBA, NFL, tennis, golf and other sports. Sponsorships vs engagement of an audience. 01:16:35 – Power of in-app purchases, revenue making game mechanics. Popularity of Fortnite, going to $318MM in monthly revenue in just eight months. Comparisons with Call of Duty, game play and enjoyment. 01:18:55 – Harari's comments on the ‘useless’ class moving to VR as a stimulus. Swapping religion for video games. Lack of creative outlets and sense of reward in modern life. People turning to games for the feeling of progress and adventure. 01:20:31 – Implications of having unemployed young men roam the streets are a recipe for disaster. Preventing social unrest of large group of unemployed people by videogames. 01:21:35 – Lack of stimulation causes unwanted behaviors. People don’t always direct their energy in productive ways. Social credit apps, psychology of spending millions in other currencies. 01:24:07 – UBI as an economic stimulus, makes new businesses more viable. Additional disposable income. Decreasing customers causes decreasing investment. Spending on subscriptions like Netflix causes income to flow back to those already rich cities. 01:26:55 – Trump’s tax plan, government waste. UBI puts money in the hands of the individual and reduces government control. Appealing to both political sides - as a safety net and as a way for individuals to have more control. 01:29:52 – Welfare increasing risk of totalitarianism. Government and citizens in harmony - taxes in exchange for infrastructure and protection. Does reducing taxes reduce how much the government listens to the people? 01:31:36 – Andrew Yang is a presidential candidate for 2020 against Trump. Danger of using UBI as a re-election tactic. An issue so powerful could lead to a potential dictatorship. The Great Depression, introduction of Social Security. Congress, altruistic presidents and Obamacare. 01:35:47 – If you want to hear more about some of our thoughts related to the book get the bonus material for this episode at Patreon. We got to say it a lot of times to make sure everyone remembers what it is. Patreon.com/madeyouthink 01:38:03 – You can also leave a review for this show on iTunes. That is probably one of the best ways to support the show, that helps us show up as a recommended podcast. It makes us feel good. It'll make our mother's proud of us. Keep tweeting about it. We love hearing from you guys and getting your questions and your thoughts. 01:40:23 – You can check out some deals from our wonderful sponsors at MadeYouThinkPodcast.com/Support. That's where you can find the mushroom coffee, the Perfect Keto ketones the Kettle and Fire bone broth, the Cup and Leaf tea and also you can click through to Amazon. Buy anything there and that helps support the show as well. This is a topic we're definitely interested in so if there are articles, other books, videos definitely send them our way on Twitter. I’m @TheRealNeilS and I’m @NatEliason. See you guys next week. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

“Of every thousand dollars spent in so-called charity today, it is probable that $950 is unwisely spent, so spent indeed as to produce the very evils which it proposes to mitigate or cure.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss The Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie. An essay written later in Carnegie’s life on his philosophy on using money, wealth (and the power that comes with it) well. While still very relevant today it goes against the idea that successful business people are bad people. It’s a model for how wealthy people should use their money for the good of the community. "The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced." We cover a wide range of topics, including: Billionaires through the ages Monopolies and antitrust laws Ways of disposing of wealth (including our Patreon page) Tangents on life expectancy, intergalactic travel and cyborg pets! Carnegie’s legacy of libraries, music halls and universities Using wealth to enrich the lives of others How to help others and effective altruism And so much more! Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching “Made You Think.” If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on The Psychology of Human Misjudgements by Charlie Munger to uncover your mental biases and Skin In The Game by Nassim Taleb for more on responsibility and reciprocity. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we’re running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Carnegie’s Wealth [01:50] Richest People in History [01:58] Monopoly & Antitrust laws [02:55] Microsoft [03:24] Google [03:33] The Giving Pledge [04:58] Robber barons [06:08] GM [06:28] Amazon [06:45] Medicare [07:08] Income Tax [07:13] Hunter-Gatherer Tribes [07:41] Feudal Societies [07:49] Invention of the Telegram [08:05] History of the Railroad [08:08] Stratification [08:18] Mæcenas [08:44] Ghana [09:21] Garden of Eden [09:29] Socialist Societies [10:01] Subsistence Farming [10:19] Internet Explorer [11:33] Bing [11:35] Safari [11:38] Yahoo [11:39] Google Ventures [12:16] Alphabet Inc [12:22] Google AdWords [12:33] Justice Department [12:42] Carnegie Steel [13:00] AT&T [13:05] Market cap [14:20] Dell [14:25] Microsoft Windows [14:28] Microsoft Office [14:30] Skype for Business [14:32] Windows Phones [14:47] Microsoft Hardware [14:49] Facebook [14:54] Apple [15:16] iPhone [15:36] iMac G3 [16:55] Instagram [17:25] WhatsApp [17:26] Facebook Messenger [17:28] Growth Machine [19:13] WordPress [19:27] AmazonBasics [20:23] FBA [20:38] Costco [21:03] Bud Light [21:21] Super Bowl Ads [21:43] Kirkland Products [21:48] Absolut [22:00] Anheuser-Busch [22:35] Strand bookstore [24:19] Forest fire analogy [24:39] Economics [25:11] Mythology [25:19] Psychology [25:33] MadeYouThink Podcast Patreon [25:36] Bitcoin [28:35] Monarchy [30:29] Denial of Death [30:39] Darwinism [31:35] Evolution [31:37] Creationism [32:30] Dictatorship [34:27] Democracies [34:32] Russian Roulette [35:16] Athenian Democracy [35:28] Gmail [35:33] Hotmail [35:37] Social Security [35:37] Skin in the Game [35:55] Ponzi Scheme [37:09] Baby Boomers [37:14] Life Expectancy [37:28] Genetic Engineering [38:22] Stem Cells [39:24] Telomeres [39:26] Mars [40:06] Carnegie Library [41:49] Carnegie Mellon University [41:52] Carnegie's Daughter [43:30] Facebook Aquila Drone [46:01] SpaceX Satellites [46:03] Amazonian tribes [46:29] MIT Courses [46:36] Stanford’s Courses [46:38] DuoLingo [47:04] Reddit [47:26] Pornhub [47:36] Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation [49:16] Gates Centre [50:01] Steve Jobs Theatre [50:21] Effective Altruism [50:31] GiveDirectly [50:45] Kiva [51:51] Heifer International [52:24] Toms Shoes [53:23] Medium [56:34] Marshmallow Test [57:13] Power Posing [57:14] Stanford Prison Experiment [57:15] Smiling To Make You Happier [57:17] Inattentional Blindness [57:25] Relativity [59:34] Flat Earth Theory [59:51] Flat Earth Subreddit [01:00:05] Climate Change [01:00:37] Twitter [01:01:17] Ice Wall Theory [01:01:49] Strong man Argument [01:02:22] Sphinx [01:02:26] Aquatic Apes [01:02:41] Polynesian Islands [01:03:36] Intergalactic Travel [01:03:52] Milky Way [01:04:04] Hawaii [01:04:38] Jupiter Moons [01:06:03] Give a Man a Fish Quote [01:08:33] Compound Effect [01:09:05] Almsgiving [01:09:21] Cannibalism [01:10:28] Gun Control [01:12:01] (podcast episode) Books mentioned The Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [00:34] Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [04:38] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (Book Episode) Andrew Cargegie - A Biography by David Nassau [05:11] The Jungle by Upton Sinclair [25:33] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Denial of Death by Ernest Becker [30:39] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Fat Tail by Ian Bremmer [35:14] Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter [43:07] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch [59:07] (book episode) People mentioned Andrew Carnegie Rockefeller [01:58] J. P Morgan [01:59] Jeff Bezos [02:08] Mellon family [02:34] Vanderbilt family [02:38] Henry Frick [02:40] Paul Allen [3:25] Google Founders [03:33] Warren Buffett [04:56] Elon Musk [27:01] (Elon Musk episode) Socrates [27:15] Ron Paul [36:20] Bill Gates [49:10] Nassim Taleb [51:30] (Skin in the Game Episode) (Antifragile Episode) Charlie Munger [55:41] (The Psychology of Human Misjudgments Episode) Amy Cuddy [59:27] Kanye West [01:11:51] (The College Dropout Episode) Senator Stanford [01:13:03] Show Topics 00:14 – This episode has been planned since April, however other books and travel got in the way. So we pushed it on so we could record a good episode for us. Carnegie’s still here and relevant whenever we do the episode. 00:46 – Background on the book, written as an essay later in life. Covers his philosophy of wealth, based on his experience of getting more money and power as he got older. 01:25 – Historical context for the book, how the era it was written in was one of the first periods where it was possible to amass such wealth as an individual business man. 01:36 – Excess of money as a new problem to be solved. Posing the question - How do we use it well? 01:50 – Converting Carnegie’s wealth in today’s dollars and how far beyond current wealth it still is today. Comparing wealthy figures from the past like Rockefeller, Mellon, J.P Morgan and Vanderbilt with the likes of Jeff Bezos today. 02:55 – Monopoly laws, levels of wealth and disparity between the business owner and the second layer of workers within the company.  Microsoft, Google and their worth. 03:52 – Relevance of the advice Carnegie gives today. Going against the idea of super successful business people as inherently bad people. He says that people should be able to gain heights of success and then they can do good things with their wealth. 04:21 – Carnegie’s model of distributing wealth for good acts. He also followed these rules using his own money. This essay was a call to arms to voluntarily use wealth wisely. 04:56 – Warren Buffett and The Giving Pledge. Carnegie wanted to convince others but also rehabilitate his own image following strikes by his workers. Carnegie’s biography contained context to this essay. He originally saw himself as a self-made man however he realized that during the strikes at his own companies that he had lost his connection with the poor. 05:48 – He described the issues with amassing wealth as ‘the problem of his age’. First national corporations, the catalysts of the railroad creating a transformational era. 07:00 – Lack of social safety nets during Carnegie’s era which created freedom to build runaway success. Levels of wealth, tribal equality through poverty. 08:20 – He poses the question - is inequality a bad thing? Or are we all better off today? Irregularity of income is better than universal squalor. Garden of Eden concept. "The good old times, were not good old times. Neither master nor servant was as well situated then as today." 10:49 – Acceptable levels of inequality. Monopolies in technology today, Google, Yahoo, AT&T and the dismantling of corporations. Antitrust lawsuits impacting on the innovation of Microsoft. Apple, iPhones and the ‘non-corporate’ design of their devices. Breaking up Google and Facebook in smaller companies. 17:34 – Competition in business and the improvements it brings. Lowering prices caused by competition. Amazon as hyper-efficient. Removing bloat from traditional businesses. Costco and their own brand product range passing cost benefits on to the consumer. 24:04 – Revival of independent bookstores, clearing the playing field for those that can deliver true value. Competition forest-fire analogy. Podcast themes and common topics. 25:36 – Join our Patreon to get book notes, bonus audio, upcoming book info. 26:19 – Ways of administering wealth when it’s in the hands of the few. Three modes - Inheritance, Government or use it yourself. Bad impact on society when generational wealth is handed down or wasted when given to government. 31:30 – Darwinism, Evolution. Financial competence of government officials. Dictatorships vs democracies. 35:46 – Tangent. Opting out of social security, skin in the game problem. Young vs Old and who benefits most. Biological limiters for aging, extension of life expectancy. Intergalactic space travel and cyborg Pepper. 40:52 – Lump sums of money making the most difference. Small monetary gains don’t change the individual but collectively that could benefit the community. Libraries and universities as great uses for wealth. Books as a way of speaking to great people throughout history. 43:30 – Carnegie family and descendants. Priorities in wealth building. Unostentatious living followed by surplus revenues given to the community. By building wealth you are better placed to distribute it wisely. 45:29 – Modern community benefits, Internet access as equivalent to libraries. University education as accessible knowledge. Language learning simplified by technology. Impact on exposing tribes to technology. 49:10 – Bill Gates, philanthropy as a legacy. Effective altruism. Charity organizations and the second order effects of disrupting economies. 56:13 – Book on second-order effect follies. Medium blog posts, psychological fallacies. Gorilla tests and inattentional blindness. 59:51 – Flat earth theory, getting angry on the Internet. Climate change denial, ice wall theory. Strongman arguments. 01:02:26 – Sphinx, aquatic ape theory, Polynesian Islands and travel within our galaxy. Communication and sustaining life in space. 01:07:53 – Carnegie suggested that the goal of being wealthy should be to enrich the lives of others. Helping those that help themselves first. Compound effect of aiding those who are motivated to improve. Dangers of charity. "Neither the individual nor the race is improved by almsgiving those worthy of assistance except in rare cases seldom require assistance." 01:09:56 – How to help those that won’t help themselves? Tune in next week! Nat the cannibal. Kanye West episode, positive role models in society. 01:12:27 – Dying rich means dying disgraced. Wealth is like a trust fund that should be used for the betterment of society. 01:14:01 – So if you enjoyed this episode, definitely check us out on Patreon. It's a good way to use your wealth. It gets you access to discussions for these episodes, the book notes, show notes, what is coming up and any bonus material we record before or after the episode. Leave us a review on iTunes that just helps more people find the show. Tweet us, we love hearing from you guys. I'm @NatEliason and I'm @TheRealNeilS. Send book recommendations, what you think about the show, feedback. 01:17:31 – You can always also go to MadeYouThinkPodcast.com/support. We've got some show supporting sponsors there that'll give you discounts that give us a little kick back at no cost to you. We will see you all next week where we will continue some of the themes that we discussed today. Join Patreon if you want to know what that is ahead of time so you can read the book before then. Cheers everyone. See you next time. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

“It is inevitable that we face problems but no particular problem is inevitable we survive and thrive by solving each problem as it comes up, and since the human ability to transform nature is limited only by the laws of physics none of the endless stream of problems will ever constitute an impassable barrier” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch. It’s a playful, meandering book on explanations that transform the world, covering evolution, physics, philosophy, politics, ecology, money, memetics, epistemology, history. It ties everything to the central idea that with enough knowledge anything possible, is achievable. “Every putative physical transformation to be performed in a given time with given resources or under any other conditions is either impossible because it is forbidden by the laws of nature or achievable given the right knowledge.” We cover a wide range of topics, including: Wrapping our brains around the concepts of advanced topics like infinity Thinking of problems as a gap in our knowledge that can be solved The repeating cycle of problem > solution > new problem Tangents on Aquatic Apes, Egyptology and Sphinxes Universality of systems Optimistic vs Pessimistic view points And so much more! Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter for a similar kind of book covering a wide range of topics. Also our episode on Leverage Points by Donella Meadows for how we should approach complex systems. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we’re running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Lindy Effect [3:20] Multiverse Concept [5:03] Quantum Entanglement [5:05] Theory of relativity [5:13] Infinity [5:25] Cholera [8:17] Empiricism [11:38] Fallibilism [15:02] The Mediocrity Principle [18:50] Anthropocentrism [19:00] Geocentrism [19:38] Garden of Eden [20:35] Rare Earth Hypothesis [20:40] Anthropomorphism [22:20] Quantum Theory [26:22] Aquatic Apes [30:43] Darwin’s Dangerous Idea [31:32] Confirmation Bias [31:50] Universality [33:22] Roman Numerals [33:30] Hieroglyphics [35:42] Reductionism [39:50] Lady Lovelace’s Objection [42:00] Chinese Room [48:00] Turing Test [48:02] DARPA [48:15] Netflix - Eddie Murphy Shows [50:55] Chris Rock - Controversial stand up [51:25] Chris Rock - Gun Control stand up [51:50] AlphaGo [52:43] MadeYouThink Podcast - Patreon Support [54:10] Death of the Universe [56:10] DMT [59:30] Neuralink [59:47] Neural lace [59:48] Malthus [1:01:04] X Prize [1:07:50] The Jungle - Characters [1:08:35] Sphinx [1:10:17] Joe Rogan Experience Podcast - Sphinx Episode [1:10:17] Semmelweis Reflex [1:15:30] Kevin Simler - Crony Belief [1:20:25] The China Study [1:23:30] Dos Toros [1:27:05] Toms Shoes [1:28:52] Postmodernism [1:29:30] XKCD Comic - Purity of Fields [1:34:01] Books mentioned The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter [1:22] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Jungle by Upton Sinclair [3:36] (Nat’s notes) Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [3:39] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett [3:56] (book episode) The Denial of Death [8:55] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley [9:44] I Am A Strange Loop - Douglas Hofstadter [17:20] (Podcast Episode) Rare Earth by Donald Brownlee [20:25] Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [24:23] (Nat’s notes) (book episode part 1 & part 2) The Secret by Rhonda Byrne [25:56] The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle [39:40] Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [41:55] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [43:45] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson [43:50] The Jungle by Upton Sinclair [1:08:41] (Nat’s notes) Leverage Points by Donella Meadows [1:29:20] (article episode) Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault [1:30:10] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway [1:33:05] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins [1:45:40] People mentioned David Deutsch Daniel Dennett [1:45] (Darwin’s episode) Flatgeologist [3:00] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [2:50] (Antifragile episode) (Skin in the Game episode) Seneca [8:40] Matt Ridley [9:33] Nicolas Cage [13:43] Socrates [16:55] [1:09:00] Hermes [16:56] Jordan Peterson [21:29] Richard Dawkins [23:35] John Haldane [23:36] Freud [40:55] Plato [1:10:00] Dan Carlin [1:43:30] Show Topics 2:47 – In this book the author, David Deutsch, calls out some of the other authors that we have covered on the podcast before. He calls out Nassim Taleb on some of his ideas, which is something we almost hold sacred on this podcast. This book made us change the way we think about some of these things. 5:03 – Diving into advanced concepts like multiverse, quantum entanglement, relativity and infinity. You have to take your time to wrap your head around this. Our minds are not used to grasping these concepts. Explaining what’s the highest number to a kid. 7:00 – In the introduction the author says “all progress both theoretical and practical has resulted from a single human activity, the quest for what I call good explanations”. Everything is possible if it is not prohibited by the laws of physics. 8:10 – Deutsch uses the example of disease and cholera. People dying of diarrhea when they were right next to a fire and could have boiled their water. The problem was actually a problem of knowledge. A lot of problems we have today are the same and given the right amount of knowledge, can be solved. 8:55 – All other books that we have looked at, Seneca, Taleb and even the book Denial of Death. They all are predicated on the idea that we all will die. Deutsch says most likely yes we will die, but it doesn’t mean it’s not possible to solve. He isn’t saying there is one solution but there maybe solutions to each of the discrete problems - accidents, cancer etc, they are all problems waiting for the right knowledge to be able to solve them. 10:40 – Wealth as a society was another thing he called out in this book, as a species having the resources as well as the knowledge. Even if you had given cavemen the knowledge of how to build a plane, they don’t yet have the resources to get the metals out of the ground and shape the parts needed. Progress is a factor of both knowledge and wealth. 11:25 – He starts the book off in the intro with his refutation of empiricism, where we gain knowledge by experiencing things then learning from them. He makes this good distinction: “Experience is indeed essential to science but its role is different from that supposed by empiricism, it is not the source from which theories are derived its main use is to choose between theories that have already been guessed”. You really can’t learn from experience unless you have some guess about what should happen. You need to have conjecture or a hypothesis before you can actually test something. You’re trying to figure out what the truth might be. Startups “finding” insights in Big Data without an hypothesis to test. 15:00 – “Fallabilsts expect even their best and even most fundamental explanations to contain misconceptions in addition to truth and so they are predisposed to try to change them for the better.” This is like a life philosophy - anything you assume is true you should also assume part of it is wrong. Always look for ways to improve your understanding. 17:46 – Deutsch rounds out the first chapter by saying that “every problem is a signal that our knowledge is flawed or inaccurate.” Our goal as humans is to come up with better explanations which then inevitably leads to a new set of problems. That is this beginning of infinity, each problem leads to infinitely many more problems and the solutions that come with them. We are stuck with this continual loop of solve problem > discover new one > solve problem etc. The Principle of Mediocrity idea and Anti-Anthropocentrism. 23:20 – Deutsch says that humans can understand anything with enough time and knowledge. He is referencing John Haldane who said “The universe not only queerer than we suppose it is queerer than we can suppose”. Deutsch says that nothing is beyond our potential comprehension. 30:43 – Tangent. Aquatic Apes fringe theory. Go listen to Darwin’s dangerous idea episode. We don’t want the aquatic apes theory to be refuted, plus it would make a really good band name. 31:42 – Chapter 4. Form of infinities in the Universe: the process of biological evolution and knowledge growth. Ideas can be replicators same as genes can. 33:22 – Chapter 6. Universality. Some ideas are useful and functional in a contained, local sense and some make the jump to actually being universal and infinite. Roman Numerals were never really universal. It would always require more numerals to count higher and higher. Where as our Arabic system 0-9 they are just 10 symbols plus 1 rule, gives us an infinite number. Same as using an alphabet vs hieroglyphics, having a character represent a word, you will always need more characters. Asian scripts. 40:10 – Reductionism and the concept of the brain as a computer, the way we think about our brain is influenced by the technology of the day. Scaling problems. Knowledge creation for AI. Knowledge ownership. “First the brain was supposed to be like an immensely complicated set of gears and levers, then it was hydraulic pipes, then steam engines, then telephone exchanges, and now that computers are the most impressive technology brains are said to be computers. This is still no more than a metaphor and there is no more reason to expect a brain to be a computer than a steam engine” 47:55 – Tangent. Hofstadter and the DARPA Turing Test, AI joke creation and changing nature of humor through generations. Consciousness Test. 54:44 – Hotel Chapter. Understanding Infinity. Being at the beginning of infinite progress. Time subjective to our mental processing power. 1:00:11 – Optimism Chapter. All problems and evils in the world are caused by insufficient knowledge. All can be solved with enough knowledge. Evils are just situations where we haven’t solved the problem yet. There is never going to be a Garden of Eden state as you always unlock new problems. Deutsch says “We do not yet know what we have not yet discovered.” Sounds similar to the idea of blind faith, that we will just figure it out. We can be optimistic because if there is a necessity to solve something the market really impacts it, it’s a powerful corrective force. Investment and money gets put towards solving the problem. Ebola example. 1:08:33 – Multiverse Chapter. Funny dialogue between Socrates and Plato. 1:10:20 – Tangent. Sphinx theories, Egyptology and the Semmelweis reflex. Respecting and disproving Fringe Theories. Politics vs science in Medicine. 1:17:05 – Tangent. Anthropomorphising food. Now low cholesterol is tied to mortality causes. Where as previously high cholesterol was considered a huge health issue. Eating fat doesn’t make you fat, like Taleb says eating a cow doesn’t make you bovine. The cause for bull penis powder. 1:20:07 – Bad philosophies. Philosophies that prevents you from developing other philosophies. Religions, top-down theories, bad company traits. Crony beliefs. if you feel personally attacked when someone questions your belief, that shows it’s not a well reasoned idea and a bad philosophy for you – that may show you what you are believing because you want to. You often only believe things that are socially beneficial. Vegans, palm sugar, plastic activism, foreign orphanages and stupid activism. 1:29:40 – Postmodernism as bad philosophy. Problems in different types of Sciences. Explanational science. Tossing old knowledge requires an explanation. Chemical imbalance for depression. Second and third effects of drugs use. 1:39:41 – Politics Chapter. Separate essay. Beauty Chapter. There is objective universal beauty. Beauty in flowers and music. 1:45:33 – Evolution of Culture. Rational and anti-rational beliefs. Memes as a way of spreading ideas “Consider how you would be judged by other people if you went shopping in your pajamas or painted your house with blue and brown stripes - that gives a hint of the narrowness of convention that govern these objectively trivial inconsequential choices about style and the social cost of violating them. Is the same thing true of the more momentous patterns in our lives, careers, relationships, education, morality, political outlook and national identity. Consider what we expect to happen when a static society is gradually switching from anti-rational to rational memes”. Liberalism-conservatism conflict. Turning child into political statements. 1:58:15 – The Unsustainable Chapter. Easter Island culture diminished as they didn’t solve their problems. We often think things are finite when they can be solved in other ways. Pessimistic and Optimistic conceptions. “Pessimistic conception is that humans are wasters - they take precious resources and madly convert them into useless coloured pictures. This is true of static societies those statues were what my colleagues were what color televisions which is why comparing our culture with the old society of Easter Island is wrong - we are not a static society. The optimistic conception is that people are problem solvers, creators of the unsustainable solution and hence also of the next problem. In the pessimistic conception that distinctive ability of people is a disease for which sustainability is the cure - sustainability is the disease and people are the cure.” Trying to get people to work against their selfish desires isn’t going to work, so find a way to make what you want to work out for the greater good. For example with hotels and reducing washing. It’s a win-win for both the hotel and the environment. They will then encourage environmental acts like that. If it cost them money then they would not encourage that. "What lies ahead of us in any case, is in any case infinity - all we can choose is if it is an infinity of ignorance or of knowledge, wrong or right, death or life." 2:03:48 – Subscribe to Patreon to get our book notes, highlights, bonus material and more for the price of a book. Also, Nat will stop doing saying “it will make you think” once Patreon hits 10k. Participate of the private community! Leave us a review on iTunes to get possible guests on the show. You can write just a 1 sentence description of the show and how you like the tangents. Check our supporters at madeyouthink.com/support. We are drinking delicious Lapsang Souchong tea from Cup & Leaf. If you want some tangent fuel, try the Mushroom Lemonade  Coffee and Chai Latte from Four Sigmatic. Perfect Keto Nut Butter is amazing. Try it frozen for an incredible texture. Check Kettle & Fire Mushroom-Chicken blend, now available on their site. Use our Amazon affiliate link, it doesn’t costs you anything extra and helps support the show. Keep tweeting to us at @Neil Soni (@TheRealNeilS) and @Nat Eliason (@nateliason). If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com  

"Now happiness, more than anything else, seems complete without qualification. For we always choose it because of itself, never because of something else." In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle. Aristotle "wrote" this book for his son, Nicomachea, in which philosophizes about the pursuit of happiness and how to find the point of flourishing of our lives. “We become builders building, we become harpists by playing the harp. Therefore we become just by doing just actions, temperate by doing temperate actions, brave by doing brave actions.” We cover a wide range of topics, including: How to find the perfect middle point to flourish in our activities Why happiness is a path that requires action, and not a destination Why sons may vote for the opposite of their parents Stones, horses and slaves that find their purposes in life Harvard admission problems with Asian-Americans Blaming the 2a.m. pizza And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, a book that approach happiness from another perspective, as well as our episode on Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, whose author proclaimed to be strongly influenced by Aristotle. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Nihilism [2:55] Postmodernism [2:55] The Donald on Reddit [22:39] Eugenics [23:21] The Office “Business School” – 4 types of business [26:33] 23andme [31:29] Asian-Americans Suing Harvard Say Admissions Files Show Discrimination – NYTimes [35:05] Chinese Room Experiment [55:38] Turing Test [55:46] Kantian Deontology [1:26:35] Lindy Effect [1:27:54] Books mentioned The Nicomachean Ethics Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [10:03] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Blank Slate by Steven Pinker [20:40] Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [30:06] (Nat’s notes) (book episode part 1 & part 2) Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [42:38] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg [50:16] (Nat’s notes) Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [55:05] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Letters from a Stoic by Seneca [1:14:27] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) People mentioned Aristotle Socrates [0:59] Plato [0:59] Alexander the Great [0:59] Saint Thomas Aquinas [2:23] Ayn Rand [10:03] (Atlas Shrugged episode) Steven Pinker [19:57] John Searle [55:46] Scott Adams [1:05:18] Lucius Annaeus Seneca [1:14:27] (Letters from a Stoic episode) Zeno [1:14:45] Marcus Aurelius [1:15:02] Epictetus [1:15:02] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:26:59] (Antifragile episode) (Skin in the Game episode) Show Topics 0:00 – Were these philosophers famous at their time or they became famous later? Plato's and Aristotle legacy and influence up to our days. Christianity and Virtue Ethics. Aristotle’s argumentation as a lawyer and dichotomy in opening speeches. 5:19 – Human flourishing as a better translation for happiness from Ancient Greek. 8:07 – Book 1. A book of ethics, how we should behave. Being able to judge what is happiness. Happiness Hierarchy. City Happiness before the Individual Happiness. Who decides what happiness is? How the Christian Church decided it was the source of morality. 11:51 – Aristotle and Buddhism. Appropriate level of moderation in all things. Difficulty to know what the a good middle is, but extremes are always bad. Alcohol during pregnancy. Using edge cases to find a good mean is not always possible. 16:46 – Extremism in politics. Family and switching to the opposite extreme view. 20:40 – Personalities traits pre-influenced by genes. Questions not allowed to be asked. "Nepotism" in professional basketball. Where to draw the line from extreme left or right. 25:56 – Hierarchies of a good life. Pleasure, political activity, philosophy. 28:06 – The perfect version of anything is what is most meant by nature. What sets human nature apart. Neanderthal and Sapiens stats. 32:02 – Hairy tangents. Why Indian people are hairy. Shaving dogs by mistake. Harvard discriminating Asians and Jews. Why colleges can ask for your race. 41:42 – Being virtuous requires action. One can't say its virtuous and become automatically it. Going to church doesn't make you a good person. Fasting before a feast. 44:20 – Learning the boundaries by experiencing and living. How to find the middle point by shooting to extremes first. Dating, relationships, meditation, etc. 47:24 – Book 2. Virtues of character. Virtue of thought arises and grows from teaching. Pulling from the observable to apply to the unobservable. The power of habits. Blaming the pizza for feeling bad after staying wake up past 2am. Post hangover foods. 52:48 – Being virtuous while being asleep doesn't count. Avoiding sin while sleeping. Concept of mind. The Chinese room experiment. Religion not being true, however still being useful to control people's behavior. One just can't just hope to do the right thing. One should know why it is a good thing, it is our duty as citizens to learn the why. 59:40 – Criticisms to religion based more on faith than reason. Christianity, Muslim, Pagans. Book as instruments to spread a Church's mission. Realism of a perfect God or person. Paganism vs monotheistic religions. 1:02:54 – Virtue ethics does not try to perfect ethical laws, it's a find-what's-good-by-yourself approach. Natural tendencies. Looking down on other people's tendencies while not recognizing our owns. Vices. 1:07:28 – Skimming through books 3, 4, 5. Common idea at the time: everyone knows everything, one just have to draw out of them (by using the Socratic method). Learning as a mutual discovery between teacher and student. 1:10:40 – Aristotle's Physics. Stones and horses flourishing, chemical stable states. Slaves feeling fulfilled. 1:13:11 – Book 7. Incontinence. People who know the right thing but then they don't do it. Putting down Stoicism. 1:15:21 – Book 8. Friendship. Land owning as a proxy for a good person throughout history. Proxies for intelligence or wealth: job, city where you're living, table manners,etc. 1:18:10 – Book 10. Pleasure. Main dichotomy: happiness of a base nature vs happiness of a higher nature. What pleasure is and why it is not sufficient for happiness. Pleasures relative to context. The problem of pleasure as a metric. 1:21:35 – The problem of happiness as a destination. The importance to know what shit one is able to put up with. Why entrepreneurship porn is popular. Acting in such a way it can become a universal rule for people in the same situation. Taleb's Platinum Rule (compared to the Golden Rule). Aristotle principles vs postmodernism. Ranges of mean where things are acceptable. Good enough vs overspecialized. 1:32:20 – Subscribe to Patreon to get our book notes, highlights, bonus material and more for the price of a book. Also, hang out with us, recommend books, and participate of our private community. Find us on Twitter @Neil Soni (@TheRealNeilS) and @Nat Eliason (@nateliason). Leave us a review on iTunes to get possible guests on the show. You can just write "Love this podcast! Neil and Nat are super fun.". Check our supporters at madeyouthink.com/support. We are drinking delicious Lapsang Souchong tea from Cup & Leaf. If you want some tangent fuel, try the Mushroom Lemonade  Coffee and Chai Latte from Four Sigmatic. Perfect Keto Nut Butter is amazing. Try it frozen for an incredible texture. Check Kettle & Fire Mushroom-Chicken blend, now available on their site. Use our Amazon affiliate link to support the show effortlessly. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

Our second recap! In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat revisit the previous books and topics discussed on the podcast. We delve into the most useful lessons that we’ve learned so far. It's perfect for newer listeners to catch up with the older episodes. Listen to this episode irrigated with Malbec. We cover a wide range of topics, including: The first 20 episodes summarized in one sentence. Reviewing books, speeches, articles, and even a music album. An article that changed our view on guns. Two books with an opposite view on Capitalism. Harari’s three part saga. Which book episodes were the most listened. And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to check out all of our episodes here. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our first Recap episode. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Sesame Street [7:08] Blinkist [21:44] MentorBox [22:14] GE – General Electric [23:50] Aquatic Apes Hypothesis [25:03] Joe Rogan on Gender Warfare with Milo Yiannopoulos [38:20] Jordan Peterson on Joe Rogan’s Experience [38:32] Jordan Peterson on Jocko Podcast [38:59] Breaking Bad [44:58] A vegan diet in children may lead to spinal cord degeneration [46:51] Psychological Priming [47:20] Marshmallow Test [48:15] Lindy Effect [49:37] Vox [49:52] Fox News [1:07:01] Tesla [1:09:41] Prius [1:09:41] Starbucks [1:21:56] Distracted Boyfriend meme – Socialists vs. reality [1:36:26] Freakonomics [1:38:58] Genius [1:41:39] Stitcher [1:47:56] Books mentioned Antifragile by Nassim Taleb [2:46] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Letters from a Stoic by Seneca [3:30] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Mastery by Robert Greene [4:00] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell [4:18] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson [4:42] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) In Praise of Idleness [5:44] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman [7:02] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse [7:22] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Way of Zen by Alan Watts [8:23] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Emergency [9:06] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter [10:09] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Goal [12:52] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Principles [13:50] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey [14:39] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Psychology of Human Misjudgments by Charlie Munger [15:03] Work Clean [15:35] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Denial of Death [16:55] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Influence by Robert Cialdini [17:18] (book episode) Revolt of the Masses by Ortega y Gasset [19:01] The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck [22:41] Lean Startup [23:10] Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennet [24:24] (book episode) What Every Body is Saying by Joe Navarro [28:50] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Hiroshima Diary by Michihiko Hachiya [32:59] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) 12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [35:59] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway [42:18] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Leverage Points by Donella Meadows [49:55] (article episode) Daily Rituals by Mason Currey [54:15] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [59:40] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb [1:01:03] The Bed of Procrustes by Nassim Taleb [1:03:14] Blink by Malcolm Gladwell [1:01:48] The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris [1:06:11] (article episode) Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault [1:12:20] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [1:16:42] (Nat’s notes) (book episode part 1 & part 2) Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [1:16:42] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Solitude and Leadership by William Deresiewicz [1:22:44] (speech episode) Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [1:25:22] The Book of Five Rings by  Miyamoto Musashi [1:29:58] (Nat’s notes) The Jungle by Upton Sinclair [1:32:55] (Nat’s notes) The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson [1:37:58] The College Dropout [1:41:15] (album episode) People mentioned Jordan B. Peterson [0:51] (on Twitter) (12 Rules episode) Jeff Bezos [5:40] Adil Majid [6:05] (Crypto episode) Elon Musk [12:08] (on this podcast) Flatgeologists – Flat Earth Society [12:35] Joseph Campbell [14:09] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [19:49] (Antifragile episode) (Skin in the Game episode) Tim Cook [19:50] Eric Ries [24:19] Albert Einstein [41:42 Taylor Pearson [51:21] (Crypto episode) Ayn Rand [56:07] (Atlas Shrugged episode) Eric Weinstein [1:13:31] Friedrich Nietzsche [1:14:20] Malcolm Gladwell [1:21:11] Winston Churchill [1:35:36] Show Topics 1:25 – This episode is entirely sponsored by YOU via Patreon! Follows this link to directly support us. Check out the lovely bonuses you receive by supporting the show. 2:46 – Antifragile. Barbells strategy. Learning how to take advantage of chaos in the world. 3:30 – Letters from a Stoic. Acquire a new mental model for handling stress and challenges in your life. 4:00 – Mastery. 4:18 – The Power of Myth. Why we should take religions more seriously. 4:42 – Sovereign Individual. Rethink the permanence of the nation-states and what your future might look like in a society dominated by technology. 5:44 – In Praise of Idleness. Stop working so hard and reasons you should consider working less hard. 6:05 – Crypto episode. Principles of the tech behind Bitcoin and why you should care. 07:02 – Amusing Ourselves to Death. Don't watch the news, but listen to MYT. 7:22 – Finite and Infinite Games. Look at yourself as part of parallel finite and infinite games played in the world, and recognize artificial constraints to play infinitely. 8:23 – Way of Zen. All what you know about Buddhism and meditation is wrong. 9:06 – Emergency. Steps you should take to protect yourself when the society breaks down. 10:09 – GEB. Strange loops. Patterns that hint at the meaning of intelligence and why it may create issues while trying to understand our intelligence or building AIs. 12:08 – Think Like Elon Musk. Thinking independently vs copying the routines of others. Reasoning for firsts principles. 12:52 – The Goal. Theory of constraints, bottlenecks in businesses. 13:50 – Principles. Lots of business tactics. 14:39 – The Inner Game of Tennis. Learning how to get out of your own way to perform better. 15:03 – Psychology of Human Misjudgments. Guide for better decision making and catalog of human misjudgements. 15:35 – Work Clean. Keep your desk organized to get less distracted. 16:55 – Denial of Death. Our lives are driven by our fear of our mortality. 17:18 – Influence. Classic marketing tactics to make people trust you. 18:06 – Recap #1. 19:01 – Revolt of the Masses. Interesting ideas of the stratification of society. Against rent seekers and bureaucrat layers. Reading summaries will not convert you in Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. 24:24 – Darwin’s Dangerous Idea. There's really no meaning to life if Darwin's evolutionary theories are correct. Aquatic Apes theory! Evolution makes life inherently meaningless. Superstition in animals. Should we eat humans? 28:50 – What Every Body is Saying. Textbook to decipher body language. Communicating with body language, and dating. 32:59 – Hiroshima Diary. Private diary of a doctor from Hiroshima injured in a blast. How much humans are capable of enduring without breaking. Perspective on hardship. 35:59 – 12 Rules for Life. Peterson is a quite controversial character. Gender ideas, misinterpretation, toxic masculinity. 42:18 – Merchants of Doubt. Scientists that get paid to create fake science to support destructive practices of some companies. The problem of Media communicating science. 49:55 – Leverage Points. 12 points you can intervene in a complex system to create some change, and the relative power of each of them. Which President is sitting in the Oval Office is less important than the rules, the government and context inside and outside the country. 52:26 – Support the show on Patreon and help us buy a Tangents Button. 54:15 – Daily Rituals. People doing a lot of drugs. Historically geniuses were drug nubs, drunks, and not sleeping. It's hard to evaluate instant productivity. 59:40 – Skin in the Game. Appendix to Antifragile. Comparing this book with others by Nassim Taleb. Good way to structure your own compensation. Curious notes on Taleb's personality. 1:06:11 – The Riddle of the Gun. A concise, clear, apolitical, view-changer article in favor of gun ownership. Nuances of a black-or-white issue. Micro and macro level incentives. The naive reaction of liberal people. 1:12:00 – Subscribe to the show's Patreon, and discover the secret Nat's misadventures on Facebook. 1:12:20 – Discipline and Punish. Not a BDSM-sex book. It requires discipline to go through the book, and, after it, you'll feel punished. Better to listen to our episode :). A book about post-modernism. Listen to our analogy on Nietzschism and Nazism. 1:16:42 – Harari's 3 parts saga. Sapiens part 1, part 2, and Homo Deus. Mythology and shared stories as big driving forces for human development and organization of large sets of humans. Examples: Money, Cities, Companies. 1:21:21 – Listeners Questions #1. Flow, happiness, power, future of work, personal backgrounds. Subscribe on Patreon to ask questions for the next Listeners' episode. 1:22:44 – Solitude and Leadership. Our first speech. Spend time on your own having the freedom from interruptions, to become a better thinker, doer and leader. Otherwise, amuse yourself to death or be an excellence sheep. There are so many differences between our reality and our biology that we have to construct our reality to be more in line with our biology. Think about your solitude the same way as your diet. 1:25:22 – Atlas Shrugged. The Behemoth. Compelling case for physical Conservatism. A book that will make you respect entrepreneurship. 1:29:58 – The Book of 5 Rings. Applying strategy, military tactics, and sword fighting, to life. 1:32:55 – The Jungle. A "funny" counterpart to Atlas Shrugged. Differences between Anarchism and Libertarianism. "Capitalism is the worst economic system except of all the others". 1:37:46 – The Elephant in the Brain. Secret motivations for doing things that we don't like to talk about because they are ugly and focusing on the pretty side of our actions. Evolutionary reasons to hide those motives even to ourselves. A case for not being so introspective. 1:41:15 – The College Dropout. Our first music album! Growing up poor and making it big. Poetry, well constructed, and with many levels of interpretation. even if you don't like rap, consider listening to the episode, it will make you like rap a little bit more. Kanye as a brilliant marketer. 1:45:05 – Sponsors. Sign up to Patreon to get more notes, goodies, and chat with us. Try Perfect Keto's Nut Butter. A frosting experience, great texture, great flavor, macadamia, cashew, coconut and MCT oil and sea salt. Try Four Sigmatic’s Lemonade, a jet black lemonade with activated charcoal along with chaga mushroom. Reach us on Twitter, TheRealNeilS and nateliason.  Review us iTunes. Keep telling your friends, that's the #1 way people hear about MYT. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

We, human beings, are a species that’s not only capable of acting on hidden motives—we’re designed to do it. Our brains are built to act in our self-interest while at the same time trying hard not to appear selfish in front of other people. And in order to throw them off the trail, our brains often keep “us,” our conscious minds, in the dark. The less we know of our own ugly motives, the easier it is to hide them from others. Self-deception is therefore strategic, a ploy our brains use to look good while behaving badly. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss The Elephant in the Brain Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson. In this book the authors dig into the true motives that drive our decisions and behaviors. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Being selfish without noticing it Outsmarting other humans Gossiping, signalling and laughing The truth about Rolex watches (and is not about time precision) Metrics used to measure a charity effectiveness Mona Lisa conspiracy theories And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Elephant in the Brain Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on What Every Body is Saying by Joe Navarro, a cited book that explains the true language of our body, as well as our episode on Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault, another book that talk about different types of signalling. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show The Redistribution of Sex - Robin Hanson’s Tweet [1:18] Jordan Peterson about the Toronto school shooter [2:00] Chinese app to watch attractive women [3:18] PornHub [3:35] Melting Asphalt – Kevin Simler’s Blog [4:20] PayPal Mafia [23:40] Spotlight Effect [24:26] Bret Weinstein & Heather Heying on the Joe Rogan Experience - hot vs beautiful [30:25] Game of Thrones [40:40] Uber [4224] Bill Simmons Podcast [47:33] Game of Chicken [47:55] Birchbox [57:01] Superbad film [1:06:48] Harvard students case publishing offensive memes in a private Facebook group [1:10:02] Buzzfeed [1:25:00] Pavlovian Theory [1:29:57] Mona Lisa ashes vs replica [1:35:14] Against Malaria Foundation [1:40:07] Good Street [1:41:14] Effective Altruism [1:42:04] Give Well [1:42:09] Red Cross [1:46:30] Susan G Komen Charity [1:46:50] United Way [1:47:30] Books mentioned The Elephant in the Brain Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson (Nat’s notes) Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [6:56] (Nat’s notes) (book episode part 1 & part 2) Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [6:56] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Daily Rituals by Mason Currey [7:47] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Chimpanzee Politics [14:20] 12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [24:14] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Lying by Sam Harris [38:18] Switch by Chip and Dan Heath [40:26] Lord of the Rings [40:40] What Every Body is saying by Joe Navarro [1:03:20] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson [1:21:50] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter [1:25:14] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Antifragile by Nassim Taleb [1:25:14] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault [1:53:02] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)   People mentioned Kevin Simler Robin Hanson Jordan B. Peterson [] (on Twitter) (12 Rules episode) Adil Majid [38:29] (Crypto episode) Sean Spicer [54:00] Donald Trump [54:00] Ronaldinho [1:13:37] Geoffrey Miller [1:33:53] Alex Jones [1:39:21] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:49:11] (Antifragile episode) (Skin in the Game episode) Show Topics 4:50 – “Elephant in the brain, n. An important but unacknowledged feature of how our minds work; an introspective taboo”. Is there a survival advantage to not being too much introspective? Pros and cons of meditation. Stated reasons for doing things when we interact with other people. The effect of open offices, cafes and music on Neil. 9:17 – Underlying motives of our actions. Figuring out other people: what's making them tick? Example: parents who believe that college is a good idea for their kids, once they already paid. Starting a bitcoin mining company to pay studies at CMU. 11:41 – Thesis outline: we all have selfish modisms. However: People are judging us all the time. Because they are judging we are eager to look good. It’s better if we don’t show our selfishness. This applies not just to our words, but also to our thoughts. In some areas of life, especially polarized ones like politics, we’re quick to point out when others’ motives are more selfish than they claim. But in other areas, like medicine, we prefer to believe that almost all of us have pretty motives. 12:51 – #1 Animal Behavior. Biological social reasons for selfish modisms. Social grooming. The monkeys example: they over spend grooming others, much more than really needed and they'll fight to groom the higher rank monkeys. Analogies with employees in the corporate context. We do things that on the surface look pro social, but in reality we are just looking to increase our social standing. Altruistic behavior is not quite what it seems. 15:18 – Altruistic babblers example: these birds work to earn “prestige” in their community. Prestige will give them more mating opportunities. Analogies with student and religious groups. Knowledge suppression: we hide our big motivators from ourselves because other people are better at reading to our intentions. For example we can read bad sellers. 19:06 – #2 Competition. We are more selfish than we let ourselves think. Evolution first was about competition with the environment. Since we outsmarted other animals, we evolve to outsmart other humans. Unconsciously we try to increase our elements of social status: dominance (intimidate others) and prestige (being an impressive human being). 23:04 – Envy. “But the prestige-seeking itself is more nearly a zero-sum game, which helps explain why we sometimes feel pangs of envy at even a close friend’s success”. Signalling. The most honest signals are expensive. Nowadays being in shape is more expensive than being fat. Facebook and Instagram as tools for signalling. The King and the whisperer. 26:46 – Deceiving signals. Digital Nomads showing off while not being able to support themselves in the US. Behaviors that can be explained by competitive signalling. Luxury consumption is our version of the peacock tail. No one buys a Rolex to tell the time. There is sexual sense to men paying for the first meal on a date. Hot vs Beautiful: most products are advertised to make women hotter than attractive, and that may be a cause of unhappiness. 33:21 – #3 Norms. Gossiping and reputation. Gossip is to tell our group other people is not following norms. We lose reputation when others gossip of us. Gossip is cross cultural, and it seems to exist to enforce reputations and norms. Useful and harmful gossiping. Gossiping as valuable recommendations of people to employ and work with. 37:27 – Gossip are learned behavior or inherited genetics? Gossiping to get attention. Arguments that telling small lies in front of friends erodes your reputation and trust. Telling small lies to ourselves to prove ourselves an action we took. Analogies to the book: Chip & Dan’s elephant and the writer in Switch, Plato’s horses and the chariot driver. 41:01 – #4 Cheating. In order to cheat people, we need to be able to hide our intentions because we are good at sniffing out cheaters. Drinking in public, hiding the bottle in brown paper bags. Pipes and vape pens for... tobacco? Finding ways to encourage good behavior that one wouldn't do otherwise. Recycling. 44:09 – Tangent. Danish study on grocery bags: plastic bags beat paper bags 40 to 1. Electric cars CO2 impact much larger than gas cars. 47:53 – #5 Self Deception. Convincing others that you had sabotaged yourself, and the best way to convince someone for something is for you to actually believe it. Iran’s nuclear deal with the US. North Korea wanting to be taken seriously. Looking like the mad man in town. Closing or degrading a channel communication. Strategic ignorance. Avoid looking at kidnappers face. 52:02 – #6 Counterfeit Reasons. We make up reasons to explain why we do things or why we want things. Split brain patients test. Narrative fallacy. Making up reasons to deny a disability. Press secretary. Sean Spiner on the podium trying to explain Trump's decisions. We accentuate and exaggerate our pro-social motives and downplay our ugly selfish ones. 55:32 – Sponsor! Scentbird. Monthly subscription for premium perfumes and colognes, delivered at your door in convenient packaging for only $15/mo! Avoid the weird and bulky shapes of perfume bottles. Scentbird has a very compact and handy rechargeable cartridge system. Neil is using Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue which is very summery. Nat buyed Gin by Commodity, Bergamote by Commodity, and Encens by Rag & Bone. Use our code to get 50% off the first month. Neil is drinking Milk Oolong from Cup & Leaf Tea (a tea that tastes milky but doesn’t have milk!). You can reinfuse Oolong up to 5 times! Try it iced too. Cup & Leaf will give a 10%  lifetime discount to its first 100 customers. The Cream Earl Grey is great too. Replace-your-coffee and MYT kits coming soon. 1:03:11 – #7 Hidden motives in everyday life. Body Language. Cue is like a signal but it only provides value to the receiver. Catching cues reading other people while playing poker. Eye contact ratio while speaking and listening is a sign dominance. 1:06:12 – #8 Laughter. “We laugh far more often in social settings than when we’re alone—30 times more often”. Laughter is a social way of initiating play with each other. Flirting with the edges of acceptable behavior. Comedians can talk things in ways no one else can talk in public. Laughing seems to come from an instinct. Great apes laugh too. Oscar Wilde said, “If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh; otherwise they’ll kill you”. Making offensive statements in a playful manner with friends. 1:11:39 – Theory that laughter relieves nervous energy. Comedians make jokes about things they really don't believe, but many people extrapolates them wrongly. Laughter to test relationships with new people. Argument that humor normalizes bad behavior. Rape jokes. Jokes in the wrong audience. 1:22:49 – #9 Conversation. Conversation is not primarily an exchange of information, but mainly we do it to prove we are a reliable and good source of information. The backpack full of tools analogy. Reading and curiosity. Staying on topic, but not repeating ourselves. 1:27:43 – #10 Consumption. We buy things to look good. Prius example: it was designed ugly on purpose. Lifestyle ads. Corona beer theories: the first, Pavlovian, associating Corona and the beach, the second, one would buy Corona worrying about what others may associate the brand with. Super Bowl ads. BMW have to show their ads to poor people as well, so rich people associate the brand with luxury. Car ads reinforcing owners' believes. Products can be marketed for utility or lifestyle. Guinness and Budweiser have the same amount of calories, but they are marketed and perceived differently (surprisingly, Guinness is very keto-friendly). 1:33:33 – #11 Art. We find waste sexually attractive, because wasting resources is kind of a proof of wealth. People that hold a group in conversation are attractive. We tend to value art because we associate effort and skill with it. Mona Lisa's ashes and replicas survey. Is it the real Mona Lisa in the Louvre? Motivations behind mass shooters. Dinosaurs bones in museums. Conspiracies. 1:39:54 – #12 Charity. People donate in very inefficient ways. Donating for malaria vs high schools. Ivy League schools as hedge funds with an educational side. Comparing malaria deaths with other diseases that lower the quality of life. Is it dollar-to-lifes the best metric to look at when donating? The problem with Red Cross and other famous non-profits. Hollywood movies as non-profits. 1:49:34 – #13 Education. Kids don't learn much in class compared to unschooled ones. National GDP does not rise with education, but individual earning does. School seems more a filtering mechanism where, if you graduate from Harvard it doesn't mean you learned a ton but that you survived it. School as domestication. The most performant students are those more domesticated. 1:52:08 – Required attendance shows that the teacher is insecure of being interesting. Learning topics through other mediums than class subjects. School is more a signalling tool to show conformity to society and employment. For parents, it's a tool to brag that “made it”. School may be useful from a network standpoint. Why we haven't franchised the Ivy League. 2:01:54 – #14 Medicine. We get much more medicine than we need mostly as a way to show we take care of each other. Medicine is great for saving lives, but doesn't perform well on life and quality of life extension. 2:03:21 – #15 Religion. Proving you are a member of the community by sacrificing part of your freedom, time, resources and even identity. 2:04:10 – #16 Politics. We often vote to show loyalty to a community. You’d better don't want everyone to participate in an election, especially if they'll vote the opposite candidate you'll vote. Cheering for your party, as in sports.   2:06:31 – #17 Conclusion. It's easy to spot others doing it, it's difficult to pick up ourselves doing it. “The biggest lesson from Part I is that we ignore the elephant because doing so is strategic. Self-deception allows us to act selfishly without having to appear quite so selfish in front of others. We have a gaping blind spot at the very center of our introspective vision. If we’re going to second-guess our coworkers and friends, we shouldn’t give ourselves an easy pass. In fact, knowing about our own blind spots should make us even more careful when pointing fingers at others”. 2:07:56 – Support us by buying the book through our Amazon affiliate link. Support us by buying stuff from our sponsors, Perfect Keto for all your keto diet needs, Kettle & Fire for grass fed bone broth, Four Sigmatic for delicious mushroom coffee and other low caffeine drinks. If you enjoyed this episode and want to read along with us, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

Jurgis, too, had heard of America. That was a country where, they said, a man might earn three roubles a day; and Jurgis figured what three roubles a day would mean, with prices as they were where he lived, and decided forthwith that he would go to America and marry, and be a rich man in the bargain. In that country, rich or poor, a man was free, it was said; he did not have to go into the army, he did not have to pay out his money to rascally officials—he might do as he pleased, and count himself as good as any other man. In this episode of Made You Think, we discuss The Jungle by Upton Sinclair It is a novel that portraits realistically the life at the time of immigrant families. Aimed to promote socialism, it ended conceiving the first laws of consumer protection in the United States after the scandal created by the revelation of meat packing malpractices. “Leave it to me; leave it to me. I will earn more money—I will work harder. Jurgis.” We cover a wide range of topics, including: The 3-day weekend A list of malpractices in the meatpacking industry that ended Embalmed meat killing soldiers in Spain Children labor in tech startups Monstrous sized apples and food stamps diets Businesses taking advantage of illegal immigrants Fiverr ads in NY and the Gig economy And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, counterpoint to The Jungle, a book that vows for Capitalism, as well as our Recap episode, where we summarize our first 20 books, all under the effects of alcohol :). Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more.   Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Lacroix [0:41] Pure Food and Drugs Act [2:46] Meat Inspection Act [2:46] Kettle & Fire [48:26] Food stamps don’t cover the cost of healthy eating [49:01] Costco [50:43] Peter Attia at the Joe Rogan experience - Cocaine Revolutionized Surgery [59:19] Snus – Chewing Tobacco [1:01:28] Lindy Effect [1:02:34] Verizon AT&T-Time Warner Trust [1:14:17] Interstellar [1:15:52] North Star Podcast [1:17:29] Foxconn [1:19:50] Nike [1:19:50] Patreon [1:38:19] Distracted Boyfriend meme - Socialists vs. reality [1:42:17] Uber [1:50:25] Fiverr Ads in NY [1:50:25] UpWork [1:51:28] Hinge [2:01:55] Books mentioned The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (Nat's notes) Uncle's Tom Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe [3:20] Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott [3:52] Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [4:11] The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker [24] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis [25:] Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [37-42] (Nat’s notes) (book episode part 1 & part 2) Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [1:03:18] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Leverage Points by Donella Meadows [1:22:15] (article episode) The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson [1:23:32] Animal Farm by George Orwell [1:44:49] The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell [1:48:12] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson [1:49:38] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Das Kapital by Karl Marx [2:04:37] War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy [2:05:22] Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance [2:05:35] People mentioned Upton Sinclair Adil Majid [37:42] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [56:01] (Antifragile episode) (Skin in the Game episode) Chris Christie (sports betting in New Jersey) [56:52] Neil deGrasse Tyson [1:17:02] David Perell from the North Star podcast [1:17:29] George Orwell [1:44:21] Jordan B. Peterson [1:45:16] (on Twitter) (12 Rules episode) Warren Buffet [1:46:23] Elon Musk [2:04:05] (on this podcast) Jeff Bezos [2:05:06] Show Topics 0:00 – The Jungle It is a book commonly read in High School, but probably the intention gets missed when read young. The content of the story is very dark. At first it seems to be a book about the terrors of the meat industry, but Sinclair aimed at the perils of Capitalism. It shows the problems with pure Laissez-faire economic systems (while other books as Atlas Shrugged critique Top-Down economies). 4:28 –  Sinclair was upset that his book didn’t meet the goal to promote socialism, all it had was the effect of changing how the US regulates the meat industry.  The value of safety nets and consumer protection laws. 7:14 – We didn't had weekends as we know them today. Some people suggest we will be able to mitigate some of the effects of automation by shortening the work week even more. Some startups and companies already offer Summer Fridays, where employees take Friday off. This is backed by noticing that does not affect productivity. 11:47 – Sinclair disavowed Socialism, he said it was not well implemented. Also, that Unions are an equally corrupt part of the system too. However, the book seems quasi religious, as lacks critics to Socialism. 14:39 – The book tells the story of Jurgis, who decides to move from Lithuania to Chicago with his family. He first feel betrayed with his friend, which he thought was rich. At that time, moving was one-way, people didn't have the money to travel back. The experience to moving to a completely extraneous place you never saw and with different language. Practically there is no culture living in complete isolation today, given the spread of the Internet and the English language. 20:02 – Jurgis gets his first job is sweeping guts and parts of cattle into a pit. The joy of having a job and the feeling of being settled. Not being paid for partial clock ours or waiting ours. Investment banking seems like a modern upper middle class version of the same problem. 25:44 – No security. Jurgis get injured and rests at home, without being paid. Hard work spirit. “Leave it to me; leave it to me. I will earn more money—I will work harder.” 26:05 – Sinclair attacks meritocracy. It's not those who work hard that are the ones who are wealthy. The people who had made it are not the people who'd done a good job, it's the people who'd figured out how to rig the system. Meritocracy, honesty (or dishonesty), conditions at birth and luck as the shapers of one's future. Reconciling the victim mentality with the meritocratic attitude. 28:45 – White privilege is probably true, but people started very poor and developed wealth through generations. The leap from "making money to stay alive" to "making money and build wealth". College funds compounding. 32:52 – Part of why we create wealth is to pass it to our children. Taking out inheritance plus giving immigrants upper-middle class quality of life from the start, as Socialism suggest, would take out incentives to create wealth. Socialism as the evolution of King-and-Serve model, in the way that somebody else take care of you once you pay the access to the system. 35:30 – Parents that bring their kids to America but want them to maintain their customs of origin. Contingencies buying a house. Having to send the kids to sustain the mortgage payment. Our senses ignore the static, concentrate on changes. 38:45 – Child labor was common 100 years ago. Is it OK to forbid child labor? Imposing modern values to pre-modern societies. China negating climate protocols. What if children work in tech positions at startups? 43:36 – How bad the meat packing industry was in terms of what went into the final product. A list of malpractices in the meat industry. Embalmed meat killing soldiers in Spain. Poisoned bread for rats. Sausages diluted with potato flour. Diluted or doctored food. The bargain of the peasant and hunter-gatherer lifestyle vs modern society. 49:01 – Optimizing food stamps to get the best diet. Why produce are not nutritious any more. Charging crops by weight as a bad incentive to produce nutritious crops. Size difference between wild and domesticated fruit species. Comparing fruits with candies and soda. Coca tea good for altitude sickness. 56:00 – Drugs and gambling becoming ubiquitous in the US. Libertarian trend legalizing gay marriage, suicide, drugs, poker and weed, MDMA. Cocaine and marijuana schedules for trials for medical treatments. Consuming opioids and tobacco in natural form, reducing cancer and other unwanted long term effects. Overdosing sugar. 1:03:18 – Jurgis back to the job market at Packagetown, finds a job in the fertilizers plants. 1:05:27 – Scentbird: monthly subscription for premium perfumes and colognes, delivered at your door in convenient packaging and at incredible rates! Nat's favorite is Blue by Chanel, Neil's using Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue. Use our code to get 50% off the first month. 1:08:43 – Jurgis passes through jail. Spoiler alert! Jurgis is blacklisted from all jobs and becomes a bum. Parallel between the beef trust and the communications trust. Jurgis finally gets a better job in Downtown. 1:18:09 – When the supply of work is much greater than the demand. Working by the day. Immigrants taking US jobs working in illegal conditions. Unfair systems that can't be fixed by just replacing the pieces at the top. Businesses aren't much penalized, individuals are, when talking about illegal immigrants. 1:24:24 – The Government job to protect citizens. Markets can take care of most of their problems, but sometimes rules are needed. GMOs at Walmart. 1:26:24 – Jurgis loses all his family and becomes a bum, a modern version of the hunter gatherer. Jurgis gets into the underground. Suggestion that the only way to get rich in America is by breaking the law. 1:32:52 – Jurgis gets back in a meat packing business, but in a better position. Finally gets out of Chicago. 1:35:35 – The book slides down into Socialism. Blind political speeches. Distinguishing Socialism from Communism. Free associations and Patreon. Degrees of Libertarianism. Anarchism. Countries not implementing Socialism properly argument. 1:42:17 – Is Socialism impossible because of Human nature? Strong man arguments for and against Socialism. Orwell and Peterson common background at the Socialist Party. Socialism as a satisfying and seductive system for the intellectual part of our brains. 1:46:00 – Top-down beats Bottom-up messy chaos on paper, but the opposite happens in reality. We tend to give more importance to things that can be measured, but that doesn't mean unmeasured things doesn't exists. Argumentative tactics. The miss of a Socialist hero in the plot. The Gig economy. 1:53:14 – Sinclair shows that each individual who is involved in the system is following the incentives they have. Seeing a true need for government. 1:54:08 – Sponsors! Scentbird. Only $7.50 for your first month subscription using our code. Kettle & Fire’s grass fed bone broth to reconstitute your gut health, up to 28% discount plus free shipping using our code. We highly recommend the mushroom chicken and mushroom flavor. Get 20% off for your keto related products on Perfect Keto. Exogenous ketones supplements, and MCT oil to supplement your good fat needs. Drink Four Sigmatic, delicious mushroom coffee. Try their new Golden Latte Mushroom Mix with shitaki and turmeric, and the Chai Latte Mush with turkey tail and reishi. None of these have caffeine, ideal to drink them the whole day. Get 20% off your first order from Cup & Leaf. Try the Cream Earl Grey and the Lopson su chong, the whiskey of black teas. Get the black tea sampler to try all black teas. De-fund Bezos' rocket company by using our Amazon affiliate link. Hit us up on Twitter (Neil, Nat). If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

"When I reached thirty I looked back on my past. The previous victories were not due to my having mastered strategy. Perhaps it was natural ability, or the order of heaven, or that other schools’ strategy was inferior. After that I studied morning and evening searching for the principle, and came to realise the Way of strategy when I was fifty." In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi was the greatest Samurai ever, famous for winning over 60 samurai duels. In this book he uses the art of sword fighting to develop a set of principles that can guide you through your personal and professional life. Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Strategy in business and in life Lots of Japanese aphorisms Giving excuses when failing The importance of mastering different skills How it’ll look like when we reach 100 podcasts And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi! The teacher cannot force learning on the student, and the student cannot learn in isolation: "The teacher is as a needle, the disciple is as thread. You must practice constantly."   If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Way of Zen by Alan Watts, a book that about Buddhism and mastering skills, as well as our episode on Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey, another book starts with a specific activity to infer global principles. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Kindle [0:49] Quip Toothbrush [11:58] ButcherBox [11:58] Kettle & Fire [11:58] Perfect Keto [11:58] Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee [11:58] Cup & Leaf [11:58] Uber [14:42] Black Mirror [15:16] Jocko Podcast [17:46] Virtue Signalling [42:59] Joe Rogan’s Podcast [47:08] Haidong Kumdo [49:10] Tailored Fit [53:48] ModCloth [53:48] Chess [57:11] Go [57:11] StarCraft [58:13] DOTA [58:13] Lyft [59:19] Tesla [1:00:31] Books mentioned The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi (Nat’s notes) Musashi the Novel by Eiji Yoshikawa [1:25] Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [2:51] Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [2:51] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [2:51] (Nat’s notes) (book episode part 1 & part 2) Striking Thoughts by Bruce Lee [3:56] (Nat’s notes) Levels of the Game by John McPhee [7:11] The Inner Game of Tennis [7:33] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Principles [7:52] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Mastery by Robert Greene [8:00] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter [8:08] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Letters from a Stoic by Seneca [19:03] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Way of Zen by Alan Watts [19:39] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Lanterns on the Levee by William Percy [25:23] Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [26:19] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Secret by Rhonda Byrne [34:35] Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James [34:57] 12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [35:33] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene [35:38] (Nat’s notes) Tao Te Ching by Laozi [45:27] (Nat’s notes) Finite and Infinite Games [1:08:54] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance [1:12:23] People mentioned Miyamoto Musashi Rumi, Persian Poet [2:21] Bruce Lee [3:56] Lucius Annaeus Seneca [19:03] Robert Greene [36:40] Jocko Podcast [37:42] Nathan Latka [38:58] Elon Musk [1:00:06] (on this podcast) Sebastian Marshall [1:11:15] (on Nat Chat) Jocko’s book on the Tim Ferriss’ blog [1:11:28] Adil Majid [1:15:14] Show Topics 3:14 – Musashi's background and how he became the most famous samurai. In this book he writes about strategy and philosophy through the lens of sword fighting. His writing style starts with examples at micro level and unfolds them into general principles. Development of the Niten Ichi-ryū school, the style of fighting with one short and one long sword. Books that use sports or physical activities as a canvas to explain strategy, psychology, and philosophy. 9:45 – Sponsor time! Scentbird. Online subscription plan to receive at home all perfumes you want to try. Go to Scentbird, build your queue, and get 50% OFF with the coupon mentioned in the episode. They don't take much space in or bag, so very convenient to travel with. Very helpful if you want to go into subscription mode for everything in your life like Nat. 12:40 – Time period where guns were spreading but swords were still popular. 15:26 – Ground. Foundation for the other books and the most applicable to real world problems beyond sword fighting. Four personas: the gentlemen, the farmers, the artisans and the merchants. The teacher can be guidance but one has to move through the process. Symbiotic relationship between teacher and student. 19:16 – “The way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death”. Does acceptance of death make you a better warrior? "The Dojo" example applied to Marketing. There are so many marketing gurus pushing for their school as it is the only true alternative, while they are truly looking for profit. 23:12 – “This is a truth: when you sacrifice your life, you must make fullest use of your weaponry”. It is false not to do so, and to die with a weapon yet undrawn. You can't allow yourself to fail without trying everything you have at your disposal. Romanticizing failures and not learning from them. The fine line of failure and ego protection. Not going all in gives you an excuse if you fail. 26:23 – “It will seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first”. Everything is hard when you start. Having a diversity of abilities. In sports, a winning strategy is to water the opponents favorite strategy. Having a favorite weapon or skill is a weakness. Bruce Lee's fighting against his own Martial Arts school, by following his philosophy of non-philosophy. Coping other does not make sense because what works for others may not work for you. 31:39 – Water. “With water as the basis, the spirit becomes like water. Water adopts the shape of its receptacle, it is sometimes a trickle and sometimes a wild sea”. Being able to break over the rocks and not being stopped by them. Being able to work around an obstacle and being fluid. The difference of learning indoor techniques with learning into the wild. Book summaries visitor stats. 36:56 – Our private behavior and public behavior should be the same at all times. Instagram and social media push us to build a fake personality, and pretend we are a different person from what we really are. Me too stuff. White people trying to win points between minorities. 43:45 – “In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things”. Japanese aphorisms. Detaching from personal feelings to get the big picture. How Rogan can make so many podcasts. 48:15 – Fire. Here Masashi starts to get very technical on fighting. Training to the point it becomes an innate knowledge. You know when something is natural to you when you have a hard time explaining it. The best mentor is not someone far along and super successful but most of the times, just a few steps ahead from you. 55:12 – Methods to slow down enemies' attacks. Attacking first, counter attacking, and attacking at the same time. Maintain control of your position. It is bad to be led about by the enemy. Taking the initiative may have psychological advantages by not being responsive to the enemy but making him responsive to you. Acting vs reacting. Having the enemy to respond to your moves so they don't have time to develop their strategies. Staying relevant and on the news in order to push the competition to show their cards. 1:01:46 – Wind. “Crossing at a ford”. Knowing when to enter in a negotiation, in a position of strength. Having the discipline to delay to act when it's the right time. Being able to put oneself in the enemy's shoes. Criticizing other schools. 1:08:00 – Void. Conventional and unspoken knowledge. True mastery is something you cannot put into a book, it has no end. Anti dogma. 1:14:08 – Sponsors. If you want to smell lovely and have an easy solution for all your perfumes and colognes needs checkout Scentbird. Use our code to get 50% off your first month subscription. Get your mushroom coffee from Four Sigmatic. They have a new Think blend! Try also the Cordyceps blend, their Reishi blend for sleep. Nat is drinking Lapsang Souchong black tea from Cup & Leaf. It tastes like a brandy, whisky, smokey dark liquor flavor scotch. Try the Earl Grey cream one too! Kettle & Fire has mushroom-chicken bone broth available on their site now! Great flavoring. You may get up to 28% off your first ordering using our code. Nat likes to cook with their beef broth and Neil turns his quinoa in a nutritional powerhouse. Perfect Keto is perfect if you are trying to get into keto. Check out their ketones supplements and their exogenous ketones. They have a mocha flavored MCT oil powder. It’s of the best kind of fats, and you can mix it in your smoothies, have it straight in the morning, or mix it with athletic greens. Use our Amazon link to help support the show. Hit us up on Twitter (Neil, Nat). Join the mailing list to participate of the next Q&A episode and recommend us books to discuss.

“If you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater his effort the heavier the world bore down on his shoulders—what would you tell him to do?” “I . . . don’t know. What . . . could he do? What would you tell him?” “To shrug.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, a piece of philosophy disguised as a novel. Probably the 10th longest book in Latin language, Atlas Shrugged is a controversial, polarizing book that attacks Socialism, references Postmodernism and develops Objectivism, Rand’s philosophical system. So you think that money is the root of all evil?” said Francisco d’Anconia. “Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can’t exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears, or of the looters, who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is this what you consider evil? We cover a wide range of topics, including: Money as the root of all evil or source of all good Why academics and politicians see successful businessmen with distrust Wealthy kids arguing for socialism The truth about law (spoiler: you are not obliged to obey it) A 3 hour long discourse Writing sex scenes And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson, a book that foresee how governments will react with new tech, as well as our episodes on Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (part 1 & part 2), a book about the power of myths and humans collaborating for a greater outcome. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Ford [11:11] Delta [11:11] American Airlines [11:11] Cup & Leaf – Nat's Tea Project [24:05] Effective Altruism [32:03] CMU [33:09] Tony Robbins on the Tim Ferriss Show [34:22] UBI – Universal Basic Income [35:52] Crypto episode [36:48] Patreon [37:30] Drizly and Minibar [42:56] AirBnB [44:09] Uber [45:32] IRS [46:25] Neil Soni on Nat Chat [55:30] Harari on UBI [56:33] Al-Qaida [1:02:40] ISIS [1:02:40] Amazon [1:05:02] NASA [1:06:16] SpaceX [1:06:16] Boeing [1:05:40] Voldemort Effect [1:15:17] Books mentioned Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Harry Potter [6:49] Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [20:47] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode part 1 & part 2) Money Master the Game by Tony Robbins [34:22] Sovereign Individual [36:48] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Finite and Infinite Games [41:55] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [42:44] (book episode) The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand [1:17:59] People mentioned Ayn Rand List of Atlas Shrugged characters Francisco d’Anconia Hank Rearden Dagny Taggart John Galt Plato [5:10] Socrates [5:20] Tony Robbins [34:22] Peter Thiel [48:30] Aristotle [50:40] Ron Paul [1:09:23] Nathaniel Brandon [1:17:02] Leonard Peikoff [1:17:45] Simone de Beauvoir [1:21:07] Show Topics 6:55 – The structure of the book is an interwoven of essays spoken by the characters. Re-reading the book may help understand better the concepts. 9:05 - The book starts with a parallel world set in the 50ties, with two kinds of people: the industrious productive ones running big infrastructure businesses of the Nation, and the socialists, government ones (described as parasites). The main plot is that the productive ones start disappearing, and the socialists intervene to try to keep the economy running and avoid collapsing. 13:19 – The idea is that the more one tries to control the economy, the worst it's going to get. The example of limiting book sales to 10k. 15:24 – Introducing the characters of Francisco d'Anconia and Hank Rearden. Money as the root of all evil. Criticism of money made by people that never understood how someone actually makes money. 19:00 – Tangent. Most of the critiques to money as the origin of all evil originates between academics or congressman, people that project their experiences "playing politics" and assume businessmen are filthy rich because of a more aggressive political game. 21:11 – Examples of activities that make money without creating value. High frequency trading, hardcore rent seeking. The money test, or how to know if you are effectively creating value. Feeling guilty when asking money, cutting through bullshit. 25:05 – Counter-argument: money as the source of all good. Money allows us to cooperate. 29:47 – We don't see that many successful people in business arguing for socialism. On the opposite side, we can see many wealthy kids arguing for socialism. Why people in the artistic communities advocate for socialism while earning millions on performances. The different approach to socialism between wealthy kids and kids with scholarships. Forced redistribution may not be sustainable in the long term. 34:22 – Tony Robbins about the ideal amount to tax, so to pay for public services, and not to discourage taxpayers to fly away. Striking a fine balance is even more important when technologies that enable us to avoid taxation are widely available. 38:28 – Hank put on trial by the government. The nature of laws is that they have to be enforced by force. Most people won't voluntarily do what government order them to do unless pointed with a gun. 42:56 – Most people think of laws and rules as things they have to follow, instead of options that have consequences. The idea that a rule is just something that typically advantageous to follow. Startups influencing how new rules for grey areas will be legislated. Why NY regulators don't go after illicit listing on AirBnB. 47:24 – John Galt speech (spoiler alert). Layout of objectivism, Ayn Rand’s main contribution to philosophy, as some sort of adaptation of Aristotelian ethics and metaphysics. In Rand's objectivism there can't be contradictions. Or, going against postmodernism, there is no complete subjectivity. 51:39 – Objectivism: Existence is Identity, Consciousness is Identification. Reality is not going to change if we hide away from it. Meaning of life and meaningful work as the purpose of life. Reason, purpose, self-esteem. 55:00 – Why people is unhappy with their job. Our jobs is where we spend most of our active ours, and if that is not purposeful, it's hard to be satisfied. Corollaries from Sovereign Individual. We are in a time where in response to new technologies, government reacts in a more socialist direction, so the more productive people go somewhere else. The importance of cryptocurrency in this movement vs gold. 59:52 – Logic against postmodernism. Not saying anything, keeping the mouth shut and dying, is the only way to fulfill the argument of objectiveness non-existence. 1:01:43 – The roles of governments. The need of a third-party force as a result of the concept of property. Protection, Roads, Public Parks: how would they work if left to private initiative. Social Security, a legalized Ponzi scheme, works only if enforced. Alternatives to Social Security and who pays for it. 1:11:29 – Tangent. Criticism to Atlas Shrugged as it doesn't convince someone who is convinced of the opposite. University is very liberal biased. It's very tough to get grants to do research that doesn't confirm liberal ideology. 1:13:56 – Outlawing ideas make them more compelling. The case of silencing gender differences. 1:16:43 – Diving into objectivism in School. The contrast of female characters of Ayn Rand books. Sex scenes and description of scenes. 1:22:11 – Tangent. Rand’s sex scenes are more emotional-psychological than physical. Philosophy of love, related to the meaning of life. Love as a sense of achievement. Interpretations of love possession. 1:26:29 – Closing quote. “In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title. Do not lose your knowledge that man’s proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it’s yours.” 1:27:30 – Sponsors! With Scentbird you select and queue perfumes you want to try, and receive them on a monthly basis. Their cartridge system is very convenient, very discounted  and travel-friendly. Use the coupon mentioned in the episode to get 50% off on the first month. Perfect Keto's MCT oil is one of the best fats to keep a ketogenic diet. Their MCT oil powdered version is fantastic to mix in to your coffee drinks, or mushroom coffee. It is much easier than cutting a piece of butter, and it has a creamy texture. For the mushroom coffee, go to Four Sigmatic and get 15% off. Their mushroom coffee energizes you with less caffeine. Kettle & Fire for delicious, organic, grass fed, bone broth, good for getting the micronutrients that it's difficult to get if you don't eat organ meats. You can cook it, drink directly from the carton, or try it with cumin and chili, heat and sip it. It is shelf stable for a really long time. New sponsor! At Cup & Leaf you can find the finest teas reviewed by Nat, with a 20% off! Try the organic Earl Grey cream and milk Oolong, a pretty unique tea. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

Solitude is what you have the least of here, especially as plebes. You don’t even have privacy, the opportunity simply to be physically alone, never mind solitude, the ability to be alone with your thoughts. And yet I submit to you that solitude is one of the most important necessities of true leadership. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat cover the first speech on this show! Solitude and Leadership by William Deresiewicz is a speech held by the professor at West Point Military Academy. In it, Deresiewicz goes against the common thinking that Yale’s professors or MBAs are leaders, just because they are the best at following what they are told to do, and looks at solitude and moments of deep work the roots for true leadership. Multitasking is not only not thinking, it impairs your ability to think. Thinking means concentrating on one thing long enough to develop an idea about it. [...] Developing your own ideas. In short, thinking for yourself. You simply cannot do that in bursts of 20 seconds at a time, constantly interrupted by Facebook messages or Twitter tweets, or fiddling with your iPod, or watching something on YouTube. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Turning chaos into order vs maintaining the order The “clever” app that interrupts you to check if you are in the flow Guns and drug wars in Chicago Nat and Neil's rituals for solitude Why starting your podcast with your friends will bring you to the best of deep thinking A new sponsor that will make you smell better And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to read Solitude and Leadership by William Deresiewicz! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on The Way of Zen by Alan Watts, a book that lingers in the benefits of meditation, as well as our episode on Work Clean by Dan Charnas, a live episode with the author of the book brings the shows how to work and manage like a chef. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show William Deresiewicz on Nat Chat [2:12] On Political Correctness by William Deresiewicz [2:46] William Deresiewicz Speech at West Point 7:26 Yale University [7:32] CMU - Carnegie Mellon University [7:56] McKinsey [12:35] Kanye West tweets [16:49] AirPods [20:14] Slack [23:36] Asana [23:36] IKEA [30:39] Salesforce [32:03] HelpSpot 32:28 Ephemerality vs Value by Nat Eliason [37:29] Snapchat [37:40] Blinkist [38:43] Mentorbox [38:43] Joe Rogan and Colion Noir on Chicago's gang violence [47:22] Russell Brand - Legalisation of Drugs [48:47] Ron Paul’s view on abortion [50:36] Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show [51:52] Wait But Why articles on AI part 1 and part 2 [51:59] Melting Asphalt [52:25] Sam Harris’ reply to Robert Spencer about immigration [52:32] Books mentioned Solitude and Leadership by William Deresiewicz Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [1:25] (book episode) Excellence Sheep by William Deresiewicz [7:38] (Nat’s notes) Extreme Ownership by Jocko [11:34] 12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [18:09] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Antifragile by Nassim Taleb [18:09] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault [25:29] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) In Praise of Idleness [26:44] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Ulysses by James Joyce [27:08] Way of Zen by Alan Watts [30:08] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Work Clean [31:08] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Rise of Superman by Steven Kotler [34:23] Amusing Ourselves to Death [36:02] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [45:19] (Nat’s notes) (book episode part 1 & part 2) The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris [47:10] (article episode) The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson [52:25] People mentioned Sam Harris [47:10] (Guns episode) Kanye West [16:49] Jordan B. Peterson [17:09] (on Twitter) (12 Rules episode) Dave Rubin [17:21] Donald Trump [44:14] Show Topics 3:13 – New sponsor! Scentsbird are the Netflix for perfumes. They will send you premium perfumes and colognes like Dolce and Gabbana, Chanel and Armani on a monthly basis. Their their cartridge system is very clever and light, super convenient and easy to carry even on airplanes (try getting big bottles on airplanes). Listen the episode to get 50% OFF the first month subscription. 7:13 – Leadership. "Excellence sheep" concept, or what people do to get a position at Yale. Being the best at following orders doesn't make you a leader. People's confusion between leadership and being good at what one is supposed to do. Turning chaos into order vs maintaining the order. 12:05 – West Point vs Yale Leadership concept. One line Commander's intent employees. 13:18 – Solitude. Bringing Chaos back to Order requires solitude and focus. Creative thinking is not possible nowadays unless we take the concentrated effort to avoid all kind of interruptions. Kayne West and Jordan Peterson on tour. Multitasking and interruptions vs learning. 16:29 – Generally, our first though may not be the result of our creativity, but a subconscious recall of someone else's idea. Places where many ideas come because we are concentrated (and not multitasking), even on other activities. 21:07 – Meditation and background processing. Tips for reducing notifications distractions. Training your friends to not expect immediate response. Following a team at bird's eye view without babysitting them. 25:00 – The effects of talking about ideas on this podcast. 27:02 – Good work starts slow and needs time to get up to the core ideas. Experiences writing good articles or books. Japanese Zen practices and working clean are part of the many activities that foster conditions for creative spark. Organizing the CRM. 33:43 – Different types of flow. Getting "lost" in a mindless activity or reading a fiction book that helps "defrag" your hard drive. The absurd notification app to check if you are in flow or not. Differences between a book and a tweet or the newspaper. Nat & Neil's secret to read 60 books a year like top performers CEOs. Discover the fiction book we are reading listening to back episodes and participate of the give away! 40:43 – What is solitude: introspection, concentration of focused work, sustained reading. And... deep friendship. The traits of good long conversations with friends. Taking the part of the Devil's advocate, and the problem to link our identity with ideas. Not reasonable ideas are just as logical as reasonable ones, but with different inputs. Trump's voters example. 45:18 – Immigration. Extreme views like open borders and racism. Naturally moving toward the middle. Tailor-made narco-economy and guns in Chicago. The reason to legalize drugs. Libertarians against Abortion. 51:59 – The bad habit of everyone should have an opinion on everything. Replying emotionally on Twitter without being informed. Trump bringing peace in Korea. 57:07 – Solitude being the essence of leadership. Nat and Neil's rituals for solitude. Physical stresses that help freeing the mind. 1:01:40 – Sponsors! Scentbird is a monthly premium perfumes subscription service. It’s very convenient, for guys and girls. Use the code mentioned in the episode to get 50% off on the first month. Go to Four Sigmatic for your mushroom coffee needs. Perfect Keto is the one-stop shop for all your ketogenic diet needs. Learn on their blog why MCT oils and powder are amazing fats for your diet. Kettle & Fire for your collagen ancestral needs. Try the meat one with quinoa. The chicken one is good for sipping. Amazon has crushed their earning thanks to the MYT affiliate link! Let your friends know about the show. Share angrily on Twitter as our show is antifragile. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life. All that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” Albert Einstein No books today, but a selected list of questions asked by Listeners! Neil and Nat answer one by one detailed questions about topics you had but they never talked about. We cover a wide range of topics, including: What Neil and Nat do to survive Routines to get into flow Favorite podcast show and why they stopped listening to Tim Ferriss The future (and present of work) Balancing power and happiness And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to ask more questions replying the mailing list! (What? You still haven’t signed up for the mailing list?!) If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Daily Rituals by Mason Currey, a book that discuss the crazy schedule creative people have to get into the flow, as well as our episode on Homo Deus by Yuval Harari where we talk about how AI may make humans useless.   Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Unlimited Brewing [4:22] Made You Drink Beer. Coming Soon? [5:14] US regulation doesn't allow to sell beer online [5:14] Brewmaster’ Reserve, Neil’s beer blog [5:49] Neil Soni on Nat Chat [6:40] LegalZoom [8:45] Maryland Government incorporation website [8:47] Incorporate.com [9:51] W-2 Form [10:52] Nat Chat [11:22] Growth Machine [11:47] Nat's personal site [12:15] Wendy’s Twitter campaign [16:52] Deep House Relax playlist [27:56] Asana [33:03] Evernote [33:12] Sam Sheridan [36:42] Fat Tony [40:05] PwC [52:33] Tiago Forte’s Progressive Summarization [55:05] Flatgeologist [57:32] Slack [1:04:02] Vitalik Buteron, founder of Ethereum [1:10:53] Nat’s articles on sex [1:14:21] Stamena app - Nat’s app [1:14:21] Black Mirror [1:38:46] Trump-Miller story [1:41:55] Books mentioned Daily Rituals by Mason Currey [28:59] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Taleb [32:21] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [37:58] Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennet [38:07] (book episode) The Goal [44:29] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter [37:58] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [43:20] (book episode) Work Clean [44:29] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Principles [44:33] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene [46:30] (Nat’s Notes) Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [48:12] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins [57:13] Finite and Infinite Games [57:42] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) 12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [58:06] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) East of Eden by John Steinbeck [58:48] (Nat’s notes) Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk [59:22] (Nat’s notes) Deep Work by Cal Newport [1:03:01] (Nat’s notes) So Good They Can’t Ignore You [1:03:01] (Nat’s notes) Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault [1:10:10] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Sovereign Individual [1:19:29] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Mastery by Robert Greene [1:28:04] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) People mentioned Albert Einstein [0:00] Donald Trump [18:28] Elon Musk [18:28] (on this podcast) Dan Bilzerian [18:33] Adil Majid [19:17] (on this podcast 1, 2, 3) Pepper the Poochon [32:54] Taylor Pearson [44:20] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [48:02] (Antifragile episode) (Skin in the Game episode) Flatgeologists – Flat Earth Society [57:32] Jeff Bezos [1:11:31] Bill Gates [1:11:31] Mark Zuckerberg [1:11:31] Warren Buffet [1:11:31] Randall Eliason [1:42:42] Show Topics 0:00 – Perfect drinks to enjoy the warm weather. 3:38 – Question #1. Why do you actually do for a living and how you've got there? Neil has a company that helps you build your brand beer, either for events (weddings, parties, conference, etc), venues (chef that wants to pair beers), and already established brands. How Neil bootstrapped his company while trying to have reduce his home brewing costs, and even before having customers. If you ask enough, you can see the Made You Drink beer soon. “You don't know where things are going to go until you actually start working on them”. 8:20 – Nat helps ecommerce and tech startups appear on the front page of Google and increase traffic from Google through SEO and content. Stats of his company. 1428 – Funny fact, Nat and Neil went to the same university in Pittsburg, and went through the same Startup Accelerator, but never met before. Why Twitter is the catalyst for the best friendships, and why it's so hard to monetize it. Paying twice to build and reach your audience on Facebook. Who controls Twitter and Facebook celebrities' accounts. 19:58 – Question #2. Favorite podcasts. Mentioned Jocko Podcast Joe Rogan Experience Sam Harris’ Waking Up Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History Invest Like the Best podcast History on Fire Unchained A16z Kevin Rose Shane Parrish’s The Knowledge Project Rhonda Patrick’s Found my Fitness Bill Simmons Podcast Skip and Shannon: Undisputed Podcast Good Beer Hunting Brewers' Journal Podcast Episodes: Jordan Peterson on Joe Rogan’s, Daniele Bolelli from the Drunken Taoist on Joe Rogan’s, Jordan Peterson's Biblical Series, Al Pacino and Kevin Durant on Bill Simmons’. Recommended Tim Ferriss Episodes: Jamie Foxx, Jocko Willink, The Erotic Playbook of a Top-Earning Sex Worker (NSFW), Naval Ravikant, Peter Thiel, Dom D’Agostino, Kevin Rose, Kelly Starrett, Derek Sivers, Kevin Kelly, Ed Cooke 27:56 – Question #3. Routines to get into flow, specially If you need to write a 2-3000 words blog post. How much coffee Neil needs to get into flow. Neil's realization to keep going until getting a decent piece of work. The playlist to get into the mood. Nat tips: making super easy to start, getting all notifications off, being super clear on what are the next steps, changing context. The template Nat use for writing a massive article, and why he doesn’t starts with the intro. The endure-for-20min-and-then-you-can-quit psychological trick. Being in-interruptible. 28:18 – Question #4. Is doing business an intellectual challenging activity? What if it is not? The overlap of intellectually curious people and entrepreneurs. Early days of a business are very intellectual and exploration, while growth stage is a lot tweaking and optimization. Why intellectual people have the need to compulsively start new companies. Books that coincided with the business stage. How to find motivation to start exploring. 48:23 – Question #5. Advice for college student graduating in 2018? What problems to work on? First thing: think before graduating. Find an internship that has the potential to get you full time, in an area you are interested in. The problem with Ivy League students going to Google, Facebook or big consulting firms. Realize how low risk your life is. Focusing on skills rather than problems. The awareness that you may not know what problems are out there. 55:05 – Question #6. How do you apply the insights from books? Start a podcast and speak with your friends every week :). How Nat takes detailed notes "reading" the book 4 times. Writing as an exercise to build the synopsis with other books' concepts. No need to change the structure of your business. New concepts are useful to see problems from different angles, not overhauling processes. 59:39 – Question #7. How to network online? Tips to connect through the most powerful platforms, Twitter and cold email. 1:02:59 – Question #8. Future of Work: Deep Work vs Shallow Work, solopreneurship, and attention deficit, etc. Trade off between Improved communication and increased interruptibility. The problem with open office workspaces. Trends: remote working, polarization of work between employees and contractors, performance based work environment. Before, power was a function of the organizational structure or buildings, now it's a function of ability or what you do, because it's much easier to show usefulness. 1:13:20 – Single person companies that make over $1 million a year. Personal branding. Having proof of concept on our own site. 1:14:21 – Nat’s proof of concept that you can have 1 person business based on SEO. How Nat arrived to get 8k daily visitors by chance writing sex articles. 1:19:00 – More trends about work: It will be possible for fewer people to do more. The Internet as the effect of compounding of technology. AI is starting to replace White collar jobs. How AI would be able to replace the 90% of the writing work right now. 1:28:04 – Question #9. Is there a trade off between happiness and achievement? Does a gain in power detract from happiness? The Internet gives us the ability to compare us to the whole world, in detriment of the in-group. Opportunity costs of least profitable ventures. The problem with Digital Nomadism. Considering second and third order effects in the happiness-power equation. The intersection between personal achievement and service to the community. What's happiness anyway? Doing sacrifices for achieving joy, as athletes do. 1:43:00 – Sponsors! Get new questions through the email list. Sign up. Find upcoming books, events, and know about new sponsors! A new cool sponsor coming. Hop on Four Sigmatic for their mushroom coffee and other mush wonderful goodness. Suggestion: enjoy an iced mushroom coffee Mocha flavor. Check Kettle & Fire for their delicious grass fed bone broth, one of the only companies that do this. Suggested: the beef for cooking, the chicken for drinking. Perfect Keto for all your ketogenic related needs. A ketogenic diet is high in fat, and your body burns ketones instead of glucose for energy. Some benefits include improved mental functioning, much lower hunger swings, and ancestral body functioning. The supplementary ketones are very useful to pop in and out the diet and speed the process. Definitely try the coffee or the sea salt chocolate. Leave reviews on iTunes. Everything you buy on Amazon through our link supports the show. Bookmark it with an emoji :). If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

“In the early twenty-first century the train of progress is again pulling out of the station – and this will probably be the last train ever to leave the station called Homo sapiens. Those who miss this train will never get a second chance. The main products of the twenty-first century will be bodies, brains and minds, and the gap between those who know how to engineer bodies and brains and those who do not will be far bigger than the gap between Sapiens and Neanderthals. In the twenty-first century, those who ride the train of progress will acquire divine abilities of creation and destruction, while those left behind will face extinction.” In this episode of Made You Think, Adil, Neil and Nat discuss Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari. This book can be considered a sequel of Sapiens. In Homo Deus, Harari summarizes what has been the source and reference of our specie decisions and make predictions on how data and algorithms will shift humans as the source of power in our history. “Yet in truth the lives of most people have meaning only within the network of stories they tell one another. Meaning is created when many people weave together a common network of stories. Why does a particular action – such as getting married in church, fasting on Ramadan or voting on election day – seem meaningful to me? Because my parents also think it is meaningful, as do my brothers, my neighbors, people in nearby cities and even the residents of far-off countries. And why do all these people think it is meaningful? Because their friends and neighbors also share the same view. People constantly reinforce each other’s beliefs in a self-perpetuating loop. Each round of mutual confirmation tightens the web of meaning further, until you have little choice but to believe what everyone else believes.” We cover a wide range of topics, including: Religion as a body of beliefs and shared Anticipating Trump’s election with the help of Facebook Humanism religion where humans replace Gods Brain vs Mind, Intelligence vs Consciousness Losing control over technology Challenges in medicine to make us immortal And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episodes on Sapiens Part I and Part II, a summary of Human history that will shape how you think, as another lenses through which you can look at reality. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Google Maps Timeline [6:19] Pinked-Taleb argument about people dying from wars [9:34] Jiro Dreams of Sushi [18:40] Estée Lauder [18:58] Altered Carbon on Netflix [23:21] Aterol [25:16] Ether [34:43] Split Brain Experiment [48:14] Sunk Cost Fallacy [1:00:40] Universal Basic Income [1:09:11] Return of the city-state [1:13:44] Crypto episode [1:20:12] Gun Control episode [1:21:37] Cortana [1:23:54] Plato’s Republic [1:24:20] Turing Test [1:28:00] Deepmind playing DOTA [1:29:48] Spire [1:30:33] Hang the DJ - Black Mirror episode where AI decides who you date and marry [1:34:27] Books mentioned Homo Deus by Yuval Harari Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [0:55] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode part 1 & part 2) The Denial of Death [20:23] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter [33:00] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Free Will by Sam Harris [40:52] Finite and Infinite Games [1:00:17] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) The Sovereign Individual [1:09:11] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) What Every Body is saying by Joe Navarro [1:44:57] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Motivation Hacker by Nick Winter [1:44:57] People mentioned Yuval Noah Harari (official website) Karl Marx [4:30] Donald Trump [5:37] Sam Harris [40:52] (Guns episode) Plato [1:24:20] Show Topics 0:00 – Harari tries to write about the future but he knows there's no way to predict it. People in the ‘50s predicting flying cars and moon bases but nobody predicting the Internet. Communism example: it didn't take place effectively even if Marx predicted it. Narratives and stories affect how we view technology. 5:15 – It is much more acceptable to be critical about Social Networks today than it was 2 years ago. At the beginning everyone was considering only convenience. Privacy wasn't that much of an issue. 7:23 – Up until now the human agenda was: don't die, procreate, protect your tribe. The new agenda considers: how to become Gods. More power, more money, how we live forever. 8:12 – Humans collectively are concerned solving three things: Famine, Plague, War. All three seem to be controlled (until Black Swans happen) but they seem fragile. 12:58 – Modern Medicine has saved us from premature death, but haven’t extended our lives by that much. We would be able to lengthen our live spans if we can re-engineer the length of splitting cells. 16:03 – For people over 40, there's a high probability they’ll die because of heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer, and suffer cognitive decline. The challenge with cancer, a disease of aging, is that its origin is not unique, there are many reasons one can get cancer. What happens when we become immortal or live much longer than we do today. Incentives to improve, competition against technology, and appreciation of life under eternal conditions. 25:00 – Historically we manipulated environment to fit us. In the future it seems we will try to manipulate us to transcend the environment. States regulating bad drugs that threaten stability and allowing and even encouraging those that strengthen social order and productivity. Overusing medical advancements not to cope with a disability, but to surpass the norm (Viagra example), creates a race to the bottom: if you are not cheating you are in disadvantage. Legalizing steroids. 30:04 – First part: How Homo Sapiens conquered the World. You can skip this part if you have read Sapiens or listened to our episodes on it (part 1, part 2). The modern manifestation of Religion, which is Humanism, is what this book focuses on. Progression: agriculture revolution gave rise to Teism religions. The scientific revolution gave birth to Humanism religion where humans replace Gods. We look humans as the source of power. Examples of Humanism: Liberalism, Communism, Nazism. “Everything that happens in the cosmos is judged to be good or bad according to its impact on Homo sapiens” 31:46 – Critiques to Humanism. Reliance that there's something special with humans. Mind or consciousness for modern religion is the equivalent of the soul for ancient ones. Brain vs Mind. The concept of mind doesn't square with anything scientific. 35:06 – Knowing exactly how the mind works, would affect our day to day living? Do we perform conscious choices under free will or are we subject to environment and past experience? How to interpret "negative" actions like murdering or hard ones like starting a company even when we don't need to. Free will as an evolutionary result to improve survivability. 40:48 – Examples against free will. First mover concept. Regardless we have or not free will, we still are responsible for our lives. Punishment should be still used to protect society from bad not-free-will behavior. 46:34 – Deciding to do something is based on our own desires. But probably we never decided what our desires are. Concept of Intersubjective Entities. Money has value only because most of us believe we can trade with it. Life meaning exists only within the network of stories we tell one another. 51:55 – Second Part: How we measure ourselves. Physical things can be measured and interpreted unequivocally, but other concepts as school performance, change based on the yard stick we use. Intersubjective believe that living longer is better, instead of shortly and intensely. Science and religion viewed not as opposites but as complements of each other. 56:28 – Religion-Science dichotomy. Aiming to maintain social structure vs looking to acquire power to solve world problems like famine, diseases and fights. 1:01:04 – Development of Humanism. Liberalism (orthodox humanism): focus on the individual liberty. Two sprouting: Socialist Humanism (communism) which says human experience is shared among societies, and Evolutionary Humanism (Nazism) which focuses on the Sapiens supremacy. If Germany had won in WW2, we would see Nazism (Evolutionary Humanism) as a positive thing. What makes our morals true or objective. 1:07:26 – The trend towards Liberalism is a natural consequence of technological evolution. What happens when we begin this phase of transcendence? Many social developments seem to be sons of the current economic forces. Slavery ended and women gained the right to vote because it was better for the overall Economy, not because of a genuine interest of their lives. Governments give only people rights because they need them to pay taxes. Problems with UBI, incentives to become an artist or entrepreneur, and stability. Wars don't happen if there is no economical benefit. 1:13:20 – City States. City majors seem more important than State governors. Belong feelings to cities and not the country. When a Government is losing power it creates a conflict. City States would not exist as they existed in the past or as an equivalent to today's Countries. The rise of Digital Governments. 1:18:38 – Slow government is good because you don't want incompetence spreading fast. Big Companies are gaining Nations-like power. Google is much faster at predicting an epidemy than UK's Health System. The thread is Corporate regulations moving faster than Governments. Democracy looks like the worst kind of government, except all the other ones. 1:23:10 - Third Part: When humans lose control. Beyond Humanism. Individual vs Dividual: the Experiencing Self and the Narrating Self. Plato’s Rationality, Energy Spirit, Desires chariot analogy. Tech intelligence is/will be better than Human intelligence, but consciousness will be optional. Consciousness as an emergent property of processing speed. Current improvements in AI are geared to improve sales, rather than improving the solutions to our needs. Foretelling Trump’s use of Facebook in the 2016 political campaign. 1:30:33 – More and more our decisions are made by machines and data. Apps that decide for us: Uber and Diet apps examples. Letting machines monitor health parameters and suggesting habits. If we rely too much on others to make decisions for us, we lose that "muscle". The "attention helmet" makes people less patient to confusion, doubts or contradictions. 1:33:55 – Apps that shift from an Oracle service to an Agent service. Consult vs Entrust. Situations in which our trusted app would interact on our behalf: scheduling a meeting, job application, dating. 1:35:41 – Tinder on autopilot. Dieting app hooked up with a micro-needle patch that trace your blood glucose needle and prevents you from breaking a diet. 1:39:55 – Dataism, the New Religion. Data and algorithms will be the supreme force and we will trust them as the new Bible. Liberalism is completely challenged by Life Sciences. 3 points, I'm an individual, I've a single essence, myself is completely free. Science says we are just a set of bits dominated by algorithms. The tech sector seems to be unattached to the emotional consequences of the things they are arguing for. What do we care more, the objective truth data reality or the subjective experiences of individuals. 1:43:21 – Are emotions the result of data processing in the background? Moving more and more to data-based decision algorithms. Would you ask your Google Home / Alexa to move to NY? 1:50:03 – Dataism extreme form. Algorithms would own everything like corporations do today. Software eating the world. From the Data viewpoint, we can see our whole specie like a single processing system. The end goal of Data is to create the Internet of all things, a completely interconnected system of consciousness. 1:53:01 – “These three processes raise three key questions, which I hope will stick in your mind long after you have finished this book:  Are organisms really just algorithms, and is life really just data processing?  What’s more valuable – intelligence or consciousness?  What will happen to society, politics and daily life when non-conscious but highly intelligent algorithms know us better than we know ourselves?” 1:53:59 – Sponsors! Kettle & Fire delicious bone broth is excellent if you are feeling sick. You can toss it directly into the microwave. Try it with cumin and ginger, a nice spicy treat for the end of the day. Get advantage of the free shipping. Four Sigmatic mushroom elixirs and coffee. Nat's on the subscription plan, which is a great deal because you can pick different flavours and get them every 30 days. Try the new Mocha flavor, with cocoa and chaga. Subscription gives you 20% off. Perfect Keto for all your keto needs. Look out for our next keto episode. Grab their Exogenous Ketones,  their Keto Pre-Workout, their Collagen blend, and their Protein Powder. You can't get knocked out. Buy everything through Amazon as Adil using our affiliate link. Bookmark this link. Subscribe to mailing list to participate to the show as people in the next episode has done. Your feedback is instrumental to this show. Let us know of books or article ideas. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com  

Today, we are used to thinking about the whole planet as a single unit, but for most of history, earth was in fact an entire galaxy of isolated human worlds. In this episode of Made You Think, Adil, Neil and I continue to discuss Sapiens by Yuval Harari. In this second part we cover the most recent part of Human and Society evolution and how we moved from scattered collection of isolated human beings to a cohesive global civilization. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the daily life of most humans ran its course within three ancient frames: the nuclear family, the extended family and the local intimate community. Most people worked in the family business or their neighbours’ family businesses. The family was also the welfare system, the health system, the education system, the construction industry, the trade union, the pension fund, the insurance company, the radio, the television, the newspapers, the bank and even the police. Yet throughout history, such imagined communities played second fiddle to intimate communities of several dozen people who knew each other well. The intimate communities fulfilled the emotional needs of their members and were essential for everyone’s survival and welfare. In the last two centuries, the intimate communities have withered, leaving imagined communities to fill in the emotional vacuum. The two most important examples for the rise of such imagined communities are the nation and the consumer tribe. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Cognitive Dissonance as a survival feature of human beings The absurd of national identity when talking about ethnic cuisine Industrial Revolution, Internet, and the re-framing of communities Who was the first guy to circumnavigate the world How merchants shaped today’s world Meaning of Happiness And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Sapiens by Yuval Harari! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault, a book that covers Postmodernism, a kind of Religion according to Harari, as well as our notes on The Way of Zen, to know more about Buddhism and the search of Peace. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee [0:45] Polytheism [13:46] Christianity [13:46] Judaism [13:46] Muslim [13:46] Mahomet [13:46] Janaism [19:01] Buddhism [19:40] Postmodernism (Discipline and Punish episode) [24:59] Pepe the Frog Meme [27:29] Was Magellan the first person to circumnavigate the globe? - Ask History [33:30] Tea if by sea, cha if by land: Why the world only has two words for tea [35:50] Crypto episode [40:00] Ethereum [40:30] Mechanical Turk [45:41] Fancy Hands [45:41] Netflix [48:30] ESPN [48:30] Twitch [49:31] /r/The_Donald sub-reddit [52:42] Woman subreddit forgetting her passport in Japan [55:25] The Yacht Week [1:00:00] Books mentioned Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (Nat’s Notes) (book episode part 1) Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault [24:59] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins [24:59] Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [13:58] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Way of Zen by Alan Watts [21:43] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (book episode) Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam [51:58] People mentioned Yuval Noah Harari (official website) Adil Majid [0:36] (Crypto episode) Nassim Nicholas Taleb [27:29] (Antifragile, Skin in the Game) Barack Obama [15:56] Constantine the Great [15:56] Richard Dawkins [24:59] Carl Jung [24:59] Jordan B. Peterson [24:59] (on Twitter) (12 Rules episode) (Order and Chaos) Pepe the Frog Meme [27:29] Ferdinand Magellan [33:30] Show Topics 1:37 – The Arrow of History. How we moved from scattered collection of isolated human beings to a cohesive global civilization. 2:11 – From considering cognitive dissonance a bug of our mind to a feature that helps us manage contradictory beliefs. Examples: Democrats and Republican, Religion, and positions on immigration examples. The truth is that we don’t think in binary. 6:35 – "Traditional" ethnic recipes are made with non traditional ingredients. The idea of national identity fall into the absurd. Countries that claim an identity did not exist 200 or 300 years ago. 11:06 – The result of today's globalization comes from 3 groups: Money, States, and Religion. Commerce would be the first thing that started tying people together. Money as the foundation of States and Religion. 15:56 – The moment religions scaled. How Christianity may have spread to support Constantine the Great’s plans for the Mediterranean. The traits of "successful" Religions. 19:56 – Tangent. Buddhist Monks that accept and inflict violence. Zen Buddhism. 21:16 – Politics in the new Religion. Constitution as the new God. Ways Catholicism's circumvented monotheism to absorb local religions. 24:38 – The challenge of growing and functioning all together. Science, the secret of success. Memetics vs Postmodernism. 25:33 – Globalization leading us to two concurrent and opposing directions: integrating us on a global scale (access to the same stores/products/music/culture) while dividing us in islands (internet groups). Subcultures. Turning point where we assumed we know what was in the world, to assume we didn't. Maps with empty spaces example. 28:25 – Space exploration and old World exploration is driven by greed and money. Science and dominance comes as an effect rather than a cause. 35:30 – Tangent. How tea got into India. Origin of Tea. 37:09 – Merchants and Capitalism. The importance of credit to enable entrepreneurship and permit the development of the current world. Crypto may spread with the availability of cryptocredit. 41:12 – War of merchants. The history under Wall Street. Why the British took Hong Kong. The main problem with pure market capitalism is that it's going to create growth, but we are not sure if it is in a good direction. People blinded by Capitalism. 47:00 – Industrial Revolution. Mentality shift to optimize for our own pleasure rather than building something bigger than ourselves. Gunpowder and steam engines example. E-Sports may lead the trend to monetize attention. 50:48 – Internet and micro-communities replacing local intimate physical ones and old “imagined” ones like States. Peculiarities, power, and limits of such communities.  Some people argue that the Donalds subreddit was one of the big factors to turn Trump president. 57:11 – The costs and levels of different levels of communication: personal meeting, phone call, texting. The pattern that occurs with new technologies. Being aware and controlling unwanted effects of tech, to not fall tangled in it. 59:55 – Happiness. The lottery ticket and car accident examples. Happiness as a function of baseline, and framed under objective conditions vs subjective expectations. Effects of the Internet and Social Media on nowadays expectations. Buddhism goals and nuances of the translation of old Sanskrit to current languages. 1:08:08 – Sponsors! Here ends Sapiens. Check the 1st part or buy Homo Deus (kind of a 3rd episode on Sapiens) and prepare for the next episode. We were enjoying Cordyceps Elixir Mushroom Coffee from Four Sigmatic. We also suggest the Adaptogen one. Get 10 to 15% discount with our link. Also, try Jocko White Tea (buy it using our Amazon link). Always, Perfect Keto for all your ketosis needs. Really good products to get into and sustain ketosis. They have keto friendly protein powder, MCT oils, and nice pre-workout boost. Kettle & Fire is our provider of fine bone broth. They’ve got beef, chicken, chicken with mushroom. It helps you get over the flu and is a perfect treat for a cold night. Get up to 33% OFF with our link or get it at Whole Foods. Give us a review on iTunes, tell your friends, register to the email list and you’ll know about books that are coming. Hit us up on twitter, @nateliason, @therealneils, and @adilmajit. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com  

Three important revolutions shaped the course of history: the Cognitive Revolution kick-started history about 70,000 years ago. The Agricultural Revolution sped it up about 12,000 years ago. The Scientific Revolution, which got under way only 500 years ago, may well end history and start something completely different. This book tells the story of how these three revolutions have affected humans and their fellow organisms. Sapiens by Yuval Harari is one of those books that shapes how we think, as another lenses through which we can look at reality. It’s central theme is the evolution of Human History, and gives special importance to myths and shared ideologies. It explains how shared myths underlie human narrative and everything we find meaningful. There's a lot of power in these shared ideas because they end up regulating how a society and people function. We cover a wide range of topics, including: The power of shared myths and their impact in Human History The Cognitive, Agricultural, and Writing Revolutions Why Sam Harris and Jordan B Peterson quarrel each other Why Agriculture counterintuitively fucked us up Self-perpetuating ideas and cultures Ideas to reduce the wealth gap And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Antifragile by Nassim Taleb, about why hunters are in better shape than gatherers, and The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell, another book that explains the influence of shared mythology. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Cryptocurrency [0:36] (theme episode) Age of Empires [11:55] Why everything might have taken so long [12:14] 23andMe [17:56] Aquatic Ape Theory [27:08] Zoroastrians [28:31] Ubermensch [41:41] Ancient data, modern math and the hunt for 11 lost cities of the Bronze Age [1:02:52] Pareto Distribution [1:25:08] Hardcore History Podcast by Dan Carlin [1:31:29] Books mentioned Sapiens by Yuval Harari (Nat’s Notes) Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennet [1:54] (book episode) Gödel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstadter [1:54] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Finite and Infinite Games [1:54] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) The Selfish Gene [4:10] Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault [4:21] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Rare Earth [7:50] The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell [23:16] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Primitive Mythology by Joseph Campbell [28:41] What Every Body is saying by Joe Navarro [39:23] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Denial of Death [59:45] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant [1:25:45] Leverage Points by Donella Meadows [1:26:34] (article episode) The Sovereign Individual [1:30:33] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Emergency [1:30:33] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [1:33:15] People mentioned Yuval Noah Harari (official website) Adil Majid [0:36] (Crypto episode) Sam Harris [34:33] (Guns episode) Jordan B. Peterson [34:33] (on Twitter) (12 Rules episode) Nassim Nicholas Taleb [35:25] (Antifragile episode) Jocko [51:51] Peter Thiel [1:07:34] Stephen Hawking [1:08:58] Show Topics [1:29] The mechanism of shared myths where you end up doing what other people tell and reinforce about you scales very well to micro (relationship disputes) and macro levels (political movements). [5:48] How meaningless we humans are as a species. Being just like another animal. The path to genetic and technical advantages. The role of fire that helps us consume less energy when digesting food. Energy that can go to our relative big brains. [11:08] Agriculture seems to have sprung out all around the globe at the same time. The increasing pace of progression between ages. Domestication of wild plants and animals did not increase in the last 2000 years. [16:12] Tolerance and the extinction of Neanderthals. Two theories about the extinction of Neanderthals. The first based on the intolerance trait of Sapiens, leads to think they were the target of the most significant ethnic-cleansing campaign in history. The second, less probable, talks about interbreeding and mingling. French vestiges in Vietnam. [21:39] Cognitive, the first revolution, defined by language. We switch by chatting about resources or danger, to be able to communicate richly about abstract ideas. Shared methodology becomes our main competitive advantage in nature, with the ability to pass out knowledge. Poetry as a mnemonic technique (ability to remember more). [24:26] Challenges in interpretation of spoken languages. The Bible example. Jesus walking on water can be translated to walking by the water. There exist some evidence that The Big Flood really existed. [27:08] Why there's a limit to the size a community can bond together and the the role of religion or "shared myths and methodology" to get past this number. The fact that Sapiens were able to cooperate in larger groups may be one of the reasons they wiped out Neanderthals, despite their physical and mental superiority. [33:30] What reality means for Harris, Peterson, Taleb, and Hirari. The roots of the Sam Harris and Jordan B Peterson disagreement may lie on the definition of reality. Porcupine example: a lot of people believes porcupines shoot their quills, which is not true, but helps us not to get injured. There are too many variables to consider when interpreting our environment, but our minds can feel something is odd even if we can't rationalize it. [40:11] How some Cultures are able to self perpetuate. Islamism vs Judaism. [43:10] The omission of evidence does not mean omission in reality. The only evidence that has survived is the one recorded in physical devices. All immaterial things went lost. Stone Age should be called the Wood Age. [45:31] Agriculture. History's biggest fraud: The agricultural revolution didn't led to a better life, but to an explosion of population and diseases. Agriculture societies are more fragile. Introduction of the concept of private property. Differences between hunters and gatherers, and losing skills. In Social Media, as in Agriculture, is difficult to see the end game. Successful Evolution is generally counted by numbers, not quality of life. We think that we domesticated other species, but it seems we domesticated ourselves. [54:53] As gatherers we are more prone to less Black Swans, but more variability. History of yeast and weed domestication. [59:45] Pyramids as objects of cult. Past and modern pyramids. Multiple levels of games to conquer pyramids. Nomadic Lifestyle as a cult. [1:02:52] The Writing Revolution. The first use of writing was financial accounting records. The origin of different bases for counting. Base 6 or 24 for hours in a day, base 10 related to our digits, base 2 as a valid alternative. [1:05:09] Writing originated because of agriculture. Phoenicians were prolific writers, but their main support was papyrus which went lost. On the contrary, Egyptians wrote less but on walls, so we have much more records from them. Ways to codify an idea understandable by every creature and the NASA experiment. Would aliens look to us as annoying spiders or cute kittens? [1:12:40] The idea of justice is alien to history. Theories of male dominance in human history. Comparisons to other mammals that form non-male societies. [1:20:34] Institution of family related to the concept of private property. Marriage is thought to be beneficial for women, but there’s a theory that states is much more beneficial for (loser) men [1:24:05] The role of shared myths to perpetuate the status quo. Wealth goes to wealth, poverty back to poverty. The correcting mechanism trickle and stop. Ideas to stop wealth differences should reduce the compounding effect of each situation. Taxing more capital gains and less income tax, or distinguishing between founder's capital from investor capital may level the ground between rich and poor and stop self-perpetuating statuses. [1:32:06] Here ends Part 1 of Sapiens. Pick the book and read the rest before Part 2 comes out. Sponsors! Buy a Canon EOS D5 through Amazon and help us support the show. Kettle & Fire is our provider of fine bone broth. They've got beef, chicken, chicken with mushroom. It cures disease, or at least there's no side effect when trying to cure from sickness with it. Get up to 33% OFF with our link. Four Sigmatic make great mushroom drinks, elixirs, coffee, and chocolates. We suggest the Adaptogen, and the Cordyceps to picnic up later in the day. Get 10 to 15% discount with our link. Perfect Keto is for all your ketosis needs. Really good products to get into and sustain ketosis. They have keto friendly protein powder, MCT oils, and nice pre-workout boost. Give us a review on iTunes, tell your friends, but not on facebook because Nat deleted his profile. Register for the email list and you'll know about books that are coming. Hit us up on twitter, @nateliason, @therealneils, and @adilmajit.

Traditionally, power was what was seen, what was shown and what was manifested and, paradoxically, found the principle of its force in the movement by which it deployed that force. Those on whom it was exercised could remain in the shade; they received light only from that portion of power that was conceded to them, or from the reflection of it that for a moment they carried. Disciplinary power, on the other hand, is exercised through its invisibility; at the same time it imposes on those whom it subjects a principle of compulsory visibility. In discipline, it is the subjects who have to be seen. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault. In this book Foucault discusses the history of, and differences between, discipline and punishment. We find that, despite being one of the founding fathers of postmodernism, Foucault’s ideas are reasonable and well thought out. “In monarchical law, punishment is a ceremonial of sovereignty; it uses the ritual marks of the vengeance that it applies to the body of the condemned man; and it deploys before the eyes of the spectators an effect of terror as intense as it is discontinuous, irregular and always above its own laws, the physical presence of the sovereign and of his power.” We cover a wide range of topics, including: Freedom of speech vs. Freedom from offense Whether language is interpreted by the speaker or the receiver Hierarchy in modern society A gruesome public execution How obtuse writing is intellectual signalling by serious philosophers And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on The Riddle of the Gun about other types of Freedom, and Daily Rituals, about artists and geniuses that achieve great things because of their "discipline". Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show North Star podcast [12:30] Hardcore History podcast episode [14:15] Egalitarianism [26:28] Turnover in the richest people [29:15] The Panopticon [33:18] Nat Chat with Adil Majid [37:47] Machiavellism [38:35] Growth Machine [38:44] Self-driving cars [44:20] Slate Star Codex [46:56] Black Mirror [57:13] Unregistered podcast [58:00] UK man arrested for making offensive joke [1:08:56] V for Vendetta (2005)  [1:11:30] Students no longer support free speech [1:12:00] Kaepernick kneeling during anthem [1:13:32] Cognitive dissonance [1:21:36] Power Law distribution [1:23:40] Bruno Mars’ cultural appropriation [1:27:32] Books mentioned Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault (Nat’s Notes) Daily Rituals by Mason Currey [5:47] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Stoics [7:16] The History of Sexuality by Michel Foucault [9:26] Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician by Michihiko Hachiya [20:06] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris [20:06] (book episode) Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [21:12] (Nat’s Notes) Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [28:32] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Sovereign Individual [30:21] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell [31:28] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Recession Proof Graduate by Charlie Hoehn [35:40] (on Nat Chat) Seeing Like a State by James Scott [40:00] Albion’s Seed by David Fischer [46:56] Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari [48:25] Godel Escher Bach [1:07:52] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Das Kapital by Karl Marx [1:20:05] People mentioned Michel Foucault Jacques Derrida [4:40] Immanuel Kant [5:20] Steve Jobs [5:25] David Perell [12:30] Emperor Hirohito [20:38] David Selverian [32:15] Charlie Hohen [35:40] Andrés, our Podcast Editor [36:37] Adil Majid [37:45] Eminem [39:58] Nietzsche [59:10] Aristotle [1:00:50] Stephen Fry [1:09:40] Ron Paul [1:09:55] Jordan Peterson [1:19:30] (12 Rules for Life episode) Karl Marx [1:20:05] Show Topics 00:55 - We broke a record! Up to now, every book we’ve done we’d recommend - this one we don’t recommend. We would not wish this book on other people. 01:20 - We’d intended to read a postmodernist book, having been so negative about them in the past, but it turned out this wasn’t so much about postmodernism. While it doesn’t have a lot of the key themes we see today in postmodernism, the ideas are still very relevant to the conflicts that are talked about. Big focus on power-dynamics. 02:35 - Foucault’s not really arguing for anything in particular, it’s more his interpretation of the history of punishment. The language is very verbose, it’s almost unreadable. Derrida and Foucault are both famous for being difficult to read. Intellectual signalling. There’s a temptation in philosophy to write like this. 05:30 - Fallacy of correlation: just because great people happen to have bad habits does not mean you must copy them to become great yourself. They were great despite the bad habits. 06:20 - The idea that if something is easily understood it’s not suitable for teaching at uni. 07:40 - Kept pushing this episode back because it was a slog to get through the book. There are interesting ideas in it, regardless. 08:20 - The evolution of the prison system. The book is a four part history of discipline and punishment. 09:16 - This is said to be Foucault’s best work. The writer was born in France and moved to Berkeley to teach, he was gay, and an early advocate for gay rights. He later moved to the San Francisco area to be around that scene. He eventually died of HIV/AIDS. 10:15 - Foucault’s book The History of Sexuality book is very supportive of the non-heteronormative lifestyle which is where the postmodernists get a lot of their ideas about sexuality from. 10:50 - Sign up for our email list, we send out what books we are going to cover ahead of time and because of that we feel obliged to always finish a book. Sign up to help pressure us, it’s a great email list. 12:00 - Possible follow-up episode for this that’s more about postmodernism in general. Would be interesting to see a pro argument for it. 13:30 - Let us know on twitter (@nateliason) (@TheRealNeilS) if you’d like us to try out a slightly different format for the podcast where we do more of a deep dive into a school of philosophy, find out where it came from and its key ideas. 13:50 - The history of punishment. A brutal public execution with fireworks. One of the last public executions in France. Very graphic, an all day event that people traveled to see happen, in the 1750s. It was gruesome and every part of it got botched. 16:00 - In this section, Foucault says that punishment was historically a warning to others. Punishment was a way of the sovereignty speaking to the masses, saying to them what would happen if they out-stepped their boundaries. 17:30 - Part of what Foucault is arguing is that in the transition to prison, society moved from pure punishment - in which the person who commited the crime serves as a broader example to society - to rehabilitation of the individual. 18:00 - There is a thread of humanism in the book. The idea of rehabilitation is linked to the idea of every person having a soul that can be redeemed. The idea of making a person pay in life so that God would judge them less harshly in the afterlife. 19:00 - Believing in the value of people seems to be a major shift in humanity in the last 2-300 years, but this could equally just be a function of telling history. Previous societies more communal than the modern-day, individualistic US. 22:55 - Foucault points out here that while punishment was confined to those who did wrong, discipline became a part of life. All elements of society were built around these disciplinary structures. 23:40 - Punishment started as crimes against the sovereign and shifted to crimes against others. An individual has a place, but a place also has an individual. Everybody is integrated but also interchangeable and expendable. 25:35 - The strict imposition of hierarchy in all parts of life. Before, people could be punished for breaking the law but now you could be punished for only breaking societal norms. Start of a class system. Foucault suggests these are all artificial constructs imposed on us but that we all go along with. The postmodernist idea that the patriarchy is an artificial manifestation of power rather than an emergent result of inequality. 28:32 - Taleb said in Skin in the Game that it’s not how close together wealth classes are that a society uses to measure its equality it’s how easily there is movement between those classes. In Florence, the same few families are at the top of society since the 1600s. 29:15 - 80% turnover in the richest people in the last 20 or so years. Also above 50% of people will have at least one year of being in the top 5 income. 30:26 - Possibilities of a return to city-states. 31:28 - Any idle time is a waste. Punishment punishes you for not being somewhere you’re supposed to be according to a timetable but discipline allows you to make a greater use of that time. Through discipline you can multiply your positive output, like negative reinforcement vs positive reinforcement. 32:15 - Apprenticeships are still around in the modern day only not codified as they were previously. Cold calling/emailing firms can work as a way in if you can offer them something valuable. Like Andrés, who puts together the podcasts. 39:58 - Some of Foucault’s sentences are so long you need Eminem’s lungs to read them out loud. 40:00 - Foucault says that buildings become designed to maintain control over the people within them. Cities that have emerged organically are very much unknowable from the top. So they are redesigned to zone them or make them into grids. 43:00 - Washington DC was designed from the top-down to be more organic feeling. Apparently they designed it to be hard to navigate to prevent invasions. In places like India, the cities have been constructed from the bottom up and so eCommerce is difficult as deliveries are really hard to do. 44:20 - Question of how self-driving cars will change the layouts of cities. 45:10 - There’s no great way to take skyscrapers down or even deal with them when they age, they were never planned to be taken down. In Munich there are a lot of pedestrianized areas with pop-up bars and cafes. 46:55 - There were a few main groups who founded America including the Puritans, the Quakers and Catholics, a lot of whose beliefs are codified in law, leading now to a more socially conservative country compared to much of Europe. 49:50 - Ranks and hierarchies play on our nature as social creatures and our in-built desire to know where in the hierarchy we fit in. This can be seen in the importance of titles in big companies, how it’s taken so seriously on the inside that from the outside it can seem almost funny. Titles are a cheap form of compensating somebody, like giving kids gold stars. 54:08 - Division is a big theme in the book. Among the Postmodernists the oppressor is like the entity that has the plague. Foucault calls out that humans have always had this distinction between good and bad, healthy and unhealthy. A tribal view. This is one of his ideas that we see the most in the modern day. 59:07 - Nietzsche was not a nazi, you can see how some of his ideas led to nazism but there is not a complete match up. 59:46 - There are a lot of things we think are normal now but were thought of abnormal in the past. 1:00:50 - Aristotle said that women can’t think well enough to vote; he wasn’t sexist, that’s just what people thought at the time. 1:01:10 - People take Foucault’s basic ideas too far when they say that all distinctions between individuals have to be disregarded. Foucault would say that it’s wrong to say one difference is abnormal where the other is normal but differences in themselves are fine. The difference can’t be argued but any judgement made on those differences is subjective. 1:03:00 - There was nothing objectionable in this book besides the writing style. 1:03:35 - The word “normal” is very loaded. Supermajority and outliers. Distribution judgements vs. value judgements. Gender normative views. It’s all about terminology. 1:06:32 - Words shape people’s thoughts, the use of words can change opinions and win arguments. People’s interpretations of language shapes their worldview. 1:08:00 - Postmodernism treats language as interpreted by the receiver whereas in most of life we have to treat language as interpreted by the speaker. 1:09:36 - You don’t have a right not to be offended. You can’t have freedom of speech and freedom from offense. Freedom of speech is not there so people can talk about the weather. 1:10:40 - Germany has so many anti-Nazi laws meaning that people can go to prison for things they say. It is thought of as a free country but the interpretation of freedom is very different to that in America. 1:11:50 - It’s strange that freedom of speech is something that needs to be defended. 1:13:44 - Virtue signaling with upper-middle class white kids feeling the need to do walkouts to defend minorities from being offended. Very patronizing and even offensive. 1:18:30 - Postmodernists say you have to not assume anyone’s gender because gender is fluid, and people who decide to change gender are now that gender. Logic is a patriarchal concept! These ideas are not from Foucault so the modern postmodernists must be getting them from somewhere completely different. 1:19:30 - Jordan Peterson and Foucault would get along. 1:20:00 - The issue a lot of philosophers have where their ideas get taken way further past where they themselves drew their conclusions. Karl Marx, towards the end of his life recanted some of the more extreme ideas of Das Kapital. 1:20:44 - If there is something we are missing about these arguments, please let us hear about it, tweet us (@nateliason) (@TheRealNeilS)! 1:21:36 - A lot of the most post-moderny kids on campus are the outcasts. 1:25:40 - Racial jokes used to be part of bonding but now it seems that people are too afraid to say things. 1:28:12 - Closing thought: anytime you see a modern philosophy it’s worth going to the original source. 1:30:00 – People that make this show happen: Perfect Keto is the one-stop shop for all your ketogenic diet needs. The ketogenic diet is really effective for weight loss. Perfect Keto’s exogenous ketones helps you get into ketosis. Use the 20% coupon mentioned in the episode or go to www.perfectketo.com/think. Kettle & Fire bone broth helps you warm in this winter. Theory says we were scavengers and sucked up the bone colagens. K&F bone broth is excellent to get all those nutrients we don’t get anymore. Also it helps combat modern diseases like small intestine bacterial overgrowth. The mushroom coffee from Four Sigmatic energizes you with less caffeine. Chaga mush, linesmain mush stimulants give a really nice buzz, and the Cordyceps elixir is a caffeine-free stimulant. They hot cocoas are instead relaxing and a good dessert They have a new matcha product. Finally, you can help the show for free shopping on Amazon through our affiliate link. Subscribe to the Mailing List to receive bonuses, giveaways, future episode links and more. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

Fantasists and zealots can be found on both sides of the debate over guns in America. On the one hand, many gun-rights advocates reject even the most sensible restrictions on the sale of weapons to the public. On the other, proponents of stricter gun laws often seem unable to understand why a good person would ever want ready access to a loaded firearm. Between these two extremes we must find grounds for a rational discussion about the problem of gun violence. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris. In this blogpost, Harris weighs arguments and anti arguments for and against gun ownership control. We still have more guns and more gun violence than any other developed country, but the correlation between guns and violence in the United States is far from straightforward. Thirty percent of urban households have at least one firearm. This figure increases to 42 percent in the suburbs and 60 percent in the countryside. As one moves away from cities, therefore, the rate of gun ownership doubles. And yet gun violence is primarily a problem in cities. It is the people of Detroit, Oakland, Memphis, Little Rock, and Stockton who are at the greatest risk of being killed by guns. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Motivations behind shootings in America Why the US situation cannot be compared to other countries and the need of a unique solution The difficulties our brains have processing statistics, and the skewed importance we give to events School guards and gun use training and licensing Why it’s very unlikely that we will talk with aliens one day And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to read The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris! A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Amusing Ourselves to Death, a book that discuss our brain limitations, as well as our episode on Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb, on the topic of the importance of having personal experience and true knowledge when talking about hot topics. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show National Rifle Association – NRA [14:18] AR 15 [15:13] Parkland High School’s shooting [14:15] Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting [22:15] Aurora Cinema in Colorado shooting [22:58] Orlando Nightclub shooting [22:58] Virginia Tech shooting [28:48] UT Austin shooting [28:59] Revolver Speed Reload video [37:23] Warrior Gene [45:47] I gave you power - Nas [56:40] Vegas shooting questions of investigation [1:03:48] Unabomber [1:04:55] DC sniper attack [1:05:41] Columbine killers [1:17:36] Books mentioned The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris Godel Escher Bach [29:41] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [2:19] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician by Michihiko Hachiya [08:40] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Amusing Ourselves to Death [15:37] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris [01:33:20] People mentioned Sam Harris Kid Rock [12:18] Jocko [20:50] Elon Musk [45:18] (on this podcast) Pepper the Poochon [48:49] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [46:21] (Antifragile episode) Chris Rock [57:48] Barack Obama [1:01:02] Show Topics 0:00 – Escalation of gun violence and controversy about the definition of mass shooting. The lack and the need of rational arguments in favor or against gun control. 4:48 – Two ways of talking about guns and regulation. The perfect world scenario, where guns do not exist. The current world, where they do. Reasons to why America may not be able to copy and paste regulations from other countries which have a completely different contexts. DNA of countries: starting with the individual freedom vs starting with the collective and scaling down to individual. 9:57 – Hedge against tyranny. It's not about the individual right to have arms, but the State's right to have militia. An armed country makes it more threatening to be invaded. 13:06 – Safe and unsafe gun use. Most of people have a very skewed opinion about guns but lacks deep knowledge about them. Campaigns for and against resort in fear rather than education. Sides attack the weakest argument of the other, instead of dismantling the strongest one. Story behind the AR15 name. 17:56 – Arguments in favor of gun ownership. Police will never arrive on time in a home invasion situation. In a world without guns, the bully wins over the others. Guns even the physical playfield. A weak person could defend itself from a physically strong one. Limitations of Martial Arts in real life. Escaping a dangerous situation as a better strategy than engaging in it. 22:15 – Comparing gun deaths to car accidents and medical errors. According to statistics, gun problems are a problem of population density and not a problem of guns ownership: there are more weapons in rural America, but mass shootings occur in cities. Murder rate going down after assault weapon federal ban expiration coincidence and possible causes. 29:4 – Why Media and people would care more about the life o a kid in New Talents Life than the life of gangsters in Detroit. Different reactions for 9/11 and what happens everyday in Middle East. Difficulties to process statistics and emotional attachment in 1-to-1 relationships. Mass shooting deaths represent just 0.1% 37:42 – Original meaning vs evolved meaning of the American Constitution. Different ban treatment for assault weapons and handguns. Drawing the line in which weapons to ban and which not. 41:33 – California and New York banning 17 rounds magazines. Arming Mars' colonizers. 47:48 – Logistics of breaking ins would be easier with a ban law. Dogs as deterrents to break ins. Civilians shouldn't intervene in dangerous situations. When speaking about gun ownership, we should always include training. The Japanese case, where to own a weapon you have to be trained and your license renewed as for driving cars. For cars and certain businesses training is mandatory. How to circumvent the Second Amendment requiring infinite training. 53:27 – Mental health issues and buying guns. Suicide and domestic violence may be reduced without weapons. Abortion sucitates such much discussion and viewpoints as guns. Cause vs magnitude of events. Knife problems in Chinese schools. Guns do enable to kill people faster. 58:58 – Putting guards for schools instead of arming teachers. Politicians against school guards lacking skin in the game, because they have personal guards. Coincidence of mass shootings happening in gun-free places. 1:03:56 – Motivations behind mass shootings. Armed teachers may introduce more "variability". Deterrent effect is difficult to measure. 1:09:51 Idea: giving guns to kids! Training kids how to behavior in dangerous situations. Many schools do have cops around, but probably not because of terrorist events. 1:13:47 – Imperfect Justice system may be corrected by private justice. Some countries may not have guns problems because of a "barbaric" Justice system. Physical punishment as a deterrent. Mass attention as a motivator for shooting. 1:17:47 – Symbolic steps towards more gun control. Veterans could be re-included as school guards and would be better experienced in fire situations. Guns training and licenses would be a billion dollars/year business. 1:23:29 – Considerations for a Constitutional Amendment modification? 1:24:25 – Shift in attitudes and shared responsibility is the way to solve a unique US problem. Tweet to us and share your inputs! 1:27:34 – Sponsors time! Four Sigmatic has a new Adaptogen Mushroom Coffee, which has Tulsi and Astragalus. A special one to make you go on tangents! Use the Chaga one, perfect for brainstorming, and Adaptogen for execution. You get 15% off with our link. Check out Perfecto Keto for all your keto related needs. Check the Peaches & Cream, and Chocolate & Vanilla Exogenous Ketones. They also have a Keto Pre-Workout for a boost before exercising. Use the coupon code revealed in the episode to get a discount. Kettle & Fire are the purveyors of artisanal bone broth, with all the collageny ancestral goodness. You can keep it in your cabinet, perfect for a warm treat during a snowstorm. 1:31:24 Leave a review on iTunes, but not a bad one! :) Support the show by using our Amazon sponsored link. Subscribe to the Mailing List and tell your friends! Tell Evernote to listen to our bonus material.

“Skin in the Game is about four topics in one: a) uncertainty and the reliability of knowledge (both practical and scientific, assuming there is a difference), or in less polite words bullshit detection, b) symmetry in human affairs, that is, fairness, justice, responsibility, and reciprocity, c) information sharing in transactions, and d) rationality in complex systems and in the real world. That these four cannot be disentangled is something that is obvious when one has…skin in the game.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Taleb. In this book, Taleb touches in many of the topics he’s covered in his previous work, such as virtue signaling and probability, and most of all, true risk taking. "[...] what people resent—or should resent—is the person at the top who has no skin in the game [...]" We cover a wide range of topics, including: Academia and its capability —or lack of it— of predicting real life. Having skin in the game and how it affects your behavior. How minorities impose their preferences to majorities. Judging a complex system by its elements. Sam Harris’ scalding opinion of Nassim Taleb. Virtue signaling. And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb. "Not everything that happens happens for a reason, but everything that survives survives for a reason." If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Antifragile by Nassim Taleb to dive deeper into Taleb’s work, and our episode on 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson, so you too can imagine the awesome podcast Jordan and Taleb could create together. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Nassim Taleb on Medium [01:45] Nat Chat [01:04] (Antifragile episode) Twitter [03:48] Uber [13:04] Venture Capital [15:30] Y Combinator [15:37] Startup Company [15:37] Hedge Fund [17:09] Cryptocurrency [18:16] Gilgamesh coin [19:00] Lindy Effect  [21:40] Virtue Signaling [24:32] Middlebury College [24:43] Statin [28:25] American Heart Association [31:30] Coca-Cola [35:20] Confirmation Bias [38:47] The Placebo Effect [38:50] The Most Intolerant Wins: The Dictatorship of the Small Minority by Nassim Taleb [40:29] Kosher Food [40:29] New Atheism [45:16] Reddit [45:26] Facebook [45:27] Starbucks [45:30] Dick’s Sporting Goods [46:00] Box Company [46:52] Google [56:42] Mutual Assured Destruction [01:02:04] JPMorgan Chase [01:09:00] Apple Inc. [01:09:30] Amazon [01:09:30] Uber [01:09:33] Instacart [01:09:33] Fat Tony [01:09:52] The National Football League (NFL) [01:18:36] Tesla [01:12:54] In-n-Out Burger [1:23:33] Chipotle [1:23:33] D'Souza rips apart smug leftist student over "white privilege" [1:27:30] Humanitarians of Tinder [01:33:17] Toms Shoes [01:33:45] Malaria nets [1:34:33] Sam Harris on Nassim Taleb “insufferable” quotation [1:43:10] The best podcast ever by Sam Harris [1:49:10] Russell Brand Podcast’s Under the Skin [1:49:10] Books mentioned 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [00:39] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Taleb [01:04] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Taleb [02:00] The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Taleb [02:00] The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms by Nassim Taleb [02:00] Happy Accidents: Serendipity in Modern Medical Breakthroughs by Morton A. Meyers [14:05] Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor by Tren Griffin [26:30] Merchants of Doubt: by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway [34:54] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter [39:34] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System by Donella Meadows [52:13] (book episode) Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician by Michihiko Hachiya [01:01:28] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford [01:37:03] A History of Private Life by Paul Veyne [01:40:39] Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris [01:47:35] Lying by Sam Harris [01:47:35] People mentioned: Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Antifragile episode) Hillary Clinton [06:58] Steven Pinker [06:58] [1:35:59] Ayn Rand [07:54] Anne Hearst [24:52] Charles Murray [24:57] Aaron Levie [46:51] Donald Trump [01:06:40] Marco Rubio [01:07:22] Chris Christie [01:07:31] Jeff Bezos [01:11:58] Bill Gates [01:12:05] Mark Zuckerberg [01:12:14] J.K. Rowling [01:33:00] Alexander The Great [01:36:39] Jordan B. Peterson [01:41:32] (on this podcast) Sam Harris [01:41:32] Scott Adams [01:49:26] Russell Brand [01:49:47] Jocko [01:53:40] Show Topics 01:30 – Taleb's bibliography, his previous releases. Contrasts and relations between his previous works and Skin in the Game. A greater focus in philosophy and morals, rather than the mathematical focus of his other books. Skin in the game concept for business and non-business people. 06:38 – Taleb's use of criticism of other people, perhaps partially for publicity reasons. Criticizing people at your own weight vs needless harassment. The Ayn Rand effect. 08:50 – The books’ introduction. Academia vs real life. You can’t predict the behavior of a system by studying the behavior of individual elements within the system. Emerging qualities of complex systems. Academia back-explaining knowledge that’s created practically. Skin in the game for Roman architects and medicine scientists. 14:57 – True progress is only possible when you actually stand to lose something should you fail. Defining “rent-seeking” as opposite for “skin in the game”. Different types sorts of investments and whether they constitute rent-seeking. 19:25 – The contents of the book can become a lens through which you see the world. 20:03 – Sponsors. Get a shot of Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee mixed with MCT oil powder from Perfecto Keto. Follow our advice, we have skin in the coff… in the game. 20:59 – You can’t judge whether something is robust, if it can survive stressors, if you’re not at risk in case it can’t. The test of time. 23:30 – Business plans and their usefulness, or usefulness for procrastination. 24:54 – Book 2: A First Look at Agency. Advice, and knowing when to listen to it. Advice that’s helpful to the person offering it, rather than who’s being advised. Incentives and metrics under judgement. 26:50 – Judging actions by their intentions, rather than their effects. Nazism vs Communism. Diets, cholesterol, weight, and its effects on health as single elements of a complex system. 35:36 – Avoiding doctors when you have low-risks health issues. Prayer and religion developing related to health, and the high risk of medical procedures. The Placebo Effect. 39:20 – Book 3: That Great Asymmetry. Ant and ant colony metaphor. Predicting a complex system’s behavior through the behavior of singular elements. A small vocal minority affecting the behavior of large groups. The minority effect on holiday greetings and restaurant choices. 45:56 – Gun regulation, and changes in policy meant for advertising. Virtue signaling and what you do out of your beliefs, versus what’s done for public recognition. Standing up for your opinions even if, or specially if, it has social consequences. 50:57 – The free market, bottom-up or top-down models. Changing the parameters of individuals will not change the parameters of the emerging system. 52:57 – Book 4: Wolves Among Dogs. The trade off between security and freedom. Working as a dog, comfortably but restrained, versus working as a wolf, with much more freedom, but less safety. Tactics big companies use domesticating their employees. English manners as a way to domesticate lower classes. 00:59:39 – Suicide bombers and Mutual Assured Destruction. Reasoning and incentives in terrorists perspective, and how to discourage them to commit suicide. Sacrificing oneself and sacrificing the whole nation. 01:02:26 – Freedom and social media. Voluntarily adopting habits of the lower class as a signal of freedom. Nassim Taleb and Twitter. 01:05:53 – Book 5: Being Alive Means Taking Certain Risks. Politicians and relatability. Feeling like a politician is a real person, or simply a scripted facade. The case for Trump and his relatability. 01:08:36 – Resentment against people at the top who don’t have skin in the game, who are not really risking anything. Economic equality and what it truly means. Unfair barriers put up to keep people in the 1% when they might not really be earning their spot anymore. Florence example, where a handful of  families has kept the power for more than 5 centuries. 01:14:38 – Peer approval, the minority effect, and real freedom. 01:17:06 – Book 6: Being Alive Means Taking Certain Risks. Between two people who are equally qualified, the person who looks less “the part” is a wiser choice, as they have had to overcome more challenges to get to where they are. Quarterbacks vs common sense. Elitism and food: steaks, fast-food, and wine. Big mansions and living away from everything. 01:27:38 – Virtue signaling. Protesting or complaining without putting action behind your beliefs. Charity that’s mostly for show and its negative consequences. 01:35:12 – History and violent events: decreasing in frequency, but increasing rapidly in intensity. War, urban violence, and the magnitude of violence. Life that isn’t covered in history outside of big, dramatic events. 01:41:26 – Book 7: Deeper Into Agency. Religion, Beliefs, and Skin in the Game. Sam Harris, Nassim Taleb, and Jordan Peterson. Religion, science, and scientism. 01:49:22 – Sam Harris’ podcast and its infamous guests. 01:50:38 – Book 8: Risk and Rationality. The last section of the book, and concepts in it that are being explored in-depth by Taleb for the first time. “Skin in the Game” as an entry point for Taleb’s work. 01:52:26 – You don’t necessarily need to know what is the reason for something, even if you know that there is a reason. 01:54:31 – Ergodicity and non-ergodicity, or assembled probability vs individual probability. Paranoia and risk reversion. Risk taking and relative risk rather than objective risk. Bathtubs’ and bullets’ potential to scale to kill people. Terrorism, gun violence and non-multiplicative risks. 02:01:35 – Ties back to Taleb’s previous work. Static and dynamics probabilities and life expectancy. 02:05:37 – Wrapping up and sponsor time! Make sure to grab your own copy of “Skin in the Game” through our Amazon sponsored link. To help the podcast maintain the freedom of the market, check out as well our sponsors: Kettle & Fire for all your delicious bone broth needs, with up to 30% OFF! We recommend Perfecto Keto’s coffee-flavored exogenous ketones. Four Sigmatic: for your mushroom coffee and all your other mushroom needs. And as always, don’t forget to check out our Support page. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com    

A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove for one’s mental energies and helps stave off the tyranny of moods. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss​ Daily Rituals by Mason Currey. In this book, Currey edits together first-hand accounts from different artists and creative thinkers of how they went about their everyday lives. “I write when the spirit moves me,”  said, “and the spirit moves me every day.” – Faulkner. We cover a wide range of topics, including: The problem with lifestyle gurus. Whether drugs enhance genius. Coffee’s role in causing the Renaissance. How people in far-off countries let each other know they were alive before the internet. Beethoven’s perfect cup of Joe. Why you should pin notes to your clothes' Night Owls vs. Early Birds - who gets more worms. Hacks to become an morning person. And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson for more tips on how to order your day, as well as our episode on Elon Musk to discover what rituals a modern-day success keeps. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show: Sleep debt [8:00] Dymaxion sleep [8:46] Polyphasic sleep [9:05] Alt-right [11:55] Benzedrine [12:58] Ritalin [18:34] The Renaissance [22:26] Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – OCD [29:10] Franklin’s 13 Virtues [32:21] How to Plan your Ideal Day by Taylor Pearson [39:48] Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule by Paul Graham [40:05] Growth Machine [40:10] On-demand economy [44:58] 1099 economy [44:58] Peterson’s guide to essay writing [51:44] Mnemonics [57:10] Keto-adaptation [59:50] Hormetic stress [1:07:55] Night Owl Mutation [1:12:36] Gilgamesh Platform [1:20:50] Books mentioned: Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb [12:28] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Come Again? by Nat Eliason [19:26] Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson [32:21] The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss [34:36] Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb [34:47] Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller [48:42] The War of Art - Steven Pressfield [50:44] The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath [1:02:18] Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway [1:07:55] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand [1:10:50] Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [1:11:10] People mentioned: Francis Bacon [2:30] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [3:54] (Antifragile episode) Tim Ferriss [5:00] Jocko [5:08] Buckminster Fuller [8:46] Steve Pavlina [10:00] V. S. Pritchett [11:30] W. H. Auden [12:58] Immanuel Kant [13:58] Michel Foucault [13:58] Ryan Holiday [14:44] Beethoven [29:16] Nikola Tesla [29:34] Tom Cruise [30:37] Benjamin Franklin [32:32] Charles Darwin [36:30] (on this podcast) Henry Miller [48:42] William Faulkner [50:27] Ann Beattie [50:58] Haruki Murakami [52:37] Scott Britain [53:11] Ramit Sethi [53:11] Jonathan Edwards [57:10] Sylvia Plath [1:02:12] Woody Allen [1:02:37] Jean Paul Sartre [1:03:00] David Lynch [1:06:20] Paul Erdős [1:10:25] Ayn Rand [1:10:50] Show Topics 00:50 – Book covers daily rituals of a bunch of people, not just artists. Broad interpretation of artists, anyone who does creative or critical thinking work. 01:24 – There’s a surprising amount of drug-use in this book, lots of alcohol, and not sleeping. On the one hand this seemed undisciplined, but on the other these people did have very regular schedules. There was discipline to keep these activities in a well-worn groove. 01:53 – A hangover can make it easier to write – your brain can be more focused. In some ways it’s like the opposite of being caffeinated. 03:10 – The book has an interesting layout, there’s no attempt at narrative, each chapter is about a new person’s routine. 03:54 – Taleb keeps no routine, he doesn’t even use a calendar. 04:00 – Small gripe with books like this as these are idealized and narrativized versions of these rituals. None of them get drunk and yell at people on Twitter. Wouldn’t be surprised if they’re only true 20-50% of the time. 04:55 – Problem with a lot of the lifestyle guru type people. They don’t do all of that stuff everyday. Except Jocko, he’s never overslept in the last 15 years. His morning routine seems to be the same wherever he is. 06:02 – Maintaining a normal schedule when you travel across time zones helps you adapt way faster. The minute you go back to your hotel you’ll crash, it’s game over! Jet lag is a strange tiredness, especially if you drink coffee, like you’re wired and drunk at the same time. 08:00 – Questioning whether you can save up a store of sleep for a rainy day. Apparently you can’t front load it, but when you get into debt you need to pay it back! 08:46 – Types of polyphasic sleep. Buckminster Fuller developed dymaxion sleep, he did it for two years and he’s the only one who’s ever been able to do it. 5-10% of the population legitimately need less sleep. Everyone else thinks they’re in that group but they’re not. 09:05 – When they tried one study on polyphasic sleep the subject just crashed and they could not wake him up. 11:43 – Is it quote or quotation? Don’t want to anger the grammar people! 11:55 – Download all of our episodes to find out whether one of our team is part of the alt-right. 12:58 – Auden was popping Benzedrine all the time. He regarded it as a “labor saving device,” a daily multivitamin. In the mental kitchen alongside alcohol, coffee and tobacco. 13:40 – Were these people great producers because of these habits or despite them? Question of whether the live-fast, die-young lifestyle enhances genius. 16:22 – Personal experiences and use of some drugs. Coffee for work and productivity, micro-dosing LSD for the same. Marijuana for an after wine session. Fear of getting hooked with tobacco vs alcohol. 18:34 – Ritalin/Aterol for effortless full-speed ahead concentration. 20:12 – Doctors overprescribe Aterol – 90% of people taking it don’t need it. It’s very hard to quit, people get frustrated at never hitting the same level of quality. In some ways similar to steroids. 22:26 – The Renaissance happened when people stopped drinking beer all day and switched to coffee. 22:36 – Drinking habits around the world. Beer used to be brewed as water wasn’t safe to drink. They would steep the same grains up to four times. In Asia they would drink tea all day, which is probably why they were historically more productive than Europe. 24:55 – In sushi bars in Tokyo they have a tap of green tea. In Germany they give you beer, Americans drink water and now they’re more productive because they’re hydrated. 25:53 – Tangent – Most people who are in America now, their ancestors were the risk-takers. The people who took the initiative to leave behind everything they knew. So culturally this is ingrained. 26:59 – People used booked calls to let family on the other side of the world know they were alive before Skype. 27:40 – The history of pokes on Facebook – they would let a non-friend see your profile for a few days without actually becoming your friend. 29:10 – A significant number of people featured in the book seemed to have OCD, they were trying to control chaos. Beethoven’s coffee had to have 60 beans a cup. Kant had an extremely orderly schedule. The clock tower in town stayed on time less passionately than Kant. 32:00 – Everyone has odd habits, especially artists who spend a lot of time in their heads. 32:21 – The general impression of Benjamin Franklin is “early to bed, early to rise” but he seemed to set his 13 virtues up as goals rather than things he’d achieved. Comparing Ben Franklin to Tim Ferriss. People disapprove of others not following their own advice to the letter. 35:53 – Controversy when one updates his opinions. 36:16 – It’s surprising how few hours people worked – the bulk of the creative work was 5-6 hours a day, max. Darwin was famous for having two 3 hour work blocks. It’s hard to do creative work for longer. But good for mental energy. 38:00 – Tangent. It’s hard to be spontaneous in New York. Phone calls are scheduled a week in advance.  Time management tips: set regular stand-ups, only book meetings at certain times. Color-code your calendar. 40:30 – Work environments are moving towards being more results orientated, moving away from people just sitting at their desks doing nothing. A relic of the production line. Schedule Tetris in large corporations. 43:26 – Hack. Schedule hour meetings for 40 minutes, or half hour meetings for 20 minutes. It forces people to condense. 44:58 – Data should make it easier for people to get paid based on productivity rather than time. For consulting jobs, it doesn’t make sense to charge based on time. Historically, time was the best way of measuring output and so this made sense. 47:43 – Education is also stuck in this time loop since it was originally influenced by factory organization. Most interesting ideas that end up leading somewhere come from play, from free time. 49:21 – After unsuccessfully trying for ten years in New York, Henry Miller had given up writing, when he finally wrote a novel in Paris it was published without editing, there’s sentences that just stop mid-way. Seeing from outside, it seems these creatives are able to follow a routine without anyone forcing them. 51:44 – Jordan Peterson says there’s no such thing as writer’s block. If you’re stuck it’s because you have run out of things to say, you need to unblock yourself. 53:10 – Sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends, may make you feel much more energized. Sleeping in on the weekend it’s almost like changing time zones every five days. 56:41 – Giveaways are coming, sign up for the email list. 57:03 – To remember to do important things pin a piece of paper on a different piece of your clothing, a form of mnemonics. 58:15 – When you first wake up, that’s a different person. You have to find ways of tricking him into not hitting snooze. Routines and replacement can help you get past undesirable behavior. 59:04 – Sponsor time. Mushroom elixir from Four Sigmatic and bone broth from Kettle & Fire along with Perfecto Keto collagen. Use them to replace alcohol in the evening! 1:01:38 – Despite living in climate controlled environments, we still feel like it’s cold outside when it’s winter, even though it’s the same temperature where we are. 1:03:30 – Some people’s capacity for alcohol is so far beyond the average. If you’re regimented and disciplined you could physically drink a bottle of spirits a day. 1:07:15 – Sugar is like a mild form of cocaine. It’s a stimulant followed by a crash. Hormetic stressors are only “natural”. 1:09:20 – Psycho-active drugs don’t make your brain do things it can’t do, they mimic neural pathways. Maybe adaptation is down-regulating the amount of neurochemicals being released in response to the trigger. If you know, write in! 1:11:36 – Morning Working vs Night-time working theme. More of the creators were geared towards mornings but it wasn’t across the board. Evolutionarily, it doesn’t make sense for humans to want to work at night. 1:14:20 – Waking up hack. Trick yourself into getting up by telling yourself you can go back to bed in 30 minutes if you’re still tired. 1:14:45 – Wrap-up and sponsor time. Perfecto Keto is perfect for all your ketogenic diet needs. Exogenous coffee-flavored ketones. Their matcha MCT oil powder is highly recommended for focusing. You can use the MCT oil with a Four Sigmatic mushroom coffee or your hot chocolate, all 15% OFF through our sponsored link or use the coupon code mentioned. Kettle & Fire will give you 20% OFF on their delicious bone broths –beef recommended for cooking, and chicken for a good, hot wintery drink– and free shipping! Listen to know how to get a mushroom-flavored bone broth. And you can always support us by going through our Amazon sponsored link and checking out our Support page. 1:20:50 – The new Gilgamesh cryptocurrency is building a social network built on knowledge sharing. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

“Time after time I’ve done an analysis of a company, and I’ve figured out a leverage point — in inventory policy, maybe, or in the relationship between salesforce and productive force, or in personnel policy. Then I’ve gone to the company and discovered that there’s already a lot of attention to that point. Everyone is trying very hard to push it in the wrong direction!” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System by Donella Meadows. In this article, Meadows goes through her twelve “leverage points” in which you can affect change in your company or any complex system, from least to most effective. “Magical leverage points are not easily accessible, even if we know where they are and which direction to push on them. There are no cheap tickets to mastery. You have to work hard at it, whether that means rigorously analyzing a system or rigorously casting off your own paradigms and throwing yourself into the humility of Not Knowing. In the end, it seems that mastery has less to do with pushing leverage points than it does with strategically, profoundly, madly letting go.” We cover a wide range of topics, including: All of Meadow’s 12 Leverage Points Positive and negative feedback loops The NRA and gun control How individuals can change the system in small and big ways Brexit and the Eurozone The paradigms that shape our thinking And much more. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt for its meta-theory of business, and our episode on Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse, about how employers and employees can create, change, and play in systems. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show: The Titanic [10:43] Paleolithic diet [12:40] Ketogenic diet [12:40] The Bike-Shed Effect [14:17] Evernote [23:20] Rule of 3 and 10 [23:19] American Eagle [25:15] Zara [25:35] Cryptocurrency [30:15] Apple Inc. [35:00] The Big Mike – Banana Species [39:00] Slippery Slope Argument [41:47] Veil of Ignorance [42:00] The Selfish Gene Hypothesis [47:25] Intuit [54:00] 9-9-9 Plan [54:20] TurboTax [55:40] QuickBooks [55:40] The Florida Shooting [01:05:15] National Rifle Association — NRA [01:05:20] Net Neutrality [01:05:30] The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris [01:09:15] Game Theory [01:09:55] The Daily Wire [01:14:13] The Ben Shapiro Show – Podcast [1:14:13] Justworks [01:24:00] MomTrusted.com [01:24:47] AirBnB [01:35:50] Uber [01:35:50] Scott Galloway Says Amazon, Apple, Facebook, And Google should be broken up [1:39:22] Socialists of New York [1:53:59] Flatgeologists [02:01:50] Books mentioned: The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox [2:57] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Way of Zen by Alan Watts [3:00] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Finite and Infinite Games by James C. Carse [04:31] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter [07:36] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Into the Cool: Energy Flow, Thermodynamics, and Life by Eric D. Schneider and Dorion Sagan [07:23] The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Taleb [16:49] Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Taleb [16:49] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) ​ 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [23:59] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World by Dan Koeppel [39:25] Merchants of Doubt: by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway [40:29] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician by Michihiko Hachiya [01:04:30] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg [01:47:50] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari [01 :49:24] (Nat’s notes) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn [02:01:07] Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett [02:02:00] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) People mentioned: Donella Meadows Elon Musk [3:10] (on this podcast) Bill Clinton [11:23] George H.W. Bush [11:23] Jordan B. Peterson [47:26] (on this podcast) Herman Cain [54:20] Emperor Hirohito [01:04:50] Ben Shapiro [01:14:04] Donald Trump [01:23:05] Adolf Hitler [01:43:23] Margaret Thatcher [01:44:40] Joe Rogan [01:48:23] Thomas Kuhn [02:00:35] Show Topics 02:01 — Meadows is a corporate consultant, who helps companies increase productivity through what she calls “leverage points”. Her focus is on companies, but it really could be applied to any system. Even the podcast itself! 3:17 — How people try to change complex systems by focusing on the wrong parts, or intervening in the right parts, but in the wrong ways. Meadows’ list of ways in which you can intervene from least to most effective. 6:53 — Each intervention point makes sense in connection to the others. Looking at them in simpler system helps understand their role in complex systems. The bathtub analogy. 10:30 — The 12th point: Constants, parameters, numbers. A person occupying a role doesn’t have as much leverage as the role itself. It’s easier to change small parameters than it is to change a broader picture. Eg.: changing the soda you drink instead of changing your whole diet. The Bike-Shed effect. 16:00 — The 11th point: The sizes of buffers and other stabilizing stocks, relative to their flows.  The check account metaphor; the amount of money that’s usually left in your account, doesn’t come in or out. That’s your buffer, and can be changed. The size of your buffer can really affect your system. It can increase your security, but also liability. Tradeoff between creativity and redundancy. 20:41 — The 10th point: The structure of material stocks and flows (such as transport networks, population age structures).  This rule is harder to immediately apply to the business case. The pipes metaphor; it’s sometimes necessary to set up a system entirely from scratch, or rebuild it, because it’s almost impossible to reach your goals with what’s already present. The rule of 3 and 10. 24:05 — The 9th point: The lengths of delays, relative to the rate of system change. The importance of consumer feedback. Systems with long loops of feedback, such as politics, have trouble self-regulating. At the same time, when there’s lots of immediate feedback, you risk overshooting. 35:08 — The 8th point: The strength of negative feedback loops (...). A negative feedback loop means a system that can turn itself off, such as a thermostat, which’ll stop working once the room reaches the desired temperature. It’s important to have a failsafe that’ll intervene on the event of a worst-case scenario, even if it’s rarely necessary. You can very easily miss the long-term effect of actions that don’t affect the short-term, such like monocultures (the or overworking yourself. 41:00 — Fake news. Ways you could keep fake news from spreading, and how that could slide into censorship. Social media and censorship. The ultimate goal of any company is always to make money. 48:21 — The 7th point: The gain around driving positive feedback loops. Positive feedback loops feed and grow on themselves (the more people have the flu, the faster it’ll spread), but a system with an unchecked positive feedback loop will destroy itself. At some point, a negative feedback loop must kick in, such as what’s happened with the birth rate in western countries. 51:07 — Poverty and wealth as functions of positive and negative feedback loops. Ways you could effectively lessen poverty. Taxing laws and lobbying. 56:00 — Tangent about payment methods. 58:00 — Adjusting positive feedback loops depends on the ultimate goal of the system. How to use commissions as incentives. 01:01:29 — The 6th point: The structure of information flows (who does and does not have access to information). Access to information, and how it affects people’s and company’s behaviors, and creates accountability. 01:05:01 — Accountability in the age of the internet. The NRA and gun control. The NRA as a symptom of America’s pro-gun mentality, not the source of the issue. 01:10:28 — Arguments for both sides of the gun control debate. Initiatives to lessen the instant fame acquired by mass shooters. Comparing different country’s policies without thought to the countries’ different situations. 01:17:12 — Misinformation on the topic of guns in the public and in media: what guns are actually available to the public, which models were used in mass shootings. 01:21:00 — Clickbait. McDonalds’ fries and baldness. 01:22:43 — The 5th point: The rules of the system. The rules of a system are more influential than the people who must play by the rules. Being both an employee and a boss. Benefits and health plans for employees, and how to attract and retain talent. 01:29:18 — The rules of a system can work as incentives and disincentives. 01:30:19 — The 4th point: The power to add, change, evolve, or self-organize system structure. The level to which people can change the system. Utilizing platforms in ways the creators had not originally intended. Unexpected behaviors from children and puppies. 01:33:33 — Religion and superstition. Bottom-up and top-down systems of power. 01:35:15 — Uber, AirBnB, free market and diversity in the market. 01:37:23 — The 3rd point: The goals of the system. The highest level related to the system itself: its ultimate goal. The goal of keeping the market competitive must trump the goal of each company to accumulate profit. Companies that have little to no competition at this point. 01:41:51 — Changing one player in the system doesn’t affect much, except when one individual player can drastically change the goals of the system. Trump, the Conservative Party and Russia. 01:44:20 — Brexit, the UK’s economy, and the Eurozone. City-states and how do you decide the borders of a country. 01:48:36 — The 2nd point: The mindset or paradigm out of which the system — its goals, structure, rules, delays, parameters — arises. The mindset from which the system’s goals come from. Shared mythology and cultural paradigms in today’s society. Digital goods vs physical goods. Shared paradigms as a basis for cooperation and shared goals. 01:58:41 — The 1st point: The power to transcend paradigms. Ever-changing paradigms; your paradigms, as well as scientific paradigms, will keep changing. Not one holds all the truth. 02:05:30 — Wrap-up and sponsor time!. Perfecto Keto is perfect if you’d like to pursue a ketogenic diet! Their matcha MCT oil powder is highly recommended. Kettle & Fire will give you 20% OFF on their delicious bone broths — beef recommended for cooking, and chicken for a good, hot wintery drink! Four Sigmatic: get your mushroom coffee or your hot chocolate, all 15% OFF through our sponsored link. And you can always support us by going through our Amazon sponsored link and checking out our Support page. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com  

 “Order and chaos are the yang and yin of the famous Taoist symbol: two serpents, head to tail. Order is the white, masculine serpent; Chaos, its black, feminine counterpart. The black dot in the white—and the white in the black—indicate the possibility of transformation: just when things seem secure, the unknown can loom, unexpectedly and large. Conversely, just when everything seems lost, new order can emerge from catastrophe and chaos. For the Taoists, meaning is to be found on the border between the ever-entwined pair. To walk that border is to stay on the path of life, the divine Way. And that’s much better than happiness.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss​ 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson. In his book, Peterson –a professor at the University of Toronto, and a practicing psychologist who has spent his life studying mythology psychology, religion and philosophy– writes about discipline, freedom, adventure, and responsibility, distilling the world’s wisdom into 12 practical and profound rules for life. "Winning at everything might only mean that you’re not doing anything new or difficult." We cover a wide range of topics, including: Free speech and the nature of truth Why post-modernists are right… to an extent How to be a winning lobster Positive feedback loops and your own heaven and hell Why danger is important Appreciating the moment but planning for chaos And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a book whose concepts will similarly change your outlook, as well as our episode on The Power of Myth, to further learn the power of mythology can be relevant to our everyday lives.   Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more.   Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show: Peterson’s Patreon page [5:21] C-16 Amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Bill [5:40] Interview with Peterson on Joe Rogan's podcast [06:23] Pareto distribution [13:21] Virtue Signalling [17:05] Positive Reinforcement Loop [30:20] Mushroom Coffee [31:28] Perfect Keto [31:28] Ship of Theseus [34:40] Slaying the Dragon Within Us [38:35] Self Authoring [49:57] Growth Machine [54:21] Greatness All Around Us by Neil Soni [55:18] Space X’s Falcon Heavy [1:01:47] Positive reinforcement training [1:13:55] Voldemort Effect [1:19:11] Crony Beliefs Podcast by Kevin Simler [1:20:37] BlackRock [1:22:34] Columbine Killers [1:25:05] Puja [1:34:32] The Marshmallow Experiment [1:36:16] Cain and Abel [1:38:42] Entropy [1:48:47] Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber [1:58:20] The Office - TV Series [2:00:51] Dominance Hierarchy [2:05:16] Jumanji (2018) [2:07:39] Jordan Peterson on the Jocko Podcast [2:32:03] Psychological Significance of Biblical Stories [2:32:13]   Books mentioned: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene [03:20] (Nat’s Notes) Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [04:23] Emergency by Neil Strauss [13:59] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Seeing like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed by James C. Scott [16:12] Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter [16:57] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932 by William Manchester [1:00:20] Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson [1:02:58] The Inner Game of Tennis [1:07:21] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Letters from a Stoic by Lucius Annaeus Seneca [1:07:44] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio [1:08:14] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Work Clean by Dan Charnas [1:09:44] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:10:55] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Finite and Infinite Games by James C. Carse [2:03:10] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Emoji Dick by Fred Benenson [2:28:53] Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Nicholas Taleb [2:29:43]   People mentioned: Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, @jordanbpeterson Charles Darwin [09:30] (Darwin’s Dangerous Idea episode) Jacques Derrida [10:22] Charles Murray [19:26] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [26:39] (Antifragile episode) Sam Harris [38:20] Dave Rubin [38:20] Winston Churchill [1:00:20] Elon Musk [1:01:47] (on this podcast) Jeff Bezos [1:01:47] Naval Ravikant [1:02:19] Steve Jobs [1:02:42] Lucius Annaeus Seneca [1:07:44] Carl Jung [1:09:13] Dan Charnas [1:09:48] Kevin Simler [1:21:25] Laurence Tosi, AirBnB’s ex-CFO [1:24:00] Karl Marx [1:40:20] Ray Dalio [1:43:39] (on this podcast) Robert Greene [1:43:47] (on this podcast) Daniel Tosh [2:01:53] Louis CK [2:01:53] Chris Rock [2:01:53] Alfred Adler [2:08:35] Sigmund Freud [2:08:35]   Show Topics 01:00 - The title of the book is misleading, and surprising if you know Peterson’s other work. But don’t judge a book by it’s cover, this is a very detailed and valuable work.   03:39 - Peterson is a practicing psychotherapist and also a lecturer. He’s has spent most of his life studying religion and mythology. 05:26 - Peterson’s notoriety because of his opposition to a bill in Canada that essentially makes calling somebody by the wrong gender pronoun a hate crime. He was opposed on the grounds of free speech and argues that you can’t compel anyone to use any specific word. 07:11 - Peterson fights against the post-modernist idea that nothing is true, everything is subjective. He believes that postmodernism has taken the idea of subjectivity and pushed it too far.   09:00 - Math is something we’ve discovered, not a human invention. Fundamental nature of numbers is unchanging. Argument linking math and logic to patriarchy and power.   11:14 - What is the goal of the postmodernists? If you continually tear down the hierarchy then at some point the oppressors become the oppressed.   12:41 - Communist China is what you get if you tear down an authority that is there due to the natural order. There will always be a Pareto distribution. If you try to perfectly level the playing field you end up with a controlling regime.   17:05 - Peterson is harsh against virtue signalling. Is the goal of most postmodernists just to 'look moral'?   18:11 - Science should not be ideology driven. It's still science. Nobody wants to talk about sex and race in terms of science. Charles Murray example where he researched IQ differences across different races. He proved there were differences and he's been treated as a bigot because of this.   22:50 - Peterson does a great job at maintaining what the science says about us as humans. What that means in what we should do in our day to day.   25:12 - The rules of the book come off as simple but there's a lot of rich material underneath them. The titles of the rules are there to remind you of the big idea, as easy to remember snippets.   27:03 - Rule 1: Stand Up Straight With Your Shoulders Back. How lobsters are similar to humans. How to look like a winner. Positive reinforcement loop. Head off depression.   31:28 - Sponsor. Hack your physio-psychological behavior by waking up at the same time every day and have breakfast. Get some mushroom coffee and keto from the MYT support page. Support the podcast and you'll become a winning lobster.   34:40 - Lobsters brain reaction when losing. All the cells in your body recycle every seven years. The ship of Theseus: if every cell in your body is different in seven years are you still the same person?   38:00 - Breaking out of the negative loop. Slaying the dragon within us. Problems get bigger until you acknowledge them.   40:16 - The subjective truth is still truth. Rules don't become useless because there is an exception to them. As Peterson says, the truth is fluid.   43:23 - Noah; predicting floods doesn't count, building arks does. If you get your house in order now, when total chaos comes, you'll be ready.   44:03 - Rule 2: Treat Yourself Like Someone You Are Responsible for Helping. Internal tyrant - we are too harsh on ourselves. The result is that we inevitably rebel. Our two selves end up hating each other.   45:48 - Prescriptions for medicine for pets gets filled much more frequently than medicine for humans. People better at taking care of their pets than they are of themselves.   47:57 - Think about what is good for you rather than what would make you happy. What might my life look like if I were caring for myself properly?   50:35 - Rule 3: Make Friends with People Who Want the Best for You. One bad apple spoils the bunch example.   51:30 - If you have friends who are obese or who smoke there is a higher chance you will become obese or start to smoke! Normalising effect, it's not bad it's just what everyone else is doing. You become the five people you spend the most time with. Be selective!   55:02 - If your friends do good, you do good. If you live in a place where there are a lot of people you don't want to be like, read more books, like Andrew Carnegie and Jay-Z.   1:00:29- Rule 4: Compare Yourself to Who You Were Yesterday, Not Who Someone Else is Today. Comparing to others is a fallacy, you always lose. No matter how far along you are you'll still have someone to be jealous of.   1:02:19 - Naval Ravikant: Being jealous of someone is really silly because you can't pick and choose parts of someone else's life. Steve Jobs was miserable, he never enjoyed his money.   1:03:50 - Sponsor. Take a shot of Kettle and Fire Bonebroth.   1:04:21 - Feeling good when you find something bad of someone who you are jealous. If you always win or always lose, it's no fun, but a video game at just the right difficulty is perfect. Similarly, comparing yourself to who you were yesterday is the perfect opponent.   1:07:44 - Seneca: Don't compare yourself to what others have, compare yourself to who you were before. Grand Theft Life! Control the machine, don't operate it.   1:09:19 - Most people don't find God because they don't search low enough. There's an ideal to reach for in everyday life.   1:09:48 - Daily practice is a version of God in the everyday and mundane. Gratefulness journal. Figure out what things make you feel better. Your emotional response. Dopamine and serotonin.   1:13:42 - Rule 5: Do Not Let Your Children Do Anything that Makes You Dislike Them.   1:13:55 - Positive reinforcement training. Attention as a currency of reward - effective reinforcement in humans. If you ignore people, they'll quickly understand that they shouldn't repeat whatever it was that made you ignore them. Beware of conversational one-upmanship.   1:16:43 - If someone does something you don't like, just tell them.   1:19:28 - People tie ideas to their identity and get offended. Some can't hold two competing ideas in their head at once. If you get emotional about an idea, that's generally a bad sign.   1:20:37 - Crony Beliefs. If you react to information with disgust or outrage that’s a sign that there's some belief you hold which is not based on logic and reasoning. In-group acceptance, virtue signalling, desire to be accepted.   1:24:18 - Trojan Horse strategy. A lot of hyper-feminist young men do it as a way to get in with women. Weasely.   1:25:05 - Rule 6: Set Your House in Perfect Order Before You Criticize the World. Columbine killers said the world is so bad, it shouldn't exist, they want to burn it all down and take everyone with them. All of us, on some level, have these impulses when things don't go right.   1:27:04 - Make your bed, create order and not chaos. Take ten minutes and get back to inbox zero. Part of your brain is latently working on it, so work on it yourself. Set aside times for worrying and forget it the rest of the time.   1:30:13 - Extreme ownership, don't worry about what anybody else did wrong or what other people could be doing, focus on what you can do. Don't rail against society. You have to recognise the monster within you in order to really be a good person.   1:32:14 - Floods are going to come, it's your fault for being unprepared. Just because something is unlikely doesn't mean you shouldn't have a plan in place.   1:34:08 - Rule 7: Pursue What is Meaningful (Not What is Expedient). The role of sacrifice in ancient societies.   1:35:09 - Preparing for the future. Giving up greater comfort now for something further down the line. Ceremonies as reminders.   1:36:14 - Kids who were able to hold off eating a marshmallow as they would get two later did better in future life. Delayed gratification. Sacrificing impulses leads to richer life.   1:38:42 - Cain and Abel. Sometimes sacrifices are rejected and we don’t know why. There’s wisdom in fairy tales. “Religion is the opiate of the masses”. Do what’s meaningful and not expedient.   1:42:14 - Rule 8: Tell the Truth, or at least Don’t Lie. Lean towards truth instead of trying to tell a story. Acknowledge the problem. Problems are often improved by simply talking.   1:43:39 - Dalio: An honest interpretation of the world is necessary. Robert Greene: Interpret the world honestly. We run from scary truths but knowing the truth is almost always better. If there’s a problem you’re not acknowledging, your brain interprets it as the sum of all the possible problems. Dragons or squirrels.   1:45:14- You can’t just tell the truth to other people, you also have to tell it to yourself. Entropy: things tend towards chaos. Things will go wrong if you don’t do anything about them. One state of order, infinite states of chaos. Do the dishes.   1:51:33 - Rule 9: Assume that the Person You Are Listening to Might Know Something You Don't. 3 categories of conversations: exchanging information; one-upmanship; mutual meditation. Figuring out what the map looks like.   1:54:36 - Most people can be interesting if prompted the right way and if you’re actually listening. Try saying something controversial. If you don’t talk about it, that encourages people not to talk about it. The tyranny of the minority. Be willing to offend people.   1:58:37 - Differences in interests between men and women. We have to be honest before we can talk about the implications of things. How we as conscious beings can recognize negative urges under the surface and still function in society.   2:00:46 - Part of the job of comedy is to be on the edge of order and chaos. They’ve found the line and they know how to walk it. They say what everyone is thinking! Playing with boundaries as Infinite players.   2:03:09 - Rule 10: Be Precise in Your Speech. Don’t mold your opinions to try to get approval from those around you. Be honest. Deal with that as it comes. Be open to being corrected.   2:04:28 - Rule 11: Do Not Bother Children when they are Skateboarding. Initially confusing. Danger has a value in teaching kids. Adult efforts to make children safer are often misguided. Let people fail.   2:06:15 - There will always be a dominance hierarchy. This danger and experimentation is how we find our place in it. How we expand in it. The hierarchy is a natural result of us testing ourselves. You can’t have equality and freedom. There are many different hierarchies.   2:06:54 - The pursuit of goals is what makes life meaningful. There is no reason to have goals if there’s nothing to win at. You can’t create meaning if you can’t strive for anything.   2:09:04 - Controversial topics that shouldn’t be. Use of personality as an excuse from taking care of yourself. Be healthy and make yourself more desirable. Removing danger is dangerous.   2:11:14 - We use our middle school years to figure out the rules of society. Two year-olds aren’t malicious, they’re just testing the limits.   2:12:28 - It’s important for men to be men. Women will find 85% of men below average in terms of attractiveness. To be attractive, be the best version of yourself you can be.   2:14:11- Life competence matters. There should be true rewards for success, and true consequences for failure. People need to be able to fail. Pain is useful.   2:15:36 - Peterson’s comments are tailor made to get taken out of context. Example of “women can find meaning in childbirth” and “the pay gap”.   2:17:29 - The game that we’re measuring when we measure income is just one game, and is not meaning for life. There are other places to find meaning. Women express alternative places they can derive meaning. Reverse societal pressure to say that some women are “too good” to want to raise a family.   2:21:36 - Sponsor. Perfect Keto pizza!.   2:22:08 - Women can win in men’s arenas. Men can’t win in what are typically considered women’s arenas. Men get flak for being in traditionally female roles (e.g. nurse, school teacher).   2:23:48 - Rule 12: Pet a Cat When You Encounter One on the Street. There are going to be a lot of horrible times in your life so when you get the opportunity to experience something good you should take it.   2:25:09 - Cats are the most perfect metaphor for nature, for being. They interact with humans but are not as fully domesticated as dogs are. If you pet a cat you’re getting an opportunity to appreciate being and nature. The dog will always run up to you and be happy to see you but that is not how reality is. Mutually assured non-destruction.   2:27:30 - Gratefulness. Appreciate a good cup of coffee or time with your family. Times are great right now but they won’t always be. Enjoy not being in chaos. Don’t be a turkey.   2:30:16 - Returning to chaos and order. We rise to the level of our training. Get into improving habits while the world is still in order.   2:32:13 - Don’t just sit at home watching YouTube, go and do something damnit! Is Peterson a heretic? He’s figured out how to monetize haters.   2:51:30 - Sponsors. Drink Mushroom Coffee from Four Sigmatic with cordyceps and chaga for evening working out. Go to Perfect Keto for your keto needs. Check Perfect Keto’s new liquid MCT oil good for pre-workout. Kettle on Fire’s Bone Broth is excellent to get back in your diet. Buy Jordan Peterson’s book and everything else using our Amazon link. Leave a review on iTunes. Subscribe to the email list for bonus materials and more tangents. Tell people. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

 “I had, of course, heard people say the sky was beautiful, especially those who were as far away as Fuchü and Furuichi. But it was now, for the first time, that I could picture the cloud, sharply defined against a clear blue August sky. It was at the moment of the birth of this cloud, with its ever-changing color, that Hiroshima was wiped out. It was at this moment that Hiroshima City, the culmination of many years’ work, disappeared with her good citizens into the beautiful sky.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician, by Michihiko Hachiya. In this book, Michihiko registered his own life’s experiences following the atomic bomb’s blast, as a doctor in a Hiroshima hospital. “For acres and acres, the city was like a desert, except for scattered piles of brick and roof tile. I had to revise my meaning of the word ‘destruction’ or choose some other word to describe what I saw. ‘Devastation’ may be a better word, but really I know of no word or words to describe the view from my twisted iron bed in the fire-gutted ward of the communications hospital.” We cover a wide range of topics, including: The accounts of survivors of the atomic blast. The uncertainty and confusion that surrounded the mysterious illness befalling the hospital patients and their families. War propaganda and its effects on soldiers. Japan’s cultural attitude and perceptions surrounding WWII. Where did survivors find food and water? And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician, by Michihiko Hachiya!   You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching "Made You Think." If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker, for another look into death’s effect on humankind, and our episode on Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, that delves into philosophy and stoicism and how humans can adapt in the most adverse situations. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show: Zapier [34:00] Men Against Fire - Black Mirror episode [38:41] Hardcore History Podcast by Dan Carlin [44:32] Tesla [1:12:26] Satoshi Nakamoto [1:14:59] Nick Szabo [1:15:15] DARPA [1:15:54] CoinBase [1:16:57] Books mentioned: The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker [10:10] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Letters from a Stoic by Lucius Seneca [16:45] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Last Lion by William Manchester – Churchill’s 3 Parts Biography [31:35] The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II [38:09] Catch-22 [40:37] Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life [13:10] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage [49:01] Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson [1:11:14] Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance [1:11:15] The Snowball [1:11:49] People mentioned: Michihiko Hachiya Emperor Hirohito [4:08] Hideki Tojo [4:12] George W. Bush [30:20] Winston Churchill [31:35] Thomas Jefferson [34:10] Steve Jobs [34:53] Jeff Bezos [34:57] Donald Trump [39:12] Taylor Pearson [1:11:39] Warren Buffet [1:11:49] Show Topics 1:08 — The book’s backstory: a physician’s diary from the days following the Hiroshima’s atomic bomb, and its long path into being translated into English. The US Senate’s approving of a resolution condemning the Smithsonian for failing to portray the atomic bombs as mercifully ending the war in 95. 3:44 — A view of the Japanese people as a monolith, and the diary’s portrayal of internal struggles and resentment against the Japanese military. A divide between the Emperor’s authority, which was generally loved by the people, and the military authority, seen as responsible for the war. 6:16 — The author’s background. A doctor working at Hiroshima, for the military, whose diary starts with the bomb dropping and injuring him. A work that was meant only for himself. 8:24 — They didn’t know what the bomb was when it first dropped, nor how radiation lead to all the following illness. The many effects and injuries an atomic bomb can cause. 9:11 — Hachiya’s injuries and survival following the bomb’s blast. His recovery at the hospital and awareness that he could have been dead. 10:58 — The terrifying descriptions of the bomb survivors. The survivor’s confusion and helplessness, as no one had been prepared for so much damage, and there was little information. 13:40 — Following the blast, there were no resources or time to research the causes of all the death and illness. One of Hachiya’s first assumptions were biological agents or poison gas. 16:40 — The desensitization to death that came with all the horror that Hachiya experienced. His guilt as well as his numbness to it. 17:50 — Where did Hachiya’s hospital found water and food, which isn’t addressed in the book. There had to have been water, as it was housing so many patients and their families. It was one of the few structures to survive the blast. 19:45 — “For acres and acres, the city was like a desert, except for scattered piles of brick and roof tile. I had to revise my meaning of the word ‘destruction’ or choose some other word to describe what I saw. ‘Devastation’ may be a better word, but really I know of no word or words to describe the view from my twisted iron bed in the fire-gutted ward of the communications hospital.” 20:06 — The destruction to buildings caused by the atomic blast. One building has been preserved in its destroyed estate near to the bomb’s epicenter. 21:35 — Hachiya’s use of the diary part as a tool for his medical work, in trying to decipher the effects of the bomb. His descriptions on symptoms and their progression. 22:10 — The flash of light caused by the bomb’s blast. Its physical effects, like its sound or lack of it: some people heard the boom (pika don), but other people didn’t, depending on their distance from the bomb. 24:44 — Rumors started arising on whether Hiroshima will be habitable following the blast. Are the people becoming sicker by staying in the hospital? What were the long-term consequences? Many other rumours began to appear. 26:12 — The patient’s reactions to rumors that Japan had retaliated the Hiroshima bomb. Human’s need for agency, to feel like there’s something they can do about their situation, especially in the face of such an awful event like the bomb. 28:54 — Japan’s decision to surrender was also connected to the Russian’s declaration of war, not necessarily the bombs by themselves. Japan’s culture of “surrendering is failing”. 31:35 — Tangent. Churchill and his attempts to participate in the front lines on D-Day. Leaders who declare war, but do not participate themselves in the actual fighting; “leaders” who don’t have ‘skin in the game’. 35:42 — The Japanese people’s expectations to the arrival of American troops in Japan. Differences between the military and civilian perceptions, its relation to war propaganda. Parallels to USA’s propaganda. 39:52 — The rate of participation in killing in the military, who has been going up and up. Conscription, and soldier’s unwillingness to kill other people, how propaganda and a sense of patriotic duty influences the willingness to fight. 45:20 — Other descriptions of horror following the Hiroshima bomb: citizens who tried to save themselves by taking shelter in pools and in rivers, who still didn’t survive. 48:31 — The communications were all down following the bomb: Hachiya’s reflects positively on being without modern ways of communication. Humankind’s adaptability to new circumstances, even the worst of them (hedonistic adaptation). 48:36 — “Besides, we had no radio. For me, this was something of a blessing, for being without the so-called advantages of civilization gave me a freedom of spirit and action others could not enjoy with their telephones, radios, and newspapers. Having lost everything in the fire and being now empty-handed was not entirely without advantage. I experienced a certain light-heartedness I had not known for a long time.” 54:18 — There were many incredible accounts of people who survived the blast, and of people who thought they’d lost loved ones, who had in fact survived. 56:03 — Media downplaying what happened in Hiroshima. Cigarettes becoming currency in disaster situations. 1:00:53 — What happened when Americans showed up. Reconstruction of buildings and reconstruction of minds. Japanese blind loyalty to the country. 1:09:29 — Tangent. Feeling of accomplishment reading books of the to-read list. Biographies of living public figures and… bitcoins! 1:16:52 — Sponsors Time. Perfect Keto will give you 20% off everything you need to maintain, sustain, entertain, get into a keto diet. Kettle & Fire bone broth 20% off on excellent supplements for getting some of your ancestral dietary needs, collagens, bone marrow. Good for cooking and good for drinking. Four Sigmatic for all your mushroom needs. Must to try the Hot Cocoa, it’s delicious with butter or heavy cream. It’s keto-friendly, there no sugar in the cocoa, it’s an amazing dessert. If you buy anything on Amazon, use our affiliate link to help sustain the show. 1:20:45 — If you want to start your own podcast, check Nat’s article on how to start a podcast and buy stuff on Amazon. Also, don’t forget to give us a review on iTunes. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com  

  In reality, the way animals, including humans, react to danger occurs in the following order: freeze, flight, fight. If the reaction really were fight or flight, most of us would be bruised, battered, and exhausted much of the time. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I dissect What Every Body Is Saying by Joe Navarro. In this book Joe shares his 25+ years experience conducting interrogations as an FBI agent, and reveals behaviors and reactions we can’t control under stress. He gives very actionable tips to understand if someone is lying, if someone is happy to chat with us, if we should close that business deal, or how to improve our public speaking skills. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Heuristics for understanding when others are uncomfortable or under stress. When we can confidently suspect on someone, and when not. How our body reacts when threatened. The human body reactions, explained part by part. Rips and warning when trying to unmask deception. And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of What Every Body Is Saying by Joe Navarro You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching "Made You Think." If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennet, as many reactions to stress are innate and a byproduct of evolution, as well as our episode on Elon Musk, an article that analyzes how the man behind Tesla and SpaceX thinks on principles. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more.    Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show: Lie To Me TV Show [5:57] Tinder [58:11] Bumble [58:11] Peterson’s Podcast series on Abraham story [57:54] 27, 28, 30, Nat’s article on Easy Keto [37:57] Books mentioned: What every Body is saying by Joe Navarro Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennet [3:36] (book episode) Godel Escher Bach [3:36] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Elon Musk [7:21] (on this podcast) The Way of Zen [15:59] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (book episode) The Gift of Fear [18:13] Principles [56:45] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Antifragile [57:00] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Amusing Ourselves to Death [57:00] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) Defining Decade by Meg Jay [58:59] The Denial of Death [1:03:27] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Origin of the Species [1:03:38] Mastery [1:03:38] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Why We Love by Helen Fisher [1:15:06] People mentioned: Joe Navarro Tai Lopez [0:33] Elon Musk [7:21] (on this podcast) Pepper the Poochon [43:17] Charlie Munger [1:03:38] Jeff Bezos [1:20:12] Show Topics 0:00 – “In order to ensure our survival, the brain’s very elegant response to distress or threats, has taken three forms: freeze, flight, and fight. Like other animal species whose limbic brains protected them in this manner, humans possessing these limbic reactions survived to propagate because these behaviors were already hardwired into our nervous system.” 1:13 – Looking at how the human body reacts to stress and using that to figure out if somebody is lying or better understand emotional and mental state of somebody. 1:38 – Why Nat read this book at college. How Nat, improved his public speaking abilities after reading this book, following a suggestion he received during college. 2:04 – About Joe Navarro’s background as an FBI agent for 25 years. How he was able to include all his experience interrogating and what was suspicious or not in the many cases presented in the book. Example of Joe trying to figure out accomplices of a suspect, that was betrayed by his pupils when put under stress. 3:54 – Reference to Darwin: evolution is the foundation for body unconscious reactions. Behaviors are involuntary because they drive from the limbic system instead than from the frontal cortex. Joe stresses that nobody can really detect lies, but what you can detect is discomfort, and discomfort  may lead you to find a lie or information that not being shared. 6:56 – The key to body reading is to look for behavioral changes, rather than specific behaviors. 7:56 – The book is organized in chapters: 1. Commandments (guidelines for body reading), 2. How to pacify ourselves, 3. Reading each part of the body, 4. Deception. 8:40 – First Commandment: Look at behavior in context. Example: we feel cold when we are uncomfortable. 9:32 – Second Commandment: The idiosyncratic behaviors. Body contradicting what one is saying. Example of nodding while saying no. Example where the suspect said went right while moving the left hand. 10:22 – Fifth Commandment: Establishing baseline behaviors. Nat rolling his eye example. Neil's example running hands on his head when sleepy. 12:45 – Sixth Commandment: Always try to watch people for multiple tells, clustering of different behaviors. A single tell is not determinant. Why body language is much more communicative than spoken language. 15:27 – Limits of spoken language. We can pick someone's emotional state even if we don't have words for that. 18:25 – Gut feelings when you meet someone. Neil's example of a guy being elusive about payment. Having negative intuitions just because the other is “tribally” different. How to handle intuition’s contradictions and why we should to prefer the negative one. 23:03 – Cues. Watching people's shoulders will reveal feet excitement. Core of the behaviours. Describing each part of the body’s possible reactions. Each reaction comes in the flavour of some interaction of: freeze, flight, or fight. Freeze is the first reaction. Flight examples: turtle effect, pulling shoulders up to try to protect your neck, smaller neck in fighting poses. 31:20 – Pacifying behaviors: we do a lot of things to comfort ourselves, to distress, to feel more calm. There’s no intentionality in these reactions. Why dating advice can go bad: shoulder touching example. Why we don’t pics of ourselves smiling. Examples of forcing these reactions and trying to make them pass as natural. 37:57 – Sponsor time. Sip a Mushroom Coffee together with Neil. The mushroom coffee from Four Sigmatic energizes you with less caffeine. Neil is drinking the Chaga and Lion’s Mane mush stimulants that give a really soft caffeine bump. It feels much more clear than coffee. If you want to keep the taste of coffee without the caffeine, mushroom coffee is you perfect ally.  If you want something else to taste like coffee, try some Perfect Keto coffee flavored exogenous ketones. Check Nat’s article about a easy ketogenic diet. Ketones make it a lot easier to get into ketosis, and is perfect for weight loss or its cognitive benefits. Don’t forget to shop through our Amazon affiliate link to help sustain the show. Lots of people get sick in this season, Kettle & Fire bone broth helps you warm in this winter. It’s nice, it’s warm, it’s tasty. Listen Neil’s and Nat’s recipes and variations. There’s one that’s better than Chipotle’s! Finally, subscribe to the Mailing List to receive bonuses, giveaways, and more. Most of our tangents and goofing off are going there now. 44:15 – Looping back on the baseline commandment, we should recognize reactions beyond the baseline, and understand the reason behind. Different pacifying behaviors can indicate different mental states. Pacifiers scale with the intensity of the discomfort. 49:34 – Heuristics: “weighting” different parts of the body: facial cues are the least reliable, the face is the most likely to lie. The feet are the most honest ones. Gravity defined behaviors. Colloquial phrases tied with actual behaviors: walking with a bit of a bounce on your step, walking on air, turning your back on someone. 52:17 – Tangent. Reactions of protection inherited by evolution and survival from predators. Evolution is a great first principle heuristic for understanding a large span of topics. 57:54 – Tangent. Optionality trap in dating. Sex in our generation. Optionality trap in jobs. Youthful tendency to sit around and wait for the best option. 1:04:17 – Details of different situations for legs, chest and arms. Leg crossing, nodding up or down, tilting our heads to the side, feet pointing, turning away our chest, crossing arms, etc. When it is easy to force subconscious behaviors. Importance of arms for protection. Problems of helmets in American football. 1:11:46 – Face. Fake smile. “Keep your chin up”. Keeping good posture to feel more confident. The nasal flaring. People that lose sense of smell have a hard time establishing deep relationships. 1:16:09 – Deception. Most people including FBI agents are not better than chance detecting deception. But we have some clues to be suspicious. Synchrony, if what a suspect speaks jives his body language. And emphasis: “I have never seen or heard a person who is lying yell affirmatively, “I didn’t do it,” while pounding his fist on the table”. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss  Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett (a guy with an amazing beard). In this book Daniel remind us we are not so special as we think, but just an ordered set of material refined by evolution. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Evolution as an amazing and super-simple algorithm for refinement Why we are not special but just a random result of a process Bottom-up “cranes” theories vs “skyhook” theories How memes are the cultural equivalent of genes Why it’s very unlikely that we will talk with aliens one day And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett! You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching "Made You Think." If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Godel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstadter, a book that inspired several pages of Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, as well as our episode on Denial of Death by Ernest Becker, another book that reshapes the importance of our existence. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show: Count in Binary with Your Fingers [11:22] Invisible Hand [21:08] Islam: A Religion of Violence Or Peace? [24:30] Street Food History [33:45] Kennin-ji – Oldest Temple in Kyoto [36:00] VCR [40:42] How Coffee Influenced the Course of History [43:40] Testosterone levels in the womb may determine how masculine your face is as an adult [51:47] 23andMe [53:11] Promethese [53:11] Rhonda Patrick – Found My Fitness Genetics [54:11] Perfect Keto [54:21] Fermi Paradox [1:17:01] Books mentioned: Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennet Godel Escher Bach [0:51] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Denial of Death [3:20] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Way of Zen [7:34] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) The Selfish Gene [22:26] Sapiens [38:40] (Nat’s Notes) Letters from a Stoic [38:45] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Newton’s Principia [1:12:15] Rare Earth [01:16:23] Emergency [1:21:55] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene [1:27:16] The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene [1:27:16] Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson [1:27:21] Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [1:31:29] The Sovereign Individual [1:33:29] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Goal [1:44:02] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) What every Body is saying by Joe Navarro [1:46:13] People mentioned: Charles Darwin Daniel Dennett [0:32] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [0:51] (Antifragile episode) Douglas Hofstadter [0:51] Elon Musk [6:15] (on this podcast) Flatgeologists – Flat Earth Society [6:15] Pepper the Poochon [12:09] Adam Smith [21:08] Maajid Nawaz [24:30] Christopher Columbus [36:26] Lucius Annaeus Seneca [38:45] Rhonda Patrick [54:11] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [59:25] (Antifragile episode) Nicolaus Copernicus [1:08:03] Isaac Newton [1:12:15] Albert Einstein [1:12:40] Jeff Bezos [1:39:57] Show Topics 0:00 – “When you ask functional questions about anything –organism or artifact– you must remember that it has to come into its current or  final form by a process that has its own requirements, and these are exactly as amenable to functional analysis as any features of the end state.” 0:51 – Connections of Darwin’s Dangerous Idea with Godel Escher Bach book. Talebian writing style of the author. The author focuses one part of the book to refute other people’s ideas. 3:20 – Problems derived by bad wording and God directed evolution. Mind-first theories depending on a “sky hook” vs “cranes” bottom-up theories. Concept of things that can grow and organize spontaneously, without the need of an external influence. Application in markets. 10:02 – Numerals vs Quantity. Why humans prefer base-10 to count. Use of different numbering bases, like the Mayan base-20 numeral system. 12:14 – Darwin’s main idea. Evolution as a simple algorithm based on natural selection: random things happen, some of those things make the more fit to the environment, therefore those thing last. Explaining genes using energy harvesting and autonomous robots. 14:23 – What’s the point of sleeping? Sleeping is energy efficient. Being awake is the weird thing. An hypothesis on why our brain developed so much is because being awake we have to deal more often with threatening situations. Humans prefer to sleep by night because we are sight animals. 16:29 – About the danger of Darwin’s idea. We are not special, we are just another result of this algorithm, we have no meaning. Against "our mind is special" argument. Winning in evolution. Domesticated animals winning evolution over wild versions: "They are selected to be OK with us". 20:44 – About unfortunate naming and wording. “Knowledge”, “Natural Selection” and “Invisible Hand” example. Random-process-that-results-in-a-refinement concept. 22:26 – Memes genes analogy. Ideas spreading in cultures is like genes spreading in populations. There's nothing special with ideas, there are memes that caught on and last, natural selection applies to them too. Sacred texts interpretation in religions: texts are brutal, core ideas are valuable. 26:25 – Tribal doctors analogy. Nat's experience in the Amazon Jungle. 28:17 – Losing valuable bottom-up knowledge. Paleo diet as going back to this knowledge. How fetishizing technology made as loose knowledge. Golden Rule: the older something is the longer probably will be around because there is a reason that it lasted. 30:31 – Tangent. Why the Greeks seem to have invented so many concepts. Japan preserved as Galapagos. Asian cultures compared to the US . Why in Tokyo they don't have trash cans. Street food culture in Asian countries. 36:40 – Spreading of ideas and knowledge in animals. Whales teaching others to create bubble nets. Lions teaching cubs how to hunt. 38:40 – Myths. Writing as a better way to preserve ideas. Enhanced understanding and being able to abstract and comprehend relativity. 41:28 – Different types of understandings: design level, technical understanding, physical, intentional. Function of bones, appendix and pinky toes. 42:59 – Tangent. About raw water, beer and coffee. How coffee may have caused Renaissance. 45:53 – Aquatic ape hypothesis. The reason we differentiate from chimps is because at one point of our history we were at half way of being dolphins. Inclination to live near water bodies. 50:30 – Epigenetics. Why the author overlooked this topic. Genes and phenotypes. How modifying our diets and behaviors can bias our evolution in few generations. Keto diet reaction for different regions. Effect of testosterone on facial traits. 59:25 – Tangent. Food labeling. Labeling in beer as a marketing strategy . Sugar allowance and lobbies. Super high carb diet and avoiding mixing carbs and fat diets. Against Mediterranean diet. 1:03:55 – Concept of of speciation. We can analyze evolution going backwards but can’t predict it. Problems with too much forward planning. "Strong goals loosely held" (instead of opinions). Humans won because we cooperate, or, we survived some event. Traffic jam example. 1:08:03 – Retrograde motion. Geocentric orbit model. "God hides in the gaps." 1:12:15 – Intentional and unintentional creations. Scientific discoveries vs art creation. Library of Babel thought experiment: infinite library that has every possible human creation but there is only one random variation expressed, as an analogy for genetic expression. Example of horned birds. “Evolution can explain how whe are here, but can’t explain why”. 01:16:23 – Darwin's warm pool idea of how life could have formed. The chances that we find human-like life in other planets are very low. Possible branches of evolution and comfortable homeostasis. “If the astro hadn't hit, would we have stayed a dinosaurs' planet?” 1:18:46 – Misinterpretations of seeing humans as the end of evolution. Coin flipping contest example. "Winning" evolution. 1:22:37 – Connection with Godel Escher Bach. Our consciousness and our minds are not special. Parallel with ants. Evolutionary algorithms in Computer Science and AI. Against the “all of this constants are right for us to exist” argument. Relativity and clocks in space example. 1:28:53 – The Ethics problem and why we should stop trying solving it problems. Where we draw the line for human "soul"?. 1:34:40 – Subscribe to the Mailing List to receive bonuses, giveaways, and more. People that make this show happen: Perfect Keto is the one-stop shop for all your ketogenic diet needs. The ketogenic diet is really effective for weight loss. Perfect Keto’s exogenous ketones helps you get into ketosis. Use the 20% coupon mentioned in the episode or use this link! The mushroom coffee from Four Sigmatic energizes you with less caffeine. Chaga Elixir and Lion's Mane mush's are stimulants and give a really nice buzz, and the Cordyceps Elixir is a caffeine-free stimulant. They hot cocoas instead, are relaxing and work as a delicious night dessert. Kettle & Fire bone broth helps you warm in this winter. Theory says we were scavengers and sucked up the bone colagens. K&F bone broth is excellent to get all those nutrients we don’t get anymore. Also it helps combat modern diseases like small intestine bacterial overgrowth. Finally, you help the show for free shopping on Amazon through our affiliate link. 1:40:06 – Crypto tangent. Ethereum rise is not really a rise. Buying other coins. Opportunity cost and parallel with business: investing in client acquisition vs client retention. Invest in the bottleneck. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

“We live at a time when man believes himself fabulously capable of creation, but he does not know what to create. Lord of all things, he is not lord of himself. He feels lost amid his own abundance. With more means at his disposal, more knowledge, more technique than ever, it turns out that the world today goes the same way as the worst of worlds that have been: it simply drifts”. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss Revolt of the Masses by José Ortega y Gasset. In this pre-WWII collection of essays Ortega y Gasset critiques and predicts the rise and predominance of the "Mass-man" class and instigates us to be accountable of our destiny. “The select man is not the petulant person who thinks himself superior to the rest, but the man who demands more of himself than the rest, even though he may not fulfill in his person those higher exigencies”. We cover a wide range of topics, including: The profile of a Mass-man, its differences with the Noble-man, and how to avoid being mediocre. Liberalism concepts today and in the past. When to listen to others opinions and when not. Behaviour within and between groups. About being responsible of our destiny and having the will to build our self future. Perceptions and regulation viewed by different sides and generations. And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Revolt of the Masses!  You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching "Made You Think." If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on the Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson, to learn how modern technologies can help you be in control of your own future, as well as our episode on Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse, to improve your life with new perspectives. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show: Slack [22:45] Jordan Petersen Podcast [26:05] Violence and the Sacred: College as an incubator of Girardian terror – article by Dan Wang [33:51] Game of Thrones [34:37] The meaning of life in a world without work  – article by Yuval Noah Harari [37:59] Zeecash [44:22] Tylenol [45:20] Coinbase [46:24] Binance [46:37] Tron Whitepaper [48:35] A Crash Course In Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Cryptocurrency [48:57] Blockfolio [48:57] Recap Time! Our Favorite Lessons from Episodes 1-20 [51:13] How to Think Like Elon Musk [56:23] Level 3 Thinking: A Unified Theory of Self-Improvement [56:35] Nat’s tweet on 4 levels of thinking [56:35] LifeHacker.com [59:15] Huffington Post [59:15] The Age of Unreason – The Economist (not The Atlantic) [1:02:27] Amazon [1:10:57] Books mentioned: Revolt of the Masses [0:00] The Sovereign Individual [1:11] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Finite and Infinite Games [1:16] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Mastery [3:35] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Antifragile [3:43] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Emergency [9:03] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley [23:21] Darwin's Dangerous Idea [23:25] The Selfish Gene [30:16] The Denial of Death [30:16] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Psychology of Human Misjudgments [30:16] (book episode) I Will Teach You To Be Rich [59:38] (Nat’s Notes) The 4-Hour Workweek [59:38] (Nat’s Notes) Principles [59:38] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Letters from a Stoic [59:38] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Influence [1:00:44] (book episode) People mentioned: Pepper the Poochon [0:26] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:55] (Antifragile episode) Karl Marx [8:11] Socialists of New York City [9:11] Jordan Peterson [9:36] Adolf Hitler [11:10] Milton Friedman [14:55] Hillary Clinton [15:14] Gary Johnson [15:28] Tim Ferriss [17:17] John D. Rockefeller [22:12] Elon Musk [25:27] (on this podcast) Charlie Munger [30:16] Dan Wang [33:51] Yuval Noah Harari [37:59] Barack Obama [53:47] Ashton Kutcher [1:01:00] Channing Tatum [1:01:13] Ray Dalio [1:03:16] (on this podcast) Winston Churchill [1:18:08] Show Topics 0:00 – “We live at a time when man believes himself fabulously capable of creation, but he does not know what to create. Lord of all things, he is not lord of himself. He feels lost amid his own abundance. With more means at his disposal, more knowledge, more technique than ever, it turns out that the world today goes the same way as the worst of worlds that have been: it simply drifts.” 0:26 – Welcome to Pepper, the third show host! 0:59 – Intro to Revolt of the Masses (Spanish: La rebelión de las masas), a book written by José Ortega y Gasset. 1:05 – Similarities of Revolt of the Masses with The Sovereign Individual and Finite and Infinite Games. Mention of "Horizonal Thinking" in one of the essays. Introduction of terms used by Ortega, the Mass Man, one who thinks deserve things, vs the Elite/Noble Man, one who thinks about improving himself. 3:16 – Organization of the book in unordered essays instead of chapters. 3:50 – Why Ortega got many predictions right, but may have missed many others by publishing this book before WWII and the Cold War. For example, he didn't expect the US to become a super-power. "The US had the seeds to be great". 5:04 – Tangent. About the difficulty to translate from romance languages to English. Translators vs interpreters. Socially acceptable traits in some countries and not others. 7:06 – Details on the situation of Europe at the time of publishing the book. Europeans worry about spreading of Russian Communism. Socialism in China. 9:11 – Tangent. Socialists of NYC. Perceptions: Nazism vs Socialism as counter-culture; fraud and violence vs crimes of omission and neglect. "It wouldn't be that bad if other people were in charge" argument. Vegans about killing lionfishes example. Jainism (indian religion). 14:14 – Political views of Ortega. Liberalism concepts today and in the past, interpretations and misinterpretations. Free markets and protectionism example. 16:31 – Tangent. New tax to "punish" liberal states. Moving to Texas for tax purposes. Buying an apartment may be cheaper than paying taxes in NY. Zero income tax. San Francisco diaspora. 20:24 – Essay. Distinguishing the Mass man vs the "Select"/Aspirational man. "The select man is not the petulant person who thinks himself superior to the rest, but the man who demands more of himself than the rest, even though he may not fulfil in his person those higher exigencies". Being elite as mindset vs being rich. Access to resources today compared to the past. 25:15 – Tangent. The rise of general quality of life in the last century was due to fossil fuel driven. Humans as the cancer of this planet. Broad philosophy vs personal action. 27:37 – Conformity. Groups of people against others. Fear of strangers. Nature preserve in Costa Rica for dogs. 31:55 – Essay. Masses have more than they ever had, and appreciate less and less. Upward mobility viewed by different people. "Poor people are lazy" argument. Girardian Terror concept. Selection bias and Game of Thrones. Conflicts within casts vs between casts, in India. 37:13 – "The sovereignty of the unqualified individual, of the generic human being as such, generically, has now passed from being a juridical idea or ideal to be a psychological state inherent in the average man. And note this, that when what was before an ideal becomes an ingredient of reality it inevitably ceases to be an ideal". Critique of the Mass person as a human that is not striving. The "Useless" Class. 38:34 – Tangent. Going back to the serves-and-lord state. 39:10 – The meaning of life in a world without work. Living in Virtual Reality, and Religion as VR. Artificial Intelligence and the need of Basic Universal Income. 41:15 – City states as the economic hubs of the future. Singapore and Hong Kong, San Francisco and New York. Importing beer in Hong Kong and in the US. Moving away from regulation because "nobody cares" and generational approaches to law. 45:41 – How regulation scares bitcoin price. About bitcoin wallets reporting to the IRS. How bitcoin relates to some many other topics: nation-states, business, currencies, politics, finance, politics, geography, cryptography, computer science, philosophy, etc. 51:45 – "The Mass-man is he whose life lacks projects and just drifts along. As a result, though his possibilities and his powers be enormous, he constructs nothing". Having the ability and motivation to improve thanks to today's technology. How today's responsibility falls on the individual. Parents wanting their kids to be better off. Sending kids to private school while criticizing public school. Minorities. 55:33 – Essay. Why the masses intervene in everything and why their intervention is solely by violence. Why people are wrong when they believe they can have an opinion now. Level 3 thinking. 58:30 – Tangent. Blog posts with Top X types titles. 1:00:07 – Celebrities endorsing political candidates and the liking fallacy. When to listen to others opinions. Steps to the Revolt. How people think they are entitled to be listened to. Syndicalism and Fascism. "Under the species of Syndicalism and Fascism there appears for the first time in Europe a type of man who does not want to give reasons or to be right, but simply shows himself resolved to impose his opinions. This is the new thing: the right not to be reasonable, the "reason of unreason"." 1:04:14 – How the majority does not eliminate the minority. When to respect others’ beliefs. The cake neglected to the gay couple example. Problems that may better be solved by the market. 1:09:15 – Essay. The age of the self-satisfied Dandy. On having rewards that we haven't necessarily gained. Anxiety from feeling entitled to move upward. 1:12:50 – Essay. The Barbarism of Specialization. Problems of overspecialization. Link with Antifragile. 1:14:06 – Essay. The Greatest Danger: The State. How the state could be used to make people conform. Support of regulation and support of police. 1:15:47 – Essay. Who Actually Commands. How governments rule with the compliance of the masses. Why elections should reflect the opinion of the masses, and why the gerrymandering is fragile. The problem with Democracy. About the quality of the legislative chambers. 1:20:29 – Closing thoughts. Be a vital person, be involved with the world, try to do projects, don't get sucked into the masses. 1:20:46 – People that makes this show happen: Kettle and Fire (their bone broth is good for dogs too!), Perfect Keto (reach ketosis effortless), Four Sygmatic Coffee (delicious mushroom coffee, pre-workout hot cocoa mixes). You can support us too, as most have done prepping for the NY snow storm through the Amazon affiliate link. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com “The select man is not the petulant person who thinks himself superior to the rest, but the man who demands more of himself than the rest, even though he may not fulfill in his person those higher exigencies”.

Failures are just opportunities in disguise. In this episode of made you think, Neil and I revisit the previous books and topics discussed on the podcast. We delve into the most useful lessons that we’ve learned so far, and discuss how you, too, can apply these lessons in your own life. We also had some Irish Mushroom Coffee. We cover various topics from previous episodes, including: The most important lessons from the past twenty episodes Incorporating these lessons into your own life Breaking down the core concepts in each episode Becoming antifragile and resilient to failure Learning to focus solely on what's in your control Letting your intuition and unconscious mind guide you And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to check out all of our episodes here. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out a few of our most popular episodes: How to Think Like Elon Musk, A Crash Course In Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Cryptocurrency, and Turning Chaos to Your Advantage: Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.   Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more.   Mentioned in the show: Four Sigmatic’s Mushroom Coffee [0:40] All of Nat’s Notes [13:47] Programming for Marketers [19:43] Square Cash [37:20] Venmo [37:23] Paypal [37:37] Kevin Rose’s Podcast [38:24] Amy Schumer Gives You a Look Into Your Soul article [52:05] What The Health [52:30] Wall-E [55:08] Blast radius of bombs site [1:12:50] Doomsday Planning for Less Crazy Folk article [1:13:29] Made You Think’s amazon affiliate link [1:14:55] The Cook and the Chef [1:25:13] SpaceX [1:27:13] Dos Toros [1:33:39] Growth Machine [1:35:12] Unlimited Brewing [1:35:31] We Work Remotely [1:36:45] Tucker Max’s CEO hiring article [1:39:56] Tim Ferriss and Ray Dalio podcast episode [1:41:00] Xerox [1:50:58] Four Sigmatic’s Cordyceps Elixir [2:06:25] Perfect Keto’s Exogenous Ketones [2:07:22] Books mentioned: Antifragile [2:28] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) The Beer Bible [6:55] Letters from a Stoic [9:44] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) Black Swan [13:25] (Nat’s Notes) Meditations [14:28] Mastery [15:40] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) The 48 Laws of Power [18:53] (Nat’s Notes) The Art of Seduction [19:08] (Nat’s Notes) The 33 Strategies of War [19:11] The 50th Law [19:17] (Nat’s Notes) The Power of Myth [21:47] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) The Sovereign Individual [21:51] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) In Praise of Idleness [39:14] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) Sapiens [40:16] (Nat’s Notes) Amusing Ourselves to Death [47:40] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) Brave New World [54:52] Finite and Infinite Games [56:40] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) The Way of Zen [1:01:48] (book episode) (Neil’s Notes) (Nat’s Notes) Emergency [1:08:24] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) Godel Escher Bach [1:17:45] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) The Goal [1:30:52] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) Principles [1:37:28] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) The Hero With a Thousand Faces [1:40:34] The Inner Game of Tennis [1:43:22] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) The Psychology of Human Misjudgments [1:48:29] (book episode) Poor Charlie’s Almanack [1:48:42] Work Clean [1:56:07] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) The Denial of Death [1:58:17] (book episode) (Nat’s Notes) Influence [2:01:08] (book episode) People mentioned: Nassim Nicholas Taleb [2:28] Lucius Annaeus Seneca [9:44] Marcus Aurelius [14:28] Epictetus [14:45] Robert Greene [15:40] Ryan Holiday [17:20] Paul Graham [18:03] Justin Mares [19:43] Rapper T.I. [23:56] Kevin Rose [38:24] Bertrand Russell [39:14] Taylor Pearson [43:20] Adil Majid [43:20] Neil Postman [47:40] James P. Carse [56:40] Alan Watts [1:01:48] The Wright Brothers [1:05:11] Neil Strauss [1:08:24] Alex Jones [1:09:07] Douglas R. Hofstadter [1:17:45] Tim Urban [1:25:13] Ray Dalio [1:37:28] Tucker Max [1:39:55] Tim Ferriss [1:41:00] Timothy Gallwey [1:43:22] Daniel Kahneman [1:44:00] Charlie Munger [1:48:29] Dan Charnas [1:56:07] Tiago Forte [1:57:40] Sigmund Freud [1:58:21] Robert Cialdini [2:01:08] 0:00 - Some information on this episode, a bit on the unique beverage being drunk throughout the discussion, and a bit on how this episode is formatted. 2:20 - Book one, Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. How Nat and Neil have applied this book to their own lives and some discussion on a few lessons from the book. Becoming more antifragile and noticing the fragile. Second major lesson at 6:40 on the unnecessary information filter. “You want to look for opportunities where you have really high upside and really limited potential downside.” 9:45 - Book two, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca. How the book was written and some key takeaways from the book. Focusing on what’s in your control, forcing hardships on yourself, and a bit on the other stoic philosophers. 15:40 - Book three, Mastery by Robert Greene. A bit on the book being a must-read for college students, how the book is structured, Robert Greene’s other books, and how the book details important elements of mentor/mentee relationships. “If you want to get really good at something, Mastery is where you start.” 21:50 - Book four, The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. Discussion on the initiation rituals in the past, which were for boys to become men. Also, a bit on various systems which were passed down throughout time and their significance (e.g. praying for your sickness to go away, benefiting from the placebo effect). Discussion on praying for certain weather conditions back in the day, compared to manipulating it today and the fragility of that. 30:58 - Book five, The Sovereign Individual. Some information on the book, its predictions, a bit on cryptocurrency, and going off the grid. 39:14 - Book six, In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell. Some information on the book, discussion on working and productivity, and some thoughts on spending time on leisure. “You don’t always have to be working, and you shouldn’t feel guilty for not working.” 42:52 - Episode seven, the cryptocurrency crash course episode. What was discussed in the episode and a bit on cryptocurrency in general. 47:40 - Book eight, Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. Some information on the book and discussion on the negatives of the internet, media, and the news. Also, some discussion on the prevalence of false information in the media today. 56:40 - Book nine, Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse. The impact of this book on your perspective and work-life, describing finite vs infinite games, a bit on goals vs systems thinking, and discussing finite playing vs infinite playing. 1:01:48 - Book ten, The Way of Zen by Alan Watts. A bit on the book itself, discussion on meditation, some thoughts on knowledge that’s not defined by explicit rules, and doing things without having the need to explain why. 1:08:24 - Book eleven, Emergency by Neil Strauss. Discussing prepper communities, doomsday survival, and making sure that you’re prepared for bombings, shootings, and other tragic situations. Also, what to do in certain dangerous situations to improve your chances of survival. “Start better preparing for things that might actually happen.” 1:17:45 - Book twelve, Godel Escher Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter. Some discussion on the wide range of topics found throughout the book and on the intellectual depth of the book. Also, a bit on the accurate predictions the book made and its ideas which are still relevant 50 years later. 1:25:13 - Episode thirteen, the Cook and the Chef article by Tim Urban. Breaking down how Elon Musk thinks. Thinking based on first principles and changing your perspective to force a new way of thinking. “What assumptions can I challenge that I haven’t challenged yet.” 1:30:52 - Book fourteen, The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Some information on the book and how it’s broken down. Describing the theory of constraints and using this to improve your companies efficiency and for optimizing bottlenecks. Also, a bit of discussion on management and business in general. 1:37:28 - Book fifteen, Principles by Ray Dalio. How the book is formatted, breaking down each section, and a bit on some of the wisdom found in the book. Living by these principles and tracking the decisions that you make. “You can have almost anything you want, but you can’t have everything you want.” “Failures are just opportunities in disguise.” 1:43:22 - Book sixteen, The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallaway. Discussion on the concept of self-one (conscious, ego-based mind) and self-two (unconscious, automatic behavior mind) found in the books. Letting your intuition and your unconscious guide you, and some techniques for allowing this to happen easier. 1:48:29 - Book seventeen, The Psychology of Human Misjudgments by Charlie Munger. What the book was about, the twenty-five psychological failures and cognitive biases that we all fall into, and making better decisions. 1:56:07 - Book eighteen, Work Clean by Dan Charnas. Some information on the book, how you can benefit from it, the relationship between cleanliness and organization with improved productivity, and starting things so that they’re easier to pick up later. 1:58:17 - Book nineteen, The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker. How the book is written, a bit of discussion on Freud, and a bit on our own mortality. 2:01:08 - Book twenty, Influence by Robert Cialdini. A bit on how the book is structured, who could benefit the most from reading it, and some information on each of the chapters. 2:03:05 - Wrap-up, information on Nat’s book notes, the podcast episode, sponsors, and some last thoughts. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

“It is odd that despite their current widespread use and looming future importance, most of us know very little about our automatic behavior patterns. Perhaps that is so precisely because of the mechanistic, unthinking manner in which they occur. Whatever the reason, it is vital that we clearly recognize one of their properties: They make us terribly vulnerable to anyone who does know how they work.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I cover Influence by Robert Cialdini. It’s a classic on the art of persuasion and explains the psychology of why people say "yes”. You’ll learn how to become a better persuader, how to market yourself and your ideas, and how to defend against the influences of others. We cover a wide range of topics, including: The six main influencers and how they work. The psychology behind being influenced and noticing it in your own life. Using the six main influencer techniques to your own advantage. Popular examples of these influencers being used. How to avoid becoming negatively influenced by these techniques. And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Influence! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on The Psychology of Human Misjudgments by Charlie Munger, to learn about the 25 cognitive biases that negatively affect our thinking and how to effectively watch out for them, as well as our episode on Principles by Ray Dalio, to learn the key principles necessary for getting what you want out of life. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Mentioned in the show: Nike [3:47] Adidas [3:48] Made You Think episode on The Psychology of Human Misjudgments [4:55] Four Sigmatic’s Mushroom Coffee (20% off) [5:10] Perfect Keto’s MCT Oil Powder [5:20] Made You Think support page [5:30] Kettle and Fire’s Bone Broth (20% off) [5:42] Lyft [13:05] Sam Harris and Scott Adams debate [21:51] Sam Harris’ Waking Up Podcast [21:58] Growth Machine [23:47] Transcendental Meditation [33:01] Boiler Room movie [33:44] The Godfather [33:50] The Wolf of Wall Street [34:38] Nat’s Keto article [34:55] Hitch movie [37:05] Mom Trusted [47:06] Bond: Handwritten Notes [48:10] Product Hunt [48:18] Buffer [48:30] AirBnB [49:03] Shopify [54:15] Fomo [54:16] NFL.com [55:35] Spotify app mentioned [57:36] Freakonomics episode on suicide reporting [1:07:25] Uber [1:15:18] JP Morgan [1:34:32] House of Cards [1:38:17] Bookinabox [1:47:00] Books mentioned: Influence Trust Me, I’m Lying [6:45] The 48 Laws of Power [6:45] (Nat’s Notes) How to Lie With Statistics [7:20] (Nat’s Notes) The Heart and Fist [46:15] The Denial of Death [1:18:30] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Amusing Ourselves to Death [1:27:08] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Winston Churchill’s WW2 Books [1:31:25] Finite and Infinite Games [1:42:07] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Antifragile [1:44:58] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Principles [1:51:44] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Letters from a Stoic [1:51:55] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) People mentioned: Robert Cialdini Nassim Nicholas Taleb [3:30] (episode on Antifragile) LeBron James [3:51] Charlie Munger [4:55] (related podcast episode) Ryan Holiday [6:45] Robert Greene [6:54] (episode on Mastery) Benjamin Franklin [11:04] Scott Adams [17:06] Sam Harris [21:06] Sonny Corleone [33:52] Vin Diesel [33:58] Will Smith [37:10] Ray Dalio [47:02] (episode on Principles) Seneca [53:20] (episode on Letters from a Stoic) Epictetus [53:22] Adil Majid [53:48] Justin Mares [54:14] Bill Nye [1:26:05] Stanley Milgram [1:29:14] Dr. Jordan Peterson [1:30:42] Neville Chamberlain [1:31:30] Jamie Dimon [1:34:30] Floyd Mayweather [1:36:03] Kevin Spacey [1:38:15] Robin Wright [1:38:47] Barbra Streisand [1:44:03] Beyonce [1:44:10] Tom Peters [1:50:10] Roger Fisher [1:50:12] David Meyers [1:50:19] 0:00 - Introductory quote and some information on the book. 4:04 - A bit on how the book is structured, as well as explaining what the six main influencers are. 6:16 - How you can use this book and some other books that mention this book. 8:07 - The first chapter of the six main influencers, reciprocation, and some discussion on this. Also, some examples of this. “When we get something, we feel obligated to give something back.” 17:04 - Some discussion on an excerpt about negotiation from the reciprocation chapter. 21:01 - Wrapping up the reciprocation chapter with how to challenge reciprocity. “If you want to fight reciprocity, define it as a sales device, not a gift.” 25:52 - The chapter on commitment and consistency. Detailing the chapter and what commitment and consistency are. 33:00 - A few examples related to this chapter and some discussion on them. 37:34 - The second example related to the chapter and detailing the psychology that the method used. Also, a bit on getting people used to saying yes to get them to continue agreeing. 41:17 - The physical and effort aspect of commitment and consistency. Also, a bit on cold emailing and cold-calling (and a few tangents). “The more effort that goes into a commitment, the greater the ability that you’ll have to influence the attitude.” 53:00 - The chapter on social proof. A bit on canned laughter, examples of social proof, some discussion on the bystander effect, and tying social proof into evolutionary instincts. (Tangents at 55:08) “Once people see somebody helping, then they all rush to help. But when nobody is helping, nobody does anything.” 1:03:10 - When people are like us, we tend to like them more. An example on this and some following discussion. Also, some thoughts on how suicide reports in the news correlate with increased suicide rates. 1:09:56 - The chapter on liking. A few examples, discussing these examples, and detailing why they work. “When we like people or like something, we attribute more good things to it.” 1:19:55 - Discussing the aspects of getting hooked on a fad and thinking that everything associated with that fad is good. Also, defining natural, organic, free-range, and other terminologies and explaining why they aren’t always clear or fully truthful. 1:25:37 - The chapter on authority. Some examples of authority and discussing how it works. Also, a bit on social proof, fear of going against the grain, cryptocurrency, and stocks. An interesting fact from Cialdini on common medical errors, as well. Always ask: “Is this authority truly an expert?” 1:38:08 - Discussing celebrity endorsements with political candidates and some following tangents. 1:42:35 - The last chapter on scarcity. Various examples, usage with marketing, and a few tangents. “The more scarce something appears, the more we want it.” 1:47:05 - Recognizing scarcity and some discussion on scarcity in general. “Most things are not made better by being scarce.” 1:48:30 - Closing thoughts and discussing the last section of the book on shunning those who use these techniques excessively and in a negative manner. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

“It’s this denial of death that is our main psychological challenge.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker. It’s a phenomenal book on how our fear of mortality is the core for our psychological disturbances, our motivation for taking action in life and behaving in certain ways. We cover a wide range of topics, including: The necessity for a heroic purpose to motivate us and the current lack of it Why we do things and behave in certain ways The fear of death being the core of our psychological disturbances How we often take comfort in trivial things to give us the illusion of control Death being a prime motivation for us to do things and take action Breaking down our need for certainty and control in life Balancing the need to reflect with the need to experience And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Denial of Death and to check out Nat’s Notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on The Power of Myth, to learn how to use the power of mythology to positively influence your life, and our episode on How to Think Like Elon Musk, to learn how to emulate Musk’s way of thinking for extreme advantages in life. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more.   Mentioned in the show: Perfect Keto [1:42] Dr. Jordan Peterson Podcast [2:45] Carnegie Mellon [10:58] Dante’s Inferno [17:47] Blackfish [27:52] Waitbutwhy [31:15] Waitbutwhy article on the iPhone experiment [31:15] Crony Beliefs [38:12] Melting Asphalt [38:18] Atheist Reddit [44:52] Mark Manson’s website [47:27] Nomad List [50:07] RemoteOK [50:12] Hoodmaps [50:14] Modern Times Brewery [52:12] Made You Think Cryptocurrency episode [55:54] Coinbase [57:11] Nat Chat Podcast [59:12] Growth Machine [1:02:45] Quickbooks [1:03:05] Tim Ferriss Podcast [1:07:30] Idiocracy [1:21:00] Made You Think support page [1:24:08] Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee [1:24:20] Four Sigmatic Cordyceps Mushroom Elixir [1:25:20] Kettle and Fire Bone Broth (20% off!) [1:25:35] Instapot [1:26:17] Perfect Keto’s products [1:26:47] Books mentioned: The Denial of Death (Nat’s Notes) The Power of Myth [4:18] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Mastery [14:27] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) The Story of Philosophy [15:14] (Nat’s Notes) Black Swan [23:20] (Nat’s Notes) Godel Escher Bach [26:18] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Waking Up [26:47] (Nat’s Notes) The Way of Zen [35:20] (Neil’s Notes) (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Sapiens [36:08] (Nat’s Notes) Radical [45:44] Work Clean [48:16] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) The 4-Hour Workweek [48:48] Antifragile [1:11:20] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Skin in the Game [1:19:01] Brave New World [1:19:39] Fight Club [1:22:42] People mentioned: Ernest Becker Sigmund Freud [2:10] Dr. Jordan Peterson [2:45] Carl Jung [14:38] Will Durant [15:14] Albert Einstein [16:00] Ray Kurzweil [18:23] Peter Thiel [18:29] Elon Musk [18:47] (episode on How to Think Like Elon Musk) Sam Harris [26:47] Tim Urban [32:07] Jose Ortega y Gasset [36:26] Kevin Simmler [38:14] Mark Manson [47:27] Tim Ferriss [48:44] Peter Levels [50:06] Kierkegaard [53:40] Taylor Pearson [55:52] Adil Majid [56:24] Jocko Willink [1:04:11] Erich Fromm [1:05:47] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:11:20] (Antifragile episode) Neil Strauss [1:18:42] (Emergency episode) 0:00 - Introductory quote and a bit of information about the book itself. 4:28 - Some thoughts on living every day as your last, versus taking everything seriously due to the impact it has in the long-term. Also, some discussion on time, various aspects of human nature, and the differences between everyone’s perspective. 8:49 - Becoming conscious of what we’re doing to earn our feeling of heroism to find out that it’s the main self-analytic problem of life. Some thoughts on this and discussion on how most of the youth today do not have some big heroic ideal that they’re pushing towards. 11:10 - Some more thoughts on the lack of heroic purpose and the lack of meaning in our lives today. How this is related to motivation and depression, as well. “If you don’t have a propelling narrative for what you’re doing with your life, then you will naturally be depressed and feel like your life doesn’t matter.” 12:53 - Tearing down our heroes to give ourselves a sense of control and this happening in society. Some examples of this and then some discussion on mentor/mentee relationships, 16:26 - Discussion on the terror of death and various examples of this theme throughout cultures, societies, and religions. Also how our fear of death influences our view of the world. “It’s this denial of death that is our main psychological challenge.” 19:13 - The problem of us often inventing reasons for anxiety when there are none, some examples of people doing this, and how this relates to our mortality. Also, how we should try to not waste energy worrying about something that may happen, and instead saving that energy for when it might happen. “We all just sort of invent these anxieties and reasons to worry, and they seem really important and serious to us, but to outsiders, they usually seem trivial.” 23:35 - How we need the fear of mortality to motivate us to do things. Also, some thoughts on how we’re trying to extend our lives and live forever, and some thoughts on consciousness and the ego. “We need death to motivate us to do anything in life.” 27:29 - Discussion on empathy and consciousness in animals, the evolution of species, and survival instincts. Also, a bit on how much food we consume, and how much resources it takes to grow something and then when we lose that something, we lose all of those resources that were involved. 33:32 - Various psychoanalytic concepts and the next section on life being this chaos that we get lost in, and hiding behind these shared mythologies to avoid that chaos. Comforting ourselves to hide from the true reality of that situation. 38:22 - Thinking of information having objective value, and some thoughts on how we adopt these beliefs to gain something. Also, when someone challenges that belief, we lash out at them. How noticing ourselves having an emotional reaction when this happens shows us that that belief is most likely crony. How noticing this emotional response in others can benefit you and examples of this, as well. 44:13 - Discussion on how ideologies gain their strength, people getting emotionally invested in them, how we all need something we can cling to really strongly, and how we jump around with clinging to things. Also, some discussion on jumping around from obsessions and how people who feel strongly in certain communities will lash out on others who do or think differently. 53:40 - Some discussion and examples of us doing things more aggressively than we normally would to gain a sense of control that we’re lacking in another area of our life. Doing trivial acts to gain the illusion of control. 55:52 - Thoughts on cryptocurrency and how we will sometimes mess up things on purpose, just to regain that sense of control and do it all over again. How this can lead to loss of control, as well. 1:02:19 - How we’re always going to have various anxieties and how we can use these to trigger personal growth. Also, a bit on finding out what it is that you’re avoiding the most, and how that is most likely what you need to be doing. How taking a small action towards doing that can make it easier to do the rest and some discussion on making compromises with yourself, as well. 1:05:24 - The next section on the spell cast by persons that is transference. Describing transference, and how we deify certain persons to gain more control in our own lives due to following that person. Also, how we get offended when someone ruins our image of something that we have a fixed perspective on. 1:11:20 - How religion has to have had some survival benefit to be so pervasive throughout the world and every culture and some discussion on the shared myth of certain similarities between people. 1:12:50 - Thoughts on how we’ve lost spirituality and mysticism over the years, and how modern man tries to replace that vital awe and wonder with a how-to-do-it manual. Why we prefer this manual and why we need to think that everything is perfectly logical to remove the anxiety from the dreaded uncertainty. Tying this back into the illusion of control. 1:15:57 - How we all avoid this fear of death and dealing with our problems by tranquilizing ourselves with something trivial (celebrities, social media, the news, etc). How we need to face the uncertainty of certain situations and the true reality of situations. 1:17:25 - Feeling the pain of failure, engaging in experience and being fully invested in it to learn from it. Also, not just knowing, but actually living and plunging into experiences. “If you have all reflection without any plunging into experience, you’ll just go crazy. And if you have just all plunging with no reflection, you’re a brute. You have to balance both of them.” 1:19:15 - Some last thoughts and how we have to face up to our need to be heroic. How culture doesn’t really provide opportunities to be heroic and helps us forget it, and how this deprives us of our heroic urge to victory. Also, tying this into universal based income and some thoughts on that. 1:22:53 - The last line of the book and some closing thoughts on the podcast, the book, the newsletter, and supporting the podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com The irony of man’s condition is that the deepest need is to be free of the anxiety of death and annihilation, but it is life itself which awakens it and so we must shrink from being fully alive.

Mise-en-place is not a crazy efficiency program. It is really a way of life for people who value themselves, people, eachother, and the planet. In this episode of Made You Think, we’re covering the book Everything in Its Place (originally “Work Clean”) by Dan Charnas, and for the first time on the podcast, the author is joining us for the episode! This book is all about the strategies and tools that culinarians often use in their work, and applying these strategies to improve your life and productivity. We cover a wide range of topics, including: The ten mise-en-place system techniques that you can use to improve your life The correlation between an organized space and an organized mind Using the mise en place system to reduce anxiety, improve work efficiency, and overall quality of life Building inner-discipline and being honest with yourself The importance of actually finishing the tasks that you start on Becoming a better manager and a few of the flaws in companies today And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Everything in Its Place and to check out Nat’s Notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on How to Think Like Elon Musk, to learn how to emulate Musk’s way of thinking for extreme advantages in life, and our episode on The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, to learn how to use a simple theory to never stop improving. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more.   Mentioned in the show: Unlimited Brewing Company [1:12] Warner Brothers [2:03] The Eisenhower Matrix [4:29] School of Journalism [5:28] The Palm Pilot [5:54] NPR [12:06] Transcendental Meditation [22:22] Culinary Institute of America [25:35] Tisch [47:58] Saturday Night Live [48:29] Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee [1:01:37] Four Sigmatic Cordyceps Elixir [1:02:49] Made You Think support page [1:03:35] Perfect Keto [1:03:39] Kettle and Fire Bone Broth (20% off for listeners!) [1:03:41] Nat’s article on fasting [1:09:25] Keto Subreddit [1:12:13] Matcha MCT oil powder [1:17:04] Athletic Greens [1:18:04] Books mentioned: Work Clean (Nat’s Notes) (new version of the book) Getting Things Done [0:48] The Goal [3:14] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People [4:02] First Things First [4:04] The Big Payback [4:37] The Making of a Chef [6:44] Kitchen Confidential [7:04] Heat by Beaufort [7:06] The Way of Zen [23:22] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (episode on the book) Irrational Exuberance [1:00:25] Outliers [1:00:29] What Happened [1:00:45] Antifragile [1:04:04] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Godel Escher Bach [1:10:27] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Daily Rituals [1:18:35] People mentioned: Dan Charnas Chris Sparks [0:33] Rick Rubin [2:05] Steven Covey [3:57] David Allen [6:08] Michael Ruhlman [6:44] Anthony Bourdain [7:04]] Wylie Dufresne [9:02] Jean-Georges [13:54] Thomas Keller [13:56] Alan Watts [23:22] Éric Ripert [25:28] Bill Buford [25:31] Lauren Michaels [48:29] Ernest Hemingway [50:23] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:00:13] (Antifragile episode) Tim Ferriss [1:02:42] 0:00 - Introduction featuring the author himself, Dan Charnas. A bit on what made Dan write the book, how he got into organizational systems, and some background on his life. Also, Dan listing some of the most influential books that he’s read. 7:24 - Dan’s journey to becoming a chef and him describing the importance of mise en place. Also, a bit on applying the powerful principles that chefs live by to other areas of life. 11:30 - The beginning of Dan cotifying mise en place for the first time with Work Clean, some thoughts on how things sometimes need an outside perspective, and a bit on the discipline and commitment that’s required in the culinary world. “There’s a certain level of commitment to reality that culinarians have that I think we miss in the corporate world.” 17:02 - The thirty-minute daily commitment to setting your own mise en place, some discussion on the macro and micro levels of the system outlined in Work Clean, and the importance of having a system that involves both the mind and the body. 20:02 - Using mise en place as an effective anxiety reducing technique, the correlation between an organized space and an organized mind, and a bit on the zen-like aspects of the book. 24:20 - Breaking down the ten ingredients/techniques of mise en place that you can bring together for your own personal system. 27:55 - The main technique of the mise en place system that has positively impacted Dan the most and some discussion on the importance of doing the largest tasks in your day first. 34:58 - Certain things to do watch out for when managing people, some thoughts on management in general, and discussion on implementing systems into large-scale organizations. 42:20 - General discussion on corporate meetings and the flaws of these meetings. Also, a bit on a chef’s heavy responsibilities, finding balance between speed and quality, and improving efficiency within a company. “A meeting is about sharing ideas, resolving conflicts, and unblocking.” 48:48 - Going in depth on the importance of actually finishing your actions. Also, some discussion on taking an intentional break and the need to be honest with yourself about your work. “Ninety percent finished is the same as zero percent finished.” 54:07 - A bit more on having a system for both the body and the mind, and linking the system to your calendar. Actually taking the time to do things and scheduling the time to do them. “This is what I can do today.” 58:14 - Wrap-up, where to find Dan at online, and some closing thoughts. 59:03 - After-thoughts with just Neil and Nat. Some discussion on various products discounted for listeners, diet, health, fasting, and going into ketosis (ketogenic diet). Also, some discussion getting into ketosis and how to minimize the negative effects when transitioning into ketosis. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com Ultimately it is about cultivating our inner-discipline.

I had found that theory was a superpower in helping one get what one wanted, as I had early discovered in school where I had excelled without labor, guided by theory. While many others without mastery of theory, failed, despite monstrous effort. In this episode of Made You Think, we discuss The Psychology of Human Misjudgments. This was a “speech” compiled by Charlie Munger from three other speeches he gave, digging into a toolkit that he uses to make sure he’s not being fooled by his mental biases. He digs into each of the 25 biases that adversely affect your thinking in work and life, and how we might watch out for them in order to make better decisions ourselves. We managed to dig into *almost* all of them during the show. A list of all 25 cognitive biases can be found here. We covered... The 25 cognitive biases that lead to poor decision making. Breaking down each of these biases and applying them. How these biases can positively or negatively affect everyday life. Benefiting from these biases and noticing yourself using them. And more. Please enjoy, and be sure to check out The Psychology of Human Misjudgments! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to listen to our episode on Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, to learn how to profit from chaos, and our episode on How to Think Like Elon Musk, to learn how to emulate Musk’s way of thinking for extreme advantages.     Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Mentioned in the show: Berkshire Hathaway [0:55] Joe Rogan Podcast [4:10] Neil’s article on The Optionality Trap [7:22] Xerox [9:47] Stripe [12:10] Made You Think episode 15 (The Goal) [16:54] Sratechery [27:15] Pro-Neutrality, Anti-Title II article [27:15] Bookinabox [52:01] David and Goliath [56:24] Carnegie Mellon [56:49] Revisionist History [58:25] Wesley college [58:31] Modafinil [1:03:37] Made You Think episode on Cryptocurrency [1:10:03] Preston Byrne’s blog [1:11:40] AVC.com [1:14:52] Books mentioned: The Psychology of Human Misjudgments Amusing Ourselves to Death [0:31] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Poor Charlie’s Almanack [0:43] Principles [5:16] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) The Goal [17:00] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Emergency [24:49] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Influence [50:45] Giftology [52:04] Peak [55:35] (Nat’s Notes) Outliers [59:12] Harry Potter [1:21:16] The Inner Game of Tennis [1:22:19] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) People mentioned: Elon Musk [0:27] (How to Think Like Elon Musk episode) Charlie Munger [0:37] Warren Buffett [0:53] Joe Rogan [4:10] Ray Dalio [5:16] (Principles episode) LeBron James [47:38] Robert Cialdini [50:45] E.O. Wilson [50:56] Zak Slayback [52:03] Malcolm Gladwell [55:38] Anders Ericsson [55:40] Steve Faloon [57:04] Leo Tolstoy [1:00:30] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:10:58] (Antifragile episode) Preston Byrne [1:11:40] Taylor Pearson [1:11:42] Adil Majid [1:13:45] Fred Wilson [1:14:46] 0:00 - Introductory quote, a bit of background on this episode, and a bit on the author Charlie Munger. 4:46 - How the speech is basically structured and what the goals of the speech are. 9:19 - The first of the 25 cognitive biases that lead to poor decision making, which is thinking about incentives above everything else. Also, a few examples on business infrastructure flaws and companies in general. “In your company, if you’re incentivizing people to tell you bad news instead of good news, that is so important.” 17:12 - The second of the 25 cognitive biases, the liking and loving tendency. “If they love this person, they will gloss over the bad parts.” (Tangent at 19:10) Some thoughts on the psychological influences in various mass shootings such as tumors and neurological issues, and on mass shootings in general. 25:34 - The third cognitive bias, the disliking and hating tendency. “However we feel about something or someone, we will distort the facts either to make us feel stronger positively or stronger negatively.” Also, some discussion on net-neutrality, various monopolies, and some thoughts on Netflix. 31:19 - Further discussion on the disliking and hating tendency bias, and some thoughts on cognitive foundations that we have which are based on irrational things. 34:57 - Number four, the doubt avoidance tendency. Some examples of this. 37:03 - Number five, the inconsistency avoidance bias. Giving favors to people that may dislike you, to make them lean towards liking you and be consistent. Some other examples of this, as well. Tangent at 41:30 on the cognitive dissonance with cosmetic companies and animal testing. 43:55 - Number six, the curiosity bias and number seven, the conscient fairness tendency (how no fair world exists). Some examples of this. Also, a bit on the fundamental attribution error, in which perceive people to be inherently bad if they do something wrong. 47:10 - Number eight, the envy/jealousy tendency. Where we tend to get envious and jealous whenever other people have good things happen to them. Some examples of this. 50:40 - Number nine, on reciprocation. Where if someone does something either bad or good to us, we want to do the same to them. 52:50 - Number ten, the influence from mere association tendency. When you start seeing things go together, the opinion of one will affect your opinion on the other (such as expensive equals good). Some other examples on this, as well. “Watch out when you assume someone is qualified due to their associations.” 55:30 - Tangent on the 10,000-hour rule and how experience doesn’t equal skill or work proficiency. A bit of discussion on Ericsson’s original research that led to Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule theory. 59:47 - Number eleven, simple psychological denial. Distorting the facts until they become bearable for our own news. Number twelve, excessive self-regard. Also, a bit on the Tolstoy effect that happens with criminals and the natural tendency to ascribe the best notions to our actions. Drug usage within sports and bodybuilding discussed here, as well. 1:06:17 - Tangent on the rumor of Michael Jordan taking his year off to play baseball, but actually being secretly suspended by the NBA. Also, how some schools will try to get rid of the mentally ill, to avoid having a suicide case on their hands. 1:08:32 - Number thirteen on over-optimism. Being overly optimistic towards things that you want to happen. Number fourteen, the deprival super-reaction tendency. Acting with an irrational intensity to recover anything of value that was lost. Some thoughts on bitcoin here, as well. 1:13:37 - Number fifteen, the social-proof tendency. The tendency to think and act like others who are around you. 1:15:26 - Number sixteen, contrast-misreaction tendency. The tendency to go for something that lies in between extreme contrasting things. “If you have three items and want someone to buy the middle one, if you really overprice one and really underprice the other, people will think the one in the middle is reasonably priced even if it is still overpriced.” 1:17:22 - Seventeen, the stress influence tendency. Stress causing extreme reactions, bad decisions, and dysfunction. Eighteen, availability misweighing tendency. If something is clear in our minds, we tend to overweigh its significance. 1:18:54 - Skipping ahead to number twenty-five, the Lollapalooza tendency, where all of these effects combined come into play. Also, some funny examples of various biases coming into play. 1:23:21 - Wrap-up and some information on the podcast, podcast feedback and reviews, the newsletter, and giveaways. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

The best of them know that their peak performance never comes when they’re thinking about it. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat cover The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey. Before you say “I don’t play tennis,” it’s not really about tennis. It teaches you how to better learn and teach by getting your conscious mind out of the driver seat, and letting your true ability present itself. If you enjoyed either The Way of Zen or Finite and Infinite Games, you’ll like this book as it describes many similar ideas. We cover a wide range of topics, including:    Improving your sense of calm during stressful situations. The nature of the subconscious and conscious minds. Getting into the flow-state and letting the subconscious express itself. How to better trust the subconscious mind. Why you should take time off to play more often. Learning things easier by observation and imitation. Why you should sometimes let things happen, rather than make them happen. And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Inner Game of Tennis and to check out Nat’s Notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to listen to our episode on The Way of Zen by Alan Watts, to learn about Zen Buddhism and improving your life with it, and our episode on Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse, to learn how to push past your own self-limiting beliefs and to rethink everything. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more.   Mentioned in the show: Lifehacker [3:20] University of Wisconsin [4:44] Buzzfeed [6:08] The Inner Game of Everything article [6:17] USC [6:30] The Components of Optimal Sexuality paper [8:13] Video of person climbing through drive-through window [13:03] Tai-Chi Push Hands [20:13] Nat Chat [28:24] Nat Chat episode with Thomas Frank [28:24] Nat Chat episode with Neil [32:18] Unlimited Brewing [33:19] Nat Chat episode with Charlie Hoehn [35:39] Game of Thrones [37:35] Starcraft [38:00] Discord [41:01] Reportive [47:56] RocketReach [47:57] The Five Levels to Expertise article [48:53] Deep House Relax playlist [1:02:35] Spotify [1:02:37] Listenonrepeat.com [1:03:07] Instapaper [1:04:28] Medium [1:04:35] Youtube Red [1:04:39] Adblocker [1:04:59] The effect of lipids on alcohol metabolism [1:07:46] Dota [1:19:36] Hearthstone [1:19:36] Books mentioned: The Inner Game of Tennis (Nat’s Notes) Godel Escher Bach [0:46] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance [1:34] The Way of Zen [2:42]  (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Rise of Superman [3:30] Finite and Infinite Games [3:45] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Switch [12:24] Winning Ugly [17:40] The Art of Learning [19:03] (Nat’s Notes) Thinking Fast and Slow [22:53] Antifragile [26:14] (Nat’s Notes) (Antifragile episode) Principles [29:41] (Nat’s Notes) (Principles episode) Mastery [30:03] (Nat’s Notes) (Mastery episode) Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind [30:50] (Nat’s Notes) Play It Away [34:03] The Score Takes Care of Itself [1:23:22] (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Timothy Gallwey Elon Musk [0:53] (How to Think Like Elon Musk episode) Pete Carroll [1:55] Steven Kotler [3:30] Phil Jackson [5:38] Al Gore [6:34] Nicole Kidman [7:45] Juliette Binoche [7:47] Derek Sivers [9:40] Plato [11:47] Chip and Dan Heath [12:24] Warren Buffett [14:59] Brad Gilbert [17:41] Boris Becker [18:01] Josh Waitzkin [19:03] Daniel Kahneman [22:47] Alan Watts [23:24] (Way of Zen episode) Thomas Frank [28:29] D.T. Suzuki [30:40] Shunryu Suzuki [30:52] Charlie Hoehn [34:02] Dreyfus Brothers [48:54] Ray Dalio [57:53] (Principles episode) Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:08:20] (Antifragile episode) Conor McGregor [1:21:27] 0:00 - Introductory quote, a bit of background on the book, and some discussion on the flow state. “Trying to get into flow is paradoxical.” 3:44 - Some similar books to this one, examples of this book in popular culture, and a bit on the paradoxical nature of trying things that should happen more naturally. 8:38 - A common complaint found in most sports and how this applies to many different areas of life. Also, the issue of how our actions often do not match up with our thoughts. “It’s not that I don’t know what to do, it’s that I don’t do what I know.” 10:45 - (Tangent #1) - Thoughts on consciousness and being in control. The conscious mind, instinct, and the subconscious. “The mind is a three-part system and like a chariot. You’ve got two horses pulling the chariot which are desire and passion. The driver is reason.” 15:45 - Some more discussion on the mental dialogue that goes on and the correlation between “out of your mind”, “being in the zone”, and being in the flow-state. Also, a bit on agitating other players to get them out of the flow-state. 19:42 - Using high-intensity interval training and trying to calm down as fast as possible afterward, to transfer that into calming down much faster in stressful situations. 22:15 - The discovery of the two-selves (self-one: the conscious mind and self-two: the instinctual mind) and the differences between them. Also, a bit on trusting the instinctual mind more and a bit on the struggle between the two selves. 24:53 - Actions performed by the subconscious versus the conscious, and some discussion on the nature of learning various things. 26:55 - A bit more on trusting the subconscious mind, some positive examples of the subconscious mind, and an example of how consciously trying to do things can sacrifice natural fluidity. 30:33 - How to quiet your conscious mind so that you can get more into the subconscious state of being. Letting your subconscious express itself more. Also, a bit on the benefits of taking time to play and naturally explore things that you’re interested in. “Man is a thinking reed but his great works are done when he is not calculating and thinking.” 36:24 - More on taking time out of your day to play, and why television is not a good idea for play. Also, a bit on video games in general, games taking you out of the conscious and bringing you into the subconscious, and some of Nat and Neil’s experiences with gaming. 41:08 - A bit more of letting go of the conscious and letting go of judgments, as well. Trusting the subconscious and letting things happen, rather than making them happen. 43:08 - Discussion on learning by imitation and some thoughts on the importance of observing someone do something, since they may not be able to teach you everything through description. Also, a bit on why apprenticeships are so effective. 48:50 - The five levels of expertise and why you need different methods of learning at different levels. 51:05 - Changing your habits and changing your perspective from wanting to have control of everything to a more relaxed perspective where you trust the subconscious. Also, a bit on how things seem weird when you consciously focus on them, and how complex reading and communication seems. 55:34 - Thoughts on repeating things over and over before they become innate knowledge. Some discussion on simple processes emerging into something greater and the problem with programming these processes or innate knowledge. 1:00:36 - Trusting the subconscious and the difficulty with that. Some thoughts on what may help you trust the subconscious and get into the flow-state. 1:04:12 - Avoiding all ads and the negative impact of advertising on your subconscious mind. A bit on Tylenol and ibuprofen, hangovers, and the placebo effect. 1:09:17 - The recent backlash against wisdom teeth surgery, how only a third of people getting the surgery actually need it, and the negative health consequences. Also, how teeth back in the primitive times were perfect with no issues and how modern-day grain-based diets have negatively impacted our teeth and jaw formations. 1:12:50 - Discussion on allowing yourself to focus and some tips for getting out of the conscious and into the subconscious. A few examples of common transfers of conscious to the subconscious here, as well. 1:16:56 - The next section on the meaning of competition and some discussion on finding the balance between easy and difficult challenges, to maintain focus without getting bored or frustrated. A bit more on games, the competitive aspect of them, and antagonizing others for an advantage. 1:21:38 - The last section on taking the inner game off of the court. Responding appropriately to situations and maintaining an inner-balance. “The people who will best survive the current generation are those who can keep their heads while all are about to lose theirs.” 1:24:02 - Wrap-up, some closing thoughts, and some information on the bonuses included with a newsletter subscription. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

Principles are fundamental truths that serve as the foundations for behavior that gets you what you want out of life. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss the book Principles by Ray Dalio. We’ve been fans of Dalio’s work since it was just a PDF floating around the Internet, and this massive tome delivers so many useful guidelines for how to live and work. We covered a wide range of topics, including: Using meditation to improve your clarity with decision-making Developing machines and software for tasks likely to be repeated Seeking out and accepting constructive criticism without your ego getting in the way Improving your life by being more radically honest and expressive Reflecting more upon pain to promote growth The two five-step processes for confronting your own weaknesses and for getting what you want out of life Improving your ability to effectively make decisions And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Principles here and to check out Nat’s Notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on How to Think Like Elon Musk, to emulate Musk’s way of thinking for huge advantages in both work and life, and our episode on Antifragile by Nassim Taleb, to learn how to profit from chaos. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Mentioned in the show: Bridgewater [1:44] Futures [4:08] Morgan Stanley [5:20] Tim Ferriss’ interview with Dalio [9:23] Theranos fraud [11:56] Made You Think episode 13 - How to Think Like Elon Musk [14:27] Nat Chat podcast episode with Sebastian Marshall [16:59] The Lindy effect [22:16] The Daily Show [24:10] Growth Machine [26:35] Bookinabox [29:22] Dogfish [29:39] Carnegie Mellon [29:44] Biblical Series Podcast [31:36] Evernote [33:25] Calendly [38:24] Estee Lauder [40:19] Theory of Constraints [57:06] Neil’s article on the Lindy effect [59:49] Myers Briggs [1:10:42] Article on China rating citizens [1:12:06] Black Mirror [1:12:10] Chris Sparks article on Medium about rating life goals [1:18:12] Nat Chat podcast episode with Justin Mares [1:19:46] Article on Nat’s daily/weekly/quarterly review [1:23:07] Crypto Made You Think episode [1:26:50] Tucker Max’s article on paying celebrities to tweet about his book [1:29:17] Books mentioned: Principles (Nat’s Notes) The Way of Zen [13:04] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Godel Escher Bach [14:14] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars [15:48] (Nat’s Notes) Letters From a Stoic [21:58] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Antifragile [22:32] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Amusing Ourselves to Death [24:08] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Finite and Infinite Games [26:08] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) The Goal [27:04] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) The E-Myth Revisited [27:05] (Nat’s Notes) Hero With a Thousand Faces [34:54] Lessons of History [34:55] (Nat’s Notes) The Power of Myth [35:02] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Spiritual Brain [35:30] Steve Jobs Autobiography [37:45] The 50th Law [45:46] (Nat’s Notes) Mastery [46:17] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) The 48 Laws of Power [46:22] (Nat’s Notes) Extreme Ownership [54:50] (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Ray Dalio Adil Majid [1:18] Tim Ferriss [9:23] Elon Musk [14:25] (How To Think Like Elon Musk episode) Sebastian Marshall [16:59] Adam Smith [22:28] Colbert [24:11] Tucker Max [29:19] Dr. Jordan Peterson [31:37] Carl Jung [34:32] Joseph Campbell [34:36] (The Power of Myth episode) Will Durant [35:20] Dalai Lama [35:39] Steve Jobs [37:45] Robert Greene [45:59] (Mastery episode) Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:00:41] (Antifragile episode) Euthyphro [1:14:31] Socrates [1:14:32] Chris Sparks [1:18:11] Justin Mares [1:19:46] Clay Matthews [1:22:47] Jocko [1:26:27] Taylor Pearson [1:26:57] Anna Kendrick [1:30:10] Chrissy Teigen [1:30:12] The Rock [1:30:28] Gary Vaynerchuk [1:30:38] 0:00 - Introductory quote and some information on the book and on the author Ray Dalio. Also, some of Dalio’s achievements and a bit on how he began with investing. 9:07 - Dalio leaving this company, some discussion on his meditation practice, meditation being a big factor in his success, and the emotional ups and downs that come with startups. 12:46 - Some more discussion on meditation drastically improving your decision-making skills and being more level-headed. 14:45 - Meditation on helping you systemize your thinking and some thoughts on the creation of these principles in the book. “It’s a very useful tool to have these decision-making criteria set-in-stone so that you know what you’re going to do and not let your emotions override you.” 17:34 - Journaling and writing out exactly why you’re doing things, then reflecting back on that later. Narrative fallacy with reflection, as well. 19:57 - Giving more attention to the history of what’s been happening instead of only what you notice in the current time period. Also, a bit on the persistence of certain problems throughout the time. 22:46 - Dalio beginning to improve his systems, develop understanding and principles, improve his reasoning, and more. Tangent at 23:36 on seeking out the smartest people to learn from them and how the opposite largely happens today. “Your arguments can’t improve if they’re only up against people who agree with you already or the weakest version of the other person’s argument.” 24:41 - The underappreciated aspect of constructive criticism, and how the ego can negatively impact this. How having someone much more skilled than you rip apart your work and give you blunt feedback on it can help you grow tremendously if you don’t let your ego get in the way. 25:48 - The destructive nature of college forcing you to put so much ego into your work and to not show your work until it’s perfect. How this negatively impacts the way that you handle feedback. 27:12 - Spending more time now to optimize and spend less time on things in the future. Building machines for tasks that will most likely have to be repeated in the future. Also, putting the machine first and yourself/ego second. 31:15 - Giving yourself the same advice that you would give to someone else in your position. Also, treating yourself the same way that you would treat someone else that you care about, which rarely happens. 34:16 - Some of Dalio’s influences, Nat and Neil’s favorite book recommendations from Dalio, and some discussion on his book recommendations in general. 36:09 - Delving into some of the principles from the book and how they develop. How a majority are simple rules for engagement in everyday encounters. Also, a bit on saving mental energy by making systems for daily activities and creating software for decisions where ever you can. 39:52 - Optimizing certain aspects of businesses, the importance of speaking up in a business if there’s something to optimize upon, memory and past decisions, and some discussion on improving upon group decision-making. 43:51 - The advantages of lowering your verbal filter and being radically honest with improving life, business, and relationships. “There are things that just go unsaid for so long, but everyone’s thinking them, and then they just blow-up at a certain point.” 45:11 - The first principle and a bit on taking action on problems now, and not waiting for them to improve. “Embrace reality and deal with it.”. Developing a reflexive action towards pain that causes you to reflect upon it, rather than avoid it. “Pain plus reflection equals progress.” 50:15 - The five-step process for confronting your own weaknesses. (#1 - 50:20) (#2 - 50:26) (#3 - 50:39) (#4 - 53:53) (#5 - 54:46) 54:53 - Taking ownership of things, even when they’re not your fault. There is usually always some way that you played into it (hiring the wrong person, training them wrong, a faulty machine you designed, etc). Also, how management can cause issues down the line, with the issues listed earlier. 56:55 - The five-step process for getting what you want out of life. (#1 - 57:31) (#2 - 58:26) (#3 - 59:03) (#4 - 1:02:46) (#5 - 1:02:55) 1:03:45 - How the principles are outlined and organized. Also, the third principle, to be radically open-minded and the two impediments to this. 1:06:45 - The two-step process for decision making. A bit on avoiding the first solution that you find which confirms your already held beliefs, as well. The confirmation bias. 1:10:35 - The fourth major principle on understanding that people are wired very differently and a bit on challenging other people’s perspectives to get to know certain aspects of them. Also, bringing up controversial topics to test them. 1:14:54 - The last major principle on learning how to make decisions effectively and some discussion on creating a decision plan, then reaching out to others in a field related to that decision and getting feedback from them. “The biggest threat to good decision making is harmful emotions and if you can systematize as much as possible, then emotions won’t get in the way.” 1:18:03 - Using the expected value calculation and using this with deciding which goals to currently go after. Also, making goals much larger and trying to reach for the inflated goal, eventually reaching beyond the original goal or at the original goal easier. 1:21:49 - The first work principle and how the life principles somewhat form the work principles in the book. Also, how you should go about reading the book and what may be of the most help to you. 1:23:52 - The last section on creating your own principles. Wrap-up and a bit of information on the newsletter and the episode outlines. 1:26:28 - Some fun closing thoughts and stories. (Tangents starting at 1:22:47 on Clay Matthews from the GB Packers and on other goodies.) If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

The goal is essentially to increase net-profit while increasing return on investment and increasing cash flow. Today we’re discussing The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. It is a business novel that Eliyahu used to introduce the “Theory of Constraints”, a sort of meta-theory for business (and life, really) that you can use to advance the output of just about any system. It is very much a “zero-to-one” book, where you’ll see the world differently after reading. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Improving all of your systems with the Theory of Constraints Discovering bottlenecks in various systems and effectively optimizing them Identifying your goal and making positive progress towards it Becoming a better manager or employee by using the Theory of Constraints Improving your time-management skills, productivity, and workflow Useful mental hacks for waking up easier and for making habits stick And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Goal and to check out Nat’s Notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our other episode on How to Think Like Elon Musk, to emulate Musk’s way of thinking for extreme advantages, and our episode on Antifragile, to learn how to profit from chaos.   Mentioned in the show: The Theory of Constraints [1:13] AlphaLab [5:31] Sumo [7:35] Zirtual [12:13] Unlimited Brewing Company [13:21] Growth Machine [18:26] Joe Rogan Podcast [28:20] Nat’s article on how to start a podcast [39:37] Deep House Relax on Spotify [40:28] (Nat and Neil’s favorite playlist for deep work) Last of the Mohicans’ soundtrack [40:39] Halo soundtrack [40:45] Matrix soundtrack [40:51] Tron soundtrack [40:52] The Magician on Soundcloud [43:05] OWSLA and Skrillex mix [43:24] Praxis on Medium [45:45] Medium [45:45] Getting Stuff Done Like a Boss course [46:34] Building a Second Brain course [46:45] The Forcing Function [47:00] Nat Chat podcast [47:02] Nat Chat episode with Chris Sparks [47:02] Tiago Forte’s main courses [47:09] Neil’s post on viewing books similar to VC [48:00] Four Sigmatic’s Mushroom Coffee [1:02:18] Athletic Greens [1:02:28] Game of Thrones [1:05:48] Stranger Things [1:05:49] Buffer [1:07:57] Made You Think episode on Thinking Like Elon Musk [1:09:18] Tesla [1:09:18] Boosted Board [1:11:28] How to Legally Own People article [1:13:26] Books mentioned: The Goal (Nat’s Notes) Antifragile [4:29] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Work Clean [50:22] (episode coming 12-19 or 12-26) (Nat’s Notes) Principles [52:17] (episode coming 12-5) (Nat’s Notes) Emergency [1:19:43] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Eliyahu M. Goldratt Zak Slayback [4:04] Joe Rogan [28:20] Daft Punk [40:55] Rapper Nas [41:55] Lil Wayne [41:58] Future [42:02] Ivan Pavlov [43:22] Adil Majid [43:29] Tiago Forte [45:32] Chris Sparks [46:59] Elon Musk [1:09:18] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:13:26] 0:00 - Introductory quote, a bit of background on the book and the author, and how you can use this book to help you out in both business and in life. 7:24 - Some examples from the book applied to the real-world and some flaws in various business systems. 10:36 - What the actual goal is for various systems, some details on the goal’s infrastructure, and why these three metrics are important. “The goal is essentially to increase net-profit while increasing return on investment and increasing cash flow.” 19:40 - The next part on the daily goal metrics (throughput, inventory, and operational expense) and some details on those. 21:10 - How to use these metrics if you’re not a manager or a CEO and are without a big-picture perspective. Also, some discussion on these metrics, applying them to members of a system, and some real-world examples. 28:44 - Figuring out all of these metrics and operations and then applying them in day-to-day situations. The beginning of how the main character in the story does this. 30:47 - The bottleneck issue from the book and applying it to real-world scenarios, the funny story of discovering and solving the bottleneck from the book, and some discussion on it. (Tangent #1 at 31:29) 35:05 - The order for optimizing around a bottleneck properly. Also, some examples of optimizing various bottlenecks and improving your time management skills. Nat and Neil’s favorite music for working, as well. 41:00 - (Tangent #2) The issue with typing the words to a song or podcast instead of the words meant for your writing and some more thoughts of various music types for various types of work. 43:49 - The Theory of Constraints coming into play in the book and some information on Tiago Forte and his courses on improving systems, creative output, and productivity. 47:48 - Books and small investments improving your ROI ($10-$20 books possibly giving you insights that make you $1000+, save you time, or offer valuable enjoyment) and some thoughts on doing your quality insurance before you buy books. 50:22 - Discussion on the book Work Clean and some ideas from it for improving your peace of mind, organizational ability, and productivity. 52:29 - The idea of losing an hour on the bottleneck which is not just being lost to the bottleneck, but to the whole system. Also, being a better manager by analyzing not only possible bottlenecks with others, but for your own bottlenecks, as well. 57:04 - Examining your life for possible scenarios that create bottlenecks for you (drinking and eating unhealthy afterward, etc) and fixing those scenarios. Also, some useful mental hacks for waking up easier at 1:00:36 and 1:01:38. 1:02:10 - Waking up and daisy-chaining your habits immediately afterward. Some explanation and examples of doing this. 1:03:55 - Applying the Theory of Constraints to creative work and making sure you apply the theory towards positive things instead of negative things. 1:09:37 - The steps for identifying the constraints within a system and then beginning to fix them. Some issues on having someone on salary versus hourly, compensating people for their work, and having slack in a system discussed here, as well. 1:16:23 - Some last thoughts and some pieces of advice for others on goals and systems. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com What is the bottleneck and how do I optimize around the bottleneck right now? To even identify what the bottleneck is, you really need to clearly identify the goal.

We all have these things in our life that we accept as a first principle while having no scientific basis or reason for believing in that thing. Today we do a deep dive of the world’s raddest man: Elon Musk. We’re exploring the wildly popular Elon Musk series by “Wait but Why,” focusing on the last article titled “The Cook and the Chef: Elon Musk’s Secret Sauce” which explores just how Musk might be able to do all the things he can do. And most importantly, we discuss how any of us can use these tools to enhance our own thinking and work. How any of us can be more chef than cook. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Emulating Musk’s way of thinking for extreme advantages Musk’s businesses and how he began them How Musk thinks compared to the way most people think Challenging your existing beliefs and redefining your perspective A strategy for designing your reality and pursuing your goals How the way that you think is much more influential than your natural-born talents Shedding dogma-based thinking and instead, thinking based off of first principles Turning fear into excitement And much more. Please enjoy and be sure to check out the article!   Mentioned in the show: Hyperloop One [15:20] Boring Company [15:20] Neurolink [15:21] OpenAI [15:38] Square [16:28] Elon Musk’s cameo in Iron Man 2 [17:23] Diagram for designing your reality and pursuing your goals [26:34] The history of SpaceX article [29:27] Unlimited Brewing Company [30:53] Zara Clothing [32:17] Shark Tank [35:24] Crispr [41:57] Zip2 [45:08] Paypal [45:24] eBay [45:29] Elon Musk and Peter Thiel’s early days [46:40] Peter Thiel blood transfusions from children article [47:45] PayPal Mafia [48:28] The 49ers [49:34] Made You Think episode on The Sovereign Individual [51:37] Bitcoin [51:50] Made You Think episode on Cryptocurrency [52:03] Uranium on Amazon [55:57] AC Propulsion [56:38] Ad Astra [56:55] Nat Chat podcast [57:28] Calvin and Hobbes comic strips [1:00:30] Crony Beliefs by Kevin Simler [1:02:42] Melting Asphalt [1:02:51] Jordan Peterson’s Biblical Series podcast [1:06:02] Made You Think episode on The Way of Zen [1:18:18] Tyranny article [1:18:26] Made You Think episode on Emergency [1:20:25] Two Somali immigrants rape case in Canada [1:22:07] Good Beer Hunting podcast [1:29:37] Magic Hat [1:29:42] Estee Lauder [1:37:35] Growth Machine [1:42:53] Made You Think episode on Finite and Infinite Games [1:44:15] Uber [1:49:11] Airbnb [1:49:12] Tim Ferriss Podcast [2:03:25] Killing the Lion: Turning Anxiety into Excitement article [2:04:55] Made You Think episode on Amusing Ourselves to Death [2:12:58] Made You Think episode on Letters from a Stoic [2:13:05] Grand Theft Auto [2:13:28] Bookinabox [2:15:37] Books mentioned: Steve Jobs’ Biography [14:52] Tropic of Cancer [24:22] The Goal [25:53] (Nat’s Notes) (episode coming 11-28) The 50th Law [38:10] (Nat’s Notes) Principles [39:13] (Nat’s Notes) (episode coming 12-5) The Score Takes Care of Itself [49:40] (Nat’s Notes) The Sovereign Individual [51:37] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) Surely You’re Joking [1:07:45] (Nat's Notes) The Way of Zen [1:18:18] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (MYT episode) Emergency [1:20:25] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) The E-Myth Revisited [1:41:58] (Nat’s Notes) Finite and Infinite Games [1:44:15] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) Pragmatic Thinking and Learning [1:47:45] (Nat’s Notes) The Red Book [1:50:33] The Cook and the Chef on Amazon [2:15:40] People mentioned: Elon Musk Jim Cramer [3:09] Tim Urban [3:38] Albert Einstein [9:03] Peter Thiel [12:10] Jeff Bezos [13:18] Steve Jobs [14:50] Walter Isaacson [14:52] Jack Dorsey [16:27] Henry Ford [18:50] Genghis Khan [18:50] Marie Curie [18:50] John Lennon [18:50] Ayn Rand [18:50] Louis C.K. [18:50] Henry Miller [24:24] Eliyahu M. Goldratt [25:54] Ray Dalio [39:13] Galileo [44:25] Reid Hoffman [48:59] Max Levchin [49:03] Bill Walsh [49:37] Kevin Simler [1:02:44] Dr. Jordan Peterson [1:06:02] Richard Feynman [1:07:40] Tim Ferriss [1:17:22] Justin Mares [1:17:45] Sam Harris [1:32:24] The Dreyfus Brothers [1:47:47] Carl Jung [1:50:33] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [2:00:02] (Antifragile MYT episode) Seneca [2:02:39] (Letters from a Stoic MYT episode) Robert Greene [2:02:42] (Mastery MYT episode) 0:00 - Perspective challenging, introductory quote and an outline of what the discussion will be about. Also, some information on giveaways, upcoming episodes, the mailing list, and the podcast notes. 3:31 - How the Wait but Why article is outlined and some talk about challenging your existing beliefs. Some examples of challenging your beliefs, as well. 9:40 - The first section on us being constrained by existing beliefs and then, some examples of how Elon Musk thinks. 11:48 - The possible benefits of being on the Asperger or autistic spectrum in regards to life and business. Also, some thoughts on Elon’s companies, his deadlines, and the huge scale of the things that he does. 15:50 - Some discussion on how Musk may allocate and divvy up his time, and the many different projects that he has going on. 18:06 - The software versus hardware idea, how a different way of thinking is more powerful than your natural-born intelligence or talents. 20:08 - How where you’re born can have very little impact on your success, and some examples of very successful people born or raised in poor situations. 26:12 - Discussion on the strategy for designing your reality and pursuing your goals from the article (diagram here). Also, some examples of various companies operating using this system and being successful. 34:21 - How Elon uses this thinking strategy, continually adjusts it, and tests everything. 36:56 - Learning to not become attached to any of the goals and be willing to let it go if something better comes in. Also, being honest with yourself and be willing to invalidate things, instead of validating them. Some examples of doing this and lying to yourself. 40:50 - The story of Musk when he was in college, and how he thought “What would most affect the future of humanity?”. Also, how he focused mostly on expanding the list of things that were possible, instead of focusing on his wants at the time. Musk’s thoughts on engineering being preferable to science, as well. 45:06 - Elon’s first companies and how he was able to fund his next companies. 47:28 - (Tangent #1) The possible health benefits of blood transfusions from younger people. Also, some discussion on various trees of people who are either all successful or not. 50:46 - The history of PayPal, some of its original goals, and some of the feats that the company has accomplished. Also, what came next for Elon after PayPal. 58:12 - The comparison between most people’s way of thinking compared to Musk’s and the importance of always asking “Why?”. 1:02:23 - Some discussion on The Great Depression mindset and how it may be negatively affecting most of us, as well as our future generations. Rooting out these negative beliefs that are passed onto us by our peers, environments, parents, and more. 1:07:37 - The problem with learning things based on dogma, rather than on first principles. Making your way of learning and thinking more antifragile. Also, some examples of these things based on dogma. 1:13:30 - Thoughts on tribalism in political parties, life, social circles, and religion. Some discussion on blind versus conscious tribalism and universal based income, as well. 1:20:59 - Testing people on how tribal they are and challenging their core beliefs. Also, some more talk on tribalism and various issues in the world like rights, cultural differences, health care, and laws. 1:29:22 - Some examples of us not using first principles in our judgment, and some thoughts on various events that completely change your perspective on something. 1:36:20 - Some core heuristics from the Cook and the Chef article for improving your thinking and life. Also, thoughts on growing a business and how you can be the Chef instead of the Cook. “The Chef creates, while the Cook, in some form or another, copies.” 1:45:39 - The necessary need to become the cook and develop intuition before you become the chef. Also, how Musk is the chef and how this all relates to his way of thinking. 1:54:39 - How the ability to become a Chef is infinitely greater now than it was a hundred years ago. How easy it is to try things risk-free currently and the large number of things that we can now try. 1:56:58 - Explaining the three types of cooks and then, the chef. Where most people lie in regards to these four types and recognizing these types, as well. 2:02:45 - Obtaining an accurate view of reality and the benefits of an extreme honesty policy within a company. 2:04:16 - Two mental tricks to overcoming public speaking anxiety and some details on these tricks. Also, how the chef doesn’t give into rational fear and turns fear into excitement, and how the chef doesn’t get tied up in their own identity. 2:10:39 - How a misplaced identity and getting caught up in your history can affect what you allow into your want pool and your view of reality. Thinking things are a lot riskier than they are and the selection bias within stories. 2:13:21 - The final part regarding us essentially playing Grand Theft Life. Us taking much more risks and going after the largest opportunities if our life was inside of a simulation, similar to Grand Theft Auto. 2:15:18 - Wrap-up, some closing thoughts on the article, some bits on the future of the podcast, where to contact us, and information on what our newsletter offers. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com The more I learn about Musk and other people who seem to have superhuman powers—whether it be Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Genghis Khan, Marie Curie, John Lennon, Ayn Rand, or Louis C.K.—the more I’m convinced that it’s their software, not their natural-born intelligence or talents, that makes them so rare and so effective. - Tim Urban

The strange loop phenomenon occurs whenever by moving upwards or downwards through the levels of some hierarchical system, we unexpectedly find ourselves right back where we started. Godel Escher Bach is one of the most complex books Neil and I have ever read. It will have you thinking about minds, intelligence, AI, and reality in an entirely new way. It weaves together insights from music, art, mathematics, ant colonies, Lewis Carroll stories, and more unexpected places into a new understanding of how our minds work and how we might program computers to emulate them. You don’t want to miss it. We covered a wide range of topics, including: What strange loops are and their presence in reality Unique perspectives on the strange loops of the mind, intelligence, and artificial intelligence The possibility of living in a simulation Defining intelligence and artificial intelligence Collective consciousness systems How art, music, and math relate with these strange loops Extra-sensory perception And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Godel Escher Bach and to check out Nat’s notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on The Way of Zen by Alan Watts, to learn about Zen Buddhism and improving your life with it, and our episode on Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, to learn ancient wisdom for a better life. Mentioned in the show: E-Mu systems [4:03] Principia Mathematica [4:58] Constant of recursion [5:50] Pulitzer Prize [7:35] American Mathematical Monthly [7:59] Godel Incompleteness Theorem [9:36] M.C. Escher paintings [15:15] The Never Ending Staircase [15:25] Inception movie [15:42] Man in an art gallery white space painting [16:20] Hands drawing hands [16:30] Turing test [39:06] Microsoft Twitter AI experiment [40:00] GoAI [41:03] Deep Blue program [42:03] Jung’s collective consciousness [58:18] Epimenides Paradox [1:09:24] Books mentioned: Godel, Escher, Bach (Nat’s Notes) Nick Bostrom’s Superintelligence [2:08] The Way of Zen [3:15] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (MYT episode) Atlas Shrugged [7:30] In Praise of Idleness [9:49] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) Sapiens [51:14] (Nat’s Notes) The Power of Habit [54:16] (Nat’s Notes) Antifragile [55:00] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) The Red Book [59:16] The Power of Myth [1:00:28] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) Emergency [1:02:26] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) Amusing Ourselves to Death [1:16:58] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) People mentioned: Douglas Hofstadter Godel Escher Bach Elon Musk [2:05] Nick Bostrom [2:08] Lewis Carroll [6:06] Jeremy Bernstein [8:09] Bertrand Russell [9:49] Leonhard Euler [10:55] Isaac Newton [10:56] Charles Duhigg [54:16] Carl Jung [58:18] Dr. Jordan Peterson [59:54] Alan Turing [1:02:35] 0:00 - Introductory quote from the book, some information on the book, and some connections that the book makes. 3:24 - Some thoughts on the book, the logic and mathematics in the book, how it is constructed, and the exercises in the book. 7:49 - A couple of the quotes found on the back of the book and an in-depth discussion about the first section on Godel’s incompleteness theorem. Also, discussion on the strange loops with this theorem. 14:09 - The strange loop idea on making decisions, the incompleteness of all systems, and the strange loop from Escher with the never-ending staircase. Also, some other examples by Escher regarding loops. 18:18 - What defines an incomplete system, an example of this, paradoxes, and the multiple layers that define things. 20:19 - The strange loops within our own consciousness and relating these to death. Also, thoughts on the extreme complexity of the world.   22:28 - Discussion about creating artificial intelligence and how strange loops relate to that. Some discussion on a collective intelligence and some thoughts on us being a part of a collective intelligence, as well. 25:40 - Some examples of us being a collective system, like ant colonies or cells. Also, thoughts on our memory, data storage, and how it relates to constructing intelligence and consciousness. 30:25 - The idea of what intelligence exactly is, evolutionary pressures, and thoughts on whether technology will ever be able to experience emotion and gratitude. Some discussion on intelligence versus consciousness, as well. 33:20 - Thoughts on artificial intelligence and programming in intelligence and emotion into these artificial intelligence systems. 35:02 - How the book is more about a series of essays on these various topics, and how the author is just presenting his ideas and concepts for people to discuss. 35:39 - A quote from the book on recognizing another intelligence and the limiting perspective we each have. How we can never exactly know what another thing is experiencing or thinking. 37:22 - Thoughts on us living in a simulation and how we may never know since we cannot step out of the system and observe it as a third-party. 39:06 - Thoughts on the Turing test and it relating to intelligence in technology. Also, whether conversation and chess can be a suitable measure of intelligence, and thoughts on artificial intelligence beating us at certain things. 43:13 - How the Deep Blue program works and how excellent chess players don’t even see bad moves, they just know. Thoughts on intuition and intuition in artificial intelligence. 45:31 - Thinking computers and processing power, and lower level processes. Also, what core lessons can be learned from this book and some more thoughts on the simulation theory. 49:15 - Discussion on the sense of self, the evolution of artificial intelligence, the huge power of the internet, and how we’ve domesticated wheat. 53:27 - More thoughts on the collective consciousness and the correlation between termite mounds and us. Also, how many structures may exist that we can’t perceive due to not having the ability to, similar to termites and ants with their structures. 57:21 - How just creating the binary system isn’t enough due to cause intelligence and the strange loops with this. Also, the collective symbols that exist between one another and thoughts on these exist. 1:00:27 - How our fears may affect what mythological stories stick and persist. 1:02:32 - Alan Turing and extra-sensory perception, and thoughts on ESP being real. 1:06:10 - The strange loop of questioning our own sanity and how questioning our sanity creates this tighter and tighter vortex of uncertainty. Also, this relating to questioning living in a simulation. Thoughts on solipsism, as well. 1:09:09 - The necessity of strange loops and if a system is self-referential, it has strange loops. The Epimenides paradox and self-referential paradoxes. Also, discussion on our symbol pattern recognizing system. 1:15:15 - Stoicism’s perspective on thinking about death versus Zen Buddhism’s perspective on thinking about death. 1:16:30 - Wrap-up and some closing thoughts on the book. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

The difference in even doing a little bit of preparation between doing nothing for a disaster is massive. Today we’re discussing what you should know about preparing for doomsday, centered around the book “Emergency” by Neil Strauss. What will you do when a massive hurricane, earthquake, or fire hits? When a terrorist attack happens? When the power grid goes down and you’re stuck in your home with rapidly depleting supplies? These aren’t fun topics to think about… but it’s better to plan for them now than suffer the consequences of hiding our heads in the sand. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Surviving various disasters and life-threatening situations Minimizing your damage from threats and disasters Protecting yourself from terrorist threats Future societal outcomes after apocalyptic events Leaving the country to avoid disaster Hiding caches and finding water Utilizing the five flag system for optimal security And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Emergency and to check out Nat’s notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Antifragile, to learn how to turn chaos to your advantage. Our episode on The Sovereign Individual, to better prepare yourself for the cyber-economic future. And last, our episode on cryptocurrency, to learn how cryptocurrency works and how it can benefit you. Mentioned in the show: New York Times [1:10] Made You Think episode on Cryptocurrency [3:48] Made You Think episode on The Sovereign Individual [4:09] Infowars [5:07] Lord of the Flies [15:35] Made You Think episode of The Power of Myth [18:24] The Federalist Papers [25:10] FEMA [28:32] Article on the Dutch flooding risks [31:53] 500 Startups [36:53] Y Combinator [36:54] Start-Up Chile [37:34] Estee Lauder [40:20] Sovereign Man article on places to get a passport [41:27] Made You Think episode on Amusing Ourselves to Death [43:50] Huffington Post [44:53] Fox News [44:54] Pocket app [45:40] Doomsday Planning for Less Crazy Folk [51:45] Bug Out Bag [1:01:52] (Bug Out Bag essentials checklist) Nat Chat podcast [1:05:28] CERT Training [1:04:30] The guy who fasted for over a year [1:08:16] Documentary on Koreatown protecting itself [1:13:56] New Yorker article on interviewing North Koreans [1:22:23] Making a solar still [1:26:50] Online simulation on a population and dying [1:43:15] Tesla [1:48:23] Nat Chat episode with Zak Slayback [1:48:55] Books mentioned: Emergency (Nat’s Notes) The Game [1:03] (Nat’s Notes) The Truth [1:05] (Nat’s Notes) The Sovereign Individual [4:09] (Nat’s Notes) The Lean Startup [7:30] (Nat’s Notes) Amusing Ourselves to Death [43:50] (Nat’s Notes) Contagious [46:36] (Nat’s Notes) Deep Survival [1:25:22] Man’s Search for Meaning [1:26:05] (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Neil Strauss Ariana Grande [3:30] Adil Majid [3:48] Taylor Pearson [3:50] Alex Jones [4:49] Jordan Peterson [10:50] Carl Jung [10:54] Madison and Hamilton [25:16] George W. Bush [28:24] Rodney King [51:10] Nassim Taleb [51:48] Laurence Gonzales (author) [1:25:22] Viktor Frankl [1:26:05] Samy Kamkar [1:45:48] Elon Musk [1:48:23] Zak Slayback [1:48:55] Related links: Nat’s 5-day water fast article 0:00 - Powerful introductory quote, the beginning of the discussion, and some information on what the book’s about. 4:39 - Some thoughts on prepping and some popular misconceptions with prepping. Also, thoughts on why you may want to get into prepping for disasters. 7:27 - Discussion on various disaster scenarios, looting, gangs, and the social unrest that arises. Also, how these situations can make us irrational. 11:50 - Thoughts on various genocides around the world and the death tolls of them. 15:00 - The author’s perspective on possible outcomes during various apocalyptic events and some discussion on these events. Also, some talk regarding tribes and the events that happened from the year 1900 and onwards. 20:33 (Tangent #1) Discussion on what may happen with nation states and states succeeding in regards to war. Also, some talk about various laws and types of governments. 27:46 - The author’s three strategies regarding various disasters and surviving them. Also, some information on why rescue teams don’t always show up as soon as the disasters happen and some thoughts on how many people have died during recent natural disasters. 33:48 - The first challenge of escaping. Describing the five flag system and detailing how to go about achieving that system. Also, evading income tax by living in Puerto Rico and getting paid to start a business there, same with Chile. 42:23 - Some signs that you should leave the country and some discussion on these signs. Also, discussion on the media being warped to make us think a certain way. 46:30 - What makes things go viral and get shared. Some thoughts on these driving forces. Also, how much it typically would cost to achieve the five flag system mentioned earlier. 49:56 - The next part on surviving these disasters and traveling away from the country to avoid possible disasters. 52:30 - Some more discussion on survival, hunting, diet, and training yourself to survive beforehand, especially training your instincts. Also, some in-depth discussion on escaping from Long Island and the usefulness of being able to sail. 1:04:26 - How the author learned how to do all of these things. Also, the three qualities and the three skills that will help you out greatly in various disasters. What you should learn to survive in various situations mentioned, as well. 1:09:00 - Urban survival versus wilderness survival and some thoughts on this. Some talk about protecting yourself with weapons and owning guns, as well. 1:16:42 - What you should do first when a disaster hits and what you should do last. 1:18:42 - Where to find safe drinking water in your home if you run out of water. Also, storing water, protecting yourself from nuclear threats, and some talk on bomb threats in general. 1:23:20 - What to do if you’re in a building where a bomb explodes, minimizing damage from shooters, what to watch out for when lost, information on solar stills, and the minimum amount of water needed daily for survival. 1:31:05 - Some other things that you can do to help your survival chances. 1:36:20 - Information on hiding items and caches, and some more information on finding water and drinking from streams. 1:39:36 - The last section on rescuing and EMT training. Also, what’s currently most likely to kill you here in America. 1:44:23 - (Tangent #2) Self-driving and the possible fragility of the self-driving system. Some thoughts on security, hacking, driving, and fossil fuels, as well. 1:49:34 - Wrap-up. Some last thoughts on surviving various disasters and prepping. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com People who can stay rational and who can maintain hope, tend to always survive these dire scenarios more.

Every time that you’re putting a label on something, you are abstracting away from what it truly means. Meditation has taken western interest by storm… but what is Buddhism, anyway? We try to figure that out in this exploration of The Way of Zen, which lays out the different forms of Buddhism and how they differ. Neither of us knew much about the subtleties, nor how much it’s misrepresented in western marketing. We covered a wide range of topics, including: Differences in Eastern and Western wisdom The origins of Buddhism and Zen Buddhism The negative effects of putting labels on things Reducing attachment to things and becoming more open-minded Non-conscious and indescribable knowledge Meditation and mindfulness Finding joy in the journey, not the destination And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Way of Zen and to check out Nat and Neil’s notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Letters From a Stoic, to learn ancient wisdom for a better life and our episode on In Praise of Idleness, to reduce the guilt from overworking and to improve your leisurely time. Mentioned in the show: Uber [6:25] The Socratic method [22:40] Jordan Peterson’s Biblical Series [24:07] DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) [26:10] Inuit [28:06] Aristotelian Ethics [43:40] Jung’s Collective Consciousness [44:49] Simulation that is Reality [44:59] Reddit [45:46] Jocko’s Podcast [57:47] The Blind Mountainbike Rider [1:02:25] The Switch from Search to Social [1:09:38] Headspace [1:13:58] Books mentioned: The Way of Zen (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) Finite and Infinite Games [0:53] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Antifragile [1:02] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Letters From a Stoic [3:39] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Meditations [3:45] (Nat’s Notes) Enchiridion [3:48] (Nat’s Notes) Discourses [3:49] (Nat’s Notes) Astrophysics For People in a Hurry [29:27] Mastery [33:52] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Benazir Bhutto’s book mentioned [38:29] The Power of Myth [41:44] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) In Praise of Idleness [1:09:26] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance [1:14:28] Bhagavad Ghita [1:16:08] Godel, Escher, Bach [1:20:55] (Episode coming soon) (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Alan Watts Seneca [3:39] Marcus Aurelius [3:45] Epictetus [3:48] Daniel Kahneman [9:23] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [10:47] Euthyphro [22:42] Chief Justice Roberts [23:08] Jordan Peterson [24:07] Sam Harris [25:35] Neil Degrasse Tyson [29:27] Benazir Bhutto [38:29] Aristotle [43:40] Carl Jung [44:49] Elon Musk [44:59] Nick Bostrom [45:08] Descartes [45:15] Jocko [57:47] Sebastian Marshall [1:12:48] 0:00 - Introduction, a powerful quote from the book, and some thoughts on why you may want to re-read books intermittently. 1:56 - A bit of background on the author Alan Watts, some information on the book, and discussion on the similarity between Zen Buddhism and Stoicism. 3:52 - Discussion on the first section in the book and some comparisons between Western and Eastern types of knowledge. Also, some interesting differences in Western and Eastern language. 6:07 - (Tangent #1) Successful startup and company names being both nouns and verbs, such as Google and Uber. Also, thoughts on nouns, verbs, and labels. 7:03 - How when things aren’t labeled in the west, things can get confusing. Thoughts on freeing yourself from these “boxes” of labels and restricting labels, as well. 9:54 - The spoken, explained, and labeled things, versus unspoken, unexplained, and unlabeled things. Some more thoughts on labeling things and putting them in the box of that label. Also, thoughts on labeling ourselves and defining ourselves by our past actions. 11:28 - Discussion on the illusion of reality and our reality shifting based on our goals and actions. 12:47 - Further discussion on the narrative fallacy of putting a label on something. Also, the differences in the meaning of words between different people, and the communicative problems that arise due to those. 14:38 - Thoughts on the categories of things and changing your perspective on how you view them. Also, changing your interpretation of reality, to reduce attachment in general and attachment to these categories that things have been labeled under. Seeing the true nature rather than the label and being open to new ideas. 15:37 - The word complexity and how our attempts to understand things with categories is obsolete and overly complex. 17:05 - The example of learning music in the West compared to the East. Also, the comparison of learning language in an immersive and challenging way versus than the traditional approach found in schools. 19:08 - (Tangent #2) Some thoughts on the similarity between the books on the podcast so far and some thoughts on why Zen is not considered a philosophy. 21:39 - Being open to new ideas and ways of thought, and some thoughts on non-conscious and indescribable knowledge. 23:40 - Requiring an indescribable experience to both experience and understand some of the aspects of Zen and non-conscious knowledge. Some talk on where our thoughts come from and asking ourselves the question of where they come from. 26:33 - (Tangent #3) How much of our reality we don’t experience because there are no words to describe it. Discussion on our past visual spectrum and not being able to see certain colors in the past, compared to now, where we can see more colors. 30:57 - Neil’s personal experiences and life changes after meditating. Becoming more mindful and aware of things that we may normally be mindless to. Also, thoughts on the metaphysical aspect of our reality. 34:08 - The next chapter, discussion on the origins of Buddhism, and comparison between other religions. Also, how Buddhism may be considered a school of thought rather than a religion and some thought on religion in general. 40:09 - Some discussion on the history of Buddhism as well as a bit on other religions. 46:19 - Watt’s on Buddhism coming from Hinduism and Buddhism sharing ideas. Also, thoughts on ego, our desires to be in control, and Nirvana. 49:18 - Discussion on brief moments of clarity, being in the zone, and the flow state. 50:56 - The book’s section on Mahayana Buddhism and some talk about Bodhisattvas. Shortly after, discussion on Zen awakening and achieving Sattori. 55:32 - Sitting meditation versus bringing meditation into everything that you do. Also, some more discussion on enlightenment and zen versus other Buddhist traditions. 1:00:20 - The principles and practices of Zen Buddhism. Some more on giving up control and some thoughts on control in general. 1:04:49 - (Tangent #4) Thoughts on emotion as a heuristic and Watt’s thermostat analogy in regards to human happiness. 1:08:17 - Discussion on Zazen meditation and Watt’s views on seated meditation. Also, some talk about our attention spans, the constant entertainment we get, and comparing that to sitting quietly where we don’t get that stimulation. Also, discussion on the moments of clarity and mindfulness we get throughout the day. 1:12:26 - Thoughts about whether Zen meditation is getting more popular and discussion on just doing meditation for no purpose, instead of doing it to gain something. 1:15:16 - The last section on Zen and the arts. How the practice of Zen influences art and makes it so much more beautiful. “So much of it was built, for the sake of just building.” “The process is the reward”. The joy is more in the journey, rather than the destination. 1:21:04 - Wrap-up and a powerful quotation to ponder on. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com It’s a very limiting view to believe that everything needs to be really clearly defined to be true.

Every move that an infinite player makes is towards the horizon, and every move a finite player makes is within a boundary. After reading Finite and Infinite Games, you’ll never see the world the same. This simple dichotomy, finite and infinite, will rethink how you see business, life, love, goals, friendships, play, war, and everything you come across. Once you learn to think about the horizon… there’s no going back. We covered a wide range of topics in this discussion, including: Improving your life with new perspectives Promoting personal growth by defining your boundaries and pushing past them Improving your motivation with the infinite mindset Finding the balance between over-working and contented leisure Consciousness and illusory experiences Insights into our relationship with nature And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Finite and Infinite Games! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to listen to our episode on Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, to learn more about the negative impacts that technology has on us and on how to prevent these impacts. Also, be sure to listen to our episode on Mastery by Robert Greene, to learn how to become a master at your craft and improve your life. Mentioned in the show: Made You Think Cryptocurrency episode [0:22] Valve [27:57] Steam [28:07] Zappos [28:59] Wait But Why [31:16] Elon Musk’s Secret Sauce article [31:17] Fight Through the Suck article [33:25] Narrative Fallacy [34:12] Made You Think Antifragile episode [34:15] Made You Think The Power of Myth episode [39:15] The Philosophy of Mind [47:04] What it’s Like to Be a Bat paper [47:05] The Cartesian [48:58] All Natural Apple Meme [1:09:02] Made You Think Amusing Ourselves to Death episode [1:15:42] The Lincoln Douglas debates [1:15:42] Books mentioned: Finite and Infinite Games The Red Book [19:05] Bhagavad Gita [21:45] (Nat’s Notes) The Way of Zen [21:48] (Nat’s Notes) Sapiens [22:36] (Nat’s Notes) Valve Employee Handbook [28:19] The Dip [32:43] (Nat’s Notes) Antifragile [34:15] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) The Snowball [36:40] The Power of Myth [39:15] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) The Quran [39:20] The Art of Seduction [55:50] (Nat’s Notes) The Game [55:52] (Nat’s Notes) Astrophysics for People in a Hurry [1:03:38] The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels [1:10:40] Amusing Ourselves to Death [1:15:42] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind [1:16:35] (Nat’s Notes) The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up [1:26:00] (Nat’s Notes) 1984 [1:31:26] The Sovereign Individual [1:36:32] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Godel Escher Bach [1:36:34] People mentioned: James P. Carse Taylor Pearson [0:19] Carl Jung [19:05] Bruce Lee [20:23] Plato [21:23] Seth Godin [32:43] Justin Mares [33:25] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [34:15] Warren Buffett [36:19] Kyrie Irving [38:27] Thomas Nagel [47:05] Descartes [48:58] Robert Greene [55:50] Neil Strauss [55:52] Neil DeGrasse Tyson [1:03:38] Elon Musk [1:14:04] Charles Darwin [1:15:37] 0:00 - Intro to the book’s discussion, a thesis quote from the book, and talking about the unique writing of the book. 2:48 - The difference between a finite and infinite game, some powerful lessons, and some real-world examples. 8:01 - The distinction between life or death games and some advice on finding the balance between working too much and being content with not working at all. 11:38 - Some more detail on the finite games, thoughts on the past nature that titles have, and thoughts on achieving your goals and accomplishing things. 18:08 - Our social nature, how that affects these games, and the collective consciousness. 20:43 - Ancient philosophy’s timeless nature and the wide range of influence that these philosophies have had. Also, thoughts on the development of various philosophies. 23:27 - Thoughts on war from the book and the author’s perspective on war. 25:52 - The theory on titles and accomplishments in regards to large and small companies as well as bureaucracy. 29:55 - Bureaucracy in schools, the finite game that schools are, and the title theory applied to schools and degrees. 31:08 - Thinking of everything as a game and taking more risks. Also, some thoughts on how much time you have for major projects that you can accomplish in your life and being selective with those projects. 34:42 - Thoughts on the past nature of wealth, showing wealth off, and wealth in general. 37:33 - Discussion on the boundaries of these games, how successful people think in regards to these boundaries, and constantly striving for a larger goal that’s never achieved. Expanding your boundaries, looking through them, and reaching for the horizon. 42:46 - Defining your boundaries by noticing resistance, and pushing through that resistance or increasing it continuously. Pushing past your limits, living on your edge, and recognizing these artificially self-imposed boundaries. 46:03 - The section on what we know to be true, illusory experiences, consciousness, and thoughts on uploading our brains and consciousness to computers, and teleporting ourselves and consciousnesses. 54:52 - The translation of the game towards sexuality and the infinite and finite players within that. Also, thoughts on sexuality and social hierarchy and sacrificing love for other things. 58:32 - The thoughts of parents being like an abstract audience, where even if they aren’t there, you’re still trying to impress them. Also, more on finite sexuality and infinite sexuality. 1:00:57 - The nature of a finite game and the limits of a finite game. “It’s all the limits that you choose to play the game within”. Also, applying this to the universe, applying it to time, and to other real-world examples. 1:05:18 - Using the infinite mindset to become more motivated for your goals, to achieve more, and to keep doing more. 1:06:58 - The chapter on nature and its horizons. How everything that happens is natural and how nature just is. 1:10:39 - The morality of fossil fuels, some thoughts on fossil fuel usage, and some more thoughts on the game of nature. 1:14:08 - The author’s perspective on explanation and its relation to arguments. Also, the nature of arguments in general. 1:17:44 - Discussion on our control over nature and us versus nature. Also, the author’s thoughts on traveling and some discussion on different areas around the world. 1:21:45 - The chapter on nature and the machine world. The comparison of machines with gardens. 1:26:29 - Thoughts on all types waste and how we view waste. 1:27:48 - The book’s section on myth, and some discussion on myth and the relationship with infinite and finite players. 1:32:06 - Thoughts on how there is but one infinite game, and some interpretations of this thought. Also, the master player and how they play these finite and infinite games. 1:34:46 - Wrap-up and some closing thoughts. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com If you’re thinking about it from a more infinite standpoint, the goal is to simply keep building it, keep growing it, and keep making it bigger. There’s not really a clear end goal that you’re getting to.

For some people, yes, computers are necessary and valuable, but for a lot of other people, they are simply accelerating and enabling this useless information consumption. In this episode, we cover how the Internet, social media, television, and technology is ruining our abilities to think, reason, entertain ourselves, and what to do about it. Amusing Ourselves to Death is one of both of our favorite books, and it was fun to see how much it related to the other topics we’ve been covering. We covered a wide range of topics, including: How various forms of information affect our perception The prevalence of fake news now People concerned about others more than themselves Technology negatively affecting our attention spans The psychological aspects of the media and commercials Minimizing technological distractions How technology has changed our conversations Enjoy! If you want more on Amusing Ourselves to Death, be sure to check out Nat’s notes on the book and to pick up a copy yourself! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to listen to our episode on The Sovereign Individual, to better prepare yourself for the cyber-economic future, and to our episode on In Praise of Idleness, to reduce the guilt to work so much and to improve your leisure time. Mentioned in the show: Orwell’s essays [2:37] USA Today [12:50] Buzzfeed [13:05] Business Insider [13:10] Lincoln and Douglas debates [17:09] Pulp Fiction [21:10] Nat’s article on most popular internet sites [28:20] Alexa [28:22] Nat’s 5-day water fast article [30:45] Nat’s article on Buzzfeed vs WSJ [33:46] Neil’s website [33:13] Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine [40:59] The Daily Show [1:02:24] The Colbert Report [1:02:25] Jon Stewart interview fake news [1:05:05] Jon Stewart interview on Crossfire [1:05:37] Crossfire show [1:05:37] Free speech issue on campuses article [1:06:59] Trump’s policies [1:12:55] Trump’s speech in Virginia [1:13:35] The Google Memo [1:16:10] (Nat’s article on this) Made You Think episode on The Sovereign Individual [1:22:05] Estee Lauder [1:25:10] Sesame Street [1:27:50] Duolingo [1:29:18] Nat Chat podcast [1:31:12] Slack [1:36:18] Nat’s Facebook setup [1:41:06] Second Life [1:53:04] Books mentioned: Amusing Ourselves to Death [1:05] (Nat’s Notes) Brave New World [1:32] 1984 [1:18] Antifragile [9:13] (Antifragile’s Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) It’s Charisma, Stupid [9:25] Thomas Paine's Common Sense [21:56] The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck [22:41] (Nat’s Notes) 50 Shades of Grey [23:15] Musashi [31:36] The 4-Hour Workweek [1:36:50] (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Neil Postman [1:07] George Orwell [1:18] Aldous Huxley [1:32] William Taft [7:20] Abraham Lincoln [7:25] Franklin D. Roosevelt [7:55] Donald Trump [8:30] Barack Obama [8:40] George Bush [8:41] Bill Clinton [8:43] Ronald Reagan [8:44] John F. Kennedy [8:47] Chris Christie [8:52] Paul Graham [9:24] Shakespeare [17:02] Stephen A. Douglas [17:09] Samuel L. Jackson [21:19] John Travolta [21:19] Thomas Paine [21:56] Mark Manson [22:39] James Patterson [26:54] Walden [37:41] Jim Kramer [51:55] Bernie Sanders [1:00:04] Plato [1:09:50] Socrates [1:09:50] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:10:12] Hillary Clinton [1:21:00] Scott Adams [1:21:07] Ted Cruz [1:21:07] Justin Mares [1:36:16] Tim Ferriss [1:36:56] 0:00 - Intro to the book’s discussion, an excerpt being read, and the book’s background. 4:14 - Discussion on how the form of the information portrayed affects how we perceive that information, and some of the informational form shifts that we’ve had so far. 6:57 - The visual components of information, and the power of appearance and charisma on success and popularity. 9:58 - Thoughts on the validity of written things versus other forms of information. 12:20 - Discussion on the media and the change of what now passes for quality knowledge. 17:17 - Talk on the lengthy Lincoln and Douglas debates in the 1800’s and how people were able to sit and maintain focus for upwards of seven hours. Also, discussion on how frequently television changes the screen on you. 21:48 - How much more of a book culture it was back in the day. Also, discussion on how reading and typing in full sentences improves speech. 24:49 - Before the internet, the ability to pay attention was much greater, but now there are constant distractions from the internet that diminish that. Also, talk on how many fewer people are reading longer and tougher books now. 31:59 - Discussion on information requiring much more context and evidence, and talk on the click-baity information out there. Talk on websites pushing information that maximizes ad revenue, instead of quality information. 35:28 - The impact that improved informational transfer speed has had on us, positively and negatively. 38:07 - Thoughts on how so many people are fixated on the lives of others, and the negative impact that social media and technology on us by disconnecting us from the present moment. Also, the social pressure of these things. 47:09 - How little the news affects our decisions and how little we actually do to change things that we don’t necessarily like. 52:05 - The large amount of cases where value is added to meaningless data, especially in the news. Also, the news constantly making small issues seem much larger and promoting fake scenarios.56:11 - Discussion on the “peek-a-boo” events that pop up quick, blow up, and then disappear, mostly for entertainment. 57:35 - How television has changed conversation, political changes, and the president using the media to get elected. 1:01:15 - People taking news sources seriously, even though the information is taken out of context and misconstrued. 1:06:40 - The issue with us magnifying small differences and making huge deals out of them and some examples of this. 1:11:33 - How frequent the story changes on the news or on social media “the infinite scroll”, and the media manipulating stories so often, making it extremely hard to trust them. 1:19:30 - Commercials being addressed to the psychological needs of the viewer and not the actual product being sold. Also, politicians using catchy sound bites to have people pay attention to them. 1:27:50 - Discussion on various methods of teaching and the huge number of flaws in these teaching methods. Also, how these widespread methods and technology negatively impact us and our attention span. 1:35:18 - How to have an effective schedule for minimizing these technological distractions and some thoughts on this. 1:41:44 - Discussion on us never needing to be bored again due to technology, and the possible negative impact this has on creativity. 1:44:58 - How much computers really help us, and how they accelerate the intake of useless information. Also, the possible future impacts that current technology will have on us and the workforce. 1:54:06 - Some things that will need to change in teaching systems to fix our shrinking attention spans. 1:57:34 - Wrap-up. Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the episode on Twitter! Simply being able to pay attention will be an extremely valuable skill that ninety percent of us won’t have. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

There’s not a big third-party in the middle taking thirty, fifty, or whatever percent of the cut on the way, it’s just directly from one individual to another individual. In this episode of Made You Think we mixed it up by bringing in two guests: Taylor Pearson and Adil Majid, to ask them all of our burning questions about cryptocurrency. Neil came into the episode completely fresh and asked them everything he could think of, so if you’re new to bitcoin, ethereum, and cryptocurrency, or have a basic understanding but want to learn more, this is the crash course you’ve been looking for. We cover a wide range of topics, including: The history and the creation of cryptocurrencies Cryptocurrencies pros, cons, and uses Various types and forms of cryptocurrencies The major benefits of cryptocurrencies usage Long and short-term price speculations Reliable sources of cryptocurrency news and information And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure check out Taylor and Adil online! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to also listen to our launch episodes on Antifragile by Nassim Taleb to learn how to profit from chaos, and on The Sovereign Individual, to better prepare yourself for the cyber-economic future. Mentioned in the show: Spire [1:28] Cypher Punks [13:37] E-Gold [13:57] Dropbox [17:22] Filecoin [17:38] Source Wifi [17:42] Uber [19:21] Nick Szabo’s Blog - Unenumerated [23:19] Steem Crypto-Reddit [38:54] Made You Think: The Sovereign Individual [48:35] Coinbase [50:05] JP Morgan [54:11] JP Morgan trading Bitcoin after fraud claim [54:11] The Silk Road marketplace [1:10:00] Bitcoin forums [1:11:05] Ethereum [1:15:30] The DAO [1:18:45] (the DAO hack) Alibaba [1:23:14] Inneo [1:23:23] Belaji’s article on quantifying decentralization [1:24:20] Bitcoin Whitepaper [1:29:10] Vitalik Buterin’s blog [1:30:56] Social Scalability article [1:35:55] Nick Szabo’s Tim Ferriss Podcast episode [1:36:43] Cryptocurrency on Medium [1:37:03] Books mentioned: The Dictator’s Handbook [4:18] The Master Switch [4:46] Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital [57:37] Digital Gold [1:08:11] The Sovereign Individual [1:30:22] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) The Internet of Money [1:34:59] People mentioned: Taylor Pearson [0:49] (Twitter) Adil Majid [1:21] (Twitter) Tim Wu [4:46] Satoshi Nakamoto [11:19] Nick Szabo [14:02] Kevin Kelly [34:05] Gandhi [51:38] Jamie Dimon [54:11] Carlota Perez [57:37] Ari Paul [1:07:47] Chris Burniske [1:07:47] Balaji Srinivasan [1:07:47] Barry Silbert [1:07:47]    Vitalik Buterin [1:07:47] Laura Shin [1:07:47] Elizabeth Stark [1:07:47] Fred Wilson [1:07:47] Naval Ravikant [1:07:47] Hal Finney [1:12:13] Bruce Mesquita [1:34:47] Andreas Antonopoulos [1:35:09] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:36:20] (Antifragile Made You Think episode) Tim Ferriss [1:36:43] Useful resources: Taylor’s articles on cryptocurrency (here and here) Nat’s articles on cryptocurrency (here and here) 0:00 - Intro to the show and some information on what the episode will be about. 0:49 - Taylor Pearson and Adil Majid’s introductions and how they both got into cryptocurrency. 5:32 - Some of the ways that cryptocurrency is useful due to it being decentralized and free from governmental control. 8:45 - The two types of cryptocurrencies: currencies and tokens, and some key differences between them. 10:13 - What makes cryptocurrencies able to be decentralized and free from governmental control. Also, why people can’t create more bitcoins, info on the blockchain, and info on mining cryptocurrencies. 13:15 - Cryptocurrency creation attempts that came before the creation of Bitcoin. 14:26 - Who is creating cryptocurrencies, how they are created, and how they attain value. 16:23 - Some more information on tokens and some examples of these tokens. 18:11 - Why we would want to use tokens for transactions instead of traditional currency. 23:00 - What the customized contract aspect of cryptocurrencies is and how it is much more beneficial to all parties involved compared to traditional contracts or transactions. 30:59 - The international commerce aspect of cryptocurrencies and the huge impact they can have on minimizing transactional fees. 35:21 - How cryptocurrency is possibly going to affect tech and non-banking companies in the future. 39:18 - The potential of decentralized autonomous organizations in the future and huge impacts these can have on our daily lives. 41:20 - The difference between protocols and applications in cryptocurrencies. 44:49 - Some things that are holding cryptocurrencies back right now. 48:32 - Cryptocurrency regulation and the issue with governmental opposition to cryptocurrencies. 50:39 - Exchanges facing opposition, crypto being free of regulations, and some thoughts on governmental intervention. 54:11 - An example of large companies manipulating the price of cryptocurrencies and how the market cap increasing may help stabilize the currencies. 59:14 - Thoughts on the fluctuations of cryptocurrencies and whether or not it’s going to be valuable long-term or short-term. 1:03:15 - What’s been going on with the Chinese regulations and how that may play out with the different coins in the future. 1:05:45 - Some excellent sources of cryptocurrency information and news, and what types of sources to avoid. 1:08:05 - The backstory of Bitcoin and its creation. Also, some speculations on who the creator actually was. 1:16:10 - The creation of Ethereum, who the creator is, some benefits it has over Bitcoin, and the DAO hack. 1:22:01 - The Bitcoin fork, where Bitcoin split into Bitcoin and Bitcoin cash, and the differences between them. 1:23:29 - Quantifying the decentralization of these various cryptocurrencies. 1:26:28 - The energy arbitrage with Bitcoin, the possible environmental impacts, and Bitcoin mining. 1:30:08 - What you should check out after this episode to learn more about cryptocurrency. 1:32:58 - Where to go to learn more about the application aspect of crypto rather than the currency aspect. 1:38:40 - Wrap-up and where to find Taylor and Adil online. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com Part of what makes it so complex is also part of what makes it so interesting. There’s political philosophy, geopolitics, no regulations, network effects, incentivizing people to participate in a network, a kind of economics, and then, there’s the technical standpoint involved.

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.” In this episode of Made You Think, we read through “In Praise of Idleness” by Bertrand Russell and discussed some of its main ideas. This episode was fun since we were able to read the whole essay throughout the show, stopping and starting as topics caught our interest. Whether you’ve read Russell before, or this is your first introduction to him, this essay is full of ideas that will make you think about whether you need to spend more time goofing off and relaxing. We covered a wide range of topics, including: Reducing the guilty feeling of wanting to work all day Balancing work, leisure, and spending Cultivating creativity by increasing leisure time Spending your leisure time more wisely Increasing your productivity Reading books to for pleasure, instead of just knowledge Issues with overworking in today’s society And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of In Praise of Idleness and to check out Nat’s notes on the book!  If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to listen to our episode on The Sovereign Individual, to better prepare yourself for the cyber-economic future, and to listen to our episode on Antifragile, to learn how to turn chaos to your advantage! Mentioned in the show: YMCA [0:54] Principia Mathematica [1:55] Antifragile Made You Think episode [10:30] Mastery Made You Think episode [10:30] The Sovereign Individual Made You Think episode [11:22] Parkinson’s Law [27:19] Taylor Pearson’s time management article [27:44] Patagonia [31:08] It’s Okay to “Forget” What You Read [1:00:34] Y Combinator [1:03:12] Y Combinator universal income experiment [1:03:12] Stoicism [1:14:08] France’s lower hour work week [1:19:35] Neil’s Newsletter [1:23:20] (Nat’s Newsletter) Books mentioned: In Praise of Idleness [0:00] (Nat’s Notes) Antifragile [10:30] (Nat’s Notes) Mastery [10:30] (Nat’s Notes) The Sovereign Individual [11:22] (Nat’s Notes) Sapiens [18:01] (Nat’s Notes) Let My People Go Surfing [31:08] The 4-Hour Workweek [38:04] (Nat’s Notes) Revolt of the Masses [46:55] How to Win at the Sport of Business [58:19] The Black Swan [1:01:38] (Nat’s Notes) You’re A Badass [1:13:54] The Secret [1:13:55] People mentioned: Mussolini [0:36] Bertrand Russell [1:15] Mark Cuban [58:16] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:01:38] Wolf Blitzer [1:05:51] Charles Darwin [1:08:58] 0:00 - Intro to the discussion on In Praise of Idleness. Some background on the author Bertrand Russell and on the book itself. 4:56 - Continuation of the essay. Some perspective on spending and saving money, working, and the work system of society. Some of the issues that Bertrand sees in the world. 7:52 - Thoughts on spending money on leisure compared to spending money on business or work. 13:00 - The next passage of the book, discussing the prospect of working less, adding more idleness to your life, and balancing both of those in today’s society. 16:28 - The history of work systems throughout time and in various geographic locations. How these systems of long work hours have impacted us today and how aspects of wealth have changed. 20:40 - Thoughts on how high work hours have negatively impacted our creativity and some extreme issues in the modern workforce. 27:09 - An important technique that you can use to improve your daily productivity and to prioritize your work. 29:48 - Issues with modern companies regarding high work hours and employee productivity. Also, the mentality of people wanting and promoting hard work and long hours, and the stigmas regarding these. 37:28 - Idleness possibly leading to chaos and the importance of having meaningful leisurely time. Some thoughts on the transition from high works hours to lower work hours. 41:01 - Russell’s thoughts on keeping the idle occupied by producing munitions and objects of war. Companies doing this currently as well, by promoting spending. 48:29 - The next passages on dismissing work as nobility, keeping people contented with work, people not knowing what to do with excess leisure time, teaching people how to better spend their leisurely time, and more. 57:03 - Losing creative energy due to doing unfulfilling work and instead, doing work that you enjoy to save that creative energy for other things. Also, doing things for enjoyment rather than trying to gain something out of it, especially with reading books. 1:01:20 - Getting hooked on reading by reading books that radically change your conception of the world and reading more books to gain those types of experiences again. 1:02:39 - Thoughts on what may happen with giving people unlimited free time and discussing the issue with people who are used to receiving bite-sized pieces of information. Also, untraining yourself from stimulus to get out of passive leisure and getting into active leisure. 1:08:10 - Russell’s thoughts on leisurely time being where our greatest ideas and inspirations come from, and on needing that time to think and to study. Also, a bit on the flaws of college with original ideas and intellectual exploration being ignored. 1:14:43 - Last passage from the book. His utopian vision for the twenty hour work week and some thoughts on what would happen if this was implemented. Also, changing our viewpoint on war and the military. 1:22:13 - The challenge of defining what work and leisure actually are and how they are not well defined today compared to Russell’s days. 1:24:58 - Wrap-up, some closing thoughts, and some key takeaways. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com “The pleasures of urban populations have become mainly passive: seeing cinemas, watching football matches, listening to the radio, and so on. This results from the fact that their active energies are fully taken up with work; if they had more leisure, they would again enjoy pleasures in which they took an active part.”

“When money can be earned anywhere, you won’t obligated to live in or subjugate yourself to high taxation.” In this episode of Made You Think, we discussed “The Sovereign Individual,” a book published in 1996 predicting how the Internet would change our lives and work over the following decades. Some of it’s come true, some of it is yet to come, but no book has made either of us think so much about how technology might destroy what we think of as citizenship, work, travel, community, and life. We talked about: The increasing popularity of self-education over college How to prepare yourself for the future cyber-economy The future of job automation and subsequent unemployment The decreasing demand for people with degrees and job experience The four stages of cultural and societal advancement The future of cryptocurrency and online wealth The necessity for finding meaning in your life and work And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Sovereign Individual and to check out Nat’s notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to also listen to our episode on Mastery by Robert Greene to learn how to become a master at your craft, and our episode on The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell on using the power of mythology to positively influence our lives. Mentioned in the show: 14,000-Year-Old British Columbian Village [5:54] Stonehenge [6:15] Internet lines being cut article [18:53] Bitcoin [19:14] (Nat’s article on Bitcoin) Upwork [29:01] MomTrusted [30:36] Loose Threads Death of the Supply Driven World [34:07] (Podcast) WellnessFX [35:21] Inflammation and Depression link [40:02] Nat Chat Podcast [50:27] Fake News article [52:49] Swift [56:40] Cryptocurrency and Blockchain [56:47] (Nat’s article on learning about cryptocurrency) Ron Paul - What if the government didn’t fund healthcare [1:02:57] NomadList [1:10:07] Wealthfront [1:21:20] Zapier [1:26:15] How to Legally Own Somebody [1:29:14] Medium [1:30:53] Estee Lauder [1:34:04] Indochino [1:38:57] Adidas [1:40:28] Under Armour [1:40:28] Estonia U-Visa [1:41:35] Game of Thrones [1:52:06] Community [1:52:07] Lost [1:52:08] Books mentioned: Antifragile (Made You Think episode) [0:33] (Nat’s Notes) The Sovereign Individual [0:37] (Nat’s Notes) Snowcrash [16:57] Ready Player One [17:21] Revolt of the Masses [1:08:57] The End of Jobs [1:25:52] People mentioned: James Dale Davidson [0:37] Lord William Rees-Mogg [0:37] Eduardo Saverin [15:17] Neal Stephenson [16:57] Al Capone [22:19] Connor Grooms [35:18] (Nat Chat episode) Malcolm Gladwell [57:15] José Ortega y Gasset [1:08:57] Arnold Schwarzenegger [1:13:58] Peter Thiel [1:16:33] Larry Page [1:19:19] Taylor Pearson [1:25:52] (Nat Chat episode) Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:29:09] (Antifragile Made You Think episode) GE [1:31:18] Elon Musk [1:56:34] Adil Majid [1:56:54] (Nat Chat episode) Justin Mares [1:58:20] (Nat Chat episode) Show Topics 0:00 - Intro to the podcast and discussion of The Sovereign Individual. Some history on the book and what it’s about. 2:52 - Some predictions for the future that the book made in 1996, detailing some of the four stages of civilization that the book describes, and some various cultural examples. 9:00 - Some bits on the informational age, the possible future of wealth, and financial independence. 12:40 - Digital nomading and taking advantage of work that’s based online for more money. 16:40 - The shift to the majority of things moving towards being online and us moving towards living just as much online as we do offline. 19:53 - Businesses moving online, money becoming harder to track, Bitcoin, and avoiding taxes. 22:44 - The potential backlash of a digital economy, from taxes being easier to avoid, and people losing their jobs due to companies automating those jobs in the future. 26:57 - With more companies becoming easier to find online, companies will have much more competition, and the consumer will have better pricing. 28:27 - The diversity of people you find when outsourcing work and the affordability aspect of outsourcing. 31:48 - The decline of the parallels with the church and the state, the ease of fact-checking people with degrees and learning nearly anything online, and the declining need for certain degrees. 34:39 - Finding the bulk of medical knowledge online, getting health consultations online, and some thoughts on healthcare and its future. 40:02 - The link between inflammation and depression, and some obvious health strategies that have been known for centuries that we now have the research to back up. 42:07 - Some flaws and some examples of the parallels with the church and the state, the perspective shift on income that comes with entrepreneurship, and the benefits of saving much more money than you spend. 50:20 - People beginning to realize they can self-educate themselves rather than going to college and more employers looking for skills rather than degrees. 52:45 - The rising issue with fake news and popular websites promoting false information. 55:15 - More discussion on employers realizing it’s not about the degree or the years spent working, it’s more about what someone has done. 57:31 - The life and death of the nation-state. Transitioning from the taxation based state to becoming more of a customer and paying for what you want. 1:05:19 - The unique aspects of America being exported a lot and making other places just as important, and the sustainability aspect of the large intellectual diversity in America. 1:08:52 - A community being formed more on a shared idea of a future, rather than a shared past or shared blood. Also, living in different countries and the future of various countries economies. 1:17:00 - Discussing the return of violence mentioned in the book. Governments, companies, and employees fighting any opposition. 1:20:00 - How some large companies are evading American taxes by routing income in different countries. 1:24:03 - Employee owned versus investor-owned companies and hiring contractors rather than employees. 1:34:19 - The book’s predictions on how the cyber-economy will be evolving, most of which we’ve already seen. Also, some thoughts on how the last shift to a fully based cyber-economy may happen. 1:36:40 - The future of cryptocurrency, some impediments with them, and some thoughts on the inflation of cryptocurrencies. 1:38:44 - Some other prediction’s the book made on what will happen when the economy shifts to being fully online and some thoughts on this from Nat and Neil. 1:43:04 - This risk of unemployment due to job automation and higher skill levels being required. Also, some of the issues with this happening and possible revolts. 1:52:45 - The need for finding work you that you truly enjoy doing and finding meaning for your life. 1:57:52 - Wrap-up, some last thoughts on the book and in general, and some last pieces of advice. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com “If you can teach yourself to solve problems, you have a bright career ahead. No matter where you live, you will find problems galore in need of solving. Those who would benefit from solutions of their problems, will pay you handsomely to solve them.”

“Picking a path, even if it’s not the right path, will get you closer to finding the path that will work for you.” “The Power of Myth” is a series of interviews conducted over two years between Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers, originally meant for television, but eventually repackaged into this book covering Campbell’s lifetime of research on the power of mythology to influence our lives and thinking. It made both of us seriously think about the value of mythology, stories, religion, and how historic lessons can be carried across time. If you’re someone who normally prefers actionable information, and reading non-fiction, The Power of Myth makes a strong case for how timeless stories can teach us more than a bulleted list ever can. We cover a lot in the episode, including: How mythology can influence your work and pursuing your passions Using mythology and theology as a guide for your life Finding your path to bliss and maintaining that bliss Promoting growth by welcoming your challenges and enemies Balancing the necessary sacrifices in everything that you do Gaining inspiration from ancient mythology and theology And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Power of Myth!   If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to also listen to our launch episodes on Mastery by Robert Greene to learn how to become a master at your craft, and Letters from a Stoic by Seneca to learn ancient wisdom for a better life. Mentioned in the show: Skywalker Ranch [1:02] Sarah Lawrence College [1:31] Jordan Peterson’s Podcast (biblical series) [3:35] Maasai Tribe People [9:48] Tim Ferriss Podcast (dating heuristic episode)  [14:57] Masculine/Feminine Personality Traits [15:43]  (Three related articles: first, second, and third) Jocko Podcast [17:46] The Optionality Trap [28:29] Bonobos [29:41] Andy Dunn’s VC blog post [29:45] Zappos [35:05] Twilight Zone (episode mentioned) [35:38] Made You Think Mastery podcast episode [38:35] Nat Chat Podcast [39:48] DiscMan [41:14] Nat and Neil’s Nat Chat episode [43:46] Bitcoin [50:02] Nike [52:55] Adidas [52:56] Wall-E [57:19] Dota 2 [58:26] World of Warcraft [58:31] Starcraft [58:32] Hardcore History Podcast [1:06:10] Biblical Series Podcast on Cain and Abel [1:14:33] Made You Think Letter’s From a Stoic podcast episode [1:20:55] Made You Think Antifragile podcast episode [1:20:56] Books mentioned: The Power of Myth (Nat’s Notes) [0:44] Harry Potter [3:51] Sapiens (Nat’s Notes) [8:32] The Way of the Superior Man (Nat’s Notes) [16:17] The Odyssey [28:02] The Alchemist (Nat’s Notes) [28:34] The Secret [28:40] Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh’s book) [35:07] Play It Away [38:07] The Sovereign Individual (Nat’s Notes) [40:42] The Quran [49:14] American Indian Myths and Legends [1:07:58] The Selfish Gene [1:11:48] The Bhagavad Gita (Nat’s Notes) [1:16:34] The Way of Zen [1:17:05] Words That Work (Nat’s Notes) [1:17:58] The Joseph Campbell Companion [1:19:34] People mentioned: Joseph Campbell [0:55] Bill Moyers [0:55] George Lucas [1:36] J.K. Rowling [3:54] Yuval Noah Harari [8:35] Tim Ferriss [14:57] Jocko Willink [17:46] Plato [22:00] Andy Dunn [29:40] Tony Hsieh [35:03] Mark Cuban [38:06] Dan Carlin [1:06:10] Richard Dawkins [1:11:48] Carl Jung [1:12:02] Alan Watts [1:17:05] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:17:26] Frank Luntz [1:17:58] 0:00 - Introduction, some background information on The Power of Myth, and some popular modern-day mythological references. 4:26 - The ease of remembering myths and some thoughts on our memorization abilities hundreds of years ago. 6:20 - Mythology in the modern world and using mythology to steer you towards better and more authentic desires. 9:30 - Campbell’s philosophy with having to earn your adulthood and having a clear demarcation for adulthood. 13:30 - The more mythological aspect of love and lust that was more prominent in the past. Also, speaking on the dynamic of masculine and feminine energy. 19:05 - The significance of various symbols found in the world, speaking about theology versus mythology, and using both as personal guidelines for a better life. 26:58 - Campbell’s thoughts of self-actualization, following your bliss, and using that bliss to find the right path in life. 34:26 - Maintaining a creative outlet, having a meaning to live, and making sacrifices to maintain that bliss. 38:35 - Advice for finding your bliss, trying many different things, and taking different paths. 45:24 - Using mythological stories and their characters, challenges, and motivations to help you with your own journies. 48:17 - Balancing the sacrifice and payment for each thing you do and realizing you’ll most likely have to put in the same amount of work as everyone one that path before you. 52:02 - Loving your struggles and enemies, as they are the instruments for your destination. Looking for competitors and challenge to promote growth. 57:43 - The false sense of achievement and meaning you get from video games and the huge issue with this. 1:01:49 - The structure of the hero’s journey and viewing your life in that structure to make better decisions, similar to “What would this person do?”. 1:04:35 - Campbell’s mask of eternity idea, how the structure of mythology matches the structure of our daily lives, the morality aspect of myths, and how certain myths may have helped ancient tribes survive. 1:15:58 - Some last thoughts, gaining inspiration from religious myths and ancient texts, and tying words to strong feelings. 1:18:58 - Wrap up, some other last pieces of thoughts, and some info on the next podcast episode. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com “It’s game where, if you do find your bliss and you follow it, you can’t lose. Because you’re not going for the destination, you’re going for that journey.”

“It’s never going to be easier to just learn and to make little money, than when you’re young and in the beginning.” Mastery is the best book that either of us have found at becoming a master of your craft, getting mentors, learning through experience, and reaching the top of your field. If you’re serious about becoming known for your work, there are few better books that you could read to help get you there, and we covered many of the key lessons in this episode. In this episode though, we covered: Finding your purpose and achieving skill mastery Reconnecting with your inner self Strategies for improving your life and progression Avoiding common mistakes that hinder growth Enduring pain to increase mental resilience Breaking through learning plateaus Remaining patient and trusting the process Improving your social intelligence to communicate better And much more. Enjoy! If you want more on Mastery, be sure to check out Nat’s notes on the book and pick up a copy yourself. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to also listen to our launch episodes on Antifragile by Nassim Taleb to learn how to profit from chaos, and Letters from a Stoic by Seneca to learn ancient wisdom for a better life. Mentioned in the show: How to Become an Expert in Any Skill Tinder RTS games Fountains of Bellagio Procter and Gamble No Shampoo, No Conditioner article How To Get Up To Speed In Any Industry… Quickly article Candy Crush Deliberate Practice article Mattan Griffel Crucial Conversations Slideshow MomTrusted Morning Pages Cryptocurrency Teachable Neil’s brewing company Books mentioned: Mastery by Robert Greene (Nat’s Notes) Letters from a Stoic (Made You Think Episode) (Nat’s Notes) Antifragile (Made You Think Episode) (Nat’s Notes) Excellent Sheep (Nat’s Notes) Siddartha Deep Work (Nat’s Notes) Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind  (Nat’s Notes) What Every Body is Saying The 48 Laws of Power (Nat’s Notes) Crucial Conversations (Neil’s Notes) The Art of Learning (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Robert Greene Leonardo da Vinci Napoleon Bonaparte Charles Darwin Thomas Edison Martha Graham William Deresiewicz Chaz Giles Justin Mares Scott Adams Seneca Ernest Hemingway Michael Faraday Ignaz Semmelweis Peter Thiel Ankur Nagpal Show Topics 2:03 - Start of the discussion. Nat discussing the layout of the book and how you can benefit from it. 7:58 - Anyone can become a master. Nat and Neil on the first steps to achieving mastery and on the first phase of the book, the apprenticeship phase. 12:10 - Focusing on your personal tendencies that hint at your purpose and thoughts on becoming more connected to yourself. 16:55 - Nat and Neil on Greene’s three steps for trying to reconnect with your calling and finding work that you truly enjoy. 19:14 - The large number of potential jobs that are there, but aren’t always easy to find. A few examples on this from Nat and Neil. 22:04 - Looking at your career as more of a journey with twists and turns, rather than a straight line. Also, some more ideas for finding the things that you’re really interested in. 27:27 - Speaking on learning everything that you can and then detailing the first steps of the apprenticeship phase. 33:12 - Discussing the importance of deliberate practice, deep work, and avoiding distractions to achieve optimal efficiency with your work. 36:47 - Greene’s strategies to help you complete the apprenticeship phase and for getting the most out of it. 40:22 - Trusting the process, not setting artificial metrics for yourself, and taking the harder options for more growth. 42:35 - Properly implementing feedback from your failures, the importance of trying different things, and broadening your skills. 45:25 - The necessity for having a mentor and learning from them. 53:05 - Choosing the correct mentor, avoiding common mistakes with your mentor, and advice for properly learning from them. 59:20 - Developing social intelligence and improving your ability to navigate personal interactions. 1:06:01 - Strategies to acquire social intelligence and advice for better connecting to others. 1:10:20 - Advice and steps for thinking beyond those initial guidelines, sparking new creativity, and continuing your learning beyond the constraints of the skill. 1:19:58 - Strategies for avoiding emotional pitfalls, maintaining patience, and continually improving yourself. 1:26:18 - Giving yourself an environment to be creative and to actively explore contradictions in yourself and in the world at large. 1:28:35 - Fusing the intuitive with the rational and achieving mastery, seeing the world as it really is, and really trying to understand other’s perspectives. 1:35:17 - Wrap up and some final thoughts on the book. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com/ “After continual practice for years, you eventually make the leap to mastery.”

“You want your life to be where, if it was your last year, you’d happy with how your life turned out.” Letters from a Stoic is one of Neil’s and Nat’s favorite works of philosophy, and has taken the world by storm in a massive resurgence over the last 10 years. Unlike most philosophy works, it’s extremely readable and endlessly applicable, and you’ll stumble upon useful bits of wisdom on every page. We’ve both read it and re-read it multiple times, and knew it had to be one of the first books and collections of wisdom that we shared with you. We covered a ton of topics from the book, including: Focusing on developing deep friendships. Reading more timeless books and rereading books. Practicing negative scenarios to better prepare yourself for them. Being grateful for what you currently have. Being content your life now, for there may not be a tomorrow. Removing the unpragmatic fear of death. Facing difficult obstacles head on, instead of avoiding them. Enjoy! If you want more on Letters from a Stoic, be sure to check out Nat’s notes on the book and pick up a copy yourself. And let Neil and Nat know on Twitter what you thought of this episode! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our other launch episode on Antifragile by Nassim Taleb, on how to turn chaos to your advantage! Mentioned in the show: The Marathon of Beer, Books, and Philosophy Nat Chat Episode How to Profit from Chaos, Lessons from Antifragile Episode Stoicism The Lindy Rule Neil’s Newsletter Gratitude journal 5-Minute Journal Morning Pages Fight Through the Suck Saturnalia Dominic D’Agostino (Tim Ferriss Episode) (Joe Rogan Episode) Fushimi Inari Shrine Books mentioned: Letters from a Stoic (Nat’s Notes) (Free PDF) Antifragile (Nat’s Notes) Hillbilly Elegy The Dip People mentioned: Seneca Plato Epictetus Cato the Elder Marcus Aurelius Justin Mares Seth Godin Tim Ferriss Joe Rogan Socrates Steve Jobs Randy Komisar Adil Majid Jocko 1:26 - Intro to the book discussion. Some background on Seneca and stoicism. 5:25 - The issue of not settling in one place or focusing on one thing at a time, costing you strong personal relationships and richer knowledge on one subject. 8:00 - Speaking of the Lindy rule of books, paying more attention to older books that are still popular today. 9:59 - Rereading books every so often to gain new insights and learning more from them. 12:40 - Doing things to strengthen yourself from poverty each day, learning the limits of wealth, and being content with what you have. 17:40 - Using excuses to abstain from discipline and your personal plans. Also, speaking on the nature of fasting. 22:33 - Setting aside a number of days in which you do away with indulgences and pleasures to increase your resilience and gratitude for these things. 25:47 - During times of safety, build yourself up to possible negative events to prepare yourself beforehand. 28:45 - Despite growing physically old, you can maintain your spirit, your willpower, and how you respond to negative events. 30:52 - Enjoying what you’re doing now and making sure that you’re happy with your life if it was your last year. Also, speaking on proving your words with actions and explaining Seneca’s suicide. 35:19 - Escaping deep inner issues with travel and new experiences is faulty. “The same thing that drove you away, you carry with you.”. Advice and perspective on traveling with these issues. 42:00 - Investing in religious items will not increase your chances of what you want to happen, it’s more going to come from you and what you’re doing. Also, abstaining from your pride in things that aren’t your own or that can be taken away. 46:21 - Internalizing the idea of death and making the most of your life while alive. Behaving well because it’s the right thing to do, instead of behaving well for a reward at the end of your life. 49:18 - Becoming comfortable with your death and recognizing that death is nothingness, as it was before you were born. Also, Nat on a good way to introduce others to stoicism. 51:43 - Doing away with all of those who complain or who worry about things outside of their control. Labeling unpragmatic emotions as useless and asking yourself whether it is necessary. 56:50 - Facing difficult obstacles and your struggles, instead of running away from them in order to lessen the burden. 59:22 - Being happier with less, you can appreciate having more, that much more. A few real world examples of this and some advice for being more appreciative and grateful. 1:04:22 - The issue of the constant comparison game we face today and the constant want of having more, which creates problems. 1:08:45 - Doing the things that scare you and being suspicious of the things that seem easy. Some thoughts on the timeless nature of the book and on its wide application to improve our daily lives. 1:11:20 - Wrap up and some last thoughts. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com “It is precisely in times of immunity from care that the soul should toughen itself beforehand for occasions of greater stress, and it is while Fortune is kind that it should fortify itself against her violence.”

“Perhaps being deprived of poison makes us fragile and the road to robustification starts with a modicum of harm.” - Nassim Nicholas Taleb Antifragile has completely changed how people think about work and life, and the concepts from it can be used daily. It’s not just a modern practical philosophy book, it’s a guide for smart investing, exercising, learning, working, and thinking. Neil and I tried to cover many of the major themes of the book and how to apply them. You’ll learn: Why you should build up your tangential skills to become more versatile with your work. The importance of incorporating small, positive lifestyle changes to become more robust in negative situations. Letting yourself feel negative emotions and experiences for personal growth. Why you should let your plans be more of a guide, instead of a restriction from other choices. How you can get luckier through positive luck exposure. Techniques for turning procrastination into productivity towards other things Enjoy! And if you want more on Antifragile, be sure to check out Nat’s notes on the book and pick up a copy yourself. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to check out our other launch episode on Letters from a Stoic, one of the ancient writers who was a big influence on Taleb’s thinking. Mentioned in the show: You Can’t Say That Because You’re White No, Soylent isn’t Healthy. Here’s Why Bitcoin Welcome to Extremistan. Don’t Be A Turkey Benefits of Fasting Mom Trusted Estee Lauder How to Plan Your Ideal Day Optimizing for Optionality No Shampoo Article No Soap Article Study on Glove Bacteria Transfer Books mentioned: Antifragile (Nat’s Notes) Black Swan (Nat’s Notes) Traction (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Nassim Nicholas Taleb Barbara Streisand Milo Yiannopoulos Charlie Hoehn Taylor Pearson Justin Mares Gabriel Weinberg 2:20 - Nat and Neil begin to explain the core concepts in Antifragile and discuss various examples of antifragility in today’s culture. 13:05 - Some thoughts on fragile and antifragile work environments. 15:38 - Various fragility contributing risks that you may be exposing yourself to and some lifestyle variables you can improve to promote personal antifragility. 20:40 - Nat and Neil speaking on recognizing potential vulnerabilities in your career. They are also discussing the importance of building up tangential skills to become more robust and versatile with your work. 23:08 -  How incorporating small stressors into your life can radically improve everything you do, and Nat touching some on a few of the health benefits from intermittent fasting. 35:24 - The importance of recognizing naive interventionism to allow you and others to experience possible, necessary life stressors to promote personal growth. 50:02 - Why you should try to let yourself feel your emotions naturally to learn and grow, instead of immediately turning towards artificial resolution. 54:57 - Benefiting from moments of procrastination and turning procrastination with one thing into productivity towards other things. 1:00:38 - Nat and Neil talking about Taleb’s barbell strategy; practicing extreme risk aversion or extreme risk loving in various situations, rather than taking consistent moderate risks. Also, going into detail on making wise investments with your wealth. 1:06:49 - Becoming more antifragile with your wealth and peer relationships by applying the barbell strategy to those areas. 1:09:43 - Letting your plans be more of a guide and not letting them restrict you from other opportunities. 1:16:40 - Spending more time experimenting with something and failing, rather than learning about it from a set of rules or someone else before experimenting. 1:21:15 - The importance of having a high optionality in various aspects of life to promote antifragility, especially with having time available for beneficial opportunities. 1:28:36 - Nat and Neil speaking on creating more optionality for yourself by removing the unnecessary and being aware of more naive interventions. 1:42:11 - Some closing thoughts from Nat and Neil on “Skin in the game”, which is making decisions based on if you have exposure to the downsides and upsides of those decisions. 1:45:47 - Wrap up and a quick overview of some healthy stressors you can incorporate into your own life. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com “Whenever there’s a problem, the first question shouldn’t be, ‘What do I add to fix it?’ but rather, ‘What can I remove to fix it?’”

Made you think is a podcast from Nat Eliason and Neil Soni dedicated to exploring big ideas from old books, new technologies, great speeches, and anything else that will stretch your brain muscles. Here's what the show is all about.