In this episode, I talk to international bestselling author Robert Greene about strategy, seduction, and the sublime. Robert implores us to get comfortable with the dark side of human nature and society. He argues that by acknowledging the reality of human interactions, we can use certain strategies to help us effectively navigate the workplace, our relationships, and daily life. We also touch on the topics of empathy, imagination, charisma, power, and his upcoming book on transcendence and the sublime.
Chatting with Robert is always such a delight as we have many mutual areas of interest. I have been a long-time admirer of his books, and remember reading them in college and thinking that he seems to just get it. I hope you enjoyed this high-level discussion as much as I did.
Bio
Robert Greene is an author and speaker known for his books on strategy, power and seduction. He graduated from U.C. Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison with a degree in classical studies. He has written six international bestsellers: The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law, Mastery, and The Laws of Human Nature. Recently, he published The Daily Laws: 366 Meditations on Power, Seduction, Mastery. Greene’s books are hailed by everyone from war historians to the biggest musicians in the industry including Jay-Z, Drake, and 50 Cent.
Website: powerseductionandwar.com
Twitter: @RobertGreene
Topics
02:12 Robert’s health
03:43 The Daily Laws
04:58 What is a radical realist?
10:10 Empathy is like a telepathic connection
14:59 The human desire for fantasy
18:50 Etiquette is deception
22:17 How to live with the harsh truths of reality
28:03 Poeticize your presence
31:16 Channel pain into charisma
35:36 Stop being so nice all the time
39:08 Mix harshness and kindness
42:36 The primary law of human nature
46:08 Embrace your dark side
50:33 Schadenfreude vs mitfreude
53:46 The Pygmalion Effect
56:17 The integration of the shadow
01:02:05 The Law of the Sublime
01:08:14 The “post-mortem life”
01:10:03 The sublime is in the everyday
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