It is common to think that rational agency involves acting in ways that, given one’s options, maximize the satisfaction of one’s preferences. This intuitive understanding has generated a wide-ranging literature about the ways in which individuals routinely fail to be rational in the proposed sense: they make choices that not only do not maximize their prefer ... Show More
Mar 3
Catherine Elgin, "Epistemic Ecology" (MIT Press, 2025)
Humans are highly inquisitive, yet fallible and cognitively limited. How can we improve our epistemic lot despite our limitations? In Epistemic Ecology (MIT Press, 2025), Catherine Elgin develops a model in which individuals learn to rely on communal epistemic resources, such as ... Show More
1 h
Feb 18
John Drabinski, "So Unimaginable a Price: Baldwin and the Black Atlantic" (Northwestern UP, 2025)
What happens if we turn to James Baldwin, not just for the amazing quotations and excellent photos, but as a critical theorist? What if we read his nonfiction philosophically? What can Baldwin help us understand and do now? In So Unimaginable a Price: Baldwin and the Black Atlant ... Show More
59m 4s
Feb 10
Ellen Clarke, "The Units of Life: Kinds of Individual in Biology" (Oxford UP, 2025)
While we tend to think of biological individuals in terms of paradigmic cases – a dog, a starfish, a bacterium – our ordinary criteria for distinguishing one individual from another are inadequate for making these distinctions in general. If a starfish can literally split itself ... Show More
1h 8m
Jan 2021
Can We Build a More Rational World?
Steven Pinker dares to believe that human beings are better off than ever before in human history. A world-renowned linguist, Pinker has dedicated his career to unveiling the ways by which we express our human nature through our language, behaviors, and beliefs. In an era often p ... Show More
1h 14m
Jan 2023
223 - Feelings are unreliable (Part 1) — with Chris Do, Nidhi Tewari, Mo Ismail
This two-part podcast episode features Chris Do, Nidhi Tewari, and Mo Ismail discussing the merits of whether to make decisions with your mind, your heart, or a little of both.
In part one, Chris shares how he processes his feelings, how they affect his decisions, and why leading ... Show More
58m 45s
Feb 2024
Conversation with Dan Ariely — Why People Believe Irrational Things
Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, joins Scott to discuss what makes rational people believe seemingly irrational things. He also shares how we avoid certain facts when we don’t like the solution, as well as how a lack of trust in o ... Show More
57m 59s
Jan 2024
3037: The Decision to Be Remarkable by Chris Guillebeau on Pursuing Greatness
Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com.
Episode 3037:
"The Decision to Be Remarkable" advocates for a proactive approach to life, emphasizing the need to break free from m ... Show More
9m 30s
