Eric chats with Robert Sapolsky, Stanford Professor of Biology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery. Robert is a world-renowned academic and author of highly successful books such as A Primate’s Memoir, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, and Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst. His Stanford lectures were among the first to be made available online across t ... Show More
Nov 21
164 - Susan Engel: Do We Become Less Curious As We Grow Older?
<p>Adani chats with Dr. Susan Engel, a Senior Lecturer and Senior Faculty Fellow in Psychology at Williams College. Susan’s research spans many areas, including the development of curiosity and invention, children’s ideas, the impact of college, and school reform. In this convers ... Show More
48m 50s
Nov 6
162 - Adam Benforado: How prioritizing kids benefits us all
<p>In today’s episode, Adani chats with Adam Benforado, a lawyer, writer, and professor at Drexel University’s Kline School of Law. Adam’s research, teaching, and advocacy are focused on children’s rights and criminal justice, and he brings insights from the mind sciences—most no ... Show More
50m 35s
May 2023
Can experiments settle the free will debate? | Julian Baggini, Peter Godfrey-Smith, Sarah Garfinkel
Does science have anything to say about our freedom of choice?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesA famed experiment, by Libet in the 1980s, led many scientists and philosophers to argue that free will was an illusion. Despite the ex ... Show More
51m 16s
Jul 2025
More choice means less freedom | Psychologist Barry Schwartz
Why more is lessWe're surrounded by choice - an endless sea of possible paths we might take. However, does the overwhelming range of choices leave us better off or worse? In general, we tend to think that more is better, but Barry Schwartz, author of the ground-breaking book 'The ... Show More
18m 32s
Sep 24
Part Two: The Rise of Cancel Culture, Distrust in Science & Misinformation: Dr. Steven Pinker Reveals The Hidden Psychology That Threatens Society.
The Rising Risks of Cancel Culture & The Psychology & Language That Built It! In this explosive episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, Dr. Steven Pinker (renowned Harvard psychologist and author of When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows) joins Mayim Bialik and Jonathan Cohen for a ... Show More
54m 41s
Sep 23
The Rise of Cancel Culture, Distrust in Science & Misinformation: Dr. Steven Pinker Reveals The Hidden Psychology That Threatens Society.
The Rising Risks of Cancel Culture & The Psychology & Language That Built It! In this explosive episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, Dr. Steven Pinker (renowned Harvard psychologist and author of When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows) joins Mayim Bialik and Jonathan Cohen for a ... Show More
57m 27s
Oct 23
Phi Curious [with Massimo Pigliucci]
In this episode I sit down with philosopher and author Massimo Pigliucci to talk about his book Beyond Stoicism—and why, in his view, no single philosophy can capture everything it means to live well. We dive into the limits of ancient Stoicism, what modern life can borrow from o ... Show More
59m 10s
Aug 19
Why Taking Life Less Seriously Could Be the Productivity Boost You Need
The art of making work not suck; how playing helps you stress less (and achieve more). In today’s episode, we challenge the architecture of adulthood, built brick by brick with “shoulds”. Using stories of ancient ancestors and modern cubicles, we’ll ask: Why do we surrender to se ... Show More
25m 8s