222. What Makes an Idea Interesting?

<p>Also: why are we so bad at assessing risk? This episode originally aired on April 25, 2021.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for adverti ... Show More

<p>Also: what is the most significant choice you will ever make? This episode originally aired on April 18, 2021.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of person ... Show More

<p>Also: why do we dislike being alone in public? This episode originally aired on April 11, 2021.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for adv ... Show More

<p>David Eagleman upends myths and describes the vast possibilities of a brainscape that even neuroscientists are only beginning to understand. Steve Levitt interviews him in this special episode of <i>People I (Mostly) Admire.</i></p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul> ... Show More

<p>Daniel Kahneman left his mark on academia (and the real world) in countless ways. A group of his friends and colleagues recently gathered in Chicago to reflect on this legacy — and we were there, with microphones.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="ht ... Show More

<p>In her book, <i>Rumbles</i>, medical historian Elsa Richardson explores the history of the human gut. She talks with Steve about dubious medical practices, gruesome tales of survival, and the things that medieval doctors may have gotten right.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCE ... Show More

<p>Only a tiny number of “supertaskers” are capable of doing two things at once. The rest of us are just making ourselves miserable, and less productive. How can we put the — <i>hang on a second, I've just got to get this</i>.</p><p><br />Come see Stephen Dubner live! </p><p>“A Q ... Show More

WIRED FOR WHY: How We Think, Feel and Make Meaning. (Self-Published 2025) spans eighteen chapters exploring everything from how we manage to stay alive against all odds, to why language separates us from other species, to whether death might be a metaphor. It's a journey through ... Show More

<p><i>The Power of Habit </i>author Charles Duhigg wrote his new book in an attempt to learn how to communicate better. Steve shares how the book helped him understand his own conversational weaknesses.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.char ... Show More

<p>Sam Harris speaks with Richard Dawkins about his new book <em><a href="https://amzn.to/3X7oYQE">The Genetic Book of the Dead</a></em>, the genome as a palimpsest, what scientists of the future may do with genetic information, genotypes and phenotypes, embryology and epigenetic ... Show More

<p id="yui_3_17_2_1_1533130642710_813">As Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, Steven Pinker's list of accomplishments is incredible; he has been named Humanist of the Year, <em>a top</em> "100 Global Thinker" by <em>Foreign Policy and</em> included in <em>Time</em> mag ... Show More

Menticide, or the systematic and intentional undermining of a person's conscious mind, effectively "killing" or destroying their independent thought and beliefs, is one of the most effective ways to supress revolutionary change in a society. So how do we protect our communities f ... Show More

With Toby Lichtig and Lucy Dallas – London has a brand-new theatre: the Bridge, the latest venture by Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr, based in Southwark and dedicated to original writing. And it starts its life with a new play by Richard Bean and Clive Young: Young Marx features ... Show More