logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
47m 53s

Your Brain Doesn’t Work the Way You Thin...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode
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 People I (Mostly) Admire. 
Up next
Apr 24
672. What Makes Judy Faulkner Run?
Epic Systems manages the electronic health records for hundreds of millions of people. This makes Faulkner a healthcare heavyweight and one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in history. So why haven’t we ever heard much from her? Stephen Dubner travels to Verona, Wisc., ... Show More
1 h
Apr 22
Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? (Update)
New York City’s mayor called them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence disputes that claim. In an updated episode from 2025, we ask: Is the rat a scapegoat? And what does our rat hatred say about us? SOURCE ... Show More
40m 34s
Apr 17
671. Why Has There Been So Little Progress on Alzheimer’s Disease?
One possibility: a leading hypothesis pursued by researchers (and funders) was built on science that now appears to be fraudulent. Stephen Dubner speaks with the scientist and the journalist who blew the whistle. SOURCES: Charles Piller, investigative journalist for Science, auth ... Show More
1h 1m
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
523. Why We Dream, Learn, and Adapt Faster Than Any Other Species | Dr. David Eagleman
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down with neuroscientist, bestselling author, and PBS presenter Dr. David Eagleman. They discuss brain plasticity, how perception works, whether free will exists (and if it’s superordinate), how willingness to engage with higher entropy indicates sophi ... Show More
1h 35m
Sep 2024
Why Are Stories Stickier Than Statistics? (Replay)
tail spinning
31m 2s
Dec 2024
223. What About All the Questions We Haven’t Answered?
tail spinning
44m 6s
Jul 2025
Episode 312: MechaSkeptic
David and Tamler return to David Hume's somewhat slippery brand of skepticism, this time focusing Chapter 12 of his Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Plus speaking of things to be skeptical about, we dive into a recent paper called "Your Brain on ChatGPT" – does neuroscienc ... Show More
1h 16m
Dec 2024
222. What Makes an Idea Interesting?
tail spinning
34m 38s
Nov 2024
221. Why Are We So Pessimistic?
tail spinning
39m 8s
Aug 2024
207. How Clearly Do You See Yourself?
tail spinning
36m 23s
Oct 2024
Consciousness and the limits of science PART 2 | Sean Carroll, Ellen Langer, and Tamar Gendler
<p><strong>Mind, matter, and everything - PART TWO</strong></p><p>Can science ever solve the problem of consciousness? Do our methods look for answers in all the wrong places? Join Sean Carroll, Ellen Langer, and Tamar Gendler as they debate the possibility of science providing a ... Show More
27m 34s
Mar 2025
M. Chirimuuta, "The Brain Abstracted: Simplification in the History and Philosophy of Neuroscience" (MIT Press, 2024)
This book is available open access here. The Brain Abstracted: Simplification in the History and Philosophy of Neuroscience (MIT Press, 2024), Mazviita Chirimuuta argues that the standard ways neuroscientists simplify the human brain to build models for their research purposes mi ... Show More
50m 44s
May 2024
196. What’s Wrong With Being a Little Neurotic?
tail spinning
38m 36s