Are you ever happier not knowing something?
As Aristotle famously claimed, “All human beings want to know.” But denial and avoidance are also human impulses. Sometimes they’re even more powerful than our curiosity.
In this episode Sean speaks with professor Mark Lilla about when we’re better off searching for knowledge and when we’re better off living in t ... Show More
Apr 27
The case for thinking like a child
Sean talks with psychologist Alison Gopnik about how children think, learn, experience the world, and why their minds may be more powerful than ours in some crucial ways. They explore the idea that kids are the “research and development” wing of the human species, built for explo ... Show More
44m 34s
Apr 24
The one thing the Supreme Court won’t touch
The Supreme Court is aggressive on almost everything. Except the internet. Sean talks with Vox’s Ian Millhiser about a surprising pattern at the Court. While the Court has been eager to reshape schools, healthcare, and civil rights law, it has consistently taken a cautious, almos ... Show More
40m 17s
Oct 2023
Hale Dwoskin – What If This Is Bliss
Bliss can be described as a feeling of well-being, contentment, and boundlessness, or uncaused healthy happiness. These words do not do it justice. In fact, words cannot describe this delight that is beyond understanding. Explore bliss together with Hale Dwoskin in this episode o ... Show More
16m 21s
Nov 2024
How can we live without regrets?
Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, in his work The Joyful Wisdom, explored this through a thought experiment he called the "eternal return." He asked us to imagine: What if you had to live this very life, exactly as it is—every joy, every sorrow, every thought—over and over, for et ... Show More
4m 6s
Apr 2025
Why Are Liberal Women Becoming Unhappy? - Brad Wilcox - #933
Brad Wilcox is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia and Director of the National Marriage Project. Why are some people naturally happier than others? Whether it's genetics, upbringing, or life circumstances, how can you finally rediscover joy and feel like your ... Show More
1h 14m
May 2025
#1332 - Is Ignorance Bliss
A questioner asks if there is truth in the slogan 'Ignorance is Bliss'. "You must live out of your awareness and intelligence, not by slogans", says Sadhguru. He then goes on to explain that if you remain ignorant about life and try and do things, life will get you. Set the conte ... Show More
5m 42s
Aug 2020
E45: Pleasure | Consciousness Anywhere Podcast: Shannon O'Hara & Dr Dain Heer
Why is pleasure so taboo? Society has this weird idea that pleasure is something that is induced by something else inside of us that we only have in rare moments, rather than a space of being from which we live our lives. Shannon O’Hara and guest, Dr. Dain Heer, discuss accepting ... Show More
47m 59s
Apr 2025
Unpacking The Mystery Of Consciousness - Annaka Harris - #927
Annaka Harris is an author, editor, and speaker focused on neuroscience and consciousness. What does it mean to be conscious? What is consciousness? These questions have puzzled humanity for millennia. Despite our greatest scientific breakthroughs and philosophical efforts, are w ... Show More
1h 7m