“As we’ve discussed before, John Adams was one of those people whose racing mind gave them little rest. He was always doing, doing, doing and more dangerously, always thinking, thinking, thinking. His friends saw the pain this caused him and he saw it himself. As he said many times, all he wanted was “tranquility of mind”—stillness—but it was elusive.”
Ryan ... Show More
Jan 2021
Book Discussion - The Tyranny of Merit
In this episode, we discuss Michael J Samuel's book the Tyranny of Merit, which talks about the problems with the ideals of Meritocracy. We take a look at the history of the Rhetoric of Rising, and end with a discussion about why praising people for their achievements feels probl ... Show More
1h 37m
Dec 2020
Disappointment, Seriousness and Sincerity
In this episode, Ali shares a disappointing moment from his week when System 1 thinking took hold of him. We then discuss Alan Watts' famous framing of life as a game with two modes of operation - serious vs sincere. Taimur shares some lessons from his therapy sessions, and we en ... Show More
1h 1m
Sep 2020
Should we donate to charity because it "feels good"?
In this episode, we discuss some of the concepts behind effective altruism with our friend Lucia. We touch on her motivations for setting up a public health charity, the Giving What We Can Pledge, and a few other curiosities. Enjoy! Sponsored by SkillshareThis episode is kindly s ... Show More
1h 10m
Oct 2020
Dissatisfaction and Aspiration
In this episode, we start by discussing an insight Ali had about the nature of dissatisfaction and setting overly high standards for ourselves. We then turn to the start of a book discussion, where Taimur explains some of the theories he’s been reading around our values, how they ... Show More
1h 5m
Dec 2020
2020 Not Overthinking Highlights
In this episode, we discuss the highlights of the podcast from 2020, Ali shares some of the advice he's received about how to be better with women, and we try and figure out how to create a members community for listeners of the podcast. Sponsored by BrilliantThis episode is kind ... Show More
1h 2m