208 episodes

Become a more nuanced thinker.

In an era of uncertainty, the ability to think dynamically and avoid getting trapped in infinite loops of thought is more important than ever.

Whether we’re discussing ancient Chinese philosophy, the history of finance, or cutting-edge advances in artificial intelligence, our host Jim O'Shaughnessy’s passion, experience, and eclectic range of interests, combined with our extensive research into our podcast guests, always result in surprising conversations which substantively engage with our guests’ ideas.

Our aim: To equip you with the tools required to navigate through the Great Reshuffle that we are in.

Let’s start exploring.

Infinite Loops Jim O'Shaughnessy

    • Education
    • 4.6 • 159 Ratings

Become a more nuanced thinker.

In an era of uncertainty, the ability to think dynamically and avoid getting trapped in infinite loops of thought is more important than ever.

Whether we’re discussing ancient Chinese philosophy, the history of finance, or cutting-edge advances in artificial intelligence, our host Jim O'Shaughnessy’s passion, experience, and eclectic range of interests, combined with our extensive research into our podcast guests, always result in surprising conversations which substantively engage with our guests’ ideas.

Our aim: To equip you with the tools required to navigate through the Great Reshuffle that we are in.

Let’s start exploring.

    Cedric Chin — Accelerating Business Expertise (EP. 207)

    Cedric Chin — Accelerating Business Expertise (EP. 207)

    Cedric Chin is a writer, researcher and operator whose Commoncog newsletter is dedicated to finding useful, practical ways to accelerate business expertise. He joins us to discuss some of the most potentially transformative concepts he’s uncovered, from the business expertise triad to naturalistic decision making.
    Important Links:
    Cedric’s Website (Commoncog) Are You Ready for the Great Reshuffle? The Naturalistic Decision Making Podcast Wisdom Unleashed Show Notes:
    Commoncog’s Rabbit-Holing Origins The Business Expertise Triad Quality Engineering & Process Control The Effectiveness of Naturalistic Decision Making Expectancy, Intuition & Investing How to Stay Open-Minded Trial & Error, Knowledge Shields & the Power of Reading Protocols & Pattern-Matching Cedric as Emperor of the World MUCH more! Books and Articles Mentioned:
    The Tricky Thing About Creating Training Programs; by Cedric Chin The Business Expertise Series; by Cedric Chin The Oxford Handbook of Expertise; edited by Paul Ward, Jaan Maarten Schraagen, Julie Gore and Emile Roth Accelerated Expertise; by Robert R. Hoffman, Paul Ward, Paul J. Feltovich, Lia DiBello, Stephen M. Fiore and Dee H. Andrews The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success; by Will Thorndike Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon; by Colin Bryar and Bill Carr Understanding Variation: The Key to Managing Chaos; by Donald Wheeler The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations that Transform the World; by David Deutsch The Hound of the Baskervilles; by Arthur Conan Doyle What Works on Wall Street: The Classic Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time; by Jim O’Shaughnessy

    • 1 hr 26 min
    Devon Eriksen — Theft of Fire (EP. 206)

    Devon Eriksen — Theft of Fire (EP. 206)

    Devon Eriksen always wanted to be a writer. As a child, he was persuaded to abandon his aspirations in favor of a career in software engineering. Two decades later, he retired to finally fulfil his ambition to write imaginative hard-science fiction in the vein of authors like Asimov, Heinlein and Niven. He self-published his first novel, Theft of Fire, last year to an excellent reception.
    Devon joins the show to discuss why his book incorporates alien technology, the role of patronage in the digital era, his unusual approach to obtaining feedback, and MUCH more!
    Important Links:
    Theft of Fire; by Devon Eriksen Devon’s Website Devon’s Twitter Introducing: The Life of David Rhoiney Show Notes:
    Centralization & Institutional Corruption The Evolving Nature of Resource Constraints Why Theft of Fire Features Alien Technology The Musk Dynasty Architects vs Gardeners Editing, Feedback & Beta-Readers Audience Capture & Disagreeableness “Money is a measure of fu*ks given” Patronage & Intellectual Property in the Digital Era Permissionless Writing How to Become a High-Agency Character Devon as Emperor of the World MORE! Books and Articles Mentioned:
    Theft of Fire; by Devon Eriksen The Ultimate Resource; by Julian Simon The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress; by Robert A. Heinlein The Population Bomb; by Paul R. Ehrlich Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; by Robert M. Pirsig The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr

    • 1 hr 26 min
    Jacqueline Novogratz - Manifesto for a Moral Revolution

    Jacqueline Novogratz - Manifesto for a Moral Revolution

    Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder of Acumen, a nonprofit impact investment fund “changing the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders and ideas.”
    As well as founding Acumen in 2001, Jacqueline is a public speaker and best-selling author. She also sits on multiple philanthropic boards. Her latest book Manifesto for a Moral Revolution, “reveals 12 leadership practices for anyone eager to build a better world.”
    Jacqueline joins us to discuss how to create a high-trust society, the difference between moral righteousness and moral leadership, why the opposite of poverty is dignity, and MUCH more.
    Important Links:
    Acumen’s Website Acumen Academy Jacqueline’s Twitter Show Notes:
    Acumen’s Origins A People-First Theory of Change Emerging Entrepreneurship in Africa Social Return on Investment and the Rise of Microfinance How to Create a High Trust Society The Blue Sweater The Path to Moral Leadership Defining Win-Win Solar Lights, the Adjacent Possible and the Rejection of Cynicism What Jacqueline is Most Excited For Jacqueline as Empress of the World MORE! Books Mentioned:
    The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World; by Jacqueline Novogratz Manifesto for a Moral Revolution: Practices to Build a Better World; by Jacqueline Novogratz

    • 1 hr 15 min
    Rupert Sheldrake — On Scientism, Morphic Resonance and the Extended Mind (EP. 204)

    Rupert Sheldrake — On Scientism, Morphic Resonance and the Extended Mind (EP. 204)

    Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of 9 books and over 100 scientific papers. A critic of what he sees as the scientific establishment’s dogmatic dedication to materialism, he is perhaps best known for his theory of “morphic resonance,” via which information and activity can be transferred across space and time. Rupert joins the show to discuss being branded a heretic, how to test for telepathy, his advice for young scientists, and MUCH more!
    Important Links:
    Rupert’s Website Rupert’s Banned TED Talk The Science Delusion; by Rupert Sheldrake A New Science of Life; by Rupert Sheldrake Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals; by Rupert Sheldrake Is The Sun Conscious?; by Rupert Sheldrake (Journal of Consciousness Studies) Show Notes:
    The Apostate of Scientism The Origins of Scientism How to Achieve a Phase Change in the Sciences Testing for Telepathy & Incentivizing Intuition Structural Resistance to Panpsychism When Science Gets Personal Loosening the Grip of Determinism Advice for Young Scientists Rupert as Emperor of the World MORE! Books & Articles Mentioned:
    The Science Delusion; by Rupert Sheldrake New Science of Life; by Rupert Sheldrake Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals; by Rupert Sheldrake Is The Sun Conscious?; by Rupert Sheldrake The New Inquisition: Irrational Rationalism and the Citadel of Science; by Robert Anton Wilson Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters; by Steven Pinker The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature; by Steven Pinker Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures; by Merlin Sheldrake The End of Faith; by Sam Harris The Fifth Science; by Exurb1a What the Tortoise Said to Achilles; by Lewis Carroll Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; by Robert M. Pirsig The (Mis)Behaviour of Markets: A Fractal View of Risk, Ruin and Reward; by Benoit B. Mandelbrot & Richard L. Hudson The Structure of Scientific Revolutions; by Thomas Kuhn

    • 1 hr 7 min
    Rob Henderson — Troubled (EP. 203)

    Rob Henderson — Troubled (EP. 203)

    Friend-of-the-show Rob Henderson returns to discuss his powerful, moving and important debut book, Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class (published TODAY). We discuss Rob’s experience of the American foster care and adoption system, the life-changing impact of the military, the rise of Luxury Beliefs, the benefits of standardized testing, and MUCH more.
    Important Links:
    Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class (Amazon) The SAT is a pathway to more college diversity, not less; by Rob Henderson (The Boston Globe) Rob Henderson: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way; by Rob Henderson (The Free Press) Rob’s Substack Rob’s Twitter Show Notes:
    Foster Care, Adoption & Social Mobility Structural Origins of the Foster System Why Early-Life Stability is Underrated How Ideas Can Change Outcomes The Life-Changing Impact of the Military Young Male Syndrome The Role of Intelligence in Governing Outcomes The Benefits of Standardized Testing Yale, Luxury Beliefs & the Rise of Identity Politics Are Luxury Beliefs a Political or Class Phenomenon? Trickle-Down Meritocracy Technology, Assortive Mating & Social Mobility Is the Overton Window Shifting on Campus? Rob as Emperor of the World Books and Articles Mentioned:
    Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class; by Rob Henderson The SAT is a pathway to more college diversity, not less; by Rob Henderson (The Boston Globe) Rob Henderson: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way; by Rob Henderson (The Free Press) Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society; by Nicholas A. Christakis Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010; by Charles Murray Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World, by Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross A Suitable Boy; by Vikram Seth The Son Also Rises; by Gregory Clark

    • 1 hr 51 min
    Alec Stapp — Progress is a Policy Choice (EP. 202)

    Alec Stapp — Progress is a Policy Choice (EP. 202)

    Alec Stapp is the co-founder of the Institute for Progress, a non-partisan innovation policy think tank aiming to “accelerate scientific, technological and industrial progress while safeguarding humanity’s future.” He joins the show to discuss how to achieve change in the age of lobbying, why bipartisanship is underrated, why US immigration policy is so slow-moving and MUCH more!
    Important Links:
    IFP’s Website Alec’s Twitter IFP’s Twitter Show Notes:
    Reimagining the Think Tank Progress is a Policy Choice Bipartisanship is Underrated Achieving Progress via Reframing Achieving Change in the Age of Lobbying Moonshot Projects and Incremental Change Ways to Enact Change Within Existing Institutions Governmental Embrace of Technology Reducing NIMBYism The Barbell Approach to Policy The Washington Mindset Reasons to be Optimistic Lessons From Other Countries Why Hasn’t Immigration Policy Changed? Alec as Emperor of the World MORE! Books and Articles Mentioned:
    Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better; by Jen Pahlka The Proceduralist Fetish; by Nicholas Bagley The housing theory of everything; by Sam Bowman, John Myers & Ben Southwood

    • 1 hr 6 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
159 Ratings

159 Ratings

derekva ,

A unique standout show

Brilliant, interesting, inspiring, provocative, independent thought, out-of-the-box just the right amount, and entertaining enough without going into silliness.

alexrwheeler ,

Great interviewer, great guests

Perfect mix of listening, asking great questions and letting the guests talk fully, all while subtly and tactfully adding his value. This guy is incredible wise and lively. Excellent podcast.

DaveNKait ,

Psychedelics for chronic pain

Loved your interview with Brom! Started a newco developing psychedelic NCEs for chronic pain (Cacti Therapeutics) so especially appreciated the bit about mind/body connection. Big believer in taking a holistic approach and combining healing modalities to optimize outcomes. Personalized and precision medicine takes many forms! Truly enjoyable interview!

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