Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

Spencer Greenberg
Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

Clearer Thinking is a podcast about ideas that truly matter. If you enjoy learning about powerful, practical concepts and frameworks, wish you had more deep, intellectual conversations in your life, or are looking for non-BS self-improvement, then we think you'll love this podcast! Each week we invite a brilliant guest to bring four important ideas to discuss for an in-depth conversation. Topics include psychology, society, behavior change, philosophy, science, artificial intelligence, math, economics, self-help, mental health, and technology. We focus on ideas that can be applied right now to make your life better or to help you better understand yourself and the world, aiming to teach you the best mental tools to enhance your learning, self-improvement efforts, and decision-making. • We take on important, thorny questions like: • What's the best way to help a friend or loved one going through a difficult time? How can we make our worldviews more accurate? How can we hone the accuracy of our thinking? What are the advantages of using our "gut" to make decisions? And when should we expect careful, analytical reflection to be more effective? Why do societies sometimes collapse? And what can we do to reduce the chance that ours collapses? Why is the world today so much worse than it could be? And what can we do to make it better? What are the good and bad parts of tradition? And are there more meaningful and ethical ways of carrying out important rituals, such as honoring the dead? How can we move beyond zero-sum, adversarial negotiations and create more positive-sum interactions?

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    When does productivity become toxic? (with Israa Nasir)

    Read the full transcript here. (https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/237/#transcript) • When does productivity become toxic? To which part(s) of ourselves or our lives should we anchor our self-worth? How can we connect our productivity to our values? How does self-esteem intersect with productivity? When should we listen to our bodies and intuitions, and when should we ignore them and perhaps even do the opposite? How should achievements affect our sense of self-worth? What are some techniques for emotional regulation? What is the "narrator mind" useful for? What are some good coping mechanisms? How ambitious should we be? How can we figure out whether our own productivity system is toxic or not? • Israa Nasir, MHC-LP, is a New York City-based psychotherapist, writer, and the founder of WellGuide — a digital community for mental health awareness. A Pakistani-Canadian child of immigrants, she has a specific focus on mental health, identity formation, and healing for the AAPI first- and second-generation immigrant community. Israa has been featured in NBC , Vox , Huffpost , Teen Vogue , and other major publications and has been invited to speak at corporations such as Google, Meta, and Yale University. Israa sits on the Mental Health Advisory Board for both PopSugar (Vox Media) and the menstrual health product and advocacy brand, August. Learn more about her at her website, israanasir.com (https://www.israanasir.com/). • Further reading: • Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands More, by Israa Nasir (https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Productivity-Reclaim-Emotional-Demands/dp/196230535X) • Staff • Spencer Greenberg (https://www.spencergreenberg.com/) — Host / Director • Josh Castle (mailto:joshrcastle@gmail.com) — Producer • Ryan Kessler (https://tone.support/) — Audio Engineer • Uri Bram (https://uribram.com/) — Factotum • WeAmplify (https://www.weamplify.info/) — Transcriptionists • Music • Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated) • Josh Woodward (https://www.joshwoodward.com/song/AlreadyThere) • Lee Rosevere (https://archive.org/details/MusicForPodcasts04/Lee+Rosevere+-+Music+for+Podcasts+4+-+11+Keeping+Stuff+Together.flac) • Quiet Music for Tiny Robots (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Quiet_Music_for_Tiny_Robots/The_February_Album/05_Tiny_Robot_Armies) • wowamusic (https://gamesounds.xyz/?dir=wowamusic) • zapsplat.com (https://www.zapsplat.com/music/summer-haze-slow-chill-out-house-track-with-a-modern-pop-feel-warm-piano-chords-underpin-the-track-with-warm-pads-and-a-repetitive-synth-arpeggio/) • Affiliates • Clearer Thinking (https://www.clearerthinking.org/) • GuidedTrack (https://guidedtrack.com/) • Mind Ease (https://mindease.io/) • Positly (https://positly.com/) • UpLift (https://www.uplift.app/) [Read more: https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/237/israa-nasir-when-does-productivity-become-toxic]

    1 hr
  2. NOV 13

    A conversation with a sociopath (with M.E. Thomas)

    Read the full transcript here. (https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/236/#transcript) • Are the terms "psychopath" and "sociopath" interchangeable? Are people suffering from Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) naturally violent? Are people usually born with these psychopathy, sociopathy, ASPD, or other similar personality disorders; or are they caused by environmental factors? To what extent do sociopaths have a sense of self or relatively fixed personality? Are sociopaths easily manipulated? How do shame and guilt differ? What is "gray rage"? To what extent do the primary "dark" personality traits (narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and sadism) overlap? From an evolutionary perspective, why might these traits appear in a population? Can (and should) people cooperate altruistically with sociopaths? Why do we treat crimes of passion less harshly than premeditated crimes? (For example, why do people found guilty of sudden, impulsive murder usually receive lighter sentences than people found guilty of premeditated murder?) Are sociopaths more or less impulsive than the average person? How prevalent are antisocial personality disorders? Are sociopaths more likely to commit crimes than the average person? What factors motivate the average person to avoid unethical behaviors, and which of these factors do sociopaths lack? Do sociopaths lie about the same kinds of things as "normies"? Do sociopaths naturally enjoy hurting other people? Are sociopaths able to feel happiness? How do sociopaths' sexual behaviors and orientations differ from normies'? Since the majority of violent crime in the world is perpetrated by young men, is the average young man basically a sociopath or psychopath? How easily can sociopaths identify one another? If someone thinks they might be a sociopath (or have any of the other "dark" personality traits), what should they do? How should sociopaths be integrated into society? • M.E. Thomas is a practicing attorney who has advocated for equal rights and a better understanding of psychopaths since being diagnosed with psychopathy in 2010. She is the author of the book Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight (https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Sociopath-Spent-Hiding-Plain/dp/0307956652). You can find her at sociopathworld.com (http://sociopathworld.com). • Further reading: • PsychopathyIs (https://psychopathyis.org/) • Staff • Spencer Greenberg (https://www.spencergreenberg.com/) — Host / Director • Josh Castle (mailto:joshrcastle@gmail.com) — Producer • Ryan Kessler (https://tone.support/) — Audio Engineer • Uri Bram (https://uribram.com/) — Factotum • WeAmplify (https://www.weamplify.info/) — Transcriptionists • Music • Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated) • Josh Woodward (https://www.joshwoodward.com/song/AlreadyThere) • Lee Rosevere (https://archive.org/details/MusicForPodcasts04/Lee+Rosevere+-+Music+for+Podcasts+4+-+11+Keeping+Stuff+Together.flac) • Quiet Music for Tiny Robots (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Quiet_Music_for_Tiny_Robots/The_February_Album/05_Tiny_Robot_Armies) • wowamusic (https://gamesounds.xyz/?dir=wowamusic) • zapsplat.com (https://www.zapsplat.com/music/summer-haze-slow-chill-out-house-track-with-a-modern-pop-feel-warm-piano-chords-underpin-the-track-with-warm-pads-and-a-repetitive-synth-arpeggio/) • Affiliates • Clearer Thinking (https://www.clearerthinking.org/) • GuidedTrack (https://guidedtrack.com/) • Mind Ease (https://mindease.io/) • Positly (https://positly.com/) • UpLift (https://www.uplift.app/) [Read more: https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/236/m-e-thomas-a-conversation-with-a-sociopath]

    2h 6m
  3. NOV 8

    Highs and lows on the road out of the replication crisis (with Brian Nosek)

    Read the full transcript here. (https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/235/#transcript) • How much more robust have the social sciences become since the beginnings of the replication crisis? What fraction of replication failures indicate that the original result was a false positive? What do we know with relative certainty about human nature? How much of a difference is there between how people behave in a lab setting and how they behave out in the world? Why has there been such a breakdown of trust in the sciences over the past few decades? How can scientists better communicate uncertainty in their findings to the public? To what extent are replication failures a problem in the other sciences? How useful is the Implicit Association Test (IAT)? What does it mean if someone can predict how they'll score on the IAT? How do biases differ from associations? What should (and shouldn't) the IAT be used for? Why do replications often show smaller effect sizes than the original research showed? What is the Lifecycle Journals project? • Brian Nosek co-developed the Implicit Association Test, a method that advanced research and public interest in implicit bias. Nosek co-founded three non-profit organizations: Project Implicit ((http://projectimplicit.net/)) to advance research and education about implicit bias, the Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science (http://improvingpsych.org/) to improve the research culture in his home discipline, and the Center for Open Science (COS) (http://cos.io/) to improve rigor, transparency, integrity, and reproducibility across research disciplines. Nosek is Executive Director of COS and a professor at the University of Virginia. Nosek's research and applied interests aim to understand why people and systems produce behaviors that are contrary to intentions and values; to develop, implement, and evaluate solutions to align practices with values; and, to improve research credibility and cultures to accelerate progress. Connect with him on Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/briannosek.bsky.social) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-nosek-682b17114), or learn more about him on the COS website (https://www.cos.io/team/brian-nosek). • Staff • Spencer Greenberg (https://www.spencergreenberg.com/) — Host / Director • Josh Castle (mailto:joshrcastle@gmail.com) — Producer • Ryan Kessler (https://tone.support/) — Audio Engineer • Uri Bram (https://uribram.com/) — Factotum • WeAmplify (https://www.weamplify.info/) — Transcriptionists • Music • Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated) • Josh Woodward (https://www.joshwoodward.com/song/AlreadyThere) • Lee Rosevere (https://archive.org/details/MusicForPodcasts04/Lee+Rosevere+-+Music+for+Podcasts+4+-+11+Keeping+Stuff+Together.flac) • Quiet Music for Tiny Robots (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Quiet_Music_for_Tiny_Robots/The_February_Album/05_Tiny_Robot_Armies) • wowamusic (https://gamesounds.xyz/?dir=wowamusic) • zapsplat.com (https://www.zapsplat.com/music/summer-haze-slow-chill-out-house-track-with-a-modern-pop-feel-warm-piano-chords-underpin-the-track-with-warm-pads-and-a-repetitive-synth-arpeggio/) • Affiliates • Clearer Thinking (https://www.clearerthinking.org/) • GuidedTrack (https://guidedtrack.com/) • Mind Ease (https://mindease.io/) • Positly (https://positly.com/) • UpLift (https://www.uplift.app/) [Read more: https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/235/brian-nosek-highs-and-lows-on-the-road-out-of-the-replication-crisis]

    1h 38m
  4. OCT 30

    Suffering and the self (with Jay Garfield)

    Read the full transcript here. (https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/234/#transcript) • Why do we suffer? Would we still suffer if we got rid of all craving and aversion? Is pain the same thing as suffering? How is suffering connected to the concept of self? Should people in horrible situations attempt to remove themselves from those environments or try to improve their plights in any way; or should they merely free themselves from suffering by releasing their "craving" for well-being and their "aversion" to misery? Why would the dissolution of the self free someone from suffering? Are we identical to our bodies and/or minds? Is attention the same thing as the self? Is the concept of "no-self" analytical or empirical? How does "flow" differ from distraction? Is it irrational to pursue our own happiness without regard for others? How and where do Buddhist ethics overlap with the ethics taught by (e.g.) Abrahamic religions? What are the roles of meditators in Buddhist monasteries? What do Buddhists believe about god(s)? What do they believe about reincarnation? Is reincarnation different from rebirth ? What is the role of the Buddha himself in Buddhism? Can these concepts be understood and/or experienced without meditating or studying Buddhist texts? • Jay L. Garfield is Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Philosophy and Buddhist Studies at Smith College, Visiting Professor of Buddhist philosophy at Harvard Divinity School, Professor of Philosophy at Melbourne University, and Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies. Garfield’s research addresses topics in the foundations of cognitive science and the philosophy of mind; metaphysics; the history of modern Indian philosophy; topics in ethics, epistemology, and the philosophy of logic; the philosophy of the Scottish enlightenment methodology in cross-cultural interpretation; and topics in Buddhist philosophy, particularly Indo-Tibetan Madhyamaka and Yogācāra. He is the author or editor of over 30 books and over 200 articles, chapters, and reviews. A few of his most recent books include How to Lose Yourself: An Ancient Guide to Letting Go (https://press.princeton.edu/books/ebook/9780691253091/how-to-lose-yourself) (with Maria Heim and Robert Sharf 2024), Losing Ourselves: Learning to Live without a Self (https://www.amazon.com/Losing-Ourselves-Learning-Live-without/dp/069122028X) (2022), and Knowing Illusion: Bringing a Tibetan Debate into Contemporary Discourse (https://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Illusion-Contemporary-Discourse-Philosophical/dp/0197603637) (with the Yakherds 2021), and Buddhist Ethics: A Philosophical Exploration (https://www.amazon.com/Buddhist-Ethics-Philosophical-Exploration-PHILOSOPHERS/dp/0190907649) (2021). Learn more about him at his website, jaygarfield.org (https://jaygarfield.org/). • Staff • Spencer Greenberg (https://www.spencergreenberg.com/) — Host / Director • Josh Castle (mailto:joshrcastle@gmail.com) — Producer • Ryan Kessler (https://tone.support/) — Audio Engineer • Uri Bram (https://uribram.com/) — Factotum • WeAmplify (https://www.weamplify.info/) — Transcriptionists • Music • Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated) • Josh Woodward (https://www.joshwoodward.com/song/AlreadyThere) • Lee Rosevere (https://archive.org/details/MusicForPodcasts04/Lee+Rosevere+-+Music+for+Podcasts+4+-+11+Keeping+Stuff+Together.flac) • Quiet Music for Tiny Robots (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Quiet_Music_for_Tiny_Robots/The_February_Album/05_Tiny_Robot_Armies) • wowamusic (https://gamesounds.xyz/?dir=wowamusic) • zapsplat.com (https://www.zapsplat.com/music/summer-haze-slow-chill-out-house-track-with-a-modern-pop-feel-warm-piano-chords-underpin-the-track-with-warm-pads-and-a-repetitive-synth-arpeggio/) ... [Read more: https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/e

    1h 11m
  5. OCT 23

    Choosing your strategy (with Seth Godin)

    Read the full transcript here. (https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/233/#transcript) • What are the differences between tactics and strategies? Is the speed of growth of a company the main thing business school graduates should consider when trying to figure out where to launch their careers? How much optimism or pessimism should strategies include? How can we gain footholds for change in systems that are very strongly self-reinforcing? Is it possible to change a system's side effects without changing its purpose? What are the differences between strategies and visions? Is it better to follow a map or a compass? If you buy a lottery ticket and win big, was it a good decision? What are some of the most common mistakes leaders make when developing a strategy? How simple or complex should strategies be? What are the benefits of being able to speak a strategy out loud? How can leaders know when to modify or even abandon a strategy? How can entrepreneurs know if their starting strategy is a good one? To what extent is creativity required for good strategy design? What are the three big principles of marketing? Is all marketing unethical? Is it unethical to market a placebo? How are status and affiliation related? What is the single most important thing a team can do when developing a strategy? • Seth Godin is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, speaker, and teacher. In addition to launching one of the most popular blogs in the world, he has written 21 best-selling books, including The Dip , Linchpin , Purple Cow , Tribes , and What To Do When It's Your Turn (And It's Always Your Turn) . His book, This Is Marketing , was an instant bestseller in countries around the world. His new book, out in 2024, is This Is Strategy . Though renowned for his writing and speaking, Seth also founded two companies: Squidoo and Yoyodyne (acquired by Yahoo!). He's credited as the inventor of email marketing (the good kind). He has given five TED talks, including two that rank among the most popular of all time. In 2013, Seth was one of just three professionals inducted into the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame; and in 2018, he was inducted into the Marketing Hall of Fame as well. He might be the only person in both. Learn more about him at his website, sethgodin.com (https://www.sethgodin.com/), read his blog posts at seths.blog (https://seths.blog), or pick up his most recent book, This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans (https://seths.blog/TIS). • Staff • Spencer Greenberg (https://www.spencergreenberg.com/) — Host / Director • Josh Castle (mailto:joshrcastle@gmail.com) — Producer • Ryan Kessler (https://tone.support/) — Audio Engineer • Uri Bram (https://uribram.com/) — Factotum • WeAmplify (https://www.weamplify.info/) — Transcriptionists • Music • Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated) • Josh Woodward (https://www.joshwoodward.com/song/AlreadyThere) • Lee Rosevere (https://archive.org/details/MusicForPodcasts04/Lee+Rosevere+-+Music+for+Podcasts+4+-+11+Keeping+Stuff+Together.flac) • Quiet Music for Tiny Robots (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Quiet_Music_for_Tiny_Robots/The_February_Album/05_Tiny_Robot_Armies) • wowamusic (https://gamesounds.xyz/?dir=wowamusic) • zapsplat.com (https://www.zapsplat.com/music/summer-haze-slow-chill-out-house-track-with-a-modern-pop-feel-warm-piano-chords-underpin-the-track-with-warm-pads-and-a-repetitive-synth-arpeggio/) • Affiliates • Clearer Thinking (https://www.clearerthinking.org/) • GuidedTrack (https://guidedtrack.com/) • Mind Ease (https://mindease.io/) • Positly (https://positly.com/) • UpLift (https://www.uplift.app/) [Read more: https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/233/seth-godin-choosing-your-strategy]

    55 min
  6. OCT 16

    How to be productive without burning out (with Anne-Laure Le Cunff)

    Read the full transcript here. (https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/232/#transcript) • What is "mindful" productivity? Is impostor syndrome linked to main character syndrome? Must increased productivity always come with an increased risk of burn-out? What mistakes do people most commonly make when trying to improve their productivity? Is the best productivity system also the most minimal? What is "plus-minus-next"? How can we use our time more efficiently? What does it mean to have an "experimental" mindset? How many of our passions do we discover at first sight? What are the differences between habits and routines? What are some good ways to set up self-experiments? How important is quantification in self-experiments? How often should we expect self-experiments to yield useful results? What does it look like to exhibit "systematic" curiosity? • Anne-Laure Le Cunff is an award-winning neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and writer. She is the founder of Ness Labs, where her weekly newsletter about mindful productivity and systematic curiosity is read by more than 100,000 curious minds. Her research at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, ; Neuroscience focuses on the psychology and neuroscience of lifelong learning, curiosity, and adaptability. Her upcoming book, Tiny Experiments , is a transformative guide for living a more experimental life, turning uncertainty into curiosity, and carving a path of self-discovery. Previously, Le Cunff worked at Google as a global lead for digital health. Her work has been featured in Rolling Stone , Forbes , the Financial Times , WIRED , and more. She serves as an advisor for the Applied Neuroscience Association and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Entrepreneurship on themes of mental health at work. Based in London, she continues in her writing and research to explore the intersection of neuroscience and personal development. Learn more about her research, and sign up for her newsletter, at nesslabs.com (https://nesslabs.com/). • Staff • Spencer Greenberg (https://www.spencergreenberg.com/) — Host / Director • Josh Castle (mailto:joshrcastle@gmail.com) — Producer • Ryan Kessler (https://tone.support/) — Audio Engineer • Uri Bram (https://uribram.com/) — Factotum • WeAmplify (https://www.weamplify.info/) — Transcriptionists • Music • Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated) • Josh Woodward (https://www.joshwoodward.com/song/AlreadyThere) • Lee Rosevere (https://archive.org/details/MusicForPodcasts04/Lee+Rosevere+-+Music+for+Podcasts+4+-+11+Keeping+Stuff+Together.flac) • Quiet Music for Tiny Robots (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Quiet_Music_for_Tiny_Robots/The_February_Album/05_Tiny_Robot_Armies) • wowamusic (https://gamesounds.xyz/?dir=wowamusic) • zapsplat.com (https://www.zapsplat.com/music/summer-haze-slow-chill-out-house-track-with-a-modern-pop-feel-warm-piano-chords-underpin-the-track-with-warm-pads-and-a-repetitive-synth-arpeggio/) • Affiliates • Clearer Thinking (https://www.clearerthinking.org/) • GuidedTrack (https://guidedtrack.com/) • Mind Ease (https://mindease.io/) • Positly (https://positly.com/) • UpLift (https://www.uplift.app/) [Read more: https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/232/anne-laure-le-cunff-how-to-be-productive-without-burning-out]

    1h 17m
  7. OCT 9

    Does simply giving people money truly enable them to escape poverty? (with Miriam Laker)

    Read the full transcript here. (https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/231/#transcript) • Should we give cash directly to people living in poverty? Why do most nonprofits prefer to give services rather than cash? What should be done if the things that a person really needs aren't purchasable near them? (For example, what if a person needs a vaccine that isn't available in their country?) Can most people be trusted to spend money wisely? Are single lump sum transfers more effective than recurring transfers on monthly or yearly bases? What are the most common uses to which recipients put their cash transfers? What are the most common kinds of businesses started by entrepreneurially-minded recipients? What kinds of communities does GiveDirectly serve? How do cash transfers affect social dynamics in communities? What are the biggest challenges related to giving cash transfers? What is the evidence that cash transfers are more effective than other kinds of aid? How are the short- and long-term effects of cash transfers measured? How long do beneficial effects tend to last? Are recipients ever suspicious of GiveDirectly's motives? How often do people opt out of receiving a cash transfer? How does GiveDirectly explain to people why they (and not people in neighboring communities) were chosen to receive aid? How do recipients see their own financial situations? Do they usually see themselves as living in poverty? • Dr. Miriam Laker is the Director of Research at GiveDirectly (https://www.givedirectly.org/). In her role, she oversees the generation of robust evidence on cash transfer implementation and impacts. She is an advocate for unconditional cash transfers as a tool to end global extreme poverty. She is also a board member of the CALPNetwork and was voted one of Uganda's top 40 women under the age of 40. Connect with her on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-laker-oketta-12392b16/). Learn more about and connect with GiveDirectly on Twitter (https://twitter.com/givedirectly), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/givedirectly), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/givedirectly/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/givedirectly/), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi29RpkCdO43kVN_nr8FhRA), or their website, givedirectly.org (https://www.givedirectly.org/). • Staff • Spencer Greenberg (https://www.spencergreenberg.com/) — Host / Director • Josh Castle (mailto:joshrcastle@gmail.com) — Producer • Ryan Kessler (https://tone.support/) — Audio Engineer • Uri Bram (https://uribram.com/) — Factotum • WeAmplify (https://www.weamplify.info/) — Transcriptionists • Music • Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated) • Josh Woodward (https://www.joshwoodward.com/song/AlreadyThere) • Lee Rosevere (https://archive.org/details/MusicForPodcasts04/Lee+Rosevere+-+Music+for+Podcasts+4+-+11+Keeping+Stuff+Together.flac) • Quiet Music for Tiny Robots (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Quiet_Music_for_Tiny_Robots/The_February_Album/05_Tiny_Robot_Armies) • wowamusic (https://gamesounds.xyz/?dir=wowamusic) • zapsplat.com (https://www.zapsplat.com/music/summer-haze-slow-chill-out-house-track-with-a-modern-pop-feel-warm-piano-chords-underpin-the-track-with-warm-pads-and-a-repetitive-synth-arpeggio/) • Affiliates • Clearer Thinking (https://www.clearerthinking.org/) • GuidedTrack (https://guidedtrack.com/) • Mind Ease (https://mindease.io/) • Positly (https://positly.com/) • UpLift (https://www.uplift.app/) [Read more: https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/231/miriam-laker-does-simply-giving-people-money-truly-enable-them-to-escape-poverty]

    1 hr
  8. OCT 2

    Who really controls US elections? (with Bradley Tusk)

    Read the full transcript here. (https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/230/#transcript) • What's the reality of how politicians get elected in the US? How much of a role does gerrymandering play? Are Democrats and Republicans equally guilty of gerrymandering? Do the parties secretly collaborate on gerrymandering? Is gerrymandering legal? What determines who wins a primary election? What percent of all government positions are actually contested? What are the five main types of politicians? We use our phones to manage our bank accounts, medical records, and other sensitive information; so why can't we vote from our phones yet? Should prediction markets be allowed to bet on elections? What makes a regulation too lax or too restrictive? When should government provide goods, and when should it provide services? Should today's big tech companies be broken up? Should Section 230 is a section of the Communications Act of 1934 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_230) be repealed? How can AI be used to make government more effective? • Bradley Tusk is a venture capitalist, political strategist, philanthropist, and writer. He is the CEO and co-founder of Tusk Ventures, the world's first venture capital fund that invests solely in early stage startups in highly regulated industries, and the founder of political consulting firm Tusk Strategies. Bradley's family foundation is funding and leading the national campaign to bring mobile voting to U.S. elections and also has run anti-hunger campaigns in 24 different states, helping to feed over 13 million people. He is also an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. Before Vote With Your Phone , Bradley authored The Fixer: My Adventures Saving Startups From Death by Politics and Obvious in Hindsight . He hosts a podcast called Firewall about the intersection of tech and politics, and recently opened an independent bookstore, P;T Knitwear, on Manhattan's Lower East Side. In his earlier career, Bradley served as campaign manager for Mike Bloomberg's 2009 mayoral race, as Deputy Governor of Illinois, overseeing the state's budget, operations, legislation, policy, and communications, as communications director for US Senator Chuck Schumer, and as Uber's first political advisor. Connect with Bradley on Substack (https://bradleytusk.substack.com/) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/btusk/). • Further reading: • Vote With Your Phone: Why Mobile Voting Is Our Final Shot at Saving Democracy, by Bradley Tusk (https://www.amazon.com/Vote-Your-Phone-Mobile-Democracy-ebook/dp/B0CS12DV8V) • The Fixer: My Adventures Saving Startups from Death by Politics, by Bradley Tusk (https://www.amazon.com/Fixer-Adventures-Saving-Startups-Politics-ebook/dp/B079R6QVDR/ref=sr_1_1) • "Wisconsin's Legislative Maps Are Bizarre, but Are They Illegal?", by Megan O'Matz (https://www.propublica.org/article/wisconsin-legislative-maps-bizarre-are-they-illegal) (gerrymandering examples) • Even futher reading based on the note @ 00:14:00 (https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/?ep=230;time=00:14:00): • Article discussing whether or not primaries create more extreme results in U.S. elections: "Are Primaries a Problem?", by Lee Drutman (https://www.newamerica.org/political-reform/reports/what-we-know-about-congressional-primaries-and-congressional-primary-reform/are-primaries-a-problem/) • These papers find that primary voters are more extreme than general election voters or that primaries promote more extremeness in candidates: • "Polarized Primaries and Polarized Legislators: Examining the Influence of Primary Elections on Polarization in the U.S. House", by Lindsay Nielson and Neil Visalvanich (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2262502) • "Primaries and Candidates: Examining the Influence of Primary Electorates on Candidate Ideology", by Lindsay Nielson and Neil Visalvanich (https... [Read more: https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/230/bradley-tusk-who-really-contr

    1h 17m
4.8
out of 5
124 Ratings

About

Clearer Thinking is a podcast about ideas that truly matter. If you enjoy learning about powerful, practical concepts and frameworks, wish you had more deep, intellectual conversations in your life, or are looking for non-BS self-improvement, then we think you'll love this podcast! Each week we invite a brilliant guest to bring four important ideas to discuss for an in-depth conversation. Topics include psychology, society, behavior change, philosophy, science, artificial intelligence, math, economics, self-help, mental health, and technology. We focus on ideas that can be applied right now to make your life better or to help you better understand yourself and the world, aiming to teach you the best mental tools to enhance your learning, self-improvement efforts, and decision-making. • We take on important, thorny questions like: • What's the best way to help a friend or loved one going through a difficult time? How can we make our worldviews more accurate? How can we hone the accuracy of our thinking? What are the advantages of using our "gut" to make decisions? And when should we expect careful, analytical reflection to be more effective? Why do societies sometimes collapse? And what can we do to reduce the chance that ours collapses? Why is the world today so much worse than it could be? And what can we do to make it better? What are the good and bad parts of tradition? And are there more meaningful and ethical ways of carrying out important rituals, such as honoring the dead? How can we move beyond zero-sum, adversarial negotiations and create more positive-sum interactions?

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada