222. What Makes an Idea Interesting?

What do Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and Malcolm Gladwell have in common? Are interesting theories more significant than true ones? And what has been keeping Angela up at night? Plus: an important announcement about the show.

• SOURCES:
  • Charles Darwin, 19th-century naturalist and biologist.
  • Murray Davis, cultural sociologist.
  • Malcolm Gladwell, journalist and author.
  • Adam Grant, professor of management and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • B. F. Skinner, 20th-century American psychologist.

• RESOURCES:
  • Small Fry, by Lisa Brennan-Jobs (2018).
  • Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth (2016).
  • "Why Malcolm Gladwell’s Ideas Are So Interesting, Whether or Not They’re True," by Adam Grant (Quartz, 2015).
  • David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, by Malcolm Gladwell (2013).
  • Curious?: Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life, by Todd Kashdan (2009).
  • "Interest — The Curious Emotion," by Paul J. Silvia (2008).
  • Exploring the Psychology of Interest, by Paul J. Silvia (2006).
  • "The Ketchup Conundrum," by Malcolm Gladwell (The New Yorker, 2004).
  • "That's Interesting!: Towards a Phenomenology of Sociology and a Sociology of Phenomenology," by Murray S. Davis (Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 1971).
  • The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, by Charles Darwin (1872).

• EXTRAS:
  • "How Do You Identify a Narcissist?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "Is Screen Time as Poisonous as We Think?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Abortion and Crime, Revisited (Update)," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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