Rationally Speaking #145 - Phil Tetlock on "Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction"
Most people are terrible at predicting the future. But a small subset of people are significantly less terrible: the Superforecasters. On this episode of Rationally Speaking, Julia talks with professo...
3 Jan 202153min
Rationally Speaking #144 - Bryan Caplan on "Does parenting matter?"
Parents in the United States are spending more time and energy than ever to ensure that their children turn out happy, healthy, and successful. But what does the evidence suggest about the impact of t...
3 Jan 202159min
Rationally Speaking #143 - Scott Aaronson on "The theorem that proves rationalists can't disagree"
Can rational people disagree? This episode of Rationally Speaking features guest Scott Aaronson. Scott is a professor of computer science at MIT and has written about "Aumann's Agreement Theorem," whi...
3 Jan 202149min
Rationally Speaking #142 - Paul Bloom on "The case against empathy"
"I'm writing a book on empathy," psychologist Paul Bloom tells people. They respond warmly, until he follows up with, "I'm against it." On this episode of Rationally Speaking, Julia and Paul discuss w...
3 Jan 202152min
Rationally Speaking #141 - Dan Sperber on "The Argumentative Theory of reason"
The traditional story about reason is that it evolved to help humans see the world more clearly and (thereby) make better decisions. But on that view, some mysteries remain: why is the human brain so ...
3 Jan 202148min
Rationally Speaking #140 - Kenny Easwaran on "Newcomb's Paradox and the tragedy of rationality"
This episode of Rationally Speaking features philosopher Kenny Easwaran, who delves into the notorious "Newcomb's Paradox" -- the puzzle about which it was once said, "To almost everyone it is perfect...
3 Jan 202154min
Rationally Speaking #139 - Eric Schwitzgebel on "Moral hypocrisy: why doesn't knowing about ethics make people more ethical?"
You might expect that professional ethicists -- people whose job it is to determine which behaviors are ethical and why -- would behave more ethically than other people. You'd be wrong! This episode f...
3 Jan 202143min
Rationally Speaking #138 - Ian Morris on, "Why the West rules -- for now"
For several centuries, historians have tried to answer the question: "Why is Western Europe (and later, North America) the dominant world power?" Past explanations cited culture, or "great men" who in...
3 Jan 202153min
