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PODCAST

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

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,

science social sciences

All Episodes

01:40:39

Knowledge Management and Deugenesis (with Jeremy Nixon)

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/05/05

Read the full transcript here. What is "The Index"? What are some benefits of externally compiling and organizing one's knowledge? When is spaced repetition useful? How can we co-opt our visual systems to boost memory? Would we all be more interested in producing an external personal knowledgebase if we could feel on a visceral level how much information is constantly being forgotten? How and when should we move up and down the ladder of abstraction? What sorts of problems can be solved by

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01:09:01

Crypto Pros and Cons (with Sam Bankman-Fried)

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/04/29

What's the current state of cryptocurrency? What are the good and bad aspects of crypto? To what extent have the promises of crypto panned out? How do blockchain and cryptocurrency even work anyway? What are "proof of work" and "proof of stake"? What are the differences between Bitcoin and Ethereum? What sorts of transactions are made easy or possible by the blockchain that are difficult or impossible to perform with traditional currencies? What are non-fungible tokens (NFTs)? What (if anything)

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01:06:59

Behavior Change and Interpersonal Connection (with...

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/04/21

Read the full transcript here. How does a behavioral scientist apply her knowledge to her own life? What fraction of our behaviors are deliberative, and what fraction are automatic? In what ways are we insufficiently scientific in our attempts to diagnose behavior problems? To what extent is introspection important for behavior change? Can behavior change take place without relatively accurate quantification and measurement? (For example, we know exact values for our bank account balance or our

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01:15:30

Scout and Soldier Mindsets (with Julia Galef)

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/04/14

What are "scout" and "soldier" mindsets? How can we have productive disagreements even when one person isn't in scout mindset? Is knowing about good rationality habits sufficient to reason well? When do we naturally tend to be in scout mindset or soldier mindset? When is each mindset beneficial or harmful? Are humans "rationally irrational"? What are the two different types of confidence? What are some practical strategies for shifting our mindset in the moment from soldier to scout?Find out more

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01:02:22

Social Science and Science Journalism (with Jesse...

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/04/07

Should we trust social science research? What is the open science movement? What is the "file drawer" effect? How can common sense help social science dig itself out of the replicability crisis? Is social science in the West too focused on interventions for individuals? How useful is the Implicit Association Test? How useful is the concept of "grit"? How should journalists communicate confidence or skepticism about scientific results? What incentive structures stand in the way of honestly and

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01:19:21

Search Data and Self-Improvement (with Seth...

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/03/31

Read the full transcript here. What can we learn about people from search data? What does search data reveal about human nature that surveys and polls fail to reveal? What patterns of searching do people exhibit when they're suffering from mental and physical illnesses? How can we use data to make better decisions, become better parents, date better, and be happier?Seth Stephens-Davidowitz is a data scientist, author, consultant, and keynote speaker. His book Everybody Lies was a New York Times

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01:26:41

Poker and Productivity (with Chris Sparks)

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/03/24

What can people learn from playing poker? What makes someone good at playing games? What is the OODA loop? What is a "premortem" analysis of decision-making? How should we think about decisions that aren't easily (or even possibly) reversible? What do people get wrong when they're trying to be more productive? What is a "forcing function"? How can people create their own forcing functions?Chris Sparks is a professional poker player and the founder and CEO of Forcing Function. You can find his full

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01:06:36

Moral Discourse and the Value of Philosophy (with...

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/03/17

Read the full transcript here. What is normative hedonism? What's the difference between wanting something and wanting to want something? Should we only care about the experiences of conscious beings? What's wrong with moral discourse? Does philosophy ever actually make progress, or is it still only discussing the things that were discussed a thousand years ago? What is (or should be) the role of intuition in philosophy? Why should people study philosophy (especially as opposed to other

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01:16:10

Superintelligence and Consciousness (with Roman...

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/03/10

What is superintelligence? Can a superintelligence be controlled? Why aren't people (especially academics, computer scientists, and companies) more worried about superintelligence alignment problems? Is it possible to determine whether or not an AI is conscious? Do today's neural networks experience some form of consciousness? Are humans general intelligences? How do artificial superintelligence and artificial general intelligence differ? What sort of threats do malevolent actors pose over and

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01:49:48

Meditation and Ontology (with Daniel Ingram)

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/03/03

Why should we meditate? What are the typical developmental stages as one progresses along the contemplative path? What does it mean to "hold an ontology loosely"? Are some meditative techniques inappropriate for some practitioners? Are there risks associated with meditation?Further reading:Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel IngramA Path with Heart by Jack KornfieldThe Dharma Overground Staff Spencer Greenberg — Host / Director Josh Castle — Producer Ryan Kessler — Audio

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01:15:45

Rationality Education and Dating (with Jacob Falkovich)

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/02/24

What's the best way to teach rationality? How do you communicate rationalist principles to people who aren't already interested in thinking more clearly? What has COVID taught us about how people typically make decisions and think about problems? Where and how can the rationalist community improve? Does rationalism have anything to say about (for example) exercise, spirituality, art, or other parts of the human experience that aren't typically addressed by rationalists? What are some positive

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01:33:16

Preference Falsification and Postmodernism (with...

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/02/17

How much preference falsification is occurring in society? What's the difference between conflict theory and mistake theory? Why is postmodernism useful to understand?Michael Vassar was the President of the Singularity Institute from 2009 to 2012. Subsequently, he has worked in business consulting, especially in association with cutting edge science, although these days he primarily invests his own assets. You can contact him at michael.vassar@gmail.com.Further reading:My IRB Nightmare — the Slate

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01:07:50

Moral Foundations Theory and Constructive Dialogue...

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/02/10

What is the Moral Foundations Theory? Is the MFT a model that's only intended to describe human behavior and psychology, or does it also make claims about what's actually true about morality? Why does morality exist in the first place? How can the MFT be used to have better conversations across ideological and cultural divides? What (if anything) helps groups to cohere successfully as they increase in size? Why is internet communication especially hostile and prone to misunderstandings? What common

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01:20:48

Past / Future Selves and Intrinsic Values (with...

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/02/03

How well do we identify with our past and future selves? What are some of the ways we can develop self-awareness and emotional control? How can we learn more and learn faster at a younger age? How can we best express emotions like sadness and anger? What are our intrinsic values, and what should they be?Simone is a Cambridge-educated crumpet addict who joyfully attacks life with her husband Malcolm Collins, with whom she founded an art commission startup (ArtCorgi) and raised a miniature private

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01:11:41

Happiness and Hedonic Adaptation (with Rob Smith)

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/01/27

Why do we seem to get less and less pleasure from some things over time? And what can we do about it? Are there dimensions along which some people can't be satiated (e.g., perhaps narcissists can't get "enough" adoration)? What are the structures of needs and incentives in cults? How should we think about the pursuit of long-term happiness, which sometimes requires us to sacrifice some amount of short-term happiness? Are people more likely to make choices that verify their identities or that

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01:19:20

Decision-Making Under Uncertainty and...

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/01/20

How can we better make decisions under uncertainty? What are some of the different ways of being uncertain? What are some powerful venture patterns? How can founders and venture capitalists reduce risk in their startups and portfolios? What is the nature of innovation? How can investing be used to do good in the world?Miles Lasater has started 3 companies, 2 nonprofits, and 1 family with 4 kids. He has been a founder, VC, angel investor, business school professor, board member, donor, improv

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01:41:23

Sexuality and Dominance Hierarchies (with Malcolm...

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/01/13

Are our brains equipped to handle the increasing velocity of information exchange? What's going on psychologically when we take offense to an idea? Should some kinds of research results be suppressed or hidden? Should some kinds of research be avoided altogether? What are some of the faults in the old paradigms and models in sexuality research? What are some of the surprising findings in the research of sexual attraction? What are dominance hierarchies, and how do they relate to governance?As a

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02:32:34

Self-Improvement and Research Ethics (with Rob Wiblin)

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2021/01/07

What are the best strategies for improving ourselves? How are line managers useful? Why does Rob prefer long-form content for the 80,000 Hours podcast? What are the sorts of things humans value and why? In what ways do research ethics considerations fail to achieve their stated objectives? Why are prediction markets useful?Rob Wiblin is the Head of Research at 80,000 Hours where he investigates how people can do more good in the course of their career and produces a long-form interview show called

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01:40:10

Antagonistic Learning and Civilization (with Duncan...

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2020/12/29

Why do "antagonistic" teachers exist in popular culture but not in the classroom? What happens to student outcomes when "antagonistic" learning is implemented in real classrooms? What is the Field Theory of Parenting? What are things that we can do for others but can't do for ourselves? How can we notice and utilize costly and unfakeable signals? What is the core definition of civilization? How can we influence others ethically? Is explicit communication always better than implicit?Duncan wants to

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00:53:28

Worldviews and Framing (with Elizabeth Kim)

Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg ·

2020/12/22

How are ideologies like snowglobes? What is "convert communication"? What are some algorithms for creativity? How can framing help us to make better decisions?Elizabeth Kim is an applied behavioral scientist designing products to help people be happier, healthier, and wealthier. She is the music streaming industry's first Behavioral Scientist at Spotify where she uses experimentation to understand and improve user experience. Previously, she has designed experiments at Jet.com/Walmart, the Fabulous

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