Episodes

  • How Ideas Evolve – Dennis Hackethal

    How Ideas Evolve – Dennis Hackethal
    Jul 4 2025
    Dennis Hackethal, philosopher and author of A Window on Intelligence, joins me to discuss how human creativity evolved, how it differs from animal cognition, the role of emotions and values in the mind, and the connections between objectivism and critical rationalism—plus much more.Note: Some segments were re-recorded due to technical issues, resulting in occasional overlap.📚 Mentioned Resources00:00 – Dennis Hackethal – A Window on Intelligencehttps://www.windowonintelligence.com/01:30 – The Neo-Darwinian Theory of the Mindhttps://blog.dennishackethal.com/posts/the-neo-darwinian-theory-of-the-mind06:26 – Karl Popper – Objective Knowledge (Appendix: The Bucket and the Searchlight)07:30 – Lambda Calculushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambda_calculus15:30 – Animal Sentiencehttps://blog.dennishackethal.com/posts/animal-sentience-faqhttps://blog.dennishackethal.com/posts/evidence-of-animal-insentience18:25 – Sleepwalkinghttps://blog.dennishackethal.com/posts/sleepwalking39:40 – David Deutsch – How Close Are We to Creating Artificial Intelligencehttps://aeon.co/essays/how-close-are-we-to-creating-artificial-intelligence41:30 – What Are Inexplicit Ideas? (with Lulie Tanett)https://youtu.be/vxemBLZRgYI?si=CqWRISkp-svFmI6944:30 – Michael Levin – Picasso Tadpole Experimentshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XheAMrS8Q1c48:40 – Richard Feynman – Cargo Cult Sciencehttps://calteches.library.caltech.edu/51/2/CargoCult.htm53:09 – Robert Trivers – Deceit and Self-Deceptionhttps://amzn.to/4lBFHGg57:30 – Daniel Kahneman – Thinking, Fast and Slowhttps://amzn.to/40oupNJ1:02:40 – Lisa Feldman Barrett – How Emotions Are Madehttps://amzn.to/44rnLan1:13:43 – Ayn RandThe Virtue of Selfishness: https://amzn.to/4nBiN3SPhilosophy: Who Needs It: https://amzn.to/44MCXQQThe Fountainhead: https://amzn.to/44ezomr1:17:00 – Anthony de Mello – Awarenesshttps://amzn.to/44upoEb1:19:25 – David Deutsch – Why Are Flowers Beautiful?https://youtu.be/gT7DFCF1Fn8?si=kmkvckzUp1eCL9s01:22:00 – Film: Whiplashhttps://g.co/kgs/xrCHrsM⏱️ Timestamps00:00 Intro01:30 The Neo-Darwinian Theory of the Mind06:00 Ideas and thoughts are functions07:48 Ideas as Software Functions08:34 The selective pressure in the mind09:00 Evolutionary Pressure in the Mind10:14 The Meta-Algorithm of the Mind12:59 Consciousness and Critical Reflection16:00 Conjecture in the Unconscious17:29 Conscious and Unconscious Behavior19:59 The Complexity of Human Behavior21:02 Differences in Learning: Humans vs. Animals22:41 Reinforcement Learning and Evolutionary Algorithms25:14 The Interplay of Randomness and Targeted Learning26:42 Animal Behavior: Instinct and Sentience31:37 How Creativity Evolved36:18 Cognitive Abilities and Evolutionary Advantage38:47 Understanding Consciousness and AGI41:52 The Language of Ideas and Information Processing43:36 Decentralized Intelligence and Motor Movements46:42 Replacing/Overriding Unconscious Knowledge48:41 The Complexity of Honesty and Self-Deception55:07 Common Challenges & Hiccups in Reasoning01:02:03 The Origins and Role of Emotions01:06:23 Fun Criterion Nuances01:10:06 Morality: Critical Rationalism, Objectivism & Existentialism01:15:21 Non-Dualism and Awareness01:18:55 Art, Beauty, and Inspiration01:24:10 Bodybuilding01:28:07 Pursuing or Envying Ideals01:31:27 Outro🧠 More from meBook: https://edwindoit.com/4actsWebsite: https://edwindoit.comNewsletter: https://edwindoit.substack.comProductivity blog: https://medium.com/@edwindoitX: https://x.com/Edwindoit
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    1 hr and 32 mins
  • Avoiding the Default Pitfalls of Decision Making with David Deutsch & Daniel Kahneman

    Avoiding the Default Pitfalls of Decision Making with David Deutsch & Daniel Kahneman
    Jun 28 2025
    n this video, we explore how to choose between different solutions to a problem and the mental traps that often derail good decision-making. We look at two common pitfalls: acting too quickly based on instinct or limiting beliefs, and relying too heavily on mental shortcuts like negativity bias, survivorship bias, and overconfidence. While these shortcuts help with everyday decisions, they can lead us astray in more complex situations. For serious problems, we should use deliberate reasoning, but avoid overthinking by balancing accuracy with efficiencyTimestamps00:00 Intro00:32 Today's topic00:46 Mistake 1: acting too fast01:45 Example: overcome by emotion02:22 Example: self-limiting beliefs04:39 Mistake 2: being fooled by mental shortcuts05:56 What mental shortcuts are06:25 Example: negativity bias07:14 Example: survivorship bias07:54 Example: overconfidence08:32 How to correctly handle our mental shortcuts09:58 The overthinking trap10:51 Wrap up and outroFeatured linksMy upcoming book: https://edwindoit.com/4actsThinking, Fast and Slow: https://amzn.to/44mO41x The Beginning of Infinity: https://www.thebeginningofinfinity.com/More from meBook: https://edwindoit.com/4actsWebsite: https://edwindoit.comNewsletter: https://edwindoit.substack.comProductivity blog: / edwindoit X: https://x.com/Edwindoit
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    12 mins
  • How to Find Better Solutions with David Deutsch & Critical Rationalism

    How to Find Better Solutions with David Deutsch & Critical Rationalism
    Jun 28 2025
    In this episode, we dive into how to come up with better solutions once you've identified a clear problem. Drawing from David Deutsch’s ideas and critical rationalism, I explain how creativity works—through conjecture and criticism—and how we often limit our own options without realizing it. We explore three common creativity-blocking mistakes: 1) Assuming there's only one solution, 2) Believing certain limitations can't be overcome and 3) Thinking in terms of compromise or zero-sum tradeoffsTimestamps00:00 Intro00:32 Today's topic00:51 How creativity works02:14 What we can do to optimize our creativity03:41 Examples of how we hinder our creativity03:58 Example 1: Conditioned laziness04:30 Mistake 2: Imagined constraints06:05 Mistake 3: Unnecessary compromises10:09 OutroFeatured linksMy upcoming book: https://edwindoit.com/4actsThe Beginning of Infinity: https://www.thebeginningofinfinity.com/Conjecture Institute: https://www.conjectureinstitute.org/More from meBook: https://edwindoit.com/4actsWebsite: https://edwindoit.comNewsletter: https://edwindoit.substack.comProductivity blog: / edwindoit X: https://x.com/Edwindoit
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    11 mins
  • Why Critical Rationalists—Like David Deutsch—Shy Away from Advice

    Why Critical Rationalists—Like David Deutsch—Shy Away from Advice
    Jun 28 2025

    Why don’t Critical Rationalists—like David Deutsch—give life advice?In this video, I explore three key reasons grounded in Critical Rationalism and fallibilism:1) Knowledge is always conjectural, not authoritative2) Problems are deeply personal and context-dependent3) Advice can misalign with individual goals and values
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    11 mins
  • Why You Shouldn’t Trust Your Mind at Face Value with David Deutsch & Critical Rationalism

    Why You Shouldn’t Trust Your Mind at Face Value with David Deutsch & Critical Rationalism
    Jun 28 2025
    In this episode, we explore why all knowledge—whether from our senses, thoughts, or feelings—is inherently fallible. Drawing on David Deutsch and Critical Rationalism, we explain why even our strongest knowledge is likely flawed and should always be open to improvement. Through practical examples of faulty Intuitions, incorrect Statements, and misfiring Drives, we show how to develop a clearer understanding of problems. We also highlight the importance of defining success criteria early—so we know when a problem is truly solved.Timestamps00:00 Introduction 01:15 Why our interpretations and all our knowledge is fallible05:14 But, doesn't mathematics have absolute truths?08:28 Examples of errors in our internal knowledge08:42 Errors in our Intuitions09:41 Errors in our Statements11:29 Errors in our Drives13:21 Errors in Succes Criteria15:23 Recap & OutroFeatured linksMy upcoming book: https://edwindoit.com/4actsPrevious episode: • How to Understand Your Mind with David Deu... Reason is Fun "Potato story" podcast episode: • Are feelings ideas? | Reason Is Fun #6 The Beginning of Infinity: https://www.thebeginningofinfinity.com/Conjecture Institute: https://www.conjectureinstitute.org/More from meBook: https://edwindoit.com/4actsWebsite: https://edwindoit.comNewsletter: https://edwindoit.substack.comProductivity blog: / edwindoit X: https://x.com/Edwindoit
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    16 mins
  • How to Understand Your Mind with David Deutsch & Critical Rationalism

    How to Understand Your Mind with David Deutsch & Critical Rationalism
    Jun 28 2025
    We explore how to understand the mind using the ideas of David Deutsch and the philosophy of Critical Rationalism. We cover 3 types of internal knowledge—Statements, Intuitions, and Drives—and how conflicts between them shape our thoughts, feelings, and actions. By learning to evaluate these signals based on their content (not their category) we can make better decisions and solve problems more effectively.Timestamps00:00 Intro 01:47 The 3 Types of Knowledge We Use02:13 Type 1: Statements (conscious explicit knowledge)02:42 Type 2: Intuitions (conscious inexplicit knowledge)03:40 Type 3: Drives (unconscious knowledge)05:29 How Conflicts Between Knowledge Creates "Problems"06:11 Examples of Different Types of Knowledge in Conflict07:55 The Mistake of Judging Knowledge Based on Type Instead of Content 10:08 The Correct Way to Deal with Statements, Intuitions and Drives10:14 Example 1: Gloomy Monday11:16 Example 2: Stressful Thursday12:27 Example 3: Happy News13:19 Recap and wrap-upFeatured linksPrevious episode: • Why Critical Rationalists—Like David Deuts... The Fun Criterion: • What is the 'Fun Criterion'? (David Deutsc... The Conjecture Institute: https://www.conjectureinstitute.org/More from meUpcoming book: 4acts.comWebsite: edwindoit.comNewsletter: edwindoit.substack.comProductivity blog: / edwindoit X: https://x.com/Edwindoit
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    15 mins