Modern Wisdom

Cory Clark is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, a social psychologist and an author. Academia is supposed to be a bastion of intellectual purity where curiosity and the truth reign supreme. But what happens when the findings of research start to become inconvenient? What happens when conclusions may be scientifically accurate, but politically incorrect? Expect to learn what...

Christine Emba is an opinion columnist at The Washington Post, journalist, social commentator, and an author. Christine wrote one of the best articles on modern masculinity that I've ever read and it absolutely broke the internet. But it begs the question of why it's come down to a woman to raise the topic of men's issues. Expect to learn why making men and women equal is good but overreaching int...

Erik Hoel is a research professor at Tufts University, theoretical neuroscientist, and an author known for his work on understanding consciousness and the complexity of the brain. Consciousness and free will are two of the most puzzling aspects of human existence. The question now is whether emerging scientific discoveries and technological advancements can unravel what's going on under the hood o...

Gurwinder Bhogal is a programmer and a writer. Gurwinder is one of my favourite Twitter follows. He’s written yet another megathread exploring human nature, cognitive biases, mental models, status games, crowd behaviour and social media. It's fantastic, and today we go through some of my favourites. Expect to learn why every debate is fundamentally an argument about the definition of words, whethe...

Sam Harris is a best selling author, moral philosopher, neuroscientist and a podcaster. The entire world seems to be at each other's throats and finding peace in the chaos is becoming increasingly difficult. But there are tools at our disposal to improve the quality of our lives. As Sam says on this episode, “Wisdom is a matter of making your mind your friend”. Expect to learn what Sam’s life is l...

Peter Akkies is a productivity consultant, YouTuber and a blogger known for his expertise on time management and personal efficiency. Almost everyone is chronically distracted. The world fragments our attention into slivers so small it's a miracle we get anything done at all. Thankfully, there are strategies to take back control of your time and productivity and today we get to go through 7 of Pet...

Rob Brooks is a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of New South Wales, a researcher, and author. Machines are integrating themselves more and more into our lives. From algorithms which know when you're depressed and want to eat ice cream to sex robots who are available to satisfy your desires on-demand. This concept, known as artificial intimacy, might seem as though it’s from a s...

George TheTinMen is a filmmaker, pro-mens advocate and a content creator. The conversation around the issues of men and boys has been dominated by the Right for a long time now. The Left largely seem to have abandoned the entire male sex. So what happens when an openly Left-leaning man creates a huge Instagram account talking exclusively about male issues? Expect to learn how the patriarchy can be...

Erik Angner is a professor of philosophy at King's College London, researcher, and author. Economists are usually concerned with macro trends. Money, finances. But they also have data-driven insights into what makes a happy, fulfilling life. Plus Erik is also a philosopher, so he manages to blend two murky worlds into a very usable life approach. Expect to learn what economics says are the 4 pilla...

Mike Glover is a former United States Army Green Beret, survivalist expert, CEO of FieldCraft Survival, and podcaster providing expertise on survival tactics and preparedness. Being prepared is arguably the most potent tool in any survival kit. However working out what to prepare for can be a daunting task. How do you decide the likelihood of potential threats and distinguish them from unlikely sc...

Polina Pompliano is a writer, entrepreneur and author known for her insights into habits of history's highest performers. Deconstructing the habits and mindsets of the world's most successful people gives us an insight into how to expedite success and avoid pitfalls. Presumably the people who made it to the top have found effective ways of operating that we can all use in our lives, today we go th...

J. Michael Bailey is a Northwestern University professor of psychology, researcher, and an author known for his work on sexual orientation and human sexuality. Scientific research has had public scrutiny for a long time. But Michael's most recent study was placed under so much pressure from upset dissidents that the journal formally retracted it. Today we get to find out just why human sexuality i...

George Mack is a writer, marketer and entrepreneur. If our mind is an operating system, ideas are the apps we install to give us a greater understanding of the world. George is one of my favourite thinkers and today we get to go through 16 of the best ideas we've both discovered since the last time we spoke over 3 years ago. Expect to learn whether optimism is actually a scam, why it's so sexy to...

Chris Bumstead is a professional bodybuilder, 4X Mr. Olympia Classic Physique title holder, and a business owner. Chris is one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. He's been called the Arnold Schwarzenegger of his era. But just what does it take to become the best in the world? What is the inner texture of a world champion like when he's as open as Chris about his failings and vulnerabilities...

Mike Israetel is a bodybuilding and fitness consultant, Temple University professor of Exercise Science, co-founder of Renaissance Periodization and author. There are thousands of videos online about what it means to be happy and successful, usually all with different conclusions, but most include wealth in some form or another. Expect to learn why a pessimistic view of life is unrealistic, the ex...

Geoffrey Miller is a professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of New Mexico, a researcher and an author. Artificial Intelligence possesses the capability to process information thousands of times faster than humans. It's opened up massive possibilities. But it's also opened up huge debate about the safety of creating a machine which is more intelligent and powerful than we are. Just...

Anil Seth is a professor of cognitive and computational neuroscientist at the University of Sussex, co-director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, and an author. What is the Self? What does it mean that we are the same person we were 10 years ago? Why do we have a subjective experience of reality at all? Is consciousness created or perceived? These are fundamental questions that phil...

Chris Ferrie is a physicist and mathematician at the University of Technology Sydney and an author. The term “quantum” is liberally tossed around within the spiritual community, often suggesting a level of insight into this mysterious field of science. But what do these people actually mean? What have these gurus correctly interpreted about the field of quantum physics, and where are they very con...

Megan Phelps-Roper is a social activist, public speaker and author known for her insights into religious extremism. Harry Potter is the most banned book of the 21st century. Firstly frowned upon by far Right Christian groups for its promotion of witchcraft, the controversy has recently pivoted to the far Left who have concerns that JK Rowling is promoting transphobia. The obvious question is, how...

Scott Griffiths is a researcher and psychologist at the University of Melbourne and an author known for his work on male body dissatisfaction and muscle dysmorphia. Many men have experienced this phenomenon - looking at photos of ripped guys on social media and longing for a more muscular physique. Why are so many men dissatisfied with their bodies and why do they continue to feel bad even when th...

Emily Morse is a sexologist, author, and host of the podcast “Sex with Emily”. In a sex-positive world, bedroom activities are still considered a taboo subject. And intimacy isn't at the forefront of everyone's minds right now, but having a good love life is important for your physical and psychological health, so I guess we need to hear from an expert. Expect to learn why people are having less s...

Jack Carr is a former United States Navy SEAL, outdoor adventurer and author of The Terminal List series. The lives of Navy SEALs have been romanticised on screen and in books for decades. But what is life behind-the-scenes actually like? Just accurate are the dramatisations? And why does no one love the military any more? Expect to learn the details of Jack's narrowest escape from death, what are...

Michael Kasumovic is a professor of evolutionary biology at University of New South Wales, a researcher and an author. The influence of violent video games on human psychology has been contested for years. Does virtual violence translate to real world harm? Should we be worried about our friends and kids who play them? And just what makes these games so compelling? Expect to learn the evolutionary...

Bill Perkins is a hedge fund manager, high stakes poker player, film producer and an author. What if the true path to financial fulfilment doesn’t lie in saving every penny, but rather in spending it as effectively as you can? Delayed gratification in the extreme results in no gratification, and Bill's book Die With Zero is one of the best financial philosophies I've ever come across. Expect to le...

Andy Stumpf is a former U.S. Navy SEAL, extreme sports enthusiast, public speaker, podcaster, and author, At some point, you’ve inevitably traded your personal information for the sake of safety and security. But just how intrusive has government surveillance actually become? And why is there so much support for increasing this scrutiny among young people? Expect to learn how Tucker Carlson destro...