Polymathic Being Podcast

Today's topic investigates the Liberal Arts and why they are such a crucial educational foundation for addressing the complexity of the world around us. We’ll dive into the structure of these Arts and then explore how they feed science, civics, critical thinking, and even mental health. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today's topic highlights a glaring blindspot that I feel most Gen X people, at least on social media, seem to have in feeling they remain the badasses who grew up as latchkey kids. Let’s find out if that’s true. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Welcome to Polymathic Being , a place to explore counterintuitive insights across multiple domains. These essays explore common topics from different perspectives and disciplines to uncover unique insights and solutions. Today's topic explores the value of irreverence in highlighting the absurd things we may hold dear. We then transition to understand true reverence and how that adds meaning, beau...

Today's topic wrangles with the idea of myths. Are they stories that are untrue or is there there something deeper that is just begging to be understood? Let’s step back and explore the deeper and more useful meaning in the ancient myths. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today's topic is one of my favorite mixed mental arts. Join in as we look at an old Japanese tradition and what that can teach us about relationships, culture, and yes, even things we own. Not everyone is as careful with precious things as we’d like. Yet not everything broken is lost. Let’s find out how Kintsugi can be applied to our lives. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbein...

Today's topic looks at how AI-generated content is polluting our digital ecosystems and the challenges that it creates in trying to understand the world around us. We’ll then explore techniques to reclaim our sanity in this muddied world so we can ensure a human-centric grounding in reality. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today's topic continues our Keys to Innovation series and discusses the very common problem that everyone thinks their problems are unique like a unicorn. It’s a persistent failure mode for innovation, project execution, and process optimization. Thankfully there’s a common set of tools that we can apply to solve these ‘unique’ problems. It’s a fun mind twist so let’s dive in! Get full access to P...

Today's topic focused exclusively on a persistent behavior humans have where, when faced with two truths that are incompatible with our worldview, our brains will glitch and eliminate the problem entirely. It causes some of the worst social divisions we see today so let’s dive in and explore these brain glitches and what we can do about them. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbe...

Today's topic revisits and simplifies the foundation of Polymathic Thinking. Over the past two years, I’ve received questions about how to start the journey as an aspiring Polymath, and this is my answer. Join in, and let’s start the journey together. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today's topic addresses whether we are logical beings rationally progressing through life or emotionally chaotic and reacting to environmental stimuli in ways we aren’t even conscious of. We’ll look at the biology and psychology driving our engagement with the world and learn how to balance the two for improved success. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today's topic attempts to recenter our day-to-day lives in the things that matter as the political climate has been particularly contentious recently, especially if you live in the US. To hear tell, we are one step away from the end of the world as we know it. It might feel that way online but there are important steps we can take to ground ourselves in a healthier reality. Let’s find out how. Get...

Today's topic shifts gears to focus on our physical health. The topic is sugar and how that delicious and dopamine-rewarding delicacy is like a master key that, unmanaged, unlocks an entire panoply of terrible pathologies that sour our health. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today's topic swings back to Systems Thinking , one of our foundational tools here on Polymathic Being. We keep being asked if we can further distill the concept for broader application. While there’s risk in over-simplification, let’s explore a simple mantra that anyone can use to apply Systems Thinking and unlock true innovation that balances ethics, safety, and risk. Get full access to Polymath...

Today's topic looks at how to turn sacred cows into delicious burgers. At least that’s the way some have described how Polymathic Being uncovers unique insights. It’s a perception that warrants critique to recognize what we are doing, the techniques, and tools we are using, and whether we are having the best benefit. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today’s Topic digs deep into the current rift between artists and AI. We’ll investigate the value of art and then dive into the history of technological advancements to help contextualize the angst about AI within the Art community. This essay has been one of my most difficult to write as there are so many nuances to tease out properly. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.co...

Today’s Topic addresses the advertising of the Green Energy movement and the reality that underlies our drive for environmental stewardship. A simple investigation quickly uncovers that the materials used for green initiatives are, instead, blood red. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today's topic is another of our Mixed Mental Arts and introduces a fun term, Infobesity , referring to the information overload and mental saturation that we face every day. Join in as we uncover the consequences affecting how we process the world and how too much information can create political divides. We’ll end with recommendations to improve our information fitness. Get full access to Polymat...

Today's topic continues our investigation into the feminine and looks at what we value and what we try to delete about her in today’s Western society. It’s going to be messy, embarrassing, visceral, and limiting because we are talking about the monthly menstrual cycle, which creates life and stews angst in our culture. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today’s Topic is another Mixed Mental Art that delves into our comfort zones and how feeling safe and secure is important but can limit our growth if not considered properly. Join us as we look at how to structure your exposure to life that balances psychological safety with continual personal growth. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today's topic continues the exploration into our climate that we started with The Climate is Changing and now looks at how extreme our rates of climate change are today compared to the geological record. The goal is to better understand our current climate changes to inform effective action that increases human flourishing. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today's topic is boring, but because of that, it’s fascinating, illuminating, and creative. It pushes back on the idea that every second of every day must be curated and stimulating. It tries to pull us back from (un)social media, into the real world, and even a step further into that terrifying place of boredom. From that point, we can unlock the superpower of nothingness to create things beyond...

Today's topic continues a thread we started exploring in Don’t Trust AI, Entrust It which provides a solid framing for how to consider the ethics of advanced technology. Today we’ll do a thought experiment involving the ethical quandary where we have incredible forgiveness for human accidents but zero forgiveness for technology. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscr...

Today's topic addresses the highly effective nature of clickbait headlines and how headlines in general prime us for a certain viewpoint. Join us as we explore the effects of priming and how we can mentally check ourselves to avoid that priming. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today's topic is going to explore two topics. The first is my own experience with avoiding sunburn and the second explores why we’ll never be able to scientifically prove my method works. It’s two counterintuitive topics rolled into one essay so let’s dive into Sunglasses, Skin Cancer, and Science. Get full access to Polymathic Being at www.polymathicbeing.com/subscribe

Today's topic is a psychological exploration into a few of our cognitive biases and how they cause us to see the world as significantly worse than it really is. Not just worse but with the dismal outlook that we are facing an apocalypse. This outlook is tightly coupled with a nostalgic yearning for how things used to be. Let’s explore what drives this and rewire our perceptions to understand why w...