Seize the Moment Podcast

On episode 186, we welcome Krista Thomason to discuss the ways we tend to address our negative feelings, using techniques in positive psychology and stoicism to suppress them, psychotherapy's divergent stance in seeking to manage them instead, the shame we experience about feeling them, the myth of harmonizing and unifying our emotional and rational sides, why it's difficult and maybe even erroneo...

On episode 185, we welcome David Samson to discuss our current understanding of how tribes form, tribalism as political polarization, why the Bloodline storyline in the WWE is so popular, why some of the smartest people are also the most irrational, the consequences of our tendency to prioritize group loyalty over truth, the label of 'critical thinker' and why it's another cognitive trap, our tend...

On episode 184, we welcome Barry Mauer to discuss using the medical model of metastatic cancer to explain how false beliefs spread, Barry's view that institutions are more important than personal responsibility in inoculating minds from delusional beliefs, the tumor as a metaphor for denial and its growth as symbolizing its transformation into a delusion, free speech absolutism and whether debates...

On episode 183, we welcome Sander van der Linden to discuss how to spot and protect yourself from falling for disinformation, the emotional reasons that sustain and prevent people from changing their false beliefs, the psychological foundations of conspiratorial thinking, conspiracy theories as easy to digest explanations for reality despite their complexity, why examining each conspiracy theory i...

On episode 182, we welcome Melanie Trecek-King to discuss the power of critical thinking, how she transformed her science-based curriculum into one more focused on teaching thinking tools, beliefs in witchcraft and how experiential beliefs tend to mislead us, leaving religion, the importance of learning how to argue for and understand your opponents' perspectives, the theory of mental immunity, wh...

On episode 181, we welcome Dan 'Nitro' Clark to discuss being one of the main athletes on American Gladiators, how watching his brother die instilled in him an obsession with success, the difference between healthy and unhealthy perfectionism, entering therapy to overcome his fears of vulnerability and intimacy, abandoning fame for more authentic forms of happiness, Dan's battle with depression an...

On episode 180, we welcome Andy Norman to discuss the principles of mental immunity, how ideas spread like viruses, why critics of the paradigm believe the fear of widespread misinformation is another overblown moral panic, learning how to play role of devil's advocate effectively and ethically, how gurus and cult leaders attract their audience, whether we should debate fringe theorists, Alen's te...

On episode 179, we welcome Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling to discuss the alternative medical industrial complex, the proliferation of 'One True Cures' and why people are attracted to them, how the elitism and esotericism of mainstream medicine contributed to the rise of modern-day quackery, Robert O. Young and the pH cure, the appeal of Jim Humble and the marketing strategies of charlatans, RFK Jr.'s de...

On episode 178, we welcome Lee McIntyre to discuss the viral spread of disinformation and the motivators behind it, combating science denialism and Lee's foray into the world of Flat-Earthers, how to distinguish between real and fake conspiracies, whether we should debate science deniers and the RFK Jr scandal, why Leon abandoned the conspiratorial mindset, the criticisms of cognitive immunology,...

On episode 177, we welcome David Edmonds to discuss the life and philosophy of Derek Parfit, his quest for the ultimate proof of objective morality, the evolutionary basis of moral arguments and how it can even lead us astray, whether morality ought to be based on or divorced from personal desire, the repugnant conclusion and how Derek struggled to resolve it, Derek's neurodivergent traits, identi...

On episode 176, we welcome Julia Keller to discuss the importance of knowing when to quit, the history of the self-help industry, how the notion of 'grit' helps sustain elitism and privilege, the cultural and internal shame surrounding the desire to quit, quitting as embedded in human nature and what animal studies teach us about it, the quitting formula and realizing that a decision is ineffectiv...

On episode 175, we welcome Dr. Judith Herman to discuss her work with survivors of rape, what rape culture is and how it enables victimization, the evidence that rape victims aren't vengeful, how the criminal justice system marginalizes and silences survivors, the role of the moral community in healing, restorative justice and how it differs from our adversarial system of punishment, the significa...

On episode 174, we welcome Michael Ignatieff to discuss the consolation of philosophy, the difference between comfort and consolation, distinguishing between false and true consolations and how they affect those suffering, the various secular and religious consolations, the purpose of hospice care and how it helps people die well, using one's death to create meaning, consolations as myths and why...

On episode 173, we welcome Valerie Tiberius to discuss the significance of cultivating a system of personal values, values as opposed to goals, Valerie's clash of values - between being a good woman and a good philosopher, self-enhancing beliefs and how they preclude us from knowing what we're actually capable of, searching for approval from those who don't want what's best for us, focusing on you...

On episode 172, we welcome Dr. Vanessa Patrick to discuss the impact of people-pleasing behavior on mental health and relationships, learning to say no to break the cycle, the importance of setting boundaries, the role of cultural and societal expectations in making it difficult for individuals to say no, strategies for navigating these pressures, the relationship between saying no and decision-ma...

On episode 171, we welcome James Hibbard to discuss the philosophy of cycling and using it for self-creation; the business of cycling and why the sport no longer produces individual riders; whether American capitalism can be escaped by specific individuals; Nietzsche and the existential, human ideal; America's obsession with winning and winners, and whether anyone is really happy; James' cycling c...

On episode 170, we welcome Edith Shiro to discuss the five step model of post traumatic growth, what trauma is and the social and psychological contributions to PTSD, how culture silences victims, Alen and Leon's struggles with emotional expression, the importance of turning to the right people for healing, why we need others to help us overcome our traumas, transforming from trauma as opposed to...

On episode 169, we welcome Dean Rickles to discuss existential, death anxiety and its utility in helping us lead more meaningful lives; narcissism and the bulletproof vest; how our egos preclude us from taking important risks; Michael Shermer's conception of Alvy's Error; the importance of cultivating self-esteem according to mice experiments; the downside of being a child prodigy; creating a mean...

On episode 168, we welcome Chuck Wisner to discuss the importance of conscious conversations in building deeper connections and understanding between people, the role of active listening in conscious conversations, how it can transform our relationships and interactions, strategies for cultivating empathy and compassion during conversations, why these qualities are essential for effective communic...

On episode 167, we welcome Chuck Thompson to discuss the evolution of status and popularity, our tendency to believe it indicates inherent value, true art as opposed to popular art, status and its intrinsic association with self-esteem, whether status-seeking is bad, if human hierarchies are natural and our tendency to compare ourselves to others, the neuroscientic findings underpinning status-see...

On episode 166, we welcome Adam Sandel to discuss the consequences of obsessive striving, how the philosophy of the enlightenment helped create a culture obsessed with social progress, why a good life shouldn't only entail endeavors to make the world or our lives better, enjoying activities for their own sake, the transitory nature of success and Adam's gaining and losing the Guinness world pull-u...

On episode 165, we welcome Eric Wilson to discuss how to embrace the weird parts of ourselves and why it's important to do so, various exercises to help us along the way, why being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder caused Eric to feel like an incompetent father, how psychotherapy helped him embrace the parts of himself that could make him feel like a good dad, our fear of the strange and attraction...

On episode 164, we welcome Natalia Petrzela to discuss America's obsession with fitness; fitness as a symbol of status and its expression on social media; masculinity's historical aversion to fitness; Alen's fitness weight-loss journey; issues around race, gender, and class it relates to exercise; the covid-19 pandemic's effect on our relationship to fitness; the various forms of exercise; how fit...

On episode 163, we welcome Elizabeth Cobbs to discuss the history and necessity of feminist thought, the contrasting lives of Abigail Adams and Abigail Bailey, the nefarious reason feminism became a dirty word, the historical and modern examples of sexist laws, the widespread adoption of feminism as a means of signaling safety for women wanting to report abuse, the beginnings of Me Too, the divisi...

On episode 162, we welcome Joseph Graves to discuss biological determinism and the purported links between race and IQ, the hypothesis that IQ increased in individuals living in colder weather climates, challenging the assumptions of the popular book 'The Bell Curve', environmental factors contributing to educational attainment, the significance of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study for...