The Do It Podcast

David Deutsch—physicist, pioneer of quantum computation, and author of The Beginning of Infinity and The Fabric of Reality —joins me to discuss fun, learning, and how minds create knowledge. We explore the Fun Criterion: why a sense of “no fun” is best treated as criticism, a signal that something needs improvement, rather than a stop rule or a feeling to chase. Deutsch unpacks conflicts between e...

Dirk Meulenbelt, AI graduate, co-founder of based.guide, digital nomad, and organizer of CR events—joins me for a wide-ranging conversation at the edges of critical rationalism. We explore discipline and the Fun Criterion, creativity as compression, the construction of emotion, and the role of consciousness in grounding agency and judgment. Along the way, we dig into epistemology: the distinctions...

In today's video we explore two kinds of knowledge: factual knowledge—rules of thumb that seem to work but don’t explain why—and explanatory knowledge, which reveals how and why things work. Drawing on David Deutsch’s idea that humans are universal explainers, I show why explanations lead to better decisions, fewer mistakes, and more adaptable thinking. We look at why explanations are more acc...

In this episode, we explore the limits of reality—not as reasons for pessimism, but as the best explanations we have for what truly cannot be done. Drawing from David Deutsch, I explain 1) the laws of physics, 2) unpredictable actions caused by quantum fluctuations, 3) the unknowability of future knowledge and technologies, and 4) intractable problems that require resources we don’t yet have. The...

Bart Vanderhaegen, business consultant and host of the Seeking Good Explanations podcast, joins me to explain his Problem Based Management method, built on critical rationalism. We discuss how organizations can improve by focusing on knowledge creation, a simple four-step problem-solving process, and the common traps businesses fall into when defending ideas instead of improving them. We also touc...

In this episode, we explore the Fun Criterion, a powerful idea of David Deutsch that helps us take action in a way that’s both enjoyable and effective. Rather than relying on discipline or forcing ourselves through tasks, the Fun Criterion urges us to take all parts of our mind seriously—our Statements, Intuitions, and Drives. We unpack what “Fun” really means in this context, why coercion undermi...

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 Resourc...

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 lea...

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 c...

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

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 und...

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 ef...