Videos

"A rule that I live by is that there are very few, if any, arguments in life where someone is not a little bit right and a little bit wrong. It's very rare to be in a discussion with someone that's totally wrong and someone else is totally right." --…

Video essayist Will Schoder's latest project was a trilogy of long-form deep dives into the science, secrets and sources of happiness. But what is true happiness? And how can we find it? Will explains...

"Whatever keeps your brain in thrall doesn't necessarily do anything for your heart." -- Will Schoder

"Stories in general are one of our most powerful tools to fight entropy. We dive into the chaos and come out with a more ordered existence..." -- Will Schoder

Will Schoder is a video essayist who explores a diverse range of topics including psychology, meaning, re-enchantment, metamodernism, mortality, and satire. Initially known for his short-form videos, his latest series is a trilogy of fascinating long-form deep dives into the nature, foundations, and secrets of happiness. Will joins the show…

How can we tackle the fentanyl crisis? Investigative journalist Ben Westhoff argues that the US government should invest in medication-assisted treatment. "We have these great drugs... But most people don't have access to them."

Investigative journalist Ben Westhoff on how to understand poverty: “the wealthy people and the poor people just live apart and never the twain shall meet...if you're really putting yourself in these situations, really seeing how the other half lives, then you can understand what's really needed there.”

"hip-hop has been... part of the problem." Here's investigative journalist Ben Westhoff on hip-hop's role in the fentanyl crisis...

Our guest, Ben Westhoff, explains how, in recent years, there has been an explosion of extremely dangerous, synthetic alternatives to plant-based drugs.

Ben Westhoff is a best-selling investigative journalist focusing on culture, drugs, and poverty. Ben’s book Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic was the culmination of a four-year investigation into the worst drug crisis in American history, an investigation that included Ben making an…

"one of the core cravings of the human soul is... infinite connection." ~ Roon

"I think the world works better when everyone has a feeling of abundance." -- Roon

"We need technological progress. It's a necessity. It's the only thing that makes our civilization prosper in the long run, or even in the short run. It's the only thing that leads to stable growth and without it... all bets are off." -- Roon

Our guest, Roon, argues that, at the end of the day, "it's a wordcel world."

AI researcher, memelord extraordinaire, and techno-optimist Roon joins the show to discuss coming up with the shape rotator vs. wordcel meme, what an AGI world could become, and why Tenet is Christopher Nolan’s best movie. Important Links: - Roon’s Twitter - https://x.com/tszzl?s=20 - Roon’s Substack - https://roonscape.ai/ - AGI Futures…

"Nostalgia is a seductive liar." -- George Ball Here's Katherine Dee on the danger of falling into a "nostalgia trap..."

"If you want to tell people the truth, you’d better make them laugh or they’ll kill you.” - George Bernard Shaw Our guest, Katherine Dee, argues that, in the Attention Economy, entertainment reigns supreme...

“There's this disbelief that things can become organically popular online. People misunderstand the way power can help." "I think there's just a lot of misunderstanding of how... social capital works, how power works, how trends explode, how things grow." - Katherine Dee

“That's cyberspace in a nutshell. Certain forms of celebrity are more valuable than others. Twitter is very valuable if you have particular goals.” - Katherine Dee

Katherine Dee is a writer, journalist, and internet culture reporter. A contributor to publications such as UnHerd, Tablet, and Blaze Media, she is also the proprietor of the Default Wisdom Substack, where she writes about a wide range of topics, including internet history and culture, digital communities, millennial nostalgia, and…

Don't be AC/DC. Be David Bowie. Derk Sivers explains...

"What seems true is actually just one possible perspective, and it's probably not the best one. So force yourself to think of other perspectives.” -- Derek Sivers

"So, all of these things that I think I'm better than average in right now, I think it's just safe to assume that I'm not. In fact, I'm going to choose to counterbalance our human nature, and so, I will deliberately choose to assume that I'm below average." -- Derek…

"[Hollywood actors are] not a special breed. They're not a different type. They are just like you. They just took the chance and showed up to the gig... They did the thing instead of watching TV, and that's all the difference it took." -- Derek Sivers