19 March 2024
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MeaningofLife.tv videos
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Aug 8, 2019 — Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell
Crispin’s recent essay, “Western Philosophy as White Supremacism”
Dan accuses Crispin of ahistorical revisionism
Descartes as a product of his age
Privileging the intellectual over the physical
Is “the conquest of nature” a good or bad thing?
Crispin: Metaphysics and racism feed each other
Is self-mastery a key to freedom, or antithetical to it?
The worst political philosophy, except for all the others?
TAGS
ancient philosophy
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Christianity
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human nature
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philosophy
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tribalism
May 3, 2019 — Robert Wright & William von Hippel
Bill’s new book,
The Social Leap
Why happiness is fleeting
Junk food and happy marriages
How to escape the anxiety of status competition
Psychological downsides of being a hunter-gatherer
Why America is more politically tribalized than Australia
The benefits of self-deception
TAGS
biology
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evolution
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happiness
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human nature
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psychology
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science
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tribalism
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violence
Apr 26, 2019 — Robert Wright & Paul Bloom
How the new media landscape exacerbates tribalism
Can science and reason help combat tribalism?
Why tribal behavior comes naturally to humans
Want to succeed on social media? Try ridicule and moral condemnation!
Why virtual reality may not help you understand the plight of others
Trump’s masterful exploitation of empathy
If a magic therapy “cured” Harvey Weinstein, would punishment still be necessary?
Why social science is, and will stay, liberal
TAGS
psychology
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tribalism
Feb 8, 2019 — Robert Wright & Douglas Rushkoff
Douglas’s new book,
Team Human
Remembering when people behaved better online than IRL
Douglas was optimistic about the Internet. Then came capitalism.
Imagining a better Facebook
Douglas: “Being human is a team sport”
Tribalism and the Internet
The false promise of “disruption”
How capitalism complicates Douglas’s life
TAGS
human nature
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technology
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tribalism
Oct 10, 2018 — Aryeh Cohen-Wade & Lauren Oyler
What is it about social media that’s so depressing?
Twitter, the unpopular website that elites love
Is what happens on social media real or fake?
Is @laurenoyler the same as Lauren Oyler?
How everything in life became “toxic”
Do all online communities eventually become toxic?
The moral challenge of social media
TAGS
Donald Trump
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moral imagination
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technology
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tribalism
Feb 5, 2018 — William Black & Benjamin Park
The Mormon Church’s new president, 93 year-old Russell M. Nelson
The decades-long campaign to incorporate the Church into the American mainstream
Does the Church clash with academic historical study?
Untangling the fates of remarried Mormons’ souls
The LDS Church as a contained society within the US
Why did the first Mormon women choose polygamy?
TAGS
Christianity
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ethics
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religion
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tribalism
May 22, 2017 — Robert Wright & Jay Van Bavel
The partisanship that bolsters Trump
Jay’s favorite experiments on the psychology of tribalism
Is the anti-Trump movement its own worst enemy?
What’s going on in Trump’s brain?
How a sports fan’s brain warps reality
Is there hope for overcoming our tribal psychology?
Want a retweet? Stoke moral outrage.
TAGS
cognitive science
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democracy
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Donald Trump
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moral imagination
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psychology
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science
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tribalism
Feb 6, 2017 — Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci
Join the hordes clamoring for Massimo’s forthcoming book!
The science of ethics
Is morality baked into our biology?
Can primates tell us where morality comes from?
How Kant and moral psychology complement each other
Nietzsche’s moral philosophy
Warning: Chimps and bonobos are not hairy proto-humans!
The trouble with studying morality in infants
TAGS
cognitive science
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ethics
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evolution
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human nature
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justice
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philosophy
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psychology
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science
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tribalism
Dec 21, 2016 — Robert Wright & Michael Shermer
Bob’s NY Times article on evolution and purpose
Was evolution likely to produce the Internet?
The counter-entropic role of life
Is moral progress built into history?
Social and political dimensions of moral progress
The psychology of terrorism
What can we do to fight tribalist impulses?
TAGS
economics
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evolution
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politics
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tribalism
Dec 2, 2016 — Robert Wright & Jay Michaelson
Jay’s anti-Trump appeals
How the election unleashed hate
When “love your enemy” just won’t work
Is empathy a limited resource?
Jay’s spiritual toolkit for coping with a Trump presidency
Trump, the anti-Buddha
Can mindfulness help save the world?
TAGS
anger
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Buddhism
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Christianity
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compassion
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democracy
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Donald Trump
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empathy
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ethics
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happiness
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human nature
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identity
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Islam
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Judaism
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love
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meditation
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mental health
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mindfulness
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moral imagination
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politics
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psychology
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religion
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sadness
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spirituality
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tribalism
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Zen
Nov 14, 2016 — Robert Wright & Daniel Kaufman
Announcing a series of “sixty-second sermons”
Tribalism and Trump’s success
Apocalypse now?
Dan vs. Bob on whether a global community is possible
The moral dimensions of the election
The backlash against political correctness
What it feels like to be an outsider
A closer look at MeaningofLife.tv’s “sermons” and other local news
TAGS
democracy
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Donald Trump
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economics
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empathy
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ethics
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human nature
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identity
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moral imagination
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nationalism
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perception
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psychology
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tribalism
Oct 31, 2016 — Robert Wright & Pamela Cooper-White
Bob and Pam team up to analyze the mind of Trump
Inside the mind of a narcissist
Narcissists are made not born
Psychoanalyzing Trumpism
A moment of compassion for Trump
TAGS
Christianity
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Donald Trump
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history
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mental health
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moral imagination
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nationalism
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politics
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psychology
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religion
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tribalism
Oct 19, 2016 — Robert Wright & Sam Harris
Sam Harris, mystic and atheist
The mystery of consciousness
Is mysticism more like science than like religion?
How religion makes progress
Sam’s case for intolerance
The root causes of extremism
Religious and secular reasons to do good
Ways religion may be closer to the truth than atheism
A secular approach to death
TAGS
agnosticism
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atheism
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Buddhism
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Christianity
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cognitive science
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consciousness
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death
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empathy
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ethics
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evolution
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history
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Islam
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meditation
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mind-body problem
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mindfulness
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mysticism
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nationalism
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New Atheists
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perception
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poverty
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psychology
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religion
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science
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self
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spirituality
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tribalism
Oct 9, 2016 — Robert Wright & Wesley Wildman
Wesley explains “transreligious theology”
What’s religious about religious naturalism?
Can science help us understand ultimate reality?
Bringing religious thought and philosophy together
Be skeptical of spiritual experiences
Don’t just love your enemies, understand them
Wesley: “Purpose” isn’t a useful category
TAGS
atheism
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Buddhism
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Christianity
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consciousness
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meditation
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Paul Tillich
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philosophy
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physics
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psychology
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religion
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science
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spirituality
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tribalism
Sep 29, 2016 — Robert Wright & Roger Petersen
Roger’s work on emotions that drive ethnic conflict
Perceived threats that unite Trump supporters
The new identity of the white working class
The “basket of deplorables” and the politics of indignation
How Middle American and liberal elites see each other
Are the perils of our time exaggerated?
TAGS
Donald Trump
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economics
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empathy
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fear
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human nature
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identity
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Islam
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moral imagination
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nationalism
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politics
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psychology
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tribalism
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violence
Sep 12, 2016 — Robert Wright & Robert George
Why Robby refuses to support Trump
Is history shaped more by social forces or human agency?
Robby gives an insider’s view on why Appalachia is Trump country
The declining influence of religion
How a lack of humility poisons politics
Contempt in current political rhetoric
Robby: Politicians need to get out of the identity politics game
TAGS
Christianity
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ethics
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free will
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history
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moral imagination
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philosophy
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politics
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psychology
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religion
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tribalism
Sep 5, 2016 — Robert Wright & Michael Lynch
Michael’s book,
The Internet of Us
, and “neuromedia”
How Google short circuits our critical faculties
Dangers of the “hive mind”
The echo chamber effect and how to combat it
How tech has—and has not—changed the way we learn
Privacy in the age of big data
TAGS
consciousness
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philosophy
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technology
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the future
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transhumanism
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tribalism
Aug 9, 2016 — Robert Wright & Liane Young
The loving Us and the hateful Them
Understanding a rival is easier when you’re paid for it
Why we misunderstand the motivations of others
Why we’re confused about our own minds
Study: We tend to think immoral behavior is voluntary
The psychology of victim blaming
TAGS
ethics
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foreign policy
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moral imagination
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politics
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psychology
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science
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tribalism
Jul 27, 2016 — Oliver Burkeman & Susan Piver
When rage intrudes on meditation
The internal logic of bad acts
Susan explains the uses of lovingkindness meditation
Resisting the temptation to take pleasure in anger
Seeing terrorists as humans
Susan: don’t flee from bad feelings
TAGS
anger
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Buddhism
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compassion
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Donald Trump
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empathy
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evil
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fear
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happiness
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love
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meditation
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mindfulness
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moral imagination
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psychology
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tribalism
Jul 1, 2016 — Robert Wright & Jack Tsonis
Karl Jaspers and the “Axial Age” theory of history
The “world religions” paradigm
Jack: The Axial Age theory has racist vibes
Does it make sense to talk about “progress” in history?
Jack avoids vapid moral relativism
Does the Axial Age theory find unity where none exists?
TAGS
colonialism
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ethics
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history
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race
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religion
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social science
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tribalism
Jun 3, 2016 — Robert Wright & Adam Frank
Why we’re probably not the universe’s first intelligent species
The hardest step on the road from non-life to civilization
Surviving our planet’s adolescence
Would aliens be as tribalistic as we are?
Planet Earth as a superorganism
A few thoughts about Buddhism
TAGS
climate change
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meditation
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tribalism
Jun 1, 2016 — David Kyuman Kim & Brian McLaren
What is an “evangelical progressive Christian”?
Tribal tendencies in the evangelical community
The urge to annihilate the “other”
Do right beliefs lead to right actions?
The upside of despair
Our toxic political system
TAGS
Christianity
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compassion
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ethics
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love
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politics
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psychology
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tribalism
May 23, 2016 — Robert Wright
Why science calls for a new agnosticism
Consciousness seems more mysterious than ever
The intellectual hubris of the “New Atheists”
The holy war against religion
Cognitive biases that fuel tribalism
Questions from the audience
TAGS
consciousness
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Islam
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New Atheists
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religion
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science
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terrorism
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tribalism
Mar 21, 2016 — Robert Wright & Sarah Posner
Why do people believe in Donald Trump?
Tapping into fear and resentment
What’s the appeal of vulgar rhetoric?
Us vs. Them
The “Trumpvangelical”
Donald Trump at AIPAC
TAGS
Christianity
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Donald Trump
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economics
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foreign policy
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moral imagination
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politics
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tribalism
Feb 20, 2016 — Robert Wright & William MacAskill
Will’s new book
Doing Good Better
and its topic, effective altruism
A shockingly cheap and easy way to help schools in Africa
The perils of pursuing only the quantifiably good
The case against buying fair trade products and donating to disaster relief
Long-term do-good planning
Why it makes sense to invest in apocalypse prevention even though we’ll probably be fine
TAGS
altruism
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tribalism
Feb 4, 2016 — Robert Wright & Heather Hurlburt
Finding meaning in Washington D.C.
Heather’s spiritual life
Ways Episcopalians think about God
Tempting things public servants should avoid
The importance of being hokey
“There is no having it all”
TAGS
Christianity
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Donald Trump
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family
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Judaism
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Paul Tillich
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politics
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religion
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spirituality
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tribalism
Nov 14, 2015 — Robert Wright & Jonah Goldberg
Finding meaning in faith and family
How to be political yet non-tribal
Friendship as a source of corruption
What Donald Trump gets wrong about the value of money
Our special connection with dogs
On confronting the inevitability of death
TAGS
death
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family
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happiness
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psychology
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tribalism
Sep 1, 2015 — Robert Wright & David Corn
How David finds meaning in his life
Why does God have to be perfect?
David: I like when politicians talk about their faith
Imagining David Corn, coal company CEO
The upsides of tribalism
How to leave a meaningful legacy
TAGS
agnosticism
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climate change
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Judaism
|
politics
|
religion
|
tribalism
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