In the midst of the AI hype bubble, how do we spot real AI capabilities and snake oil marketing? Many AI companies promise that they will help us predict the future. Is this true? Can AI really predict the future? Turns out, in this capacity at least, it might be more snake oil than success. 

In this episode, I sit down with Arvind Narayanan, a Princeton Computer Scientist and co-author of AI Snake Oil. We discuss how to spot snake oil as well as how to prepare for a workplace of integrated AI. What skills should young people like me be investing in? And how do we plan for our futures?

Topics:

• Predictive AI vs. generative AI
• Why algorithms struggle to predict human behavior
• The risks of using AI in healthcare, hiring, education, and criminal justice
• How generative AI is changing programming and other professions
• Will AI replace jobs or transform them?
• The future of entry-level work and professional training
• What students should learn in an AI-shaped economy
• Artificial general intelligence and the future of work
• How to separate genuine expertise from AI hype
• “What books have had the most impact on you?”
• “What advice do you have for teenagers?”

Bio:

Arvind Narayanan is a professor of computer science at Princeton University and the director of the Center for Information Technology Policy. He is a co-author of the book AI Snake Oil, the essay AI as Normal Technology, and a newsletter of the same name which is read by over 75,000 researchers, policy makers, journalists, and AI enthusiasts. He previously co-authored two widely used computer science textbooks: Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies and Fairness in Machine Learning. Narayanan led the Princeton Web Transparency and Accountability Project to uncover how companies collect and use our personal information. His work was among the first to show how machine learning reflects cultural stereotypes. Narayanan was one of TIME's inaugural list of 100 most influential people in AI. He is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

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This interview is a bit different from other episodes. I sit down with Dr. Jennifer A. Frey, the former Dean of the University of Tulsa’s Honors College. If you’ve been following the Lessons for Interesting People podcast on Substack, you will know I wrote an article about Tulsa’s honors college recently. I committed to UTulsa because the university seemed to have accomplished the impossible: combine a computer science college filled with research opportunities with an Honors College whose mission was to analyze and debate the great works of the Western tradition in a vibrant community of professors and peers.

That’s why I was distressed, when seven weeks before school was set to begin, UTulsa decided to “restructure their program” without any clear information on what exactly this meant. 

In this interview, Dr. Frey discusses the purpose of higher education. 

Is it simply to equip you for the workplace? Or, is it to teach you the habits of mind to think freely? Then, we dive into the truth about why programs like UTulsa’s Honors College are not being supported by their universities. According to Dr. Frey, it’s not the cost. 

Topics:

• The State of Higher Education: What is the Purpose of the University?
• What is a Liberal Education?
• The Honors College of the University of Tulsa: the Dream, its Present, and its Precarious Future
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:

Dr. Jennifer A. Frey is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tulsa. She previously served as the inaugural Dean of the Honors College at the University of Tulsa. Before coming to the University of Tulsa, she was an Associate Professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina, where she was also a Peter and Bonnie McCausland Faculty Fellow in the College of Arts and Sciences. Prior to her tenure at Carolina, she was a Collegiate Assistant Professor the Humanities at the University of Chicago, and a junior fellow of the Society for the Liberal Arts

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What happens when your world crumbles? When all the things you hold dear are snatched away from you? Most of us would give up and despair. And, yet, though he awaited an unjust execution, Roman senator and philosopher Boethius penned these hopeful words:

“The world in constant change maintains a harmony. And elements keep peace whose nature is to war.”

Faced with his coming death, Boethius reflected upon his life of contemplation and philosophy, writing one of the greatest works of the medieval age on facing suffering: The Consolation of Philosophy. 

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Thomas Ward to discuss Boethius’ magnum opus and Dr. Ward’s latest book, After Stoicism: Last Words of the Last Roman Philosopher. Dr. Ward and I examine what Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy can tell us about how to approach life in the midst of suffering. 

Topics:

• Who Was Boethius and Why He Matters
• Why The Consolation of Philosophy Endured
• Lady Fortune, The Wheel, and Approachability
• Boethius’ Illness and Philosophy’s Diagnosis
• Forgetting Who We Are
• Modern Stoicism’s Appeal and Limits
• After Stoicism: Hope, God, and Joy
• Love as the Order of the Cosmos
• Eros and Caritas: What Love Means
• Daily Practices for Recollection
• How to Live Like Boethius: Suffering, Virtue, and a Transcendent Order
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:

Thomas M. Ward is Associate Professor of Philosophy at The University of Texas at Austin, in the School of Civic Leadership. He is the author of After Stoicism: Last Words of the Last Roman Philosopher (Word on Fire, 2024), which won the Catholic Media Association Book Award for History (First Place). He studied philosophy at Biola University (BA 2004) and UCLA (PhD, 2011) and theology at Oxford University (M.Phil 2006).

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With the development of artificial intelligence on the rise, we are at a crossroads. How will we continue our innovations and regulations of this new technology? But, this is more than a technological question. As my guest, Verity Harding states, “AI needs you.”

In this episode, I sit down with Verity Harding to discuss her book, AI Needs You: How We Can Change AI’s Future and Save Our Own. 

How we apply AI is a multi-disciplinary issue. We need everyone, from tech people to teachers, to students, to nurses and doctors, and to everyone else.  

Topics:

• Why AI Needs Everyone
• Technology's Shadow Self
• The Socio-Technical Approach to AI
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?

Bio:

One of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI, Verity Harding is director of the AI & Geopolitics Project at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and founder of Formation Advisory, a consultancy firm that advises on the future of technology and society. She worked for many years as Global Head of Policy for Google DeepMind and as a political adviser to Britain’s deputy prime minister.

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What's the meaning of life? Why is there pain and suffering? How do you balance justice and love? These "accursed questions" have haunted humanity for centuries. Fyodor Dostoevsky sought to answer these questions through his characters' lives. His answers are prophetic for our time.

In this episode, I sit down with Northwestern University professor of Russian literature Gary Saul Morson. We discuss what Dostoevsky reveals about developing intellectual honesty, how to deal with suffering and brokenness, as well as his arguments for and against God. 

His latest book, Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter, sets the stage for this interview.

Topics:

• The "Accursed Questions" of Russian Literature
• Dostoevsky's Intellectual Honesty with Faith
• Battle-Testing Worldviews through Fiction
• The Dangers of Abstracting Individuals
• Notes from Underground: Human Freedom vs Determinism
• The Core of Ethics: Human Surprisingness
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?

Bio:

Gary Saul Morson is Lawrence B. Dumas Professor of the Arts and Humanities and Professor of Russian Literature at Northwestern University.   His 21 authored or edited volumes and 300 shorter publications have examined major Russian writers, the philosophy of time, the role of quotations in culture, great aphorisms, and the ultimate questions about life taken seriously in Russian literature. His classes on Russian writers in translation have enrolled over 500 students, and he is the recipient of numerous teaching and research awards. Morson writes regularly for numerous national publications, including The New York Review of Books, The Wall Street Journal, Commentary, First Things, Mosaic, and several others.  He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1995

Prof. Morson on the best Dostoevsky translations:

“The best translations of Dostoevsky are by Constance Garnett or revisions of Garnett.  For Notes from Underground, use Garnett revised by Ralph Matlaw;  for The Brothers Karamazov, Garnett revised by Susan McReynolds;  and for The Possessed (Demons)be sure to use the Modern Library version of the Garnett translation with appendixes containing versions of a chapter he was not allowed to publish.”

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As we enter a world of artificial intelligence, the question of what should be automated looms before us. Models need clear, objective metrics to train on. But, can jobs really be distilled to data points?  In her book, The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World, Prof. Allison Pugh asserts many jobs have a relational component that can’t be caught in the metrics. In this episode, Prof. Pugh warns that devaluing connective labor leads to automation that overlooks the core issues and leaves us more isolated.

Topics:

• Connective Labor
• Undervaluation of Connective Labor
• Automation of Connective Labor
• Role of Data in Education
• Educational Inequality and Standardized Testing
• Artificial Intelligence and Relationships
• Growing Demand for Connection
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?

Bio:
Allison Pugh is a Research Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University, and the author of four books, most recently The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World (Princeton 2024). The 2024-5 Vice President of the American Sociological Association, Pugh was faculty at the University of Virginia for 17 years before moving to Hopkins this summer. She is a former journalist, and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New Republic, and other outlets. She served as a US diplomat in Honduras, cofounded a charter school in Oakland, waited on tables at the US Tennis Open, packed salmon roe in Alaska, and was an intern at Ms. Magazine.  

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When we think of history of books, we often neglect the people who created them. We think of history as a figment of facts, connected together by time and advances in technology. But sometimes we overlook the humanity, the souls, the fingerprints in the ink-stained margins of long-forgotten tomes. In this episode, I sit down with Oxford's Prof. Adam Smyth to discuss his The Book-Makers: A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives. How a book was made tells us about the people who created it, as well as what the culture valued about books. The way a book was formed changes how we interact with it.

Topics:

• Humanizing the history of the book - the forgotten lives of the book-makers
• The book - a blend of prose and production
• How culture influenced the design of books
• How hand-printing influences your view of writing
• Do you think the abstract nature and accessibility of text have changed how we view it?
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?

Bio:
Adam Smyth is professor of English literature and the history of the book at Balliol College, University of Oxford. He is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books and the TLS. He also runs the 39 Steps Press, a small printing press, which he keeps in a barn in Oxfordshire, England. 

Affiliate book links: (Support the show by buying through these links :D)

• The Book-Maker: A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives
• Books of impact: Short stories of Borges

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For the past few centuries, we have philosophically operated under Newtonian physics where questions of experience and of the soul were seen as subjective, with no connection to the numerical certainty of science. However, then came quantum physics.

In his new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: Illuminating Science Through Faith, classicist Dr. Spencer Klavan retells the history of science and highlights the philosophical implications of each era. He argues that quantum mechanics, with its exploration of uncertainty and consciousness, has not only returned physics to the question of the soul. But, also, has provided an incredible argument for the Genesis account of creation.

You may recognize Dr. Klavan from his appearance in episode 104 - Modern Problems, Ancient Solutions - Applying the Wisdom of the Classics to the Cultural Conflicts of Today

Topics:

• The purpose of this book
• Music of the Spheres & the Medieval View of the world - the World as Beauty + Order
• Philosophical implications of "ghost in the machine" philosophy
• AI and the mechanical view of the universe
• Genesis, Consciousness, and Quantum Mechanics
• Worldviews and Science
• A clash of cultures: Scientism and Skepticism in America
• Confusing spiritual truths and scientific truths
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:
Dr. Spencer Klavan is an associate editor at the Claremont Review of Books and a podcaster on the great works of the West. Dr. Klavan is a scholar, writer, and podcast host of Young Heretics, with a lifelong devotion to the great works and principles of the West. After studying Greek and Latin at Yale University as an undergrad, he spent five years at Oxford University completing his doctorate in ancient Greek literature. Check out his latest book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: Illuminating Science Through Faith.

Resources mentioned:

• Light of the Mind, Light of the World: Illuminating Science Through Faith
• Books of impact:
  • In high school: Bible
  • During grad school: Owen Barfield's Poetic Diction and Saving Appearances
  • Since his last appearance: Thomas Traherne's Centuries of Meditations

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A multifaceted understanding of wisdom is essential for a functioning society.  Only with this broad understanding can we humbly dialogue with those who disagree with us and piece by piece build a culture of conversation. In this episode, I sit down with geneticist and physician Dr. Francis Collins to discuss his latest book, The Road to Wisdom. Dr. Collins argues that we must return to the four core sources of judgment and clear thinking: truth, science, faith, and trust.

A Quick Note:

Aiming for the Moon has a diverse audience. I strongly believe that developing your perspective comes from speaking with people who you both agree with and disagree with. Iron sharpens iron. That’s why this podcast is a platform that hosts interesting and successful people from a variety of worldviews. Gen. Z has the opportunity to trailblaze a culture of conversation. So, let’s go.

Topic:

• Four Anchors of Knowledge: Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust
• Cynicism and Nihilism in Public Discourse 
• The Importance of Humility in Dialogue
• "How has being attacked by those 'on your side?' changed how you communicate?"
• Harmonizing Faith and Science
• Iron sharpens Iron: How going outside your bubble helps expand your perspective
• Navigating Polarized Issues in a Multicultural Society
• Practical Steps: So, how should we then live?
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:
Dr. Francis S. Collins is a physician and geneticist. His groundbreaking work has led to the discovery of the cause of cystic fibrosis, among other diseases.  In 1993 he was appointed director of the international Human Genome Project, which successfully sequenced all 3 billion letters of our DNA. He went on to serve three Presidents as the Director of the National Institutes of Health.

Resources mentioned:

• The Road to Wisdom
• Taylor's Substack: The Dangers of Abstracting Individuals in a Divided Society
• Ep. 80. The Perception of Political Polarization and How to Fix It: Dr. Chris Bail
• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
• Books of impact:
  • Bible
  • Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
  • The Constitution of Knowledge by Jonathan Rauch

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Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

In his book, The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers, award-winning journalist Eric Weiner describes how to live well. He argues that our technologically advanced societies have mistaken knowledge for wisdom. In this episode, we discuss how philosophy affects our every action, whether we recognize it or not. Philosophy allows us to make sense of our lives, to find our place in world, and to see the beauty within it. Listen in to this wonderful conversation about this overlooked art. 

Topics:

• Our Wisdom-hungry Society - Mistaking Knowledge for Wisdom.
• How Philosophy Teaches Us How to Live
• The Philosophy of the Modern World
• The Metaverse and Plato
• The Hidden Influence of Philosophy on Our Daily Lives
• Happiness - Ancient Greeks vs Us
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:
Eric Weiner is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and speaker. His books include The Geography of Bliss, The Geography of Genius, Man Seeks God, and The Socrates Express. His latest book, Ben & Me, will be published by Avid Reader Press in June 2024. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Eric is a former foreign correspondent for NPR, and reporter for The New York Times. He is a regular contributor to The Washington Post, BBC Travel, and AFAR, among other publications. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area.

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The Internet has become an integral part of our world. It connects all kinds of technologies from sports streaming to stock trading to selfie posting. But, in the grand history of technology, it’s not all that old.

How did the Internet become so expansive in so little time? There are two major components in the rise of the Internet. 1) The creation of modular networking that allowed for fast growth. 2) The culture of self-governance and collaboration that fueled the early innovators. In this episode, Harvard's Prof. Jonathan Zittrain explains the impact of these two components as well as the shifting future of Internet governance. 

Topics:

• Origins of the Internet - How the Internet Expanded so Rapidly
• The Early Internet
• Generative Technology - What is it?
• Early Regulation and Innovation - the Internet Wild West
• "Is this lack of regulation the current model of the Internet? Should it be?"
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:
Jonathan Zittrain is the George Bemis Professor of International Law at Harvard Law School, Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. He directs the Harvard Law School Library and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.

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A rich understanding of history allows us to recognize patterns and the possible trajectory of the present. But sometimes, this analysis provides sobering prophecies. In this episode, renowned classicist and military historian, Dr. Victor Davis Hanson discusses his 2024 book, The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation. In it, he outlines the common factors in the downfalls of great civilizations. And soberingly, he proposes that America aligns with many of these patterns.

A Quick Note as this episode deals with contemporary politics:

Aiming for the Moon has a diverse audience. I strongly believe that developing your own perspective comes from speaking with people who you both agree with and disagree with. Iron sharpens iron. That’s why this podcast is a platform that hosts interesting and successful people from a variety of worldviews. Gen. Z has the opportunity to trailblaze a culture of conversation. So, let’s go.

Topics:

• Patterns of Civilization Decline and Why We Should Care
• Human Nature and Historical Progress - Why aren't we getting better?
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:
Dr. Victor Davis Hanson is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and chairs the Working Group on the Role of Military History in Contemporary Conflict. He is an American scholar of ancient and modern warfare and has been a commentator on contemporary politics for various media outlets. He is a professor emeritus of classics at California State University, Fresno, and the annual Wayne and Marcia Buske Distinguished Visiting Fellow in History at Hillsdale College since 2004. Hanson was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2007 by President George W. Bush and was a recipient of the Bradley Prize in 2008. Hanson is also a farmer and a critic of social trends related to farming and agrarianism. The author of numerous books, his most recent are The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won (2017), The Case for Trump (2019), and The Dying Citizen: How Progressive Elites, Tribalism, and Globalization Are Destroying the Idea of America (2021). His latest book, The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation, was published in May 2024.

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“Authenticity” has become an economic token on social media. And, not in a metaphorical way. This has led to people becoming brands. The so-called “influencer” is an icon of an industry not yet recognized or respected by society at large.

This new industry is composed of a digital labor force whose livelihoods are at the whims of all-powerful, ever-changing algorithms. In this episode, Dr. Emily Hund, the author of The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media (Princeton University Press, 2023), explains the rise of this new economy and why it should be recognized and legitimized by the public. 

Topics:

• How did this “branded” culture develop?
• What is an “influencer?”
• The Narrative of Self-sufficiency: Are you really self-sufficient if you are an influencer?
• "Authenticity" on Social Media - is it really authentic?
• Legitimizing the "Influencer Industry"
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:
Emily Hund, PhD, is the author of the book, The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media (Princeton University Press, 2023). She writes, speaks, and consults on topics related to influencers, the reshaping of cultural industries, and the digital labor force. Early in her career, she worked as a magazine writer and social media editor, and earned degrees in journalism and sociology from Penn State University.

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Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

Throughout the 21st century, mistrust in our societal institutions has become commonplace. Regardless of your political leanings, we’ve become skeptical and suspicious of the governmental, educational, and religious institutions meant to support and protect us. How did this happen? What should we do about it? Perhaps, this mistrust is the very catalyst for reform? In today's episode, Prof. Ethan Zuckerman dissects this phenomena.

Topics:

• The rise of institutional mistrust
• Is influencer culture a response to mistrusting institutions?
• How to transform institutions
• Social media and worldview differences
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:
Prof. Ethan Zuckerman is an associate professor of public policy, communication and information at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is the founder of the Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure, a research group that is studying and building alternatives to the existing commercial internet. Prof. Zuckerman is the author of two books: Mistrust: Why Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform Them and Rewire: Digital Cosmopolitans in the Age of Connection, both published through W.W. Norton. He is also the co-founder of global blogging community Global Voices and works with social change nonprofit organizations around the world. He is an alumnus of the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard, the MIT Media Lab and Comparative Media Studies at MIT, Geekcorps, and Tripod.

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University of San Diego Fletcher Jones professor of applied mathematics, Dr. Satyan Devadoss, questions whether mathematics should be learned merely for the sake of utility and efficiency. Throughout high school, we are taught mathematics because it is useful in STEM fields. It is for the sake of new technologies that you learn about percentages, Pythagoras, and polynomials. But perhaps, by turning math into merely a science, we have missed its poetry.  As Dr. Devadoss discusses in his book, Mage Merlin’s Unsolved Math Mysteries, the beauty of mathematics is not its technological use, but its ability to expand our imaginations and discover the world beyond the limits of the material. 

Topics:

• Modern Math Education - Skill over Discovery
• The Loss of Wonder in Modern Math Education
• Joy in Solving Unsolved Math Problems
• Rediscovering the Beauty of Mathematics
• How STEM studies Became Separated from the Humanities and why it matters
• Exploring Education and Interconnectiveness
• Complexity and Value of Different Disciplines
• The Value of Analog vs Digital - "Learning to be Human again"
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:
Dr. Satyan Devadoss is the Fletcher Jones professor of applied mathematics at the University of San Diego.  Before this, he was professor at Williams for nearly 15 years, and has held visiting positions at Ohio State, Harvey Mudd, UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, and Stanford.  He is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society, and recipient of two national teaching awards, with his thoughts appearing in venues such as NPR, the Times of London, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. His most recent book is Mage Merlin’s Unsolved Math Mysteries (MIT/Penguin), and his other adventures can be explored here: https://satyandevadoss.org/

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Dr. Annie Duke is a former professional poker player, an author, speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space. She is the author of the national bestseller, Thinking in Bets, and, the topic of today’s interview, 2022’s Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away. “Quitting’s for the weak” reverberates through today’s culture. Of course, quitting just because something is hard is not a good idea. However, we don’t tend to evaluate whether what we spend our time on is worth “buckling down” for. We highlight the journey, not the destination when it’s really the destination that we should be focused on.

In our last episode (116), with Dr. Adam Alter, we mentioned Dr. Angela Duckworth’s Grit and Dr. Annie Duke’s Quit. Having already dived into Dr. Duckworth’s work with her in episode 21, I wanted to hear what might initially seem like a conflicting view.

Topics:

• Is quitting a counterargument or a compliment to grit? 
• Strategies for assessing when to quit
• "Explore and exploit" mindset: how does that connect to quit and grit?
• How to apply exploring/exploiting seasons in life
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:
Annie loves to dive deep into decision-making under uncertainty. Her latest obsession is on the topic of quitting. In particular, she is on a mission to rehabilitate the term and get people to be proud of walking away from things. 

Annie is an author, speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space, as well as Special Partner focused on Decision Science at First Round Capital Partners, a seed stage venture fund. Annie’s latest book, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, was released in 2022 from Portfolio, a Penguin Random House imprint. Her previous book, Thinking in Bets, is a national bestseller. As a former professional poker player, she has won more than $4 million in tournament poker. During her career, Annie won a World Series of Poker bracelet and is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship. She retired from the game in 2012. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Annie was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2023 Annie completed her PhD in Cognitive Psychology at UPenn. 

Annie is the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education. She is a member of the National Board of After-School All-Stars and the Board of Directors of the Franklin Institute. 

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In this episode, professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business and the Robert Stansky Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellow, Dr. Adam Alter, returns to the podcast. Today, we’ll discuss his new book, Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most.
 
Whether you’ve had a great year, a downright awful year or a lukewarm, we’re-making-it year, the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 bring a mental fresh start. And, with it, new resolutions and the bitter memory of some of last year’s failed resolutions.

Rather than avoiding these memories of stuckness, I want to confront this universal experience. 

Last time we heard from Dr. Alter in episode 18, he discussed his New York Times bestselling book, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked.

Topics: 

• Feeling stuck is universal. But, why do we not talk about it?
• Consequences of avoiding discussing stuckness
• Time is linear; life is not: breaking out of your constant progress expectations
• Becoming unstuck
• The Explore v.s. Exploit mindset - what are they? 
• Deciding when to explore and when to exploit
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:

Adam Alter is a Professor of Marketing and Psychology at New York University’s Stern School of Business, and the New York Times bestselling author of Drunk Tank Pink, a book about the forces that shape how we think, feel, and behave, Irresistible, a book about the rise of tech addiction and what we should do about it, and Anatomy of a Breakthrough, a book that presents a roadmap for getting unstuck on the path to breakthroughs.

Alter was recently included in the Poets and Quants “40 Most Outstanding Business School Professors under 40 in the World,” and has written for the New York Times, New Yorker, Wired, Washington Post, and The Atlantic, among other publications. He has shared his ideas at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity and with dozens of companies around the world. 

Alter received his Bachelor of Science (Honors Class 1, University Medal) in Psychology from the University of New South Wales and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Princeton University, where he held the Charlotte Elizabeth Procter Honorific Dissertation Fellowship and a Fellowship in the Woodrow Wilson Society of Scholars.

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In this episode, USA Today bestselling author, Noelle Salazar, returns to the pod to discuss her second book, Angels of the Resistance. Longtime listeners might recall our previous chat with Ms. Salazar in episode 24 way back in 2020. 

In today’s conversation, Ms. Salazar recounts the inspiration for her Angels of the Resistance as well as how her writing process has evolved and matured since her first book, Flight Girls. She also offers advice to aspiring writers before we jump into the purpose of fiction and its impact on us. How does writing and reading about perspectives other than our own change our view of the world around us?

For those interested in checking out Ms. Salazar’s book:

Angles of the Resistance depicts a fascinating but hard part of women’s roles in the resistance against the German occupation of Europe during WWII. It contains some sensitive scenes that might be triggering to some members of the audience. It is a read recommended for a more mature readership.

Topics:

• Inspiration for Angels of the Resistance
• Balance of fact and fiction in Angels of the Resistance
• Plot process: pantser (no outline) or plotter (extensive outlining)?
• Evolution of Ms. Salazar's writing process
• Balance of storytelling and research in realistic fiction
• The importance of fiction--How fiction inspires and encourages and stretches us
• Writing advice to aspiring authors
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Noelle Salazar was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, where she's been a Navy recruit, a medical assistant, an NFL cheerleader, and always a storyteller. As a novelist, she has done extensive research into the Women Airforce Service Pilots, interviewing vets and visiting the training facility—now a museum dedicated to the WASP—in Sweetwater, Texas. When she’s not writing, she can be found dodging raindrops and daydreaming of her next book. Noelle lives in Bothell, Washington with her family.

Her debut, The Flight Girls, was a USA Today and international bestseller. Angels of the Resistance is her second novel. Her third book, The Roaring Days of Zora Lily, is now on sale.

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In our culture, perfectionism is considered a valiant weakness. And, it is worn as a badge of honor. Saying that you are a perfectionist implies that you are constantly working to better yourself and your project. You unrelentingly strive for the best possible result. You work so hard that it might require others to step in and say, “This is good enough.” It’s a valuable vice in the workspace. 

Or…so we thought.

According to professor of psychology and leading expert on perfectionism, Dr. Thomas Curran, perfectionism is more a culturally accelerated poison than its shiny exterior lets on. Whether we like it or not, we will all stumble, fall, and fail at some point in our lives. To deal with this reality requires breaking out of the “perfection trap.”

Topics:

• Defining "perfectionism" and its poisonous nature
• How Western cultures amplify perfectionism  
• Origins of perfectionism
• Perfectionism as a worldview
• Dealing with questions of worth and identity as a perfectionist
• How to escape the "perfection trap"
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Dr. Thomas Curran is a professor of psychology at the London School of Economics and author of a landmark study that the BBC hailed as “the first to compare perfectionism across generations.” His TED talk on perfectionism has received more than three million views. His research has been featured in media ranging from the Harvard Business Review to New Scientist to CNN and he has appeared on numerous television and radio programs. He is the author of The Perfection Trap.

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Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6 

Have you ever wondered if the ancient tales of legendary creatures might have a hint of scientific truth? Dr. Adrienne Mayor, a renowned historian and folklorist, takes us on a riveting journey to uncover the possible inspirations for these mythical beasts.

But the adventure doesn't stop there. We venture further down the rabbit hole, examining how the tales we tell today predict the future we create tomorrow.

Topics:

• The scientific basis of legendary creatures
• Repeating motifs in folklore beasts
• How fiction influences future technologies
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Adrienne Mayor’s books include The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome’s Deadliest Enemy, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology, and The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World, Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws: And Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities (all Princeton). She is a research scholar in classics and the history of science at Stanford University.

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Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6 

What if the very structure of American politics is threatening democracy itself? Join us for an eye-opening conversation with Dr. Jacob "Jake" Grumbach, author of "Laboratories Against Democracy", as we uncover the collision between national political parties and state-level governments in the United States. Learn how technology, changes in media, and fundraising have contributed to this unique situation, and understand the increasing importance of state governments in shaping the policies that affect our lives.

We'll also dive into the impact of nationalization on states like Wisconsin and Michigan, and explore the relationship between ordinary citizens and their local governments. Dr. Grumbach shares insights on the role of technology and media in transforming the political landscape, and the emergence of labor unions as a platform for collaboration across demographic lines. Furthermore, we discuss valuable advice for Gen Z on how to navigate this complex world of politics, emphasizing the importance of focusing on policy change over individual successes, and understanding the long-term nature of political involvement. Don't miss this enlightening episode that will leave you with a deeper understanding of the current state of American democracy.

Topics:

• National vs state politics in America
• The nationalization of state politics and why this is a problem
• Creating political change as a young person
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?" 
  
  

Professor Grumbach's research focuses on the political economy of the United States. He is particularly interested in public policy, American federalism, racial and economic inequality, campaign finance, and statistical methods. His book, Laboratories against Democracy, investigates the causes and consequences of the nationalization of state politics since the 1970s. Additional recent projects investigate labor unions, election law, and money in politics. Professor Grumbach teaches courses in statistics for the social sciences and in state and local politics.

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How do we truly know what we know? Are we relying on the right sources of knowledge in our lives? Join us in this thought-provoking episode with our special guest, philosopher, and author, Dr. Esther Lightcap Meek, as we tackle these fascinating questions and unravel the complex nature of knowing.

Together, we'll explore the concept of subsidiary-focal integration, which proposes that our understanding of reality hinges on our ability to interpret clues and make meaningful connections. Dr. Meek walks us through real-life examples from sports, music, and reading to demonstrate how this approach can expand our perception of the world around us. We'll also discuss the impact of social media on mental health, particularly among teenage girls, and delve into the idea of the 'loving gaze of the other' as a tool for self-discovery.

Tune in for this enlightening conversation and walk away with valuable insights that could change the way you view yourself and your relationship with knowledge. We'll also share practical advice for teenagers on exploring their philosophical questions and navigating the complex world of college life. Don't miss this opportunity to challenge your understanding of reality and transform your perspective on what it means to truly know something!

Topics:

• Philosophical Questions and Knowing
• The Importance of Indwelling Knowledge
• Philosophy, Mental Health, and Social Media
• Philosophy for Teenagers
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Esther Lightcap Meek (BA Cedarville College; MA Western Kentucky University; PhD Temple University) is Professor of Philosophy emeritus at Geneva College, in Western Pennsylvania. She is also Senior Scholar with the Seattle School for Theology and Psychology, a Fujimura Institute Scholar, an Associate Fellow with the Kirby Laing Center for Public Theology, and a member of the Polanyi Society. Meek’s books include Longing to Know: The Philosophy of Knowledge for Ordinary People (Brazos, 2003); Loving to Know: Introducing Covenant Epistemology (Cascade, 2011); A Little Manual for Knowing (Cascade, 2014); and Contact With Reality: Michael Polanyi’s Realism and Why It Matters (Cascade, 2017). Her forthcoming book is Doorway to Artistry: Attuning Your Philosophy to Enhance Your Creativity (Cascade, 2023).

An author and public speaker, Meek develops and offers everyday philosophizing that matters to all of us. Her website is www.estherlightcapmeek.com. Follow her on Facebook (estherlightcapmeek), Instagram (estherlightcapmeek), and Twitter (esther_l_meek). Esther lives in Steubenville, Ohio.

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6 

What hidden truths can an artist's perspective reveal about our world? And how can beauty often emerge from the depths of brokenness? Join us as we dive into a captivating conversation with renowned artist Makoto Fujimura, delving into the significance of art in capturing the essence of who we are.

We also ponder the role of art in providing hope during bleak and uncertain times, drawing inspiration from artists like Frangelico, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis who created masterpieces amid darkness. Makoto shares his insights on the concept of Kintsugi, a powerful reminder brokenness often proceeds beauty. Together, we examine how cultivating creativity and remaining fully present in the moment roots us to our true purpose. Don't miss this fascinating episode that will challenge your perceptions and uncover the deeper magic surrounding us in art and faith.

Topics:

• Art, faith, and the deeper magic
• Creating beauty in bleak times
• "What books have had an impact on you?”
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Makoto Fujimura is a leading contemporary artist whose work has been featured in galleries and museums around the world, including The Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, The Huntington Library in California, the Tikotin Museum in Israel, the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, and the C3M North Bund Art Museum in Shanghai, China.  His process-driven, refractive “slow art” has been described by David Brooks of the New York Times as “a small rebellion against the quickening of time.”  Fujimura is the author of 4 books, Refractions, Culture Care, Silence and Beauty, and Art+Faith: A Theology of Making. Fujimura is the recipient of the 2023 Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life as well as the American Academy of Religion’s 2014 “Religion and the Arts” award.  From 2003 to 2009, Fujimura served as a Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts.  He has also received notable recognition as a speaker, with one address selected by NPR as among the 200 “Best Commencement Addresses Ever” and by CNN as one of the top 16 “Greatest commencement speeches of all time” and is a recipient of four Doctor of Arts Honorary Degrees from Belhaven University, Biola University, Cairn University, and Roanoke College.

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Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6 

On this podcast, we strive to connect fascinating and successful people to the next generation. But today, I’d like to change it up a bit and, in partnership with the Rise initiative, highlight some of the fascinating and successful people of my generation.

Throughout the past few weeks, I’ve been talking with winners of the Rise Challenge from various years. For the finale of this trilogy, I’ll be speaking with Tony Wang. For his Rise project, Tony developed an AI tool to address pharmaceutical monopolization.

Rise is a program that finds promising young people and provides "opportunity for life as they work to serve others." An initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust, Rise is the anchor program of a $1 billion commitment from Eric and Wendy Schmidt to find and support global talent.

Topics:

• How Tony tackled the monopolization of healthcare research by addressing antibiotic resistance
• The process: How did you build this?
• How to break down large projects into manageable pieces
• What is the future of this project?
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for other young people?"

Tony Wang is a Chinese-American advocate living in the United States. Tony hopes to democratize medical research and create equality in healthcare, especially by addressing AI bias. For his Rise project, Tony developed an AI tool to address pharmaceutical monopolization, for which he was named an International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) Finalist. Tony hopes to create sustainable, ethical AI systems to fight for marginalized groups, especially racial minorities and the LGBTQIA+ community.

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Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6 

On this podcast, we strive to connect fascinating and successful people to the next generation. But today and throughout March, I’d like to change it up a bit and, in partnership with the Rise initiative, highlight some of the fascinating and successful people of my generation.

Throughout this month, I’ll be talking with three of the winners of the Rise Challenge from various years. For part two of this trilogy, I’ll be speaking with Rishabh "Rishi" Ambavanekar. For his Rise project, he built a low-cost, brain-computer interface (BCI) to help stroke victims communicate via translation of their inner dialogue.

Rise is a program that finds promising young people and provides "opportunity for life as they work to serve others." An initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust, Rise is the anchor program of a $1 billion commitment from Eric and Wendy Schmidt to find and support global talent.

Topics:

• How overcoming OCD and his dad's TIA inspired Rishi to build an inner speech translator for stroke victims
• How to research and learn material outside your comfort zone
• How to deal with the "dauntingness" of new topics
• Utilizing “inner speech” to build brain-computer interface (BCI)
• The future of his project
• Advice to other young innovators tackling intimidating projects
• "What books and media have inspired you?"
• "What advice do you have for other young people?"

Rishi Ambavanekar is an inventor and scientist from the US. After overcoming OCD, he grew passionate about neuroscience. Upon learning about his father’s transient ischemic attack (TIA), he decided to focus on supporting stroke recovery. For his Rise project, he built a low-cost, brain-computer interface (BCI) to help stroke victims communicate via translation of their inner dialogue. Rishi is also proud to be named a 2022 ISEF finalist, FTC innovation award semifinalist, and an avid app developer. In the future, he plans to pursue a PH.D. and start a business.

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Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6 

On this podcast, we strive to connect fascinating and successful people to the next generation. But today and throughout March, I’d like to change it up a bit and, in partnership with the Rise initiative, highlight some of the fascinating and successful people of my generation. Throughout this month, I’ll be talking with three of the winners of the Rise Challenge from various years. To begin this trilogy, I’ll be speaking with Hawi ‘Annette’ Odhiamno in honor of international women’s day. For her Rise project, she built on an existing project, designing a prototype for a water system to support farming in Kenya.

Rise is a program that finds promising young people and provides opportunity for life as they work to serve others. An initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust, Rise is the anchor program of a $1 billion commitment from Eric and Wendy Schmidt to find and support global talent.

Topics:

• Hawi’s project: creating sustainable agriculture for farmers in Kenya
• How to learn material outside of your comfort zone
• How Hawi created an instruction manual in both English and Swahili
• The future of her project
• "What skills did you gain?"
• How to balance projects and high school
• Hawi's advice to other young innovators
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

From Kenya, Hawi works at the intersection of technology and agriculture. For her Rise project, she built on an existing project, designing a prototype for a water system to support farming in Kenya. Her model uses only recycled materials, and she has involved farmers themselves in its design. She also created instruction booklets for the rural farmers in both English and Swahili (for accessibility). In the future, she hopes to study International Relations and Chinese to create sustainable relations within countries in East Africa.

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6 

In this interview, I’ll be talking with Prof. Andrew Pettegree who co-authored The Library: A Fragile History with Arthur Der Weduwen. 

What I first thought was a self-explanatory symbol of scholarly righteousness I soon learned was an icon of the individual against the institution, a battleground of the “enlightened” elite and the “plebian” people, and a habitual testament of man’s inborn desire to affect the world. And, these are just a few of the themes. Like all histories, the story of the library reveals not only the technologies and techniques that have brought us to our modern understanding of book collecting but also the human vices and virtues that have powered this progression.

But, one question looms - do we still need public libraries in a digital world?

Topics:

• Origin of public libraries
• Preservation of classics
• History of censorship in the library
• Have public libraries really affected society?
• The future of libraries in an online world
• A bibliophile's guide to organizing a library
• What books have had an impact on you?
• What advice do you have for teenagers?

Andrew Pettegree, FBA is Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews and Director of the Universal Short Title Catalogue (an online bibliography of all books published in the first two centuries after the invention of print). He is the author of fifteen books in the fields of Reformation history and the history of communication including Reformation and the Culture of Persuasion (Cambridge University Press, 2005), The Book in the Renaissance (Yale University Press, 2010), The Invention of News (Yale University Press, 2014), Brand Luther (Penguin, 2015), The Bookshop of the World. Making and Trading Books in the Dutch Golden Age (Yale University Press, 2019) and The Library: A Fragile History, co-authored with Arthur der Weduwen, was published by Profile in 2021.

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6 

As a high school student, in the next few years, I’ll make some major life decisions about where I’ll go to college and whether I’ll riddle myself with decades of student debt. How will I make the best decision? My guest today, Dr. Maria Konnikova, had a similar question about her own life. How do you assess a situation and decide the best option for yourself? And, if Fate pulls a fast one on you, how do you react accordingly? In search of answers to these questions, Dr. Konnikova, a journalist and Ph.D. in psychology, tackled the game that best simulates our constant decision-making in life. And what is that game? It might surprise you. It’s poker. For her NYT bestselling 2020 book, The Biggest Bluff, Dr. Konnikova took a deep dive into poker and ended up becoming an international poker champion and winner of over $300,000 in tournament earnings. In this episode of Aiming for the Moon, we’ll discuss what this taught her about decision-making and how we can apply these skills to our own lives.

Topics -

• Why poker?
• Games of complete information vs games of incomplete information and how they simulate life
• Life skills gleaned from poker
• The process of decision-making vs the result of the decision
• What is the biggest bluff?
• What books have had an impact on you?
• What advice do you have for teenagers?

Dr. Maria Konnikova is the author of Mastermind and The Confidence Game. She is a regular contributing writer for The New Yorker, and has written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, Slate, The New Republic, The Paris Review, The Wall Street Journal, Salon, The Boston Globe, Scientific American, Wired, and Smithsonian, among many other publications. Her writing has won numerous awards, including the 2019 Excellence in Science Journalism Award from the Society of Personality and Social Psychology. While researching The Biggest Bluff, Maria became an international poker champion and the winner of over $300,000 in tournament earnings. Maria also hosts the podcast The Grift from Panoply Media and is currently a visiting fellow at NYU’s School of Journalism. Her podcasting work earned her a National Magazine Award nomination in 2019. Maria graduated from Harvard University and received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University.

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Having developed the Internet and connected the world to our fingertips, we tend to think of ourselves as enlightened beings very different from our medieval or ancient counterparts and with very separate problems. Are our modern problems really just modern problems? Or, are they just prevailing issues repackaged for our modern sensibilities? And, if so, how can classics help us address these “modern" problems? And, why are these issues so superficially discussed throughout the culture and Western church? What can we do to deepen these conversations? Dr. Spencer Klavan and I tackle these and other questions in this first episode of 2023 and the first episode of season 4 of the podcast.

Topics:

• The lack of depth in Western culture
• The trickling down of philosophy
• How classics are relevant to today
• Why haven't we fixed anything yet?
• Shallowness in Western Church
• Dr. Spencer Klavan's recommended reading list
• "What books have had an impact on you?"
• "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Dr. Spencer Klavan is an associate editor at the Claremont Review of Books and a podcaster on the great works of the West. You can check out his book, How to Save the West, which is available to pre-order now, and his podcast, Young Heretics.

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In this episode, I sit down with teenage author, Suzette Sheft (full bio below). We discuss the story behind her debut book, Running for Shelter: A True Story, which is a novelization of her grandmother's survival in a Nazi-conquered Europe. We also cover how her father's passing motivated her to finish her story and catalog her family history as well as her advice to other young authors.

Topics -

• What is the book about?
• How did not knowing that she was Jewish affect your grandmother's experience of the Holocaust?
• How her father's passing motivated her to finish her book
• Balancing high school and other projects- using breaks and the school schedule to your advantage
• Getting published - the process
• What books have had an impact on you?
• What advice do you have for other teenagers and young people?

Suzette Sheft is a 16-year-old student at the Horace Mann School in New York City. She lives in Manhattan with her mother, twin brother, and two dogs. In her free time, she enjoys writing, reading, running, volunteering, and spending time with her family. She won a Scholastic Silver Key for an excerpt of Running for Shelter, her debut novel. The book is dedicated to her late father who inspired her to write and share her family’s story. 

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Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aiming4moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6

Two decades ago, Dr. Richard Florida (full bio below) coined the term "Creative Class" when he identified a unique group of people who used their knowledge and expertise and creativity to generate income (i.e. tech innovators, musicians, bloggers, etc.). His work has shaped the thinking of modern economics and social sciences. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Florida to discuss who this class is as well as how the pandemic shifted the world even more into the creative economy. 

Topics-

• The Creative Class
  • Who are they?
  • What do they do?
  • Where do they live?
• Hubs of the creative class
• Did the pandemic flatten the world by increasing the normalcy of online interaction?
• What books have had an impact on you?
• What advice do you have for teenagers?

Dr. Richard Florida is a researcher and professor, serving as University Professor at University of Toronto’s School of Cities and Rotman School of Management, and a Distinguished Fellow at NYU’s Schack School of Real Estate

He is a writer and journalist, having penned several global best sellers, including the award-winning The Rise of the Creative Class and his most recent book, The New Urban Crisis. He is co-founder of CityLab, the leading publication devoted to cities and urbanism.

He is an entrepreneur, as founder of the Creative Class Group which works closely with companies and governments worldwide.

Socials! -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aiming4moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6 

One of the most anticipated technologies of the future is AI. What will it be? What will it do? How will we react? But, before we can anticipate sentiency, which we will discuss in this episode,  we must train AI to do its jobs. However, that requires properly organized data sets, a new topic in the town square. If AI is to imitate the data it is given, how do we determine what data to give it? This is a looming question in the fog of the future as the data we train AI with today creates our relationship with this unknown tech tomorrow and, in many ways, shapes the future we will soon inherit. Join me as I examine this with my friend, Sarah Newman (Full bio below).  (Check out my 100th episode special with Sarah Newman here)

Topics-

• Data Sets and Data Nutrition - Why and How the data of today shapes the future of AI tomorrow
• AI and Sentiencey- Will it happen?
• Artificial General Intelligence
  • What is it?
  • The current state of AGI
  • The future of AGI
• Value Alignment - Before we give AI our values, we must determine what our values are
  • Universal values - Are there such things?
  • Ultimate purpose - Does man have an ultimate purpose?
• What books have had an impact on you?
• What advice do you have for teenagers?

Sarah Newman is Director of Art & Education at metaLAB at Harvard, at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Working at the intersection of research and art, her work engages with technology’s role in human experience, and interrelations between complex systems. In addition to her art practice, she is also an educator, and leads creative workshops to address interdisciplinary research problems. Her research in artificial intelligence and related technologies investigates how emerging technologies embed and mirror historical social and ethical challenges. Newman is Co-Founder of the Data Nutrition Project, which designs tools and practices for responsible AI development. She holds a BA in Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis and an MFA in Imaging Arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Newman's work has been exhibited in New York, San Francisco, Berlin, Rome, and London, and she has held artist residencies in Germany, Sweden, and Italy.  Newman has previously been an AI Grant Fellow, a Harvard Assembly Fellow, a Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, a Fellow at the Royal Society of Art, a Rockefeller AI Bellagio Resident, an artist-in-residence at Northeastern School of Law, and a grantee of the National Endowment for the Arts; with the Data Nutrition Project, she was awarded the 2022 Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity.

Socials! -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aiming4moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-Tw

For centuries, we have been stuck in the matrix of "The Mindest," the need for ever-exponential, economic growth. Sucked into the "game" of capitalism, we have toiled for monetary benefits always searching to double, triple, and quadruple the GDP. But, beneath every socio-economic structure is the creator's perception of human nature. For us to understand the world and escape "The Mindset," we must know what human nature really is. These questions and many more are discussed in this interview with Dr. Douglas Rushkoff (full bio below). The basis of this interview, Dr. Rushkoff's latest book, Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, was released on September 9th, 2022.

Topics:

• What is "The Mindset?"
• What is human nature and how does wealth change us?
• The origins of "The Mindset"
• The mythologies of America and their effect on our perspective 
• How to fight "The Mindset" and make the world a better place
• Transitioning from an "exponential" economy to a "regenerative" economy
• Promoting freedom in our products
• What books have had an impact on Dr. Rushkoff?
• What advice does Dr. Rushkoff have for teenagers?

Douglas Rushkoff is professor of media theory and digital economics at Queens/CUNY. Named one of the world's ten most influential intellectuals by MIT, he hosts the Team Human podcast and has written many award-winning books. He lives in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Socials! -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aiming4moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXkGQ

In this episode, I talk to NYT  bestselling author, Ryan Holiday (full bio below), about the disciplined life. His latest book, Discipline is Destiny, comes out September 27 (2022).

Topics:

• The Three Types of Discipline
• The Purpose of Discipline
• Why should we have self-control?
• Why to define a Primary Focus
• How to structure skill-building around assignments
• Practical habits for a disciplined day
• What books have had an impact on Ryan Holiday
• Ryan Holiday's advice for teenagers

When Ryan Holiday was 19 years old, he dropped out of college to apprentice under Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power. Mr. Holiday had a successful marketing career at American Apparel and went on to found a creative agency called Brass Check, which has advised clients like Google, TASER, and Complex, as well as many prominent bestselling authors, including Neil Strauss, Tony Robbins and Tim Ferriss. He is the author of ten books, including The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, The Daily Stoic, Conspiracy and Stillness is the Key which have sold more than 2 million copies in thirty languages and has a following among NFL coaches, world-class athletes, TV personalities, political leaders, and others around the world. Mr. Holiday spends much of his time on a ranch outside Austin, Texas where he does his writing and work in between raising cattle, donkeys, and goats.

Socials! -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aiming4moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk

Ethical hacking is essential in the tech world as it exposes the holes and bugs in systems before bad people can use them. This same mindset can be applied to the legal system in order to “hack” it before "black hat" hackers exploit the problems. In this episode, Dr. Bruce Schneier (full bio below) explains this philosophy and the steps to apply it.

Topics:

• What are public-interest technologists? 
• Hacking the legal system
• Practical hacking
• The Big Tech monopoly 
• Surveillance Capitalism
• What can the next generation do?
• What books have had an impact on Dr. Schneier
• What advice Dr. Schneier has for teenagers

Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, called a "security guru" by the Economist. He is the New York Times best-selling author of 14 books -- including Click Here to Kill Everybody -- as well as hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers. His influential newsletter, Crypto-Gram, and blog, Schneier on Security, are read by over 250,000 people. Schneier is a fellow at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and AccessNow, and an advisory board member of EPIC and
VerifiedVoting.org. He is the Chief of Security Architecture at Inrupt, Inc.

Socials! -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Carolyn Chen, author of Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley and associate professor of ethics at the University of California, Berkeley, (scroll down for full bio), about the “religion of work” in “techtopias.”

Topics:

• Work as religion
• Tech workers as believers
• The cult of productivity
• Should we let this happen?
• The sacraments and saints of Work
• The monkish lifestyle of workers
• What books have had an impact on Dr. Chen
• What advice Dr. Chen has for teenagers

Books Mentioned: (I get a cut)

• Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley - https://amzn.to/3pLH5Lx

• Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion - https://amzn.to/3ccvC4H

• The Hidden Lives of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate--Discovers from a Secret World - https://amzn.to/3Cno8qk

• Justice: What's the Right Things to Do? - https://amzn.to/3AdgCeG

Dr. Carolyn Chen, a sociologist, is an associate professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of Getting Saved in America (Princeton) and the co-editor of Sustaining Faith Traditions. She lives in Kensington, California.

Socials! -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk

Just announcing that I'm switching to a bi-weekly release schedule for the school year! Thanks!!

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Margaret E. Roberts (scroll down for full bio) about China and the new age of censorship.

Topics:

• Methods of modern censorship
• Why free speech is bad for regimes 
• How much does the average Chinese Citizen know?
• How censorship creates factions in China
• Should the West intervene?
• The global impact of censorship
• Democracies and censorship
• Censorship and Covid-19 in China
• What books have had an impact on Dr. Roberts
• What advice Dr. Roberts has for teenagers

Books Mentioned: (I get a cut)

• Censored: Distraction and Diversion inside China's Great Firewall by Margaret E. Roberts - https://amzn.to/3QJODtE
• Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang - https://amzn.to/3QKcnOD

Margaret Roberts is a Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute at the University of California, San Diego. She co-directs the China Data Lab at the 21st Century China Center. Her research interests lie in the intersection of political methodology and the politics of information, with a specific focus on methods of automated content analysis and the politics of censorship and propaganda in China.  She received a PhD from Harvard in Government (2014), MS from Stanford in Statistics (2009) and BA from Stanford in International Relations and Economics (2009).  Her book, Censored: Distraction and Diversion Inside China's Great Firewall, published by Princeton University Press in 2018, was listed as one of the Foreign Affairs Best Books of 2018, was honored with the Goldsmith Book Award, and has been awarded the Best Book Award in the Human Rights Section and Information Technology and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association. She holds a Chancellor's Associates Endowed Chair at UCSD.

Socials! -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk

In this episode, I sit down with Alex Kaschuta, writer and host of the Subversive Podcast. We discussed the importance of subversive ideas, how to become a free thinker as a young person, and how to create a career where you get paid to think. 

Topics:

• Why Alex Kaschuta's podcast focuses on subversive ideas
• Should offensive ideas be censored?
• How to become a free thinker as a young person
• College and censored ideas
• Creating a career to get paid to think
• What books have had an impact on Ms. Kaschuta
• What advice Ms. Kaschuta has for teenagers

Resources:

• The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature - https://amzn.to/3p8dpbv
• The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life - https://amzn.to/3PX6jSH

Alex Kaschuta is a writer, cultural critic, and podcast host from Transylvania, Romania. Her areas of interest are technology, immigration, religion, gender relations, and the broader emergence of postliberal politics in Europe and the United States. Her background is in economics, having earned a BSc. in Economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, and an MSc. at ESADE Barcelona. She has been active as an opinion writer for the better part of a decade and has been featured in the New York Post, the American Mind, IM1776, and other outlets. Currently, she is the host of the Subversive Podcast and writes for her Substack audience and various other publications.

Socials! -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk


All Amazon Affiliate links help financially support "Aiming for the Moon" while you get a great read or product

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Sergei Guriev (click here for full bio). Dr. Guriev is the professor of economics and director of graduate programs in economics at Sciences Po, Paris as well as the Former Chief Economist and the Member of the Executive Committee of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). He also served as the former Rector of the New Economic School in Moscow. Most recently, he is the co-author of "Spin Dictators." We discussed the next phase of Putin’s authoritarianism, the rise and current political environment of China, and what the West and the next generation can do to fight tyranny and despotism!

Topics:

• What are "spin dictators?"
• How Putin used white-collar crime charges to imprison political opponents
• From spin to fear - the next phase of Putin's authoritarianism 
• What do Russians think of Putin?
• The rise of spin dictators
• The rise and current political state of China
• What should the West do?

Resources:

• Spin Dictators - https://amzn.to/3OGPUAp
• Master and Margarita (English) - https://amzn.to/3JhbhY2
• The Gentleman in Moscow - https://amzn.to/3cRm7YL

Socials! -

Substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk


All Amazon Affiliate links help financially support "Aiming for the Moon" while you get a great read or product

Dr. Justin Grimmer, Professor in Stanford University's Department of Political Science and co-author of Text as Data, and I discuss how and why turning text into data will be the future of the social sciences.

Topics:

• Researching in the social sciences now
• How machine learning turns text into data
• Privacy and data
• Examples and impact
• How to develop a career in this intersection of machine learning and social science

Resources:

• Home Style - https://amzn.to/3uzqWeY
• Cat's Cradle - https://amzn.to/3AIh9aF

Dr. Justin Grimmer is a Professor in Stanford University's Department of Political Science, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and Co-Director of the Democracy and Polarization Lab.  His research focuses on Congress, elections, social media, and data science. 

Socials! -

Substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk


All Amazon Affiliate links help financially support "Aiming for the Moon" while you get a great read or product

Dr. Kate Darling, a Research Specialist at the MIT Media Lab and author of The New Breed: What Our History with Animals Reveals about Our Future with Robots, and I sit down to discuss the future of robots and the world. Are they replacements or are they a breed of their own?

Topics:

• Thesis of the New Breed
• What is a robot?
• Do robots think?
• How does this "new breed" fit into society?
• Rights and robots
• The origin of rights and how that relates to robots
• When will AI and robots emerge into society?
• What books have had an impact on Dr. Darling
• What advice Dr. Darling has for teenagers

Resources:

• The Dispossessed  - https://amzn.to/3R87nEb
• Girl Goddess #9 - https://amzn.to/3nBDO0k

Dr. Kate Darling is a Research Specialist at the MIT Media Lab and author of The New Breed: What Our History with Animals Reveals about Our Future with Robots. Kate’s work looks at the near-term effects of robotic technology, with a particular interest in law, social, and ethical issues. She runs experiments, holds workshops, writes, and speaks about some of the more interesting developments in the world of human-robot interaction, and where we might find ourselves in the future.

Socials! -

Substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk


All Amazon Affiliate links help financially support "Aiming for the Moon" while you get a great read or product

I sit down with Solomon Burchfield, Program Director at New Beginnings NWA. New Beginnings is a rehabilitation community for people with a history of homelessness. For more on their mission and ways to help, visit: https://newbeginningsnwa.org/about/

-----------------------------------
Connect with New Beginnings:

Website: https://newbeginningsnwa.org/about/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newbeginningsnwa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewBeginningsNWA/?ref=bookmarks
-----------------------------------

Topics:

• We discuss the mission and history of New Beginnings.
• The general cause of homelessness in the U.S.
• What we can do.

References:

• The Naked Now  by Richard Rohr - https://amzn.to/3ymOarm
• Jesus' Plan for a New World by Richard Rohr - https://amzn.to/3HW4K4f

Socials! -

Substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk


All Amazon Affiliate links help financially support "Aiming for the Moon" while you get a great read or product.

Zarah Hussain and I sit down to discuss the intersection of tradition and tech in her field of art.

Topics:

• Islamic art v.s. Western art
• How geometry was used to represent divinity in Islamic culture
• Zarah Hussain's art and the intersection of tradition and tech
• Geometry as the rules of nature
• How the "rules of nature" point to intelligent design
• The books that had an impact on Zarah Hussain
• Zarah Hussain's advice for teenagers
• The negatives of a future-only mindset 

Full bio on website - https://www.zarahhussain.co.uk/about

Socials! -

Substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk

I discuss the two-year birthday of AFTM and announce my new, behind-the-scenes substack! Thank you, everyone, for listening!

Why join the substack?
I discuss how Mattie and I built AFTM up to this point. All of the stories and skills gathered along the way! Some of the topics will include how we set up interviews through elevator-pitch-style emails, network with guests, and prepare for interviews.

Substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/

Socials! -

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk

Jenny Odell, New York Times bestselling author of How to Do Nothing, and I sit down to discuss the importance of unproductive activities for personal growth.

Topics:

• Managing stress and creative pursuits in the midst of busyness 
• The prism of personality 
• How and why to do nothing
• The books that had an impact on Jenny Odell
• Jenny Odell's advice for teenagers
• The importance of journals 

Resources:

• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants - https://amzn.to/3aHXtbK
• Letters to a Young Poet - https://amzn.to/3O6m6NH

Full bio on website - https://www.jennyodell.com/about-news.html

Socials! -

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk



All Amazon Affiliate links help financially support "Aiming for the Moon" while you get a great read or product.

I sit down with Bryan Fogel, Oscar-winning director of Icarus and The Dissident. We discuss the creative processes behind his films as well as the political corruption exposed in them.

Topics:

• The creative processes behind his films
• How to build trust with film subjects
• Is there anything to do about political corruption?
• The books that had an impact on Bryan Fogel
• Bryan Fogel's advice for teenagers

Resources:

• 1984 - https://amzn.to/3N4MVli
• A Very Expensive Poison (Luke Harding's book about Alexander Litvinenko's murder) - https://amzn.to/3NiX3a4

Bryan Fogel is the Award-winning Academy director of ICARUS, a documentary film about the whistleblower at the center of Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping program. The film won the 2018 Oscar for Best Documentary and the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize. He was awarded the Edward R. Murrow Award for Journalism, nominated for the BAFTA Award, three Emmys and the DGA Award for Best Direction. ICARUS contributed to Russia’s ban from the 2018 Winter Olympics and 2020’s Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act. Most recently, Bryan directed The Dissident, a documentary feature about the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, which was nominated for a BAFTA award, and the winner of the WGA award.

Socials! -

Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk


All Amazon Affiliate links help financially support "Aiming for the Moon" while you get a great read or product.

I sit down with Dr. Nina Kraus to discuss her book, Of Sound Mind: How our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World.

Topics:

• The importance of sound
• What is the sound mind?
• How sound shapes our brains
• How the mind replays sound in our heads
• How the mind adapts in musicians 
• The deaf vs hearing brain

Resources:

• Of Sound Mind - https://amzn.to/3PD6x1A
• On Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World  - https://amzn.to/3wL8xxn
• The Songs of Trees - https://amzn.to/3NExxvO