In disruptive times like these, it can be useful to expand your mind with radical new ideas, especially when they challenge your own assumptions. We need to remember that discomfort can be the first step in genuine learning, but only if we’re open to it.
Today’s guest, Malcolm Collins, is a neuroscientist, serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and one of Amazon's best selling non-fiction writers. He and his wife Simone are reimagining education and much more through their work at the Collins Institute and the five Pragmatist’s guides they have written together. Their books explore everything from building an intentional life to starting your own religion. Malcolm and Simone also recently started their "Based Camp" podcast, which focuses on how humans process the world around them and the future of our species.
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Purchase a copy of The Pragmatist's Guide To Life: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Pragmatists-Guide-Life-Creating-Questions-ebook/dp/B079LRHPM7?ref_=ast_author_dp
Learn more about the Collins Institute: https://collinsinstitute.org/
Check out "Based Camp" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SimoneandMalcolm
Check out "Based Camp" on Substack: https://basedcamppodcast.substack.com/
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Outline:
[0:00] Intro
[0:55] What is pragmatism?
[6:56] Malcolm’s career background
[9:09] Autism, emotion, and reason
[11:40] What is an objective function?
[17:01] How do you determine what’s true?
[23:50] Intrinsic value and human dignity
[28:29] Wokeness, viruses, and shadow banning
[35:04] Will AI serve like personal guardian angels?
[39:50] Your brain makes up reasons for what you do
[45:39] How your ideological tree develops
[51:55] The evolutionary value of “no pain, no gain”
[56:54] How do you optimize your objective function?
[58:26] You can shape your brain’s autopilot system
[1:06:54] Culture, community, and tradition
[1:14:39] The Judeo-Christian vulnerability to apocalypticism
[1:19:59] Be the best side character you can be
[1:29:50] Make your self-narrative interesting
[1:32:47] Masculinity changes when you become a father
[1:45:15] Reigniting old traditions and building new cultures
[1:52:15] Outro
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Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/W5lpH9ePI6o
Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠
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Dad Saves America is a channel dedicated to celebrating heroic fatherhood while teaching the next generation of fathers strategies they can utilize in parenting their children. We believe strong children come from a strong family. We’ve had many experts in the studio, including Jonathan Haidt, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Troy Kotsur, John Mackey, Ben Askren, and Adam Carolla.