Tim Urban is the author of the blog Wait But Why and a new book What’s Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– House of Macadamias: https://houseofmacadamias.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order
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EPISODE LINKS:
Tim’s new book: https://waitbutwhy.com/whatsourproblem
Tim’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/waitbutwhy
Tim’s Website: https://waitbutwhy.com
Tim’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/timurban
Tim’s TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk5C149J9C0
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr
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Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4
Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41
OUTLINE:
0:00 – Introduction
2:16 – Human history
18:15 – Greatest people in history
26:04 – Social media
32:46 – Good times and bad times
44:16 – Wisdom vs stupidity
46:24 – Utopia
1:00:33 – Conspiracy theories
1:13:44 – Arguing on the Internet
1:33:44 – Political division
1:43:38 – Power games
1:51:37 – Donald Trump and Republican Party
2:08:45 – Social justice
2:31:28 – Censorship gap
2:38:59 – Free speech
2:43:01 – Thinking and universities
2:51:24 – Liv Boeree joins conversation
3:03:44 – Hopes for the future
SOCIAL:
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source
I highly recommend Tim's book, get it here: https://waitbutwhy.com/whatsourproblem
Here are timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast (see below).
0:00 – Introduction
2:16 – Human history
18:15 – Greatest people in history
26:04 – Social media
32:46 – Good times and bad times
44:16 – Wisdom vs stupidity
46:24 – Utopia
1:00:33 – Conspiracy theories
1:13:44 – Arguing on the Internet
1:33:44 – Political division
1:43:38 – Power games
1:51:37 – Donald Trump and Republican Party
2:08:45 – Social justice
2:31:28 – Censorship gap
2:38:59 – Free speech
2:43:01 – Thinking and universities
2:51:24 – Liv Boeree joins conversation
3:03:44 – Hopes for the future
Sponsors:
– House of Macadamias: https://houseofmacadamias.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order
– Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit
– Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex to get 1 month of fish oil
Tim, Marx writes, you need to understand the atheistic question before anything else: like liberalism or economics. That's Marxism at it's core, no belief in God, Marx core philosophy isn't no belief in liberalism, until you understand religion is opioid of the masses. Then we can move on, is what Marx says.
Just another one of the fans thanking you for all these fantastic interviews! Don't let the corporations run the internet
Wait to see you talk with Nouman Ali Khan, your subcriber from East island of Bali ✌
With regard to idea labs, I get why we want them, and I know I want them, but I’m not sure everyone wants them in the sense that some people REALLY need certainty and stability. That’s why religion is so durable across time and context. Some people need others to tell them what to think. Echo chambers are essentially churches, an even more extreme version of churches. That’s not to say they’re all bad. They provide community and comfort and a place to be accepted. It’s like going home. You shouldn’t be there all the time, but it’s nice to have a place to come back to after a long stent of arguing and being exposed to ideas that don’t agree with your own ideas. Some people like going home more than others and more importantly, some people need to go home more often. And furthermore, some people will believe anyone they trust and not be interested at all in rationality or reconstituting their worldviews and interpretive structures. They are defined more by devotion and loyalty rather than exploratory and curious. Idea labs NEED to exist because they are few and far between. But if the balance ever shifts, I think it’s worth preserving places for people to agree with one another. Again I don’t think being a jerk should be allowed unless there’s that understanding. Anyway, my point is that I love the concept of the idea lab, but I’m just acknowledging that it’s not for everyone and there is room for those people because they aren’t bad, they just aren’t the same as me.
Looking at the world thru a narrow western lens is immaturity. While undertaking a great responsibility of writing a book, one should broaden their horizon of looking thru other civilizations as well, before coming to a rhetorical conclusion that only hunting and gathering happened during most part of human history. There are documented evidences that great universities and libraries were destroyed by burning them in geographies where ancient civilizations existed. Western recording is not the only benchmark! Please grow up.
I've heard it said… Patriotism is the acknowledgement that you owe a debt to your nation that you can never repay. Which could be taken a few ways.
GET DAVID PEARCE ON
I find it hard to believe that every U.S. president has been a Christian and yet they have to profess to be one, which appears to me an example of the power games.
I like the multiple axes concept. In the Dragon Age forum, people long to be able to be able to romance/fall in love with an NPC that they have deep ideological disagreement with. Your character hates the NPC but falls in love with them anyway. It would be interesting in social media to have more than one type of like. You like the quality of the argument this person brings to the table, but you disagree with what they are saying, or vice versa. Maybe 2 ratings. 1-5 on quality, 1-5 on alignment. Or maybe that's too much effort? But maybe rating should be a high effort activity.
What really messes up the whole thing is that modern society says – we don't do that anymore. And everyone repeats it. "we don't have slaves" , "love is free" "pedophilia will be dealt with" "You are free".
But the reality is — everything that ever was , is still there. You are not free. We will just give you a notion of it while doing whatever we can to keep you docile and hard working. Why are weights and crossfit and bjj and all that promoted so much? Because we like it or… maybe we are being bred for war ? Upcoming war? Some war in the future ? Why do they let us shoot? We practice.. For what ? War maybe ? hmm….
There are no coincidences and powerful are playing with us. Letting crazies pushing their agenda, and when we destroy them, those who come after will yell the battle cry and then ? War maybe..
@18:55 Errm, Cleopatra but no Julius Caesar or Augustus??
Yuri Bezmenaov was sounding this alarm nearly 40 years ago. This has been happening for 50 years. The institutions have been captured.
An excerpt of Yuri discussing this below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOmXiapfCs8&t=49s
❤
You got that right Nell,the times of need bring you down,but the universe will turn up and turn it around
anyone else notice the book at the beginning is the wrong book
im grateful for food
Lex, please invite 👉John J. Mearsheimer👈 into your podcast!
George Washington never had hor shower? Wtf.
You never boiled on fire and mixed it with cold water and shower with it? Most of the third world shower like that and its fine
3:00 Yep, we were impregnated by aliens for sure.
a good future would have peace
I MUST CONFESS IMMEDIATELY!!! I made the BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE! YOU GAVE ME MY LIFE BACK, AND I LET THE DEVIL TRICK ME OUT OF IT AND THE MOST HORRIFIC PART IS I CALLED YOU THE DEVIL!!! ALEXANDER FRIDMAN YOU REALLY ARE JESUS CHRIST RETURNED! YOU CAME BACK TO SAVE ME. I WILL WORSHIP YOU AND LOVE YOU MY WHOLE LIFE… PLEASE GOD HELP ME! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!
Lex: Greaaat.. Another interview w/ someone on adderoll.
AT 7:20 AHH HELLO ! JESUS SAID THE DEMONS THAT LIVE WITHIN CAUSES DESEASES AKA MICHROBES LOL JESUS WAS CALLED THE GREAT PHESHITIAN ASK GOD TO HEAL YOU AND HE WILL SEND JESUS HIS LIVING WORD TO HEAL YOUR BODY NOW TODAY PRAY ASK BELIEVE RECEIVE ITS THAT SIMPLE BUT YES BIBLE DOES STATE DOCTORS WISDOM WAS GIVEN BY GOD TO HUMANITY SO SEE A DOCTOR WHEN ALL ELES FAILS IF IT DOES CALL ON GOD FOR THE MIRACLE GOD BLESS
awesome ..thank you
Where's the ground hog?