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  • Your brain’s survival algorithm is outdated. Here’s how to upgrade it | Amanda Ripley
    "The fear of panic has killed more people than most disasters themselves." What really happens to your mind in a crisis? We all think we know how we'd react in an emergency—but according to journalist and author Amanda Ripley, we're usually wrong. Drawing from interviews with real people in disasters—from plane crashes to terrorist attacks, research on human behavior under stress, and firsthand experience in disaster training, Ripley explores the psychological patterns that unfold in crisis: denial, deliberation, and decisive action. 00:00 Surviving a crisis 01:55 Your disaster personality 03:22 Denial, deliberation, decisiveness 04:05 Normalcy bias 07:01 The World Trade Center evacuation 09:57 The decisive moment 12:06 Modern survival 16:11 Advice from survivors ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Amanda Ripley: Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author, Washington Post contributor, and co-founder of consultancy firm, Good Conflict. Her books include The Smartest Kids in the World, High Conflict, and The Unthinkable. ------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • How ancient philosophers would shape AI | Brendan McCord
    **🌍 Humanity Stands at the Shore of a New Continent — AI. What Now?** For 200,000 years, humans were the smartest beings on the planet. But today, **AI is forcing us to question what it *really* means to live a human life**. From **Copernicus** to **Darwin** to **Einstein**, science has repeatedly humbled us — displacing us from the center of the universe, showing us we are animals, and revealing that our intuition is flawed. Now, in the **age of Turing**, it’s AI’s turn to push us toward philosophy again. ### 🤖 From Tool… to Architect? For centuries, technology served *us*. It helped us *do* things — but it never told us *what to do*. That’s changed. Today, algorithms decide what you read, what you watch, and even how you think about right and wrong. Tomorrow, **AI might diagnose disease, invent cures, and guide global decisions**. But what if it doesn’t just assist us — what if it begins to **shape our very goals**? ### ⚖️ The Big Risks 1. **Convenience becomes dependency** — we outsource thinking, creativity, even values. 2. **Governance structures built to protect us** become the very systems that **control us**. 3. **Human freedom — our core superpower — slowly erodes**. ### 🧭 Three Steps Toward a Human-Centered Future #### **Step 1: The North Star – Human Flourishing** We must re-orient AI not around power or profit, but around helping each person **realize their potential**. > Not to build gods. Not to build replacements. > But to build *tools* for better lives. #### **Step 2: The Compass – Principles for Progress** A new AI philosophy must be built on three pillars: - **Autonomy**: The freedom to think and act without manipulation. - **Reason**: The ability to weigh ideas, debate, and discover truth. - **Decentralization**: Power spread across many, not hoarded by a few. These are the values that **preserve our humanity** in a world shaped by machines. #### **Step 3: Navigate the New World – From Philosophy to Code** Just like America’s founders built a **philosophy-to-law pipeline**, we need a **philosophy-to-code pipeline**. Enter: 🧪 **The Human-Centered AI Lab at Oxford** — the first lab dedicated to building open-source AI aligned with human flourishing. ### 🧠 The Future Needs a New Kind of Technologist One who combines: - **World-class AI skills** - **And deep philosophical grounding** These pioneers will prototype systems where **tech empowers humanity**, not erases it. ### 🚀 Final Thought We are at a pivotal moment. A once-in-a-civilization inflection point. Like setting foot on a new world — with no map. But with a **North Star to guide us**, and a **Compass to keep us grounded**, we can build a future where technology serves humanity — not the other way around. > From Copernicus to Turing, it’s time to once again **find our place in the cosmos** — > **not as obsolete beings**, > but as stewards of the future. ------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • The memory-enhancing effects of movement, backed by science | Wendy Suzuki: Full Interview
    “We know that as little as 10 minutes of walking can improve your mood, getting that bubble bath with the dopamine, serotonin, endorphins going. Anybody can do that.” After years of studying the hippocampus, the brain's memory center, Wendy Suzuki made a surprising discovery: Regular physical movement dramatically improved her memory, focus, and overall cognitive performance. Even 10 minutes of walking can trigger a powerful "neurochemical bubble bath," boosting mood and mental clarity. From the science of long-term brain growth to the emotional benefits of movement, Suzuki reveals how exercise is one of the most effective—and overlooked—tools for improving brain health today. 00:00:00 Part 1: Exploring the neurological effects of exercise. 00:00:12 What inspired your study of the brain-exercise connection? 00:04:32 Exploring the “runner’s high” neurobiology 00:05:16 What is happening during the neurochemical bubble bath? 00:10:52 What is the body-brain connection? 00:11:02 How do active and sedentary brains compare? 00:13:49 How do you convince people of the neurological benefits of exercise? 00:15:24 What is the minimal amount of activity needed to start reaping benefits? 00:16:42 How necessary is goal-setting for a more active lifestyle? 00:17:49 Is working out in the morning or evening more beneficial? 00:21:00 Is caffeine recommended as an aid for morning workouts? 00:22:08 Are there negative effects from late night workouts? 00:23:52 What are the most effective motivators for working out? 00:24:27 What are exercise’s long-term neurological effects? 00:26:17 What are the neurological effects of meditation? 00:28:45 What is your distilled message? 00:29:44 Part 2: The formula behind exercise-driven brain 00:30:13 What brain benefits do we receive at differing levels of exercise? 00:38:39 What are you still hoping to discover in your research? 00:40:01 Part 3: Are the neurological benefits of exercise overstated? 00:40:12 What skeptical responses does your work receive? 00:43:27 On what grounds are critiques of your work based? 00:44:14 Is the skepticism mutual across scientific disciplines? 00:45:15 Is there a potential future for interdisciplinary collaboration? 00:46:41 Part 4: Exploring the neurological effects of anxiety 00:46:51 What is anxiety? 00:48:36 What is negativity bias? 00:50:01 What areas of the brain are responsible for anxiety? 00:51:12 What is brain plasticity? 00:52:10 What is “flipping” in the context of anxiety?  00:53:26 How have you flipped your mindset personally? 00:54:54 What are the superpowers of anxiety? 01:04:34 What is cognitive flexibility? 01:07:44 What is resilience? 01:11:26 How do you dispel the notion that anxious people aren’t resilient? 01:12:35 What is an activist mindset? 01:14:32 How does an activist mindset affect our cognitive flexibility? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Wendy Suzuki: Dr. Wendy A. Suzuki is a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology in the Center for Neural Science at New York University. She received her undergraduate degree in Physiology and Human Anatomy at the University of California, Berkeley in 1987, studying with Prof. Marion C. Diamond, a leader in the field of brain plasticity. She went on to earn her Ph.D. In Neuroscience from U.C. San Diego in 1993 and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health before accepting her faculty position at New York University in 1998. Dr. Suzuki is author of the book Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program to Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better. ------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Harvard psychiatrist on happiness: Positive vs. toxic relationships | Robert Waldinger
    **💡 The #1 Investment for a Happy Life Isn't What You Think** If you could make just one investment to stay happy and healthy for life, what would it be? Most people say money or success—but **the longest-running study on human development proves it's something else entirely**. According to Dr. Robert Waldinger, director of the **Harvard Study of Adult Development**, the secret to long-term well-being isn’t wealth or fame—**it’s strong, warm relationships**. People with close, reliable bonds not only feel happier, but they actually live longer and stay healthier. The study, which spans over **85 years and 2,000+ lives**, reveals that **good relationships reduce chronic stress, protect our bodies, and help us weather life’s hardest moments**—from war to personal loss. Even people with difficult childhoods can reshape their well-being through healthy adult relationships. Relationships require work, just like physical fitness. Waldinger calls it **“social fitness”**—a habit of checking in, reaching out, and maintaining connections that energize you. Mapping your social universe—identifying who uplifts you and who drains you—can change your life. And here’s the real truth: **no one has it all figured out**. The "good life" isn’t static—it’s a moving process of **connection, care, and resilience**. Ups and downs are part of the journey, not a sign you're failing. ✨ *So don’t chase the illusion of perfect happiness. Instead, build relationships that help you grow through the messiness of life. That’s the real key to thriving.* ------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • What if the truth offends? Publish it anyway | Peter Singer
    In an era of cancel culture, outrage cycles, and the censorship of dissent, philosopher and co-founder of The Journal of Controversial Ideas Peter Singer makes his case for freedom of thought and expression. Singer argues that silencing uncomfortable ideas doesn't make us safer — it makes us less able to grow, reason, and solve the pressing issues of our time. Chapters: 00:00 Freedom of thought and expression 00:44 Why is freedom of thought essential? 02:21 The cost of preventing objections 03:10 The Journal of Controversial Ideas 07:31 Our political climate and controversy 09:38 An argument for hiding controversial ideas 11:50 The importance of an open debate 14:18 Choice in end of life 18:54 Same-sex relationships ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- About Peter Singer: Peter Singer has been described as the world’s most influential philosopher. Born in Melbourne in 1946, he has been professor of bioethics at Princeton University since 1999. His many books include Animal Liberation - often credited with triggering the modern animal rights movement - Practical Ethics, The Life You Can Save, The Most Good You Can Do, and Ethics in the Real World. In 2023, he published Animal Liberation Now, a fully revised and updated version of the 1975 original. Singer’s writings have also inspired the movement known as effective altruism, and he is the founder of the charity The Life You Can Save. In 2021 he was awarded the $1 million Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, which he donated to nonprofit organizations working for the causes he supports. In 2023 he received the Frontiers of Knowledge Prize for the Humanities, from the Spanish BBVA Foundation. ------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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