

#1449
Mentioned in 17 episodes
Transformative Experience
Book • 2016
In 'Transformative Experience', L.A.
Paul argues that certain life choices, such as deciding to become a parent, converting to a religion, or medically altering one's physical and mental capacities, are transformative experiences that cannot be assessed in advance.
These experiences change the person in both epistemic and personal ways, making it impossible to make fully informed decisions based on current preferences and values.
Paul uses classic philosophical examples and recent work in decision theory, cognitive science, and the philosophy of mind to develop a rigorous account of how we should understand and approach such transformative decisions.
Paul argues that certain life choices, such as deciding to become a parent, converting to a religion, or medically altering one's physical and mental capacities, are transformative experiences that cannot be assessed in advance.
These experiences change the person in both epistemic and personal ways, making it impossible to make fully informed decisions based on current preferences and values.
Paul uses classic philosophical examples and recent work in decision theory, cognitive science, and the philosophy of mind to develop a rigorous account of how we should understand and approach such transformative decisions.
Mentioned by






















Mentioned in 17 episodes
Mentioned by 

as the author of Transformative Experience.


Tim Ferriss

951 snips
#796: L.A. Paul — On Becoming a Vampire, Whether or Not to Have Kids, Getting Incredible Mentorship for $250, Transformative Experiences, and More
Mentioned by 

in the introduction, highlighting the author's work on transformative experiences.


Tim Ferriss

572 snips
#801: In Case You Missed It: February 2025 Recap of "The Tim Ferriss Show"
Mentioned by 

in the context of the 'vampire problem' analogy to illustrate the difficulty of knowing one's future self.


Hal Hershfield

359 snips
Set Your Future Self Up for Success
Mentioned by 

in relation to transformative experiences.


John Vervaeke

308 snips
Ep. 1 - Introduction
Mentioned by 

as one of the books that lead to his book, Wild Problems.


Russ Roberts

163 snips
EconTalk #1000 (with Russ Roberts)
Mentioned by 

in the context of transformative experiences and decision-making.


Russ Roberts

61 snips
Parenting insights from Rob and 8 past guests
Mentioned by 

in relation to the concept of transformative experiences and irreversible decisions.


Russ Roberts

61 snips
#531 - Russ Roberts - An Economist’s Guide To Life’s Big Decisions
Erwähnt von 

als Autorin des Buches, das die Grundlage für die Diskussion über transformative Entscheidungen bildet.


Atze Schröder

48 snips
Richtig entscheiden
Mentioned by 

in the context of transformative experiences and decision-making.


Russ Roberts

25 snips
#87 – Russ Roberts on whether it's more effective to help strangers, or people you know
Mentioned by 

in relation to transformative experiences and the metaphor of becoming a vampire.


Russ Roberts

23 snips
Grappling With Life's "Wild Problems"
Mentioned when discussing the problem of not knowing how you'll feel about something until you've experienced it.

17 snips
Episode 300: Wild Problems
Mencionado por 

como la autora de un libro que explora la toma de decisiones en situaciones donde la información es limitada.


Jaime Rodríguez de Santiago

17 snips
#207 Toma de decisiones (IX): Experiencias transformativas
Recommended by ![undefined]()

for its case for taking experience seriously in how we theorize decision making.

Molly Crockett

13 snips
Science, AI, and illusions of understanding
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

as the title of Laurie Paul’s book.

Barry Lam

Vampires
Mentioned by 

as a source of inspiration for his book, discussing transformative experiences.


Russ Roberts

Russ Roberts and Mike Munger on Wild Problems
Recommended by 

for its exploration of transformative experiences.


John Vervaeke

After Socrates: Episode 11 - Proper Proportions & The Right Mode
Mentioned by 

as an example of transformative experience.


Stuart Russell

94 | Stuart Russell on Making Artificial Intelligence Compatible with Humans
Mentioned by 

as the author of the book discussing transformative experiences.


Sean Carroll

85 | L.A. Paul on Transformative Experiences and Your Future Selves
Mentioned by 

in the context of effective altruism discussion and later by 

in relation to transformative experiences.


Rob Wiblin


Russ Roberts

Rob Wiblin and Russ Roberts on Charity, Science, and Utilitarianism
Mentioned by 

, referencing examples used in Paul's book about transformative experiences.


Agnes Callard

526. Beyond Problem Solving: Philosophy and the Quest for Understanding feat. Agnes Callard