Is Storytelling Fundamental to Thought?

Caleb asks if stories are just communication; Angus argues the brain thinks in stories and that plans are narratives guiding action.

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Angus Fletcher has a PhD in literature from Yale and teaches English at Ohio State. He’s passionate about Shakespeare. He probably owns a tweed jacket. In other words, he’s the last person you’d expect to receive the Army’s fourth-highest civilian honor.

But when he’s not parsing King Lear or dissecting Hamlet, Angus is pioneering research into narrative cognition — our ability to think in stories — and how it can make us smarter. When the Army put his theories to the test, his methods reshaped how soldiers learn to think clearly under pressure and act decisively in volatile environments.

Now, he has distilled this work into a new book called Primal Intelligence. Malcolm Gladwell says it's confirmation that Angus "has never had an uninteresting thought." We think you’ll agree.

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(05:43) What is Primal Intelligence?

(8:24) Computers Think in Probabilities. Humans Think in Possibilities.

(11:08) The Art of Intuition: Spotting Exceptions to Rules

(29:59) Why Storytelling is the Essence of Human Intelligence

(34:13) How to Plan

(35:38) The Role of Emotion in Decision Making

(45:27) How to Use Common Sense to ‘Tune Your Anxiety’

(49:34) What Great Innovators Have in Common

(51:25) The Best Way to Become a Better Communicator

(54:22) Don’t Freak Out About A.I. Do Freak Out the State of Your Intelligence.

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