Intro | 6min snip from The Tim Ferriss Show

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

The Tim Ferriss Show

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CHAPTER

Intro

This chapter explores the impact of significant decisions, such as parenthood, on personal identity and self-perception. Through philosophical thought experiments and insights from cognitive science, the conversation reveals how our choices fundamentally shape who we are.

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Episode notes

L.A. Paul is the Millstone Family Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Cognitive Science at Yale University. She is also the author of Transformative Experience. Her work on transformative experience has been covered by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, NPR, and the BBC, among others. And in 2024, she was profiled by The New Yorker.

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Timestamps:

[00:00;00] Start

[00:05:55] The role of Quentin Smith.

[00:09:56] Early philosophy class disasters.

[00:13:34] How is philosophy relevant to the average person?

[00:20:17] A correspondence experiment with philosophers.

[00:25:29] The role of philosophy in modern times.

[00:27:50] The vampire problem.

[00:39:31] What you can't expect when you're expecting.

[00:42:36] When transformative experiences happen without our consent.

[00:48:12] Choosing between potentially transformative experiences.

[00:52:09] How Laurie made the choice to have children.