This book provides an original perspective on creating a better world by focusing on entrepreneurial and Conscious Capitalist solutions. It combines the best of positive psychology, human potential movements, and free market thinking to address global challenges. The book features contributions from leading figures such as John Mackey, Muhammad Yunus, and Hernando de Soto, and outlines a philosophical, social, and legal framework for solving problems entrepreneurially. It emphasizes the concept of 'flow' as optimal experience and the global flow of goods, services, capital, humans, ideas, and culture in a positive win-win-win world.
Hothouse Earth: An Inhabitant's Guide by Bill McGuire provides a post-COP26 perspective on the climate emergency. The book explains the science behind the climate crisis, highlighting the impact of human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and intensive agriculture on global temperatures. McGuire argues that we are at a critical moment where our actions can either lead to a sustainable future or a catastrophic one. He describes the concept of 'Hothouse Earth,' a state where temperatures are significantly higher than pre-industrial levels, and ecosystems undergo drastic changes. The book emphasizes the need for urgent action, including strategies like renewable energy, carbon capture, and reforestation, and stresses the importance of a global effort involving governments, businesses, and individuals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid a harrowing future[2][4][5].
In this book, Robert Epstein challenges the conventional view of adolescence by arguing that it is an unnecessary and harmful phase of life. Epstein contends that the turmoil associated with adolescence is a result of cultural and societal structures that separate teens from adults, forcing them to learn from their media-dominated peers rather than from experienced adults. He advocates for giving young people adult authority and responsibility as soon as they demonstrate readiness, highlighting that teens are highly capable and often more competent than adults in certain respects. The book proposes a radical shift in how society treats teenagers, emphasizing the need to rediscover the adult in every teen to enhance their development and well-being[1][3][4].
The Habit of Thought describes the theory, practice, and vision of Socratic Practice, an approach to classroom instruction aimed at helping students think for themselves. The book emphasizes the importance of questioning one's own assumptions, developing judgment, and cultivating intellectual integrity through Socratic seminars and discussions. It goes beyond mere cognitive skills, incorporating social and personal skills essential for genuine intellectual development. Strong argues that Socratic Practice fosters a culture of learning, preparing young people to become mature, independent thinkers[1][4][5].
In this article, Robin Hanson suggests replacing the classic peer review process with a market-based alternative where scientists stake 'bets' on the outcomes of studies. This approach, using prediction markets, aggregates information from participants to predict the replicability of studies, potentially offering more accurate forecasts than traditional methods. Hanson argues that the incentive to make accurate predictions, as seen in sports and election betting, could lead to better outcomes in scientific research.
In this book, Julian Simon argues against the notion that humanity is running out of natural resources. He contends that as resources become scarcer, their prices rise, creating incentives for people to discover more resources, ration and recycle them, and develop substitutes. Simon believes that human creativity and innovation are the ultimate resources, enabling economic growth and improving living standards despite population growth. The book also discusses historical precedents of unfounded environmental fears and includes a famous wager with Paul Ehrlich that demonstrated the decline in real prices of commodity metals over time[1][2][3].
In this book, Annie Duke teaches readers how to make better decisions by treating them as 'bets' on uncertain outcomes. She emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between the quality of a decision and its outcome, acknowledging the role of luck, and avoiding biases such as 'resulting' and hindsight bias. Duke draws on her experiences as a professional poker player and combines these with insights from cognitive psychology and other fields to provide tools for making more objective and thoughtful decisions. The book encourages readers to get comfortable with uncertainty, seek truth through diverse opinions, and learn from outcomes to improve future decision-making[1][3][5].
A critical examination of the limitations and biases within scientific discourse, challenging the accepted methods of knowledge acquisition and promoting a more open-minded approach.
Michael Strong has spent decades quietly revolutionizing education by designing innovative schools and programs built around agency, critical thinking, entrepreneurship and creativity.
He is the founder and CEO of The Socratic Experience, a virtual school that equips students for lifelong happiness and success through Socratic dialogue.
Alongside his work in the US, he has educational consulting experience in multiple developing nations.
And… he’s a fellow Minnesotan!
Michael joins the show to discuss whether Socratic education can scale, the benefits of the Mormon model, why high agency is the default, and MUCH more!
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Show Notes:
- One book a night and mental chess - a Minnesotan childhood.
- Can Socratic education scale?
- Are we entrenching a new elite?
- Why high agency is the default
- Creating new subcultures & the benefits of the Mormon model
- Experimenting our way to prosperity
- Tearing down the citadel, secret censorship & claiming the moral high ground
- Prediction markets & why we should be betting on our reputation
- The heroic tradition of reason
- Michael as World Emperor
- MORE!
Books Mentioned:
- Dr. Semmelweis vs. the World (Infinite Loops Substack)
- Ignore. Fight. Ridicule (Infinite Loops Substack)
- The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic Practice; by Michael Strong
- Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World's Problems; by Michael Strong and John Mackey
- The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen; by Robert Epstein
- The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr
- The New Inquisition: Irrational Rationalism and the Citadel of Science; by Robert Anton Wilson
- Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior; by Christopher Boehm
- Collective Illusions: Conformity, Complicity, and the Science of Why We Make Bad Decisions; by Todd Rose
- Can Gambling Save Science? Encouraging an Honest Consensus; by Robin Hanson
- Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life; by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
- Hothouse Earth: An Inhabitant's Guide; by Bill McGuire
- Think in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts; by Annie Duke
- The Ultimate Resource; by Julian L. Simon
- Keep Your Identity Small; by Paul Graham
Infinite Loops 
