Mental Immunity & the Search for a Better Way to Think | Andy Norman

Jun 21, 2021

Andy Norman, award-winning author, public philosopher, and advocate for cognitive immunology, discusses mental immunity, irrationality, and the spread of bad ideas. They explore ontological truth, limitations of science, and steps to improve mental immunity. They delve into mind parasites, critical thinking, impacts of technology on mental health, mattering theory, and differing beliefs. The importance of mental immunity, skepticism, and navigating reality in an interconnected world are also discussed.

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Introduction

00:00 • 3min

Understanding and Strengthening the Mind's Immune System

02:42 • 17min

Socrates as a Sophist: Rhetoric, Charges, and Truth

19:54 • 7min

The Impact of Technology and Hyperconnectivity on Mental Health

27:14 • 2min

Exploring the Meaning of Life and the Overlooked Importance of Mattering

29:24 • 2min

Exploring Philosophical Topics and the Phenomenon of Differing Beliefs

31:17 • 2min

The Importance of Mental Immunity

33:12 • 7min

Navigating Reality: Skepticism and the Blurring of Truth

40:22 • 16min

In Episode 195 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Andy Norman, an award-winning author, public philosopher, and prominent advocate for the field of “cognitive immunology,” which studies the mind’s resistance to bad ideas.

In this conversation you will learn how mental immunity works, how epidemics of irrationality occur, and how present cultural conditions exacerbate the spread of bad ideas by compromising our mental faculties, exploiting loopholes in the evidentiary chain of reasoning that most of us rely on in order to assess, accept, or reject claims and assertions.

Whether we’re talking about the spread of baseless online conspiracies, increased political polarization, or the bewildering popularity of cancel culture, rethinking and reforming our approach to inquiry and dialectic is urgently needed.

In the Overtime, Andy and Demetri discuss ontological truth and explore the limitations of science and reason in helping ascertain reality. It includes discussions about spirituality, religion, the immaterial, and whether or not it is possible to know something authoritatively, even if you can’t explain it logically or through evidentiary reasoning. They also discuss mattering theory, something Demetri has covered in a prior episode with Rebecca Goldstein, as well as how to build up our mental immunity using concrete steps that help us become better thinkers and better brokers of information during a time when this is desperately needed.

You can access the episode overtime, as well as the transcript and rundown to this week’s episode through the Hidden Forces Patreon Page. All subscribers gain access to our overtime feed, which can be easily added to your favorite podcast application.

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Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas

Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou

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Episode Recorded on 06/15/2021