The Psychology Podcast Nick Gillespie || Libertarianism, Soft Parenting, and Cancel Culture
Sep 23, 2021
Nick Gillespie, a prominent libertarian journalist and editor at Reason Magazine, dives into the essence of libertarianism and its relationship with soft parenting and cancel culture. He critiques America’s foreign interventions while sharing insights on childhood influences and the pressures faced by millennials. Gillespie discusses the complexities of cancel culture and its effects on free speech. He humorously reflects on the evolution of parenting styles and the importance of individual acceptance, urging a dialogue on societal norms and personal freedoms.
56:21
What is Libertarianism?
- Libertarianism champions limited government, individual liberty, and free markets.
- It values both civil and economic liberties, emphasizing tolerance, empathy, and pluralism.
Libertarianism and Foreign Policy
- The libertarian movement actively critiques American interventionism in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- The U.S. should prioritize bringing Afghan refugees who supported them to safety.
Nick Gillespie's Upbringing
- Nick Gillespie grew up in a lower-middle-class family, youngest of three, with uneducated, immigrant-parentage.
- He was contrarian, questioning authority while also achieving traditional successes like becoming an Eagle Scout.
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Intro
00:00 • 3min
Exploring Libertarianism and Individual Freedom
02:33 • 19min
Pop Culture, Psychedelics, and Parenting Insights
21:24 • 5min
Child Well-Being and Parenting Styles in the 1990s
26:06 • 11min
Navigating Acceptance and Marginalization
36:39 • 9min
Unpacking Cancel Culture
45:50 • 11min
Navigating Growth Amidst Challenges
57:04 • 2min
The Happiness Hypothesis
Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom
Jonathan Haidt
In 'The Happiness Hypothesis,' Jonathan Haidt delves into the nature of happiness, fulfillment, and meaning.
He discusses the division of the self into two parts: the primitive limbic system and the rational neocortex, using the metaphor of a rider and an elephant to explain the relationship between conscious and unconscious processes.
Haidt examines 'Great Ideas' from ancient thinkers like Plato, Buddha, and Jesus, and evaluates them in light of contemporary psychological research.
He argues that happiness is influenced by both internal and external factors, including biological set points, life conditions, and voluntary activities.
The book also explores the importance of social relationships, the role of adversity in personal growth, and the concept of 'vital engagement' in work and life.
The Coddling of the American Mind
Jonathan Haidt
Greg Lukianoff
The book explores how the ideas 'what doesn’t kill you makes you weaker,' 'always trust your feelings,' and 'life is a battle between good people and evil people' have become embedded in American culture.
These 'Great Untruths' contradict basic psychological principles and ancient wisdom, leading to a culture of safetyism that interferes with young people’s social, emotional, and intellectual development.
The authors investigate various social trends, including fearful parenting, the decline of unsupervised play, and the impact of social media, as well as changes on college campuses and the broader context of political polarization in America.
The Constitution of Knowledge
Jonathan Rauch
The Uses of Enchantment
The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales
Bruno Bettelheim
In this book, Bruno Bettelheim analyzes fairy tales through the lens of Freudian psychoanalysis.
He argues that these stories, despite their violent and fantastical content, are crucial for helping children navigate their inner lives, cope with emotional and psychological challenges, and achieve developmental milestones.
Bettelheim contends that fairy tales address issues such as separation anxiety, oedipal conflict, and sibling rivalries, providing children with a safe and symbolic way to process these complex emotions.
The book is divided into two main sections, one outlining the value of fairy tales and the other presenting detailed psychoanalytical readings of several well-known fairy tales.
Freedom from speech
Greg Lukianoff
In this book, Greg Lukianoff argues that the threats to free speech extend beyond political correctness or liberal groupthink.
He discusses how global populations are increasingly expecting not just physical but also intellectual comfort, leading to heightened demands for 'freedom from speech.
' Lukianoff emphasizes the need to understand and combat this trend to protect free speech, especially in academic environments where it is already in decline.
iGen
Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood
Jean Twenge
In 'iGen,' Jean Twenge analyzes the cultural changes affecting today's teens and young adults, born after 1995, who are the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of smartphones.
The book draws from nationally representative surveys and in-depth interviews to document how technology has influenced their socialization, mental health, attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics.
Twenge argues that this generation is distinct due to their extensive use of technology, which has led to increased levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness, as well as changes in their developmental pace and social interactions.
The book is divided into chapters that explore various themes, including the impact of internet use, changes in social behaviors, mental health crises, and shifts in religious and political attitudes.
Transcend
The New Science of Self-Actualization
Scott Barry Kaufman
In this groundbreaking book, Scott Barry Kaufman updates Maslow's hierarchy of needs by integrating Maslow's unfinished theory of transcendence with the latest research on attachment, connection, creativity, love, and purpose.
Kaufman's new hierarchy of needs serves as a roadmap for finding purpose and fulfillment by becoming the best version of oneself, rather than striving for money, success, or happiness.
The book emphasizes the importance of merging self-development with a connection to the world, highlighting that self-actualization requires both individual growth and a deep integration with others.
It includes never-before-published insights, new research findings, and exercises to help readers gain insight into their unique personality and nurture a deeper connection with their highest potential and humanity.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
In this book, Daniel Kahneman takes readers on a tour of the mind, explaining how the two systems of thought shape our judgments and decisions.
System 1 is fast, automatic, and emotional, while System 2 is slower, effortful, and logical.
Kahneman discusses the impact of cognitive biases, the difficulties of predicting future happiness, and the effects of overconfidence on corporate strategies.
He offers practical insights into how to guard against mental glitches and how to benefit from slow thinking in both personal and business life.
The book also explores the distinction between the 'experiencing self' and the 'remembering self' and their roles in our perception of happiness.
Baby and child care
Benjamin Spock
This book, first published in 1946, revolutionized child-rearing methods by advocating for flexibility and affection.
Spock's advice is arranged by topics corresponding to the child's age, from infancy to teenage years.
The book covers a wide range of topics including preparing for the baby, toilet training, school, illnesses, and special problems.
Later editions, updated by Dr. Robert Needlman, include modern medical opinions on immunizations, obesity, cultural diversity, and common developmental and behavioral challenges.
Unmasked
An Insider's Look at How the Media Controls the Narrative
Nicola Cornick
The Moral Landscape
How Science Can Determine Human Values
Sam Harris
In this book, Sam Harris challenges the traditional separation between scientific facts and human values.
He argues that morality can be understood in terms of human and animal well-being, and that science can provide objective answers to moral questions.
Harris contends that moral relativism is false and that science can tell us how we ought to live to achieve the greatest well-being.
He uses his expertise in philosophy and neuroscience to make a case for a science of morality, emphasizing that moral values should be grounded in empirical facts about what causes people to flourish.
The Righteous Mind
Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
Jonathan Haidt
In this book, Jonathan Haidt draws on twenty-five years of research on moral psychology to explain why people's moral judgments are driven by intuition rather than reason.
He introduces the Moral Foundations Theory, which posits that human morality is based on six foundations: care/harm, fairness/cheating, loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion, sanctity/degradation, and liberty/oppression.
Haidt argues that liberals tend to focus on the care/harm and fairness/cheating foundations, while conservatives draw on all six.
The book also explores how morality binds and blinds people, leading to social cohesion but also to conflicts.
Haidt aims to promote understanding and civility by highlighting the commonalities and differences in moral intuitions across political spectra.
Free Range Parenting
Lenore Skenazy
Today it’s great to have Nick Gillespie on the podcast. Nick is a libertarian journalist who is currently an editor at large at Reason. A two-time finalist for digital National Magazine Awards, Gillespie’s work has appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, Slate, Salon, Time.com, Marketplace, and basically any other publication that you’re ever going to read. The Daily Beast named Nick one of “The Right’s Top 25 Journalists”, calling him “clear headed, brainy…among the foremost libertarians in America.”
Topics
· Reason: “free minds and free markets”
· What does being a libertarian mean?
· A critique of American’s intervention in Afghanistan
· Nick’s childhood and upbringing
· The values of libertarianism
· Parallels between Maslow and libertarianism
· Nick’s pseudonym Mr. Myxzptlk
· Child-proofing the world
· How parenting styles and expectations shape children
· The millennial experience of pressure and self-actualization
· The paradox of marginalization and acceptance in current society
· The purpose of cancel culture
· Canceling people in positions of power
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