Lives Well Lived (RE-RELEASE) A.J. JACOBS: experimenting with life
Dec 25, 2025
A.J. Jacobs, an author and humorist, shares his journey as a 'human guinea pig' experimenting with life in immersive, year-long projects. He discusses radical honesty and its social repercussions, his critiques of biblical literalism through a year of living by 700 rules, and the practice of gratitude that transformed his outlook. A.J. also explores creativity rituals, moral obligations in philanthropy, and the challenges of navigating modern democracy, all while revealing the joys and absurdities of his unique life experiments.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Living As A Structured Experiment
- A.J. Jacobs treats immersive year-long projects as structured experiments to learn about better living.
- He aims for personal improvement and wider societal benefit while funding future projects by selling books.
Encyclopedia Reading Backfired At Home
- A.J. read the Encyclopedia Britannica end-to-end and annoyed his family by inserting random facts into conversation.
- His wife fined him for every fact, costing him hundreds or thousands of dollars.
The Good Old Days Weren't Good
- Reading history convinced A.J. that the "good old days" were often worse and progress is possible.
- He cites horrific past practices to argue for cautious optimism about human progress.