This episode was recorded on September 7, 2021.Angus Fletcher and I discuss creativity, the link between literature and resilience, what makes for compelling narratives, the different kinds of stories, and much more.Angus Fletcher is a Professor of Story Science at Ohio State's Project Narrative, the world's leading academic think-tank for narrative theory. He is also the author of Wonderworks: The 25 Most Important Inventions in the History of Literature.Find more Angus Fletcher on his website: https://AngusFletcher.co[00:00] Intro[01:21] What is Project Narrative?[02:27] "Stories are the most powerful things ever invented. They're the most powerful tool we possess" Angus Fletcher[03:04] "When you realize stories have the power to change how our mind works, to troubleshoot it, to make it more resilient, more creative, more scientific—to do all these things... When you couple the power of stories with the human brain, you throw open the doors to anything" AF[03:53] The problem with literary studies. How stories empower us and improve performance[07:06] Wonderworks and the story of courage in Homer's Iliad[12:40] "Literature and scripture are synonyms. They mean 'that which is written.' So [something] more fundamental than any technology... Is simply that sense of spiritual experience" AF[13:18] The Neuropsychology of Anxiety by J. Grey[14:44] What are the 2 kinds of stories?[19:12] Story thinking[19:22] "Human cognition is largely narrative. We process the world narratively" AF[22:12] "The wonder of being on this earth... is to build stories and [empower people] to tell their own" AF "And to unite us in a collective story so we can work towards the same ends" JP[23:00] Why are certain stories so compelling?[24:48] The zone of proximal development[25:44] "Being enthralled is a manifestation of the instinct that specifies the zone of proximal development" JP[31:24] The ideal spirit transcending the individual; Jung's Pleroma[32:14] "The flip side of anxiety is creativity—they're both about restless energy" AF[33:31] What's the source of dreams?[33:55] "We have this vast knowledge in embodied action." A great storyteller takes "images that reflect a compelling pattern of behavior [and verbalizes them]” JP[34:56] Abstract representation of patterns as a dream-source[38:43] Computational power, stories, and the differences between the abstract and particular[38:48] "Much of what drives the demand for higher computational resources is... producing artificial realities for fantasy simulation" JP [45:51] Christianity and Star Wars[46:35] "Star Wars is Christianity for atheist nerds" JP[46:56] "We are most happy when we don't perceive ourselves as inheriting an archetypal story" AF[48:16] "We see in stories, and this is partly why our eyes are adapted... so that people can see [the white in] our eyes. It's really important because [our eyes point at] what they're interested in. We can see what they value [and] infer their motivation" JP[50:36] Literature and psychedelic experiences[51:27] "In psychotherapy... you're trying to hammer the person's narrative into a single... functional unit" JP[55:31] Trauma, unconscious mapping, and dream analysis[56:56] "Any territory you cannot perceive through the overlaid projection of a narrative map is traumatizing" JP [59:59] Jung, Joseph Campbell, and Erich Neumann[01:02:51] Jung vs Darwin on stories[01:10:18] "Literature can build emotional and intellectual resilience" AF[01:14:55] Being adaptive is “to be emotionally and intellectually resilient" AF[01:15:54] Creative training; measuring creativity#Creativity #Stories #Jung #Literature #Darwin

As an alternative for those who would rather listen ad-free, sign up for a premium subscription to receive the following:• All JBP Podcast episodes are ad-free.• Monthly Ask Me Anything episodes (and the ability to ask questions).• Presale access to events.• Premium, detailed show notes for future episodes.Sign up here: https://jordanbpeterson.supercast.com/--We use stories to understand the world around us. It’s the reason that we appreciate a beautiful poem, why our breath is taken away during an epic movie, and get transported to another world while reading a great book. Any great piece of music is a story, with the lyrics used, but also even the instrumental arrangements. It’s hard to argue that any of the great orchestral pieces from Beethoven or Bach don’t tell a complex story, even when no words are used.Stories, and Narrative in general, allow us to play games for fun, construct cooperative relationships in business and in life, and help us successfully navigate the most difficult parts of our lives. From birth to death, every day of our lives is inundated by story. Part one of this compilation focuses on season 4 conversations between Jordan, Randall Wallace, Chloe Valdery (released soon) and Angus Fletcher. We hope you enjoy this narrative.--This episode was brought to you by Skillshare. Explore your creativity at Skillshare.com/Peterson and get a one-month free trial. That’s one month free... only at Skillshare.com/Peterson.This episode was sponsored by Audible. There's a 30-day trial for newcomers, Audible.com/Peterson or text "Peterson" to 500-500

This week our guest is Professor of Story Science at Ohio State University’s Project Narrative, Angus Fletcher, who pulls on his background of literature and neuroscience to understand how brains and machines process story and narrative. Angus has recently made some extremely bold claims, including putting forth a proof that “even a sentient, self-aware, and infinitely powerful computer could never innovate” because it can’t engage in narrative thought. In essence, computer AI cannot replicate human creativity, and all of our expectations around self-driving cars and ChatGPT come down to a human-guided prank that pretends to do something it’s not really doing. In this episode, I obviously push back on this idea that narrative limits computer AI, but Angus makes some strong counter-arguments. Find out more about Angus and his work at angusfletcher.co  ** Apply for registration to our exclusive South By Southwest event on March 14th @ www.su.org/basecamp-sxsw Apply for an Executive Program Scholarship at su.org/executive-program/ep-scholarship Learn more about Singularity: su.org Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter Music by: Amine el Filali

Text Hawk to 66866 to become part of "Mindful Monday." Join 10's of thousands of your fellow learning leaders and receive a carefully curated email from me each Monday morning to help you start your week off right... Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12   https://twitter.com/RyanHawk12 Dr. Angus Fletcher has dual degrees in neuroscience (BS, University of Michigan) and literature (Ph.D., Yale). His research employs a mix of laboratory experiment, literary history, and rhetorical theory to explore the psychological effects—cognitive, behavioral, therapeutic—of different narrative technologies. He’s the best-selling author of multiple books including Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature, and Storythinking: The New Science of Narrative Intelligence. "The story you tell yourself needs to be the true story of yourself." How Angus tells his story: Build trust Listen Demonstrate courage - Angus told a group of special forces operators one of the most embarrassing stories of his life. After that, he said, "I'm not scared of anything." You must be genuinely humble to learn from your mistakes. "Real leaders activate the leader within you." Being a leader is all about contemplating fear. Stepping up when adversity strikes is why we exist as leaders. It’s easy to lead when everything is going well. We want to be known as the leader who is there when it’s hard. Dr. Fletcher's ultimate goal of using the power of story to bring us closer to self-actualization. Seems like that's a good first step to being a great leader. Confidence is earned by creating evidence for yourself that you can do hard things. Angus did this when he shared his story of not making it through Marine Corps boot camp. Angus's vulnerability earned trust with the military leaders. “For the longer we suspend our judgments, the more accurate our subsequent verdicts become. This valuable fact has been uncovered by researchers who’ve spent decades probing the mechanics of better decision-making, only to discover that the key is simply more time and more information. Which is to say: reserving our judgment until the last possible moment.” Unlike a computer, the brain wasn’t particularly data-driven. Or particularly logical. Instead, it was emotional. And creative. And powered by story. “There are a number of judgments that we can suspend permanently, including most of our judgments about other people. Our brain is constantly making such judgments. It looks at strangers on the street—and judges them. It looks at celebrities in magazines—and judges them. It looks at family members and colleagues and friends in homes and offices and restaurants—and judges them. These judgments feel instantly good to our neurons; they deliver pleasant microdoses of emotional superiority. But in the long run, they make us anxious, incurious, and less happy, so we can improve our long-term mental well-being if we suspend them.” Apply to be part of my Leadership Circle 02:12 - Highlights of Leadership Training04:24 - How to Prevent Failure09:14 - What is a Story Scientist? 12:57 - Is Story Science Therapy? 14:22 - Tell Your Story 18:56 - Vulnerability is the Most Powerful Thing You Can Do 22:00 - Can You Go Too Far With Being Vulnerable? 25:19 - How to Be Vulnerable 32:42 - Real Leaders Activate the Leader In You 36:10 - Where Does Your Sense of Confidence Come From? 40:50 - Punch Through Your Own Fear 43:00 - Be Open About What Could Go Wrong 44:47 - Questions to Ask During the Interview Process 48:33 - Responding to Adversity IS Leadership 51:45 - How to Be Excellent at Speaking 56:27 - Advice For Younger Leaders

Gary Goldman and Angus Fletcher discuss the challenges of selling a Philip K. Dick adaptation with plot twists too intense for action actors. They reveal the roller coaster ride of Hollywood's development hell and the early AI that couldn't pick a smart script.