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podcast – The Methods of Rationality Podcast

Latest episodes

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Jul 15, 2025 • 1h 20min

Blindsided 08: We Got A Live One!

Join Brian and Steven as we wrangle up some aliens of dubious sentience so we can confine them and do some mad science at them! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them” —Einstein This episode’s discussion ends at the quote: “Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by What is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him?” —Pierre Troubetzkoy For next week, stop reading when you get to the quote: “If I can but make the words awake the feeling” —Ian Anderson, Stand Up
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Jul 7, 2025 • 1h 12min

Blindsided 07: Competitive Ecology

Hold on tight – Brian and Steven throw themselves back into the mysterious alien spacecraft after punching a hole in it with antimatter! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “You have eyes, but you do not see” —Jesus the Nazorean This episode’s discussion ends at the quote: “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them” —Einstein For next week, stop reading when you get to the quote: “Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by What is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him?” —Pierre Troubetzkoy
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Jun 30, 2025 • 1h 5min

Blindsided 06: Madness-Inducing Meat-Grinder

Brian and Steven continue diving into the madness-inducing meat-grinder over and over. Come on and join the party! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Predators run for their dinner. Prey run for their lives.” —Old Ecologist’s Proverb This episode’s discussion ends at the quote: “You have eyes, but you do not see” —Jesus the Nazorean For next week, stop reading when you get to the quote: “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them” —Einstein Here are a couple of videos that demonstrate inattentional blindness. I hope you have as much fun getting your world rocked as I did when I first saw these. :)
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Jun 16, 2025 • 1h 17min

Blindsided 05: Alien Space Ghosts!

Join Brian and Steven as they throw caution to the winds, don their Big Daddy costumes, and get ready to rumble with some space ghosts! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own.” —Aristotle This episode’s discussion ends at the quote: “Predators run for their dinner. Prey run for their lives.” —Old Ecologist’s Proverb For next week, stop reading when you get to the quote: “You have eyes, but you do not see” —Jesus the Nazorean
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Jun 9, 2025 • 1h 12min

Blindsided 04: You Wanna Throw Down, Bro?!

Join Brian and Steven, who are maybe trapped inside of a Chinese Room. Or maybe banging on it from the outside. Who knows? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “They know the music but not the words.” — Hare, Without Conscience This episode’s discussion ends at the quote: “Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own.” —Aristotle For next week, stop reading when you get to the quote: “Predators run for their dinner. Prey run for their lives.” —Old Ecologist’s Proverb
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Jun 2, 2025 • 1h 10min

Blindsided 03: Theseus, are you there? It’s me, Rorschach

Join Brian and Steven as we talk with some maybe-super-smart aliens in our discussion of part 3 of Blindsight! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “They know the music but not the words.” — Hare, Without Conscience And the stop quote for this episode is: “Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own.” —Aristotle
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May 26, 2025 • 1h 21min

Blindsided 02: Smile! You’re on Camera!

Join Brian and Steven on their expedition to the edge of the solar system with part 2 of Blindsight! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. (I read the wrong quote at the top of the episode. Whoopsie!) Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them.” —Robert Jarvik And the stop quote for this episode is: “They know the music but not the words.” — Hare, Without Conscience
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May 18, 2025 • 1h 3min

Blindsided 01: Aliens, Vampires, and Children – oh my!

Steven and Brian take their first real dive into the strange world of Blindsight. I hope you are having as much as we are. :) The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. Check out the awesome companion website sxp made! The starting quote for this episode is: “Try to touch the past. Try to deal with the past. It’s not real. It’s just a dream.” —Ted Bundy And the stop quote for this episode is: “Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them.” —Robert Jarvik
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May 12, 2025 • 8min

Blindsided 00: Announcement

Steven and Brian announce their latest reading project – Blindsight by Peter Watts! The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but it does have natural stopping points separated by quotes. The first week we’ll be reading up until: “When it is dark enough, you can see the stars. — Emerson” Everyone should buy a copy and check it out!
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Apr 21, 2025 • 53min

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) perfection

A movie that somehow did it all. You can find Matt at his regular media-analysis podcast at Doof Media.

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