Keep Talking

Greg Lukianoff is a journalist, an attorney, the co-author of "The Coddling of the American Mind," and the President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Greg puts it well when he calls freedom of speech "the eternally radical idea."A rebroadcast from 2022.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:58) Greg's interest in free speech(06:35) Free speech: "the eternally radical idea"(10:55) What happens in societies without free speech(17:14) How free speech creates a more peaceful society(24:17) Key observations from "The Coddling of the American Mind"(34:32) Social media's effect on free speech(43:35) Examples of cancel culture(50:22) Respect for free speech must begin early in one's life(57:42) What is the point of education?(01:03:37) Antifragility and the importance of growth through struggle(01:08:48) How overcoming mental health struggles informs Greg's beliefs

Robert Greene is the author of many best-selling books, including "The 48 Laws of Power," which is the primary subject of our conversation. A rebroadcast from 2022.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) ‘Power’ as explained in "The 48 Laws of Power"(04:33) Robert's depression before writing "The 48 Laws of Power"(09:03) Why are people reluctant to talk about power?(13:44) The link between the desire for fulfillment and power(17:58) From powerless to powerful: Robert’s story(22:30) Human's desire to gain power through autonomy and authenticity(27:19) How to live a life that increases one's power(33:00) The importance of self-mastery(38:03) Lincoln's quote about power(44:22) Is power inherently neutral, neither good nor bad?(47:49) Carl Jung's quote on "the shadow"(52:20) What are examples of America's shadow?(56:07) The importance of integrating one's shadow(01:04:56) How can the American center hold, given our polarization?(01:12:07) Four laws of power for modern times(01:14:44) The relationship between power and love

Merle Bombardieri is a clinical social worker, a psychotherapist and the author of "The Baby Decision: How to Make The Most Important Choice of Your Life."------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) How Merle got involved in helping people decide about kids(07:21) How Merle decided whether to have kids(09:44) Maintaining neutrality when going through exercises(13:34) Being childfree should be the default(17:57) Role models for the childfree(21:00) When is not having kids a growth decision?(23:05) Is Merle disappointed that one of her kids is childfree?(26:30) Exercises for straight couples to decide whether to have kids(36:02) Long-term ambivalence should result in being childfree(38:50) How to better understand what it's like to have kids(40:48) What do the childfree not understand about parenthood?(42:30) "As a child-free person, you have a right to be ordinary.”(44:30) Suggestions for someone who wants to be childfree and has no support(49:05) Who should become parents?(56:49) Are we getting better at having this conversation?(58:34) The importance of growth for the child-free

Vejas Liulevicius is a historian, an author, and a professor whose "Great Courses" lectures include "Turning Points in Modern History" and "War, Peace, and Power: Diplomatic History of Europe, 1500–2000."------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) Rome, Greece, and the Enlightenment(12:57) Contrasting the Enlightenment to other political philosophies of its time(22:07) The American Revolution and the American Experiment(30:47) Alexis de Tocqueville and "Democracy in America"(34:24) The Weimar Republic and the Rise of Nazism(46:41) How Hitler rose and what culturally preceded dictatorship in Germany(54:16) The 2024 U.S. Presidential election and our point in history(58:20) The Great Courses

Mark Galeotti is a historian, an essayist, a podcaster, and the author of many books including "A Short History of Russia: How the World's Largest Country Invented Itself, from the Pagans to Putin."------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) Czarist Russia at the beginning of the 20th century(03:50) The Russian Revolution(08:00) World War I and The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk(11:52) Lenin and Stalin(17:00) The Great Terror(21:02) Russia during World War II(28:15) How close were the Nazis to taking over the Soviet Union?(29:50) Russia and The Cold War(37:05) Why Soviets no longer believed in Marxism(39:35) The life and rise of Vladimir Putin(45:35) Putin, Yeltsin, and the turn of the century(51:56) How do we misunderstand the modern Russian government?(55:05) Alexei Navalny(59:20) The war with Ukraine

Konstantin Kisin is an author, an essayist, and the co-host of the YouTube channel and podcast Triggernometry. A rebroadcast from 2022.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(1:00) Transition from Soviet Union to wealth in post-collapse Russia(4:00) Impact of the Soviet collapse on ordinary people's lives(6:31) Personal resilience shaped by tumultuous childhood experiences(8:30) Lack of education about the Soviet experience in the West(11:06) The Russian Revolution and its implications for society today(11:20) Overview of the dictatorship of the proletariat concept.(12:55) Impact of property expropriation on wealthy families during the revolution.(14:03) Consequences of collective farming in Soviet society.(16:12) The Soviet Union's attempt at equality led to widespread poverty.(19:02) Insights on the Russian psyche from democratic experiments in the 90s.(23:42) Describing the chaotic aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse.(25:12) Painful experiences shaped Russian society during the 1990s.(27:11) Russia's surrender to terrorists: a psychological shock for citizens.(29:07) Vladimir Putin emerged as a strongman leader in chaos.(30:46) Boris Yeltsin's legacy and Putin's rise to power explained.(36:57) Freedom of expression as the foundation of Western society.(39:09) The importance of free speech and its recent threats discussed.(40:11) The roots of political correctness and free speech erosion.(41:34) Exploring the dangers of hierarchical ideologies in society.(43:15) The natural dynamics between men and women in relationships.(45:23) Martin Luther King’s vision for character over skin color.(46:00) Concerns about societal divisions and their historical implications.(48:14) The universal threat of believing some people are superior to others.(49:00) Thought-provoking quotes(54:00) The West and the importance of individual rights(1:00:41) George Kennan's insights on containment and Western values.(1:01:13) Concerns about identity politics and its impact on society.(1:02:41) The danger of losing a unified national identity.(1:05:41) Internal division as the real threat to powerful nations.(1:08:30) Contextualizing slavery and colonialism in world history.(1:12:31) The role of comedy in challenging mainstream narratives.

Randy Nesse is a psychiatrist, a professor, and the author of "Good Reasons for Bad Feelings: Insights from the Frontier of Evolutionary Psychiatry."------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:40) Why low mood exists(04:23) Giving up goals can improve your mental health(06:48) When is it appropriate to give up goals?(11:50) "In what situations was this emotion useful across our evolutionary history?"(21:51) How Randy developed an evolutionary framework(28:25) Examples of working with depression from Randy's career(36:40) Freud, Jung, and mental illness(49:23) Exposure therapy(54:11) Quotes from "Good Reasons for Bad Feelings"(59:55) Partner choice and selfish genes

Richard Wrangham is a professor at Harvard, a primatologist, and the author of multiple books including "The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution."------------Book a meeting with Dan------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:50) How humans have removed alpha male bullies(09:59) Christopher Boehm's "Hierarchy in the Forest"(16:06) Implications of human's self-domestication through violence(22:03) Bullying male behavior that would lead to execution(28:45) How the threat of violence influenced our moral impulses(34:23) Psychopathy and reactive aggression in adult men(45:25) How can someone spot a psychopath?(50:07) Jane Goodall and how Richard views human nature(01:02:53) Cooking and fire(01:03:13) Richard's views on removing the y chromosome(01:10:39) Removing genes for extreme aggression rather than men altogether

Robert Plomin is a British-American scientist, a psychologist and behavioral geneticist, and the author of the bestselling book, "Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are."------------Book a meeting with Dan------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:53) The power of DNA in making us who we are(03:40) Debunking the nurture-focused perspective(10:40) Robert's views on his own genetic predisposition to weight gain(22:59) How personalized, low-cost DNA sequencing will effect people's lives(30:21) Clarity around genetic risk will improve with time(31:49) The probabilistic, nuanced truth of genetic influence (38:20) Clarifying randomness and the nurture aspect of who we are(43:57) Identical twins(49:36) Quotes from "Blueprint"(58:41) A quote about child rearing from Tig Notaro(01:02:00) How genetic truths can make people more compassionate(01:04:52) Merging evolution and psychology(01:15:23) How should society evolve and improve because of these truths?(01:18:23) B.F. Skinner and the power of nature in the extremes

Brian Hare is a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University and is the co-author of the book "Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity."------------Book a meeting with Dan------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:46) The origin and ideas of "Survival of the Friendliest"(07:38) The story of human survival and dominance(20:20) What is meant by "friendliness"?(26:40) Tribal identity and darker aspects of human cooperation(35:15) Political polarization in America(46:12) The work of Braver Angels and overcoming political division(52:30) Is it ever appropriate to dehumanize?