Keep Talking

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?

Stephen Kinzer is a historian, a Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs at Brown University, and the author of various books including, "Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control."------------Book a meeting with Dan------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) What was MK-Ultra? Who was Sidney Gottlieb?(08:55) The U.S.'s collaboration with Nazi and Japanese torturers(14:43) The historical context that justified MK-Ultra(24:25) Examples of torture from the MK-Ultra program(30:53) LSD and MK-Ultra(39:14) The eventual conclusion from the MK-Ultra program(43:21) Speculating on the full scope and details of the MK-Ultra program(49:13) Stephen's ethical judgments on Gottlieb(53:25) Has Stephen received pushback for his revelations?(57:04) Is something like MK-Ultra happening now?(59:47) Why do so few Americans know about MK-Ultra?