The Knowledge Project

There are only a handful of websites that I read religiously. One of those is MarginalRevolution.com, started by my next guest, Tyler Cowen. Other than hosting one of the most popular economic blogs in the world, Tyler is also an economics professor at George Mason University, a regular New York Times columnist, and the author of over a dozen books, including Average is Over, and The Complacent Class. With such a prolific guest, it’s no wonder that we cover a lot of ground. In this episode, we discuss: How the future of labor will look drastically different than it does today, and what we can do to future-proof our livelihood The pros and cons of virtual reality and the impact it could have on society The fate of newspapers and how information will be more and more “bundled” according to our tastes and preferences Race relations in the world, and how in many ways we’ve taken discouraging steps backwards How we’re losing touch with the physical world, and some of the symptoms that indicate that we could be in for a rough ride What Tyler suggests doing to improve decision making and how important (and rare) that skill will be in the coming years Tyler’s advice to parents about how to foster resilience, tenacity and internal drive in their children Tyler’s “quake books” and the reading process he’s developed over the years that keeps him sharp Why giving books as gifts can be dangerous The one skill every person should possess before Googling anything What playing competitive chess as a child taught Tyler about how he thinks and views the world today And much more, including Tyler’s thoughts on minimum wage, bitcoin, and his favorite television programs. If you want to upgrade your thinking so you’re prepared for the brave new world that’s rapidly developing before our eyes, you won’t want to miss this fascinating episode.   Go Premium: Members get early access, ad-free episodes, hand-edited transcripts, searchable transcripts, member-only episodes, and more. Sign up at: https://fs.blog/membership/   Every Sunday our newsletter shares timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/   Follow Shane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ShaneAParrish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest for this short episode of The Knowledge Project is a man who wears many hats. Ali Almossawi is a San Francisco-based author of books on critical thinking and computer science education, and the creator of An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments. He is also a principal engineer at Apple and was formerly employed as a data visualization engineer by Mozilla. His books have been read by 3 million readers, translated into 20 languages, and have sold over a quarter million copies in print. This interview is only 20 minutes along, but there was a lot I wanted to cover, so we move pretty fast. Specifically, we cover: The unique format Ali chooses when writing a book to help people understand the concepts more deeply The place for empathy in algorithmic thinking and how we can be more empathetic in our daily interactions with each other Ali’s note taking process and how he tracks the ideas and topics he’d like to explore Ali’s daily routine and the “algorithms” he uses to make the most of his day The single habit that has the most profound impact on Ali’s day to day The cost/benefit of sharing on social media and the impact it has on society as a whole And more. If you’ve ever wanted to improve the way you process information, think more clearly and make better decisions, you won’t want to miss this interview.   Go Premium: Members get early access, ad-free episodes, hand-edited transcripts, searchable transcripts, member-only episodes, and more. Sign up at: https://fs.blog/membership/   Every Sunday our newsletter shares timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/   Follow Shane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ShaneAParrish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Annie Duke, a former professional poker player and author of "Thinking in Bets," brings her unique insights on decision-making in uncertain environments. She shares how her background in psychology shaped her approach to poker, embracing the dual nature of losses as opportunities for growth. Annie discusses the importance of mental models and the influence of peer groups on learning. She emphasizes the value of accepting uncertainty in communication and decision-making, ultimately advocating for a mindset that thrives on constructive feedback and collaborative environments.

On this episode of The Knowledge Project, I’m happy to have William MacAskill. William is the co-founder and President of the Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA) and an Associate Professor in Philosophy at Oxford University. He is also the founder and president of 80,000 Hours, the co-founder and vice-president of Giving What We Can, and the author of Doing Good Better: Effective Altruism and a Radical New Way to Make a Difference. William’s work is primarily focused on encouraging people to use reason and evidence to find the best possible ways they can use their resources to make the biggest possible impact in the world. We cover a lot of ground in this interview, including: Why good intentions aren’t enough when giving to charity and how we can do better How William's giving philosophy was formed and how it developed into The Centre for Effective Altruism The best metrics to assess how good a charity is before donating a dime How letting our emotions guide our charitable giving can lead to ineffective, and sometimes harmful outcomes. How many charities today unknowingly reward low dollar donors and sell themselves short millions of dollars in potential donations A powerful thought exercise to help you gain a different but valuable perspective about helping the poor and suffering in the world The one cognitive bias William believes is the most damaging to any business, organization or individual William’s foundational values that guide his day to day decisions and actions William’s take on “radical honesty” and when honesty can be taken too far and is no longer constructive William’s definition of success and the imaginary conversation he has with himself on his deathbed to make sure he’s on the right track (this is awesome) The most common mistake William sees people make over and over (and the embarrassingly simple way to avoid making it) And then to wrap up, I gave him a softball question: What is the purpose and meaning of life? If you’ve wanted to make more of a positive impact in the world around you, this insightful interview will give you plenty to think about. Your resources are precious and should be optimized to improve the lives of those you help. I don’t know of a better person to guide you than William. *** Go Premium: Members get early access, ad-free episodes, hand-edited transcripts, searchable transcripts, member-only episodes, and more. Sign up at: https://fs.blog/membership/   Every Sunday our newsletter shares timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/   Follow Shane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ShaneAParrish   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation with Robert Greene, the author of five New York Times bestsellers, he discusses the timeless appeal of his first book, 'The 48 Laws of Power.' He introduces the concepts of 'alive time' and 'dead time,' advocating for a life filled with meaningful experiences. Greene reveals the essential skill that determines success and shares his unique research methods, including his note card system. He emphasizes the importance of disciplined writing routines and the power of brevity in communication, stressing how to optimize personal growth.

Since the popularity of Obstacle Course Racing, or OCR, has exploded onto the scene, there has been one woman who has dominated the sport: Amelia Boone. Amelia ran her first race in 2011 after some prodding from a co-worker, and though she says she stumbled her way to an unimpressive finish, she was smitten. She has since amassed over  50 podiums and two dozen victories, including the Spartan Race World Championship in 2013, and the World's Toughest Mudder (three times!) in 2012, 2014 and 2015. Oh, and her 2014 victory came just eight weeks after major knee surgery. Though she vehemently denies it, Amelia is superhuman. This interview is a little different than others you may have heard on The Knowledge Project but no less fascinating. We cover a wide variety of topics including habits, reading, self-reliance, and training. Specifically, you’ll learn: Why Amelia was drawn to obstacle racing even though running was something she despised The complementary connection between her sport and her professional work and how racing has made her a more effective attorney How Amelia fights physical and mental fatigue when most people quit (she even shares a story of how she dealt with a vacant support station halfway through a 100 mile race) What she does to develop grit and resilience so she knows she can rely on herself when things get rough Amelia’s “to-do list” trick that makes sure she’s productive — you’ll want to steal this How a serious injury taught Amelia some of her most powerful lessons about who she is and what’s important to her What Amelia’s parents did to teach her to be self-sufficient from a very young age How she learned to deal with setbacks, and how careful she is with the language she uses when she speaks to herself when things go wrong Why Amelia runs with a Sharpie and the same playlist she’s listened to for the past 5 years How Amelia transformed herself from a casual weekend warrior to one of the most finely tuned athletes in the world Whether you’re an athlete, a weekend jogger, or the only exercise you get is the leisure stroll from the couch to the refrigerator, there are lots of insights and plenty of inspiration waiting for you in this interview. Go Premium: Members get early access, ad-free episodes, hand-edited transcripts, searchable transcripts, member-only episodes, and more. Sign up at: https://fs.blog/membership/   Every Sunday our newsletter shares timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/   Follow Shane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ShaneAParrish   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Knowledge Project, I’m joined by the fascinating Dan Ariely. Dan just about does it all. He has delivered 6 TED talks with a combined 20 million views, he’s a multiple New York Times best-selling author, a widely published researcher, and the James B Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University. For the better part of three decades, Dan has been immersed in researching why humans do some of the silly, irrational things we do. And yes, as much as we’d all like to be exempt, that includes you too. In this captivating interview, we tackle a lot of interesting topics, including: The three types of decisions that control our life and how understanding our biases can help us make smarter decisions How our environment plays a big role in our decision making and the small changes we can make to automatically improve our outcomes The “behavioural driven” bathroom scale Dan has been working on to revolutionize weight loss Which of our irrational behaviors transfer across cultures and which ones are unique to certain parts of the world (for example, find out which country is the most honest) The dishonesty spectrum and why we as humans insist on flirting with the line between “honest” and “dishonest” 3 sneaky mental tricks Dan uses to avoid making ego-driven decisions “Pluralistic ignorance” and how it dangerously affects our actions and inactions (As a bonus, Dan shares the hilarious way he demonstrates this concept to his students on their first day of class) The rule Dan created specifically for people with spinach in their teeth The difference between habits, rules, and rituals, and why they are critical to shaping us into who we want to be This was a riveting discussion and one that easily could have gone for hours. If you’ve ever wondered how you’d respond in any of these eye-opening experiments, you have to listen to this interview. If you’re anything like me, you’ll learn something new about yourself, whether you want to or not.   *** Go Premium: Members get early access, ad-free episodes, hand-edited transcripts, searchable transcripts, member-only episodes, and more. Sign up at: https://fs.blog/membership/   Every Sunday our newsletter shares timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/   Follow Shane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ShaneAParrish   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Knowledge Project Podcast, I chat with Patrick Collison, co-founder and CEO of the leading online payment processing company, Stripe. If you’ve purchased anything online recently, there’s a good chance that Stripe facilitated the transaction. What is now an organization with over a thousand employees and handling tens of billions of dollars of online purchases every year, began as a small side experiment while Patrick and his brother John were going to college.   During our conversation, Patrick shares the details of their unlikely journey and some of the hard-earned wisdom he picked up along the way. I hope you have something handy to write with because the nuggets per minute in this episode are off the charts. Patrick was so open and generous with his responses that I’m really excited for you to hear what he has to say. Here are just a few of the things we cover: The biggest (and most valuable) mistakes Patrick made in the early days of Stripe and how they helped him get better The characteristics that Patrick looks for in a new hire to fit and contribute to the Stripe company culture What compelled he and his brother to move forward with the early concept of Stripe, even though on paper it was doomed to fail from the start The gaps Patrick saw in the market that dozens of other processing companies were missing — and how he capitalized on them The lessons Patrick learned from scaling Stripe from two employees (he and his brother) to nearly 1,000 today How he evaluates the upsides and potential dangers of speculative positions within the company How his Irish upbringing influenced his ability to argue and disagree without taking offense (and how we can all be a little more “Irish”) The power of finding the right peer group in your social and professional circles and how impactful and influential it can be in determining where you end up. The 4 ways Patrick has modified his decision making process over the last 5 years and how it’s helped him develop as a person and as a business leader (this part alone is worth the listen) Patrick’s unique approach to books and how he chooses what he’s going to spend his time reading ...life in Silicon Valley, Baumol’s cost disease, and so, so much more. Patrick truly is one of the warmest, humblest and down-to-earth people I’ve had the pleasure to speak with and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation together. I hope you will too! Go Premium: Members get early access, ad-free episodes, hand-edited transcripts, searchable transcripts, member-only episodes, and more. Sign up at: https://fs.blog/membership/   Every Sunday our newsletter shares timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/   Follow Shane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ShaneAParrish   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barbara Oakley, a polymath and engineering professor, shares her remarkable journey from a math-resistant student to an educator. She discusses effective learning strategies, including the power of 'chunking' knowledge and the benefits of switching between focused and diffused thinking. Oakley explains how overcoming procrastination can boost learning efficiency and emphasizes the importance of practice and memory retention. She also challenges traditional learning styles, advocating for diverse methods and the evolution of online education to foster creativity and innovation.

Today, I’m joined by speaker, international executive and five-time author Margaret Heffernan. We discuss how to get the most out of our people, creating a thriving culture of trust and collaboration, and how to prevent potentially devastating “willful blindness.”   Go Premium: Members get early access, ad-free episodes, hand-edited transcripts, searchable transcripts, member-only episodes, and more. Sign up at: https://fs.blog/membership/   Every Sunday our newsletter shares timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/   Follow Shane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ShaneAParrish   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices