Human Nature with Roni Fouks

Nir Minerbi and Amir Naveh are two of the founders of a quantum computing company called Classiq. So it turns out, quantum computing is a thing. Quantum computing is an exciting new approach that integrates computers as we know them today with the principles of quantum physics.  An important distinction between the classic Newtonian physics and quantum physics is that, in Newtonian physics, things are considered causal, meaning, one thing causes the other. So if we have complete knowledge of the past, that means that we can compute the future, and vice versa. But in quantum physics, things get a little more complicated. Objects, such as atoms, are neither particles nor waves, but instead, are a weird combination of the two. We can’t be 100% certain where things actually are and how they move. So in this paradigm, if we have complete knowledge of the past, we can only make probabilistic predictions of the future. And so quantum computing introduces this probability factor into the mix.The way regular computers are built today, the entire system is built on the binary code, just a string of ones and zeros can make everything that our laptops and phones do possible. In quantum computing, things get a little more complicated. Because we no longer have ones and zeros, but instead, the entire machinery is based on probabilities. Sounds like science fiction, I know.Nir and Amir did an amazing job in simplifying this complex topic, starting from a background of how quantum physics evolved, to the emerging industry of quantum computing, and the role they hope their company Classiq will play in this new field.  We also got into their journey being founders of a start-up, and spoke at length about their philosophies around work-life balance, personal growth, and how to cultivate a company culture of family and excellence. @YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBiggerPicturePodcast@Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biggerpicturepodbyroni/@Website: https://thebiggerpicturepod.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ronifouks.substack.com/subscribe

How do words shape our thoughts and our reality? How can changing one word dramatically impact people's opinions? What really is the importance of being precise in your speech?Orly studies psycholinguistics, which is the meeting place between psychology and linguistic studies. In particular, she researches how language can affect our attitudes, emotions, and responses. We spoke about the research she’s done in the field of conflict resolution and negotiations, where she and her colleagues have shown that different wordings, often very subtle, can have a substantial impact on how we perceive different texts and messages.It’s incredible how much our language and the words we choose to use shape our reality and our interpersonal relationships. Language is this miraculous human instinct, and it’s such an integral part of our experience that we often take it for granted. So I hope this conversation will help shed some light on some of the different aspects of language - how it works, how we acquire it, and how it affects our thoughts and our reality.  @YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBiggerPicturePodcast@Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biggerpicturepodbyroni/@Website: https://thebiggerpicturepod.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ronifouks.substack.com/subscribe

What makes some people resilient, and others not? How can we make psychology scalable? Prof. Danny Hamiel is a clinical psychologist by trade and a researcher. Danny's bigger picture is to promote well-being on a larger scale. He is the head of the Cognitive-Behavioral unit in the Tel-Aviv university mental health center and is the director of the unit for school interventions at the Cohen-Harris Center for Resilience, which has been chosen by the Israeli Ministry of Education as the national program for school interventions to promote resilience and help children deal with daily stressors and to cope with trauma. These programs are especially important in cities that are at high risk for mass disasters. Danny has devoted his life to developing programs and interventions that promote well-being in the community and that are scaleable, and we speak about how he thinks we can apply the insights of psychology in a way that improves many people's lives rather than just a few. We spoke about CBT, which is a more modern approach to psychotherapy, and what he thinks makes third-wave CBT the way to go. Danny really opened my eyes in this conversation to the strengths of CBT and the amazing changes it can help people make, in a relatively short time frame, by putting most of the focus on the here-and-now.@YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBiggerPicturePodcast@Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biggerpicturepodbyroni/@Website: https://thebiggerpicturepod.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ronifouks.substack.com/subscribe

How are game theory, math, and values related? In this episode, we spoke about Game Theory and its different applications in real life with Prof. Eilon Solan from Tel Aviv University. Eilon holds a PhD in Mathematics from the Hebrew university. Besides his fascination with math, Eilon is also a fan of sci-fi and he authored two science fiction books in Hebrew.One of the topics we spoke about is the exciting idea of emergent ethics arising out of game theory models. One of the things that we discover after investigating different models of game theory is that the best long term strategy in many games is a cooperative strategy.  So in a sense, in game theory, the idea of cooperation can be "mathematically proven".‍@YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBiggerPicturePodcast@Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biggerpicturepodbyroni/@Website: https://thebiggerpicturepod.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ronifouks.substack.com/subscribe

How can insights from political psychology help us improve the debate between the right and the left?  In this episode we spoke with Prof. Gilad Hirschberger, an experimental social and political psychologist who studies collective threats and their relevance to group survival concerns and to intergroup relations. Based on a multidimensional existential threat (MET) model that he developed, he studies how the shadow of past threats, such as the Holocaust, and the specter of threats looming in the future can influence attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions.In our conversation, we spoke about how his MET model can provide us with a different lens through which we see politics, and how his framework can help create a healthier dialogue, allowing the right and the left to work through disagreements, recognize each other's value, and to overall help us make progress and  get out of the political rut in which we find ourselves.Gilad received his BA in psychology from Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Bar-Ilan University. He then went back to Berkeley to complete his post-doctorate. Currently, Gilad is an Associate Professor of psychology at IDC.@YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBiggerPicturePodcast@Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biggerpicturepodbyroni/@Website: https://thebiggerpicturepod.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ronifouks.substack.com/subscribe

Have you ever asked yourself, "Do I really have free-will? Or is everything that happens already pre-determined"? If so, you're in luck.In this episode we spoke with Prof. Daniel Levy, a cognitive neuroscientist and the dean of the school of Psychology at IDC. Daniel's research focuses on understanding the processes of the human mind, specifically on different aspects of memory and attention. Notably, Daniel began his explorations of psychology through the humanities and the study of philosophy, leading to much exploration around the philosophy of consciousness and free-will. He received his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and did his post-doctoral fellowships on human memory at the University of California in San Diego and Bar-Ilan University. He's also taught cognitive neuroscience at the Weizmann Institute.To this day he remains fascinated by the integration of psychology and philosophy, and has written about the neuroscience of Free Will, where he gives his unique take on the matter by integrating neurobiology with one of the most pressing questions in the study of philosophy, which is - do we have free will? If you want to learn more about how neuroscience can help us settle the debate between free-will and determinism, this episode is definitely for you.@YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBiggerPicturePodcast@Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biggerpicturepodbyroni/@Website: https://thebiggerpicturepod.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ronifouks.substack.com/subscribe

Are we rational? Are we as moral as we think we are? Can we really trust ourselves to make rational ethical decisions? In this episode, we have Dr. Guy Hochman, who is a senior lecturer and the head of the MA program in Behavioral Economics  at Reichman University.Guy received his PhD in organizational psychology from the Technion university and then went on to complete his post-doctorate at Duke University under the supervision of Prof. Dan Ariely. His research focuses on heuristics and biases, behavioral economics, pro-social and anti-social behavior, and the cognitive processes that underlie decision making.We got into some of the basics of behavioral economics and the revolutionary way that this field incorporates the human element into economic research. We'll also explore the idea of ethical decision making, and how such research can help us promote moral behavior and bring about a more ethical society. @YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBiggerPicturePodcast@Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biggerpicturepodbyroni/@Website: https://thebiggerpicturepod.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ronifouks.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we spoke with  Prof. Shimon Shocken, the founding dean of the school of Computer Science at Reichman University.After being a tenured professor at NYU for 10 years, Shimon came back to Israel to take part in building a new academic institution from scratch. Over the years, Shimon was also a visiting professor at Harvard and Stanford, and served as chairman of the Computer Science Curriculum committee of Israel's Ministry of Education from 2009 to 2012. Shimon is a passionate educator, and has developed revolutionary courses such as NandtoTetris and Matific, which we spoke about in this episode. @YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBiggerPicturePodcast@Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biggerpicturepodbyroni/@Website: https://thebiggerpicturepod.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ronifouks.substack.com/subscribe