Dr. Massimo Pigliucci is a philosopher and evolutionary biologist, the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a prolific author of over 100 academic papers, 16 books including Evolution: The Extended Synthesis, and the best-selling How to Be a Stoic, as well as thousands of posts and short clips of wisdom on his Stoic Meditations and Practical Wisdom podcasts and Rationally Speaking blog. His research interests include the philosophy of science and evolutionary biology, the nature of psueoscience, and practical philosophies like Stoicism and Neoskepticism.

Dr. Stephanie Bugden is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Winnipeg, and an expert in the psychology and neuroscience of children's math learning. In this episode we discuss the nature versus nurture debate in math ability and the genetic and environmental influences on math learning. Dr. Bugden explains that both genetics and early learning experiences play a role in individual differences in math ability, verbal IQ, and visuospatial IQ. We also discuss whether there are sex differences in math ability at various ages, and how these differences might be confounded by math anxiety. Dr. Bugden also shares her research on the neurobiological processes involved in math learning and the challenges of studying dyscalculia, a math learning disability analogous to dyslexia. Lastly, we discuss the impact of COVID-19 on math learning and the potential exacerbation of socioeconomic inequalities in education.

Kevin J. DeBruin is a former NASA rocket scientist, a science educator and speaker, former bodybuilder and American Ninja Warrior, founder of Space Class, and author of To NASA and Beyond, and To Dare Mighty Things. In this episode we talk about Kevin’s career as a rocket scientist, life at NASA, and his story of perseverance in his books. We also discuss overlap between the mindset of engineers, bodybuilders, and self-help psychologists, sharing in common a detail-oriented focus on planning, breaking down goals into small steps, and self-discipline. We discuss other parallels between rocket science and cognitive science, such as the development of artificial intelligence, neural networks, and everyday technologies such as smartphones made possible due to technological advancements originally developed at NASA for the purposes of spaceflight. Lastly, we discuss the importance of science education, particularly from educators with deep scientific training in order to ensure effective science communication and prevent misinformation. Timestamps: 0:04:29 Kevin's journey to NASA and the challenges he faced 0:18:25 Kevin's day-to-day work life at NASA 0:25:22 Comparison between NASA and private space industry 0:35:41 Kevin's transition from NASA to science education 0:46:01 The importance of technical depth in science communication 0:52:41 The inspiration and impact of working with kids 0:56:21 The Dunning-Kruger effect and the unknown knowns 0:57:22 The connection between physics and neuropsychology 1:00:37 Overview of Kevin's book "To Dare Mighty Things"

Dr. Jonas Kaplan is a cognitive neuroscientist and faculty at USC's Brain and Creativity Institute, where he co-directs the the Dornsife Cognitive Neuroimaging Center. His research focuses on consciousness, the self, belief, empathy, social relationships, action perception and creativity. In this reunion episode, episode, we discuss active inference and predictive processing theories of consciousness, panpsychism, philosophy of mind, and the difference between interoception and exteroception. We further consider the evolutionary psychology of self-awareness, empathy, status seeking, and sexuality, and how these translate to modern technology and mental health. Lastly, we discuss neuroscience and its connection to film and literature, which Jonas discusses on his new podcast Float, and how this connects to cross-cultural analyses of religion, archetypes, and recent debates between Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson on the psychology and utility of religion. Timestamps: 0:01:30 Active inference and predictive processing 0:04:24 Skepticism about applying active inference to interoception 0:08:33 Consciousness, affect, and emotion 0:11:40 Dualism in neuroscience and philosophy of mind 0:13:41 The role of the body in consciousness and empathy 0:16:33 The limitations and challenges of artificial intelligence and empathy 0:20:09 The relationship between consciousness, narrative, and selfhood 0:26:23 Panpsychism and self-organizing systems 0:30:40 Postmodernism and categorical distinction 0:34:04 Pragmatism in statistics and narrative 0:38:08 How the brain recognizes narrative structure 0:40:32 Storytelling in hunter gatherers 0:42:04 Sexual selection, dominance, and creativity 0:49:24 The self as a collection of sub-personalities 0:52:43 Social comparison, stress, and mental health 0:55:08 Sexual selection, social status, and the crowdsourcing of wisdom 1:02:31 The psychology of dating apps 1:07:24 The potential impact of different app designs on mental health 1:09:32 The immersive experience of storytelling and audience engagement 1:13:34 The intersection of neuroscience, film, and storytelling 1:17:03 Black Mirror, technology, and memory 1:20:00 The value of forgetting and the nostalgia bias in memory 1:21:49 The cultural evolution of religion 1:25:24 Archetypes and their usefulness 1:30:40 Pantheism and mathematical Platonism 1:35:24 The necessity of axioms in science

Dr. Paul Bloom is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, and the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. Paul studies how children and adults make sense of the world, with special focus on language, pleasure, morality, religion, fiction, and art. He is the author of seven books, including his latest Psych: The Story of the Human Mind. In this episode, we sample some of the many, many topics covered in Psych, including Freud, evolutionary psychology, language development, moral development, and social cognition. We also talk about Paul’s early research on language development and moral cognition, my own research on pubertal hormones and brain development, and the meta-psychology of what makes podcasts interesting. 0:00:02 Introduction to Dr. Paul Bloom and his research 0:01:10 The story behind the article "Natural Language and Natural Selection" 0:05:20 The connection between developmental psychology and evolutionary psychology 0:08:20 The concept of ontogeny recapitulating phylogeny 0:11:41 Transition from language development to moral development 0:13:42 The relationship between disgust and morality 0:16:18 The parallels between physical traits and moral traits 0:19:23 The connection between free will and moral responsibility 0:25:04 The nature-nurture debate and the role of genetics in psychology 0:31:06 The continuum of traits and the question of determinism 0:34:07 The influence of Freud and the shift towards empirical psychology 0:45:06 The history of psychology and the influence of old theories 0:55:20 The role of clinical psychology and the question of mental illness1:01:21 The psychological tendency to rationalize silver linings and find upsides in negative traits 1:06:17 Paul's role as an editor for a journal and prioritizing what to read in psychology 1:08:02 The social intimacy and connection of podcasts

Dr. Ben Smith is a neuroscientist and postdoctoral research fellow in the Social Affective Neuroscience Lab at the University of Oregon. In this episode we talk about Ben’s research on the social neuroscience of risky decision-making, computational modeling of the reward and punishment system during decision-making, the abstract-concrete tangibility axis of the prefrontal cortex, moral and ideological decision-making, and how decision neuroscience connects to habits, health, and effective altruism.

Dr. Emily Jacobs is an Associate Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she studies how sex hormones impact brain structure, function, and cognition, particularly during menopause and across the menstrual cycle.  In this episode we talk about how the brain is an endocrine organ: one which communicates through hormones. We talk about Emily’s research on brain aging and cognition, how sex hormones change the brain during menopause and across the menstrual cycle, and how sex hormones lead to sex differentiation in the brain. We also talk about Emily’s research for women’s health, historical barriers slowing advancement in our understanding of the female reproductive cycle across the lifespan, and modern research efforts taken to remedy this.

Dr. Judith Fan is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, where she runs the Cognitive Tools Lab: https://cogtoolslab.github.io/ In this episode, Dr. Fan discusses the concept of reverse engineering the human cognitive toolkit, which involves uncovering the principles and constraints that shape our thinking and the tools we use to support our cognitive processes. She explains that cognitive tools are material artifacts, such as numbers, pictures, and language, that help us think and communicate. Dr. Fan highlights the importance of understanding the mechanisms behind these tools and how they interact with our brains.She explores the use of pictures as a cognitive tool and how they have been used throughout history to encode and communicate knowledge. Dr. Fan also discusses the convergence between artificial neural networks and the human brain in understanding visual inputs, such as faces. She explains that these systems can approximate the behaviors of real neurons and provide insights into how our brains process visual information.Dr. Fan emphasizes the role of education in shaping our cognitive toolkit and the importance of providing learners with multiple modalities for engaging with information. She also discusses the potential of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, in supporting rich and generative forms of learning. 0:00:02 Introduction to Dr. Judy Fan and her research 0:00:30 Definition of reverse engineering and cognitive toolkit 0:02:06 Examples of cognitive tools like accounting devices and pictures 0:08:50 Connection between cognitive tools and advancements in computer vision 0:17:51 Discussion on the similarities between artificial neural networks and human brain 0:22:04 The use of AI systems like DALL·E to create images 0:25:26 The influence of historical and cultural context on cognitive toolkits 0:27:21 The role of education in shaping cognitive toolkits 0:32:15 The potential genetic component of cognitive toolkits 0:37:15 The debate on visual learners and individual differences in learning 0:40:24 The interaction between cognitive tools and unlocking new abilities 0:44:20 Dr. Judy Fan's excitement about future research at Stanford 0:47:14 The potential of screens and technology in education 0:49:41 The importance of scaffolding activities and avoiding drawbacks 0:52:51 The significance of statistics and data science education 0:56:16 The need for more people to think in shades of gray

Dr. Roy Baumeister is a renowned social psychologist and Professor of Psychology at the University of Queensland. In this episode we explore a variety of topics about Roy's research on self-control and decision-making, human sexuality, and the need for social belongingness.

Dr. Lindsey Powell is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of California, San Diego, where she runs the Social Cognition and Learning (SoCal) Lab.  In this episode we talk about how brain activity is measured in infants and toddlers using methods such as fNIRS, and what neuroimaging research tells us about social cognitive development above and beyond behavioral research. Learn more about Lindsey’s work at: https://socallab.ucsd.edu/