Very Bad Wizards

In this episode, the hosts discuss the importance of free speech and their disappointment with the lack of support for it. They also explore the concept of 'cool' and its evolving meaning. Additionally, they analyze the terms 'Riz' and 'Stan' and their connections to charisma and fan culture.

In this podcast, the hosts discuss the supernatural elements in Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, analyze the cryptic epilogue, and offer suggestions for the film adaptation. They also explore the concept of passive aggression, reflect on their own experiences, and discuss the benefits of therapy. The enigmatic characters of Glanton and the judge are examined, along with their influence on the gang. The scene where the judge performs a coin trick is discussed, and speculation arises about his supernatural abilities. The symbolism in the epilogue and the casting for a film adaptation are also explored.

In this podcast, they discuss the character of the kid and his resistance to the judge's nihilism in the book Blood Meridian. They also delve into scenes such as the Comanche attack, Elrod's fate, and the tarot reading. Additionally, they explore cheating in the game Wordle and wallet returns across countries. The hosts touch on the benefits of therapy and compare the book to other literary works. They analyze the moral character of the kid and the battle of resistance against the judge's influence. Finally, they discuss the nightmarish horsemen and the surreal elements in Blood Meridian.

In this podcast, the hosts discuss opposite personalities in relationships and challenge the idea that 'opposites attract.' They also explore the correlations between various characteristics in romantic partners. They express gratitude to their listeners and discuss the benefits of therapy. The hosts delve into the book 'Blood Meridian,' highlighting the challenges of reading it and the portrayal of the character Judge Holden. They dissect the depravity and philosophical musings in the novel, as well as the dynamics between the judge and the protagonist. They also discuss other mysterious characters in the book.

In this podcast, the hosts discuss topics like conspiracy theories and unethical practices, the generosity of individuals in high stakes, the value of therapy during life transitions, and the critique of abstraction and concepts in daily life. They also explore the relationship between William James and Henri Bergson, and share their experience with Rocket Money, a personal finance app.

Last December, with Argentina minutes away from a World Cup championship, friend of the show Yoel texted David “congratulations.” David was furious, and soon after (with less than 2 minutes left in extra time) France’s Mbappe scored a game-tying goal to send the match into penalty kicks. (Argentina ended up winning or Yoel might have become ‘former friend of the show.’) David says he doesn’t believe in jinxes at all but his actions suggest otherwise. We talk about a paper on this phenomenon of “half-belief”: when your behavior and your stated beliefs don’t align. Plus Tamler and David take a survey and discover that they lead radically different inner lives.  James Steele's Tweet  Caspi, A., Shmuel, E., & Chajut, E. (2023). A quantitative examination of half-belief in superstition. Journal of Individual Differences. Sponsored by: BetterHelp: You deserve to be happy. BetterHelp online counseling is there for you. Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment. Our listeners get 10% off the first month by visiting BetterHelp.com/vbw. Promo Code: VBW

The Summer of Cormac McCarthy continues – this time we dive into his one piece of non-fiction, the short essay “The Kekulé Problem.” How does our unconscious mind solve problems that conscious deliberation can’t crack? Why does it often work elliptically, in code, rather than giving us the answer directly in language? Is McCarthy right that the unconscious doesn’t trust language because it’s such a newcomer to the human brain? Plus we select the finalists for our listener selected episode – thanks to our beloved patrons for all their terrific suggestions! "The Kekulé Problem" by Cormac McCarthy Pinker & Bloom 1990 Dijksterhuis & Strick 2016 Sponsored by: BetterHelp: You deserve to be happy. BetterHelp online counseling is there for you. Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment. Our listeners get 10% off the first month by visiting BetterHelp.com/vbw. Promo Code: VBW Rocket Money: Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions, and manage your expenses the easy way, by going to RocketMoney.com/vbw. Promo Code: VBW

A new mini-series with Tamler Sommers and Robert Wright on the range of politically acceptable discourse for a given topic and how this “Overton window” changes over time. This episode is available for free for everyone, the remaining episodes will appear at the Very Bad Wizards Patreon and Robert Wright’s Nonzero Newsletter on Substack. 00:33 What is this new Overton Windows series about? 10:05 Tamler’s connections to Israel and Bob’s experiences there 19:22 What does Zionism mean in practice? 27:35 The shifting Overton window around Israel/Palestine 45:35 The heavy-handed response to the BDS movement 57:13 What the Israel/Palestine discourse says about Overton windows 1:02:09 So where should the boundaries be set  

David and Tamler dive into the Coen brothers’ bleak and beautiful adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel "No Country for Old Men." What’s the underlying philosophy that animates Anton Chigurh? Does he have a code of any kind, or is he just a ghostly symbol of human brutality and a pitiless indifferent universe? Does he represent a new kind of evil or is Sheriff Bell just getting old? What elements, if any, in the film are more dream than reality? And speaking of moral decline, a new Nature study claims that we have the illusory belief that people are getting worse - but can they really establish that it’s an illusion? Mastroianni, A. M., & Gilbert, D. T. (2023). The illusion of moral decline. Nature, 1-8. Mastroianni blog post about the illusion of moral decline No Country for Old Men (movie) [wikipedia.org] Sponsored by:  BetterHelp: You deserve to be happy. BetterHelp online counseling is there for you. Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment. Our listeners get 10% off the first month by visiting BetterHelp.com/vbw. Promo Code: VBW

A VBW exclusive report! For years David and Tamler have been a little dismissive of fears about cancel culture in academia but now the SJWs have come for one of our own! We welcome back Yoel Inbar to talk about his experience applying for a position at UCLA psychology only to have his candidacy pulled at the last minute because of remarks he made on his podcast (!) about diversity statements. What does this mean for freedom of expression in academia? Should we advise our students and younger faculty to watch what they say when it comes to politically charged topics? Are they really going to start combing through podcast episodes now – is nothing sacred? Plus another case of fraud in psychology comes to light courtesy of the Data Colada guys. Data Colada post about Gino fraud Sponsored by: BetterHelp: You deserve to be happy. BetterHelp online counseling is there for you. Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment. Our listeners get 10% off the first month by visiting BetterHelp.com/vbw. Promo Code: VBW Rocket Money: Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions, and manage your expenses the easy way, by going to RocketMoney.com/vbw. Promo Code: VBW