Diminish Agency with Distraction

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The concept of 'bread and circuses' illustrates a historical tactic of diverting public attention through grand spectacles, thereby eroding individual agency. As society becomes more fixated on increasingly extravagant entertainments, it risks fostering a sense of powerlessness among the populace. This manipulation can occur in two primary ways: by instilling the belief that individual actions are inconsequential, and by guiding individuals into counterproductive behaviors. Both strategies contribute to a complacent and disengaged society, exemplified by contemporary campus protests that may not genuinely reflect the true agency of participants.

“We have created for ourselves a world that we didn't evolve for.”

Gurwinder Bhogal is, for my money, one of the most independent, original and insightful thinkers you’ll find in our corner of the internet.

He returns to discuss how willpower and good old-fashioned human agency can help us reclaim our mental sovereignty and escape the “constant avalanche of concerns that are being vomited over us through our laptop screens, our phones, our TV screens, and in conversations.”

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Show Notes:

“We have created for ourselves a world we didn’t evolve for”
The dogged persistence of our stubborn beliefs
Gamification; generational differences in agency
The societal impact of the education system’s changing priorities
How to zombify a population
Skin in the game: Gurwinder’s guide to reclaiming agency
LLMs, bullshit, and the atomization of culture
How to play better games
Willpower is the bottleneck
Gurwinder as emperor of the world
MORE!

Books Mentioned:

Why Everything is Becoming a Game; by Gurwinder Bhogal
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know; by Adam Grant
The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr
The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements; by Eric Hoffer
Why the Mental Health of Liberal Girls Sank First and Fastest; by Jonathan Haidt (After Babel)
America’s Colleges Are Reaping What They Sowed; by Tyler Austin Harper (The Atlantic)
Joe Biden and the Common Knowledge Game; by Ben Hunt (Epsilon Theory)
The Emperor’s New Clothes; by Hans Christian Andersen
Futarchy Details; by Robin Hanson (Overcoming Bias)
The Enlightenment Trilogy; by Jed McKenna
The Weirdest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich