Author: Armen Shirvanian
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421: Cailin O’Connor | Philosophy of Science, Biology, Game Theory, And More
Professor Cailin O’Connor is philosopher of biology and behavioral sciences, philosopher of science, and evolutionary game theorist. She is a Professor in the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, and recently finished co-administering the NSF grant “Consensus, Democracy, and the Public Understanding of Science” with philosopher of physics James Owen Weatherall (previous NSF grant Social Dynamics…
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420: Bo Winegard | Psychology, Social Status, Human Variation, And More
Bo Winegard obtained a PhD in social psychology from Florida State University, under the tutelage of Roy Baumeister. He was a professor at a small college in the midwest. Now, he am an independent scholar. He is interested in human evolution, human variation, the rise of political order, and political conservatism. He also loves literature,…
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419: Rob Henderson | Social Class, Family, Luxury Beliefs, And More In “Troubled”
“In this raw coming-of-age memoir, in the vein of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, The Other Wes Moore, and Someone Has Led This Child to Believe, Rob Henderson vividly recounts growing up in foster care, enlisting in the US Air Force, attending elite universities, and pioneering the concept of “luxury beliefs”—ideas and opinions that confer…
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418: Cecilie Traberg | Beliefs, Behaviors, Influence, And Resistance To Persuasion
Cecilie Traberg is a Psychology PhD Candidate at University of Cambridge in the Social Decision-Making Lab and a Storytelling Fellow at University Arts London studying how social influence, identity and interaction impacts our judgements, beliefs and behaviors. She currently focuses on how these social processes influence misinformation susceptibility and how we can increase resistance to…
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417: Karin Lang | South American Travels, Legal Work, Relationships, And The Middle East
Welcome attorney Karin Lang back to the show on episode 417, bringing back the in-person discussion after a year of her travels from 2022 to 2023. On this talk, we spoke about the countries that she explored in South America, some elements of dating and relationships that are impactful, her legal work defending victims of…
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416: Andrew Shtulman | A Counterintuitive Guide To Imagination In “Learning To Imagine”
Imagination is commonly thought to be the special province of youth—the natural companion of free play and the unrestrained vistas of childhood. Then come the deadening routines and stifling regimentation of the adult world, dulling our imaginative powers. In fact, Andrew Shtulman argues, the opposite is true. Imagination is not something we inherit at birth,…
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415: Dr. Martha Sweezy & Rebecca Faith Lawson | Therapy, IFS, Self-Esteem, Forgiveness, Validation
What are internal family systems in terms of therapy? How are shame and guilt different and meant to be worked on? What does it take to bring about tangible change in a person’s well-being? Guest therapist Dr. Martha Sweezy joins myself and co-host Rebecca Faith Lawson on episode 415 to discuss these topics and her…
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414: Media And Political Misinformation In “Wrong” | Dannagal Young & Rebecca Faith Lawson
On episode 414, my guest University of Delaware Professor Dannagal Young, author of “Wrong”, joins myself and co-host Rebecca Faith Lawson. “In Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive Our Appetite for Misinformation, expert in media and politics Dannagal Goldthwaite Young offers a comprehensive model that illustrates how political leaders and media organizations capitalize on our…
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413: Coco Krumme | The Takeover Of Optimization, And New Approaches To Try, In “Optimal Illusions”
Optimization is the driving principle of our modern world. We now can manufacture, transport, and organize things more cheaply and faster than ever. Optimized models underlie everything from airline schedules to dating site matches. We strive for efficiency in our daily lives, obsessed with productivity and optimal performance. How did a mathematical concept take on…
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412: 8 Things Learned From Over 400 Episodes Of The Show
Here are the 8 things I cover in this episode, from my experience through running the show: http://media.blubrry.com/thearmenshow/www.armenshirvanian.com/podcast/episodes/tas412.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
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411: Yasheng Huang | China’s National Transition In “The Rise And Fall Of The East”
The long history of China’s relationship between stability, diversity, and prosperity, and how its current leadership threatens this delicate balance Chinese society has been shaped by the interplay of the EAST—exams, autocracy, stability, and technology—from ancient times through the present. Beginning with the Sui dynasty’s introduction of the civil service exam, known as Keju, in 587 CE—and…
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410: Rewilding And Reconnecting With Nature | Jessica Carew Kraft & Rebecca Faith Lawson
Jessica Carew Kraft, journalist and author of “Why We Need To Be Wild: One Woman’s Quest For Ancient Human Answers To 21st Century Problems”, joins myself, Armen Shirvanian, and co-host Rebecca Faith Lawson on episode 410 of the show, where we discuss her book, rewilding, reconnecting with nature, how we survived in the past, and…
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409: Lee McIntyre | “On Disinformation: How to Fight for Truth and Protect Democracy”
“The effort to destroy facts and make America ungovernable didn’t come out of nowhere. It is the culmination of seventy years of strategic denialism. In On Disinformation, Lee McIntyre shows how the war on facts began, and how ordinary citizens can fight back against the scourge of disinformation that is now threatening the very fabric of…
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408: John Coates | Financial Institutions That Control In “The Problem Of Twelve”
A “problem of twelve” arises when a small number of institutions acquire the means to exert outsized influence over the politics and economy of a nation. The Big Four index funds of Vanguard, State Street, Fidelity, and BlackRock control more than twenty percent of the votes of S&P 500 companies—a concentration of power that’s unprecedented…
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407: Attraction, Relationships, And Dating Shows | Macken Murphy & Rebecca Faith Lawson
When it comes to the dating landscape, you want to know what is happening and why it is happening. What causes attraction, and what makes for great relationships? What do internet shows on these topics say, and what messages are worth listening to? We cover this on episode 407 with returning guest Macken Murphy and…
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406: The Loneliness Epidemic | Todd Kashdan & Rebecca Faith Lawson
“In the scientific literature, I found confirmation of what I was hearing. In recent years, about one-in-two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness. And that was before the national lockdown cut off so many of us from friends, loved ones, and support systems, exacerbating loneliness and isolation Loneliness is far more than just a bad…
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405: The Social Landscape Part 2 | Creator/Viewer Dynamic & Being A Creator With Rebecca Faith Lawson
The social internet landscape continues to change rapidly, and a lot of people’s time is involved in the various applications in use. Recently, Threads came out from Meta, while TikTok continues to grab lots of attention and Instagram is one of the most default applications for people meeting each other. Within these applications, there are…
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404: Ilana Yurkiewicz | Piecing Together American Healthcare In “Fragmented”
There’s an unspoken assumption when you go to see a doctor: the doctor knows your medical story and is making decisions based on that story. But the reality frequently falls short. Medical records vanish when we switch doctors. Critical details of life-saving treatment plans get lost in muddled electronic charts. The doctors we see change…
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403: The Social Graph Versus The Interest Graph With Rebecca Faith Lawson
In this episode, we cover the topic of the big change in social media of the past decade, from a socially-based graph of our connections that is about familiarity, to an interest-based graph of our connections that is meant for discovery of novel creators and individuals. With guest cohost Rebecca Faith Lawson, we go into…
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402: The Only You Is You | Livestream
Livestream on your unique nature Reuploaded here after being streamed as episode 402 http://media.blubrry.com/thearmenshow/www.armenshirvanian.com/podcast/episodes/tas402theonlyyouisyou.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS