Apr 16, 2021
A collaborative episode with Woody Wiegmann, host of Courage over Conviction podcast. In this episode, we discuss the existence of free will, and try to determine where choice ends and determinism begins. We discuss psychology, making the unconscious conscious, the pitfalls of human hubris, hedging against terrible fiscal policies and much more. Enjoy.
(1:22) What is free will? How do we decide our actions? Do we really decide? Does free will actually exist or are we slaves to determinism?
(10:12) The Iboga mystery. Why is it so effective with heroin withdrawals? What can Iboga, and plant substances in general, teach us about Biochemistry, and in turn free will?
(13:58) Should psychology be a science? We don’t really understand qualia; all information comes to us through a subjective filter and we don’t fully understand that filter, so should psychology be seen as hard science?
(17:24) Would it actually matter if our feeling of free will was actually a delusion? What if we just need to feel strongly like we have free will, what if it’s a mechanism that prevents us from drowning in the complexity of the world?
(18:33) Woody’s answer to the mystery of free will
(19:43) Stewart’s approach.
(21:38) Does a deterministic approach make you more compassionate?
(36:15) How much of our unconscious can we make conscious? How aware can we be of our own shadow?
(42:20) How learning and knowledge-sharing have evolved and sort of given humans the ability to become books, and how this could lead to human evolution
(45:48) The role of wealth in human evolution
(48:21) The potential pitfalls of engaging in genetic engineering
(53:58) Is it possible to resolve all of your inner biases? Is it possible to be free of bias? Or does bias have a role in humanity?
(57:48) Why you should be wary of financial planners with fancy graphic presentations
(1:00:08) How the separation between the treasury and the feds seems to be lessening and the risks associated with this phenomenon.
(1:06:07) Can crypto serve as a hedge against inflation and horrible fiscal policies?
(1:07:42) Alternative hedging options to Bitcoin