Interesting talks and interviews etc

We've all heard the phrase "Nice guys finish last," right? Why is that? Why do the men whose women friends tell him he'll make a great catch never have a date come Friday night? Or why does the guy who never rocks the boat at work never get the promotion? To answer these questions we talked to Dr. Robert Glover, author of the book No More Mr. Nice Guy: A Proven Plan For Getting What You Want In Love, Sex, and Life.

We discuss the attributes of these Nice Guys, why there's been a proliferation of Nice Guys during the past 30 years, and what men can do to beat the Nice Guy Syndrome and get more out of life.

Episode #21: No More Mr. Nice Guy With Dr. Robert Glover

This talk was given as a keynote at the Enhancing Practice 14 healthcare conference on Practice Development in Toronto in late September, 2014. 

Full text of the talk is available at: http://anthonymccann.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/the-heart-of-care-changing-the-cultural-climate-equation/

The He(art) of Care: Changing the Culture Change Equation

Our ancestors, who relied on their understanding of the land for their survival, held a worldview that acknowledged and celebrated their fundamental interconnection with the natural world. The industrial revolution and our post-industrial society have severed that link and our disconnection is reflected in our agricultural, pharmaceutical, energy and business practices. Maddy introduces permaculture design and grounds the ideas behind it with examples from around the world. These projects demonstrate how we can once again embrace our profound ecological connection and become a “communion of subjects, not a collection of objects”. Maddy also suggests that we need to become transformational heretics and explains how we can actively say “No” to our ecological, social economic disconnection.

Maddy Harland is editor and co-founder of Permaculture, an international quarterly magazine that covers all aspects of sustainable living, from permaculture gardening and small scale sustainable agriculture to green building, low-impact transport and community action. Maddy Harland also co-founded Permanent Publications in 1990, a company dedicated to publishing environmental books and digital media. The company is based at the Sustainability Centre in Hampshire, UK, a former Naval Base and now a thriving educational centre that Maddy helped set up.

Maddy Harland: Transformational Heresy - permaculture & beyond

Scatterlings: Calling the Stories (Martin Shaw)

Climate Geopolitics talk given to the Becketwood Co-op Great Decisions group, March 24, 2016.

Slideshow here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bnrqEOfgJd9-QNorCP9oJnAWQuWdMDu0ix-K0yvKHhk/edit?usp=sharing

Hope without Optimism: The state of climate geopolitics

The Storyteller (Verso, 2016) gathers the fiction of the legendary critic and philosopher Walter Benjamin, best known for his groundbreaking studies of culture and literature, including Illuminations, One-Way Street and The Arcades Project. His stories revel in the erotic tensions of city life, cross the threshold between rational and hallucinatory realms, celebrate the importance of games, and delve into the peculiar relationship between gambling and fortune-telling, and explore the themes that defined Benjamin. The novellas, fables, histories, aphorisms, parables and riddles in this collection are brought to life by the playful imagery of the modernist artist and Bauhaus figure Paul Klee.

Howard Caygill Professor Of Modern European Philosophy at Kingston University and author of the forthcoming Kafka: In the Light of the Accident (Bloomsbury, 2017), Sara Salih, Professor of English at the University of Toronto, and Matthew Charles, Lecturer in English, Linguistics and Cultural Studies at the University of Westminster, join The Storyteller’s editors and translators, Sam Dolbear, Esther Leslie and Sebastian Truskolaski, for a special event to launch Walter Benjamin’s fiction collected in English translation for the first time.

The Storyteller: Fiction & Form—Howard Caygill, Sara Salih and Matthew Charles join the editors

What are 'affects' and emotional 'atmospheres'?
Why are Geographers so enraptured by them?
How do they help us understand neoliberalism?
Might affects and emotions be mobilised to erode neoliberalism?

This interview relates to Professor Anderson's paper in Progress in Human Geography. You can read it here: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0309132515613167

Read more about him here: https://www.dur.ac.uk/geography/staff/geogstaffhidden/?id=985
And follow him on Twitter: @BenAndersonGeog 

[illustrative painting by Paolo Troilo https://www.troilo54.com/]

'Neoliberal Affects': Professor Ben Anderson

Here I have a chat with Rob Bell about his book on the Bible.

Rob Bell Interview

Are you tired of starting fitness programs with the best of intentions only to find yourself falling off the workout wagon two weeks later?

If so, today’s episode is for you.

I’ve brought back bodyweight strength training coach Anthony Arvanitakis to talk about his new book, How to Never Skip Your Workout Again. Anthony and I begin our conversation discussing what causes people to stop working out and how making exercise a ritual is the cure to this problem. Anthony then digs into specifics on how exactly to make exercise a ritual, including creating a pre-workout checklist (that you actually write out on an index card), wearing a workout "uniform," and picking the best time to set your ritual in motion.

We then discuss why rituals are much more powerful than motivation in helping you stick with a fitness program, and how to keep with it even when your life gets really busy. We end our conversation discussing how to make your diet a ritual as well, so you can lose weight or pack on muscle.

#319: Making Exercise a Habit

Personal finance can seem intimidating, but the reality is it’s pretty basic — save more than you spend, find ways to earn more, invest for the long-term, and protect your assets. But if personal finance is so easy, why do so many people screw it up?

My guest today has spent his career exploring this topic. His name is Jonathan Clements and he’s been The Wall Street Journal’s personal finance columnist for years. During his writing career, he’s also published several popular personal finance books including "The Little Book of Main Street Money." In his latest book, "How to Think About Money," Jonathan distills decades of personal finance experience into punchy, insightful, and action-oriented advice.

Today on the show, Jonathan and I discuss the most common money mistakes people make and the psychological biases that cause us to make them. Jonathan then shares research-backed advice on how money can buy you happiness…and also misery. Just depends on how you use it. He then delves into brass tacks tips on how to save for retirement no matter how old you are, how to overcome your psychological biases so you don’t make stupid money mistakes, and why focusing on not losing money will help you have more money in the long run. Lots of actionable advice to enhance your finances in this episode.

#321: How to Think About Money

If you’re like many modern men, you might have a pretty good life — a decent job, a family, a home, maybe a few hobbies. Despite having the appearance of a good life, though, you feel kind of empty inside. Like you’re missing something. 

My guests today would argue that what you’ve got is a case of Sad Clown Syndrome and to get over it, you need to get together with some men and do some burpees. 

Their names are Dave Redding and Tim Whitmire and they’re the leaders of a grassroots movement bringing men together for free workouts called F3, which stands for Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith. According to them, they’ve seen tens of thousands of men not only get physically in shape by attending F3 workouts, but reenergize themselves mentally and spiritually. 

Today on the show, Dave and Tim share the origins of F3 and how they realized it was solving the problem of Sad Clown Syndrome in the lives of American men. They then detail what the symptoms of Sad Clown Syndrome are, and how exactly F3 acts as a remedy. We then discuss why male friends are so important in a man’s life and why the typical guys that men call friends aren’t really friends. We end our conversation by discussing what the 3 Fs in F3 mean, including why the “Faith” component is more about having a purpose beyond yourself and less about religion.

#324: How Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith Are the Cure for Sad Clown Syndrome

We live in a world that puts a premium on being “authentic” and “showing your true self.” 

But what exactly is your authentic and true self?

For example, is it your natural tendency to be a curmudgeon, or your concerted effort to be kind and generous? 

Which one is the “real” you?

My guest today has grappled with those questions for most of his career as a psychologist, with a focus on personality research. His name is Brian Little and he’s the author of "Me, Myself, and Us: The Science of Personality and the Art of Well-Being," as well as the recently published book, "Who Are You, Really?"

Today on the show, Brian and I have a fascinating discussion on the world of personality science that will leave you wondering who you really are. We begin our conversation discussing the various factors that influence our personalities, including genetics, social environments, and self-direction. Brian then digs into the debate on whether our personalities are set in stone or if they can change, even into old age. We then discuss whether personality tests, like the Myers-Briggs, actually tell you anything about your personality, and if there are better assessments out there. 

We end our conversation discussing how simply changing environments can change our personalities, how we can willfully change them ourselves, and what the “real” you actually is.

You're in for an enlightening existential conversation that also provides actionable insights on how you can live a more flourishing life.

#332: What Does It Mean to Be Authentic?

The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Genesis creation story, Bhagavad Gita. These are just a few examples of the myths and stories that explain human existence. Individuals like Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell have argued that while these myths sprang from different cultures, they all share similar archetypes and meta-narratives. My guest today has picked up where Jung and Campbell left off and is making an impassioned case that the way to save ourselves from increasing political polarization is to become acquainted with these ancient human myths once again.

His name is Jordan B. Peterson and he’s a clinical psychologist at the University of Toronto. But unlike many clinical psychologists, Dr. Peterson has spent his career studying human myths and how they can provide meaning in a world of tragedy and frustration. Today on the show, Jordan provides an introduction to the world of myths and archetypes. We begin our discussion talking about some of the big archetypes we see over and over again in stories across cultures and time, and why they show up everywhere. 

We then discuss feminine and masculine archetypes in detail, how the hero archetype is the link between the two, and examples of the hero archetype from around the world. Jordan argues that disregarding or ignoring these ancient myths led to the rise of extreme political ideologies in the early 20th century, as well as their resurgence today. We end our conversation discussing how these myths can help young men journey into noble manhood, and the books Jordan recommends young men read to learn more about them.

While the subject may seem heady, this is an accessible and fun conversation, filled with insights about how to live a flourishing, meaningful life. You’ll definitely be thinking about its ideas after the show is over.

#335: Exploring Archetypes With Jordan B. Peterson

In this FB live, I talk a little about the idea of coveting as inherently caught up in notions of the self, and contrast this with the idea of Soul..

The Tyranny of Self-Help: Coveting and the Body of Death

Here I talk a little about how grace functions in the everyday sense, and how this needs to be distinguished from its offense theological meaning.

If you'd like to get more content like this and be involved in our "Non-Membership" community, click the link: peterrollins.com/patreon

Stationary Movement: On Grace, Law and Pyrotheology

When it comes to self-improvement, most people set big, audacious goals. Setting those goals feels good. It pumps you up and you feel like you can conquer the world. But then . . . it happens. You have a setback and within a matter of days, your fiery ambition to change yourself is extinguished. And so you’re back to where you started, only you're even worse off than before because you're saddled with the sting of failure.

But what if I said there’s a much more effective way to improve yourself and it just requires getting 1% better each day? It's called the Kaizen method. It sounds like a mystical Japanese philosophy passed down by wise, bearded sages who lived in secret caves, but it actually has a surprisingly American and modern origin. My guest today has written a book about this philosophy of small, continuous improvement used by Japanese carmakers for over 60 years. His name is Robert Maurer and his book is "One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way."

Today on the show, Robert explains the American roots of this Japanese manufacturing process and how the Japanese re-introduced it to America in the 1970s. He then digs into the psychology of why the Kaizen method of improvement works so well not just for organizations but for individuals. We end our conversation with the practical ways you can incorporate Kaizen in your own life.

#341: The Kaizen Method — Get 1% Better Each Day

Oftentimes when you start making positive changes for the better in your life, you’re going to have people, even people really close to you who claim to care about you, intentionally or unintentionally try to discourage you from your path. In those moments, you have to develop the ability to shrug off your critics and not let them drag you back down to their level. My guest today has succeeded in that struggle and shares the lessons he learned in his aptly titled book, "Not Caring What Other People Think Is a Superpower." His name is Ed Latimore and besides being a writer, he's a professional boxer, is about to complete his degree in physics, served in the National Guard, is an AmeriCorps volunteer, and avid chess player.

Today on the show, Ed shares how he wasn’t always this ambitious and how he spent his twenties dorking around. He then shares the moment when he decided to get serious with his life and the steps he took to start college in his late twenties. We then dig into some of the themes in Ed’s book, specifically how to develop discipline even though you’re not motivated, why you have to embrace being mediocre to become great, and the difference between good pain and bad pain.

Ed shares what it’s like to lose a boxing match on national television and the lessons on failure he took from that match. He also shares insights on how to deal with success, specifically how to keep that edge even when things are going well for you.

We end our conversation talking about why not caring about what people think is a superpower and why sometimes the people closest to you don’t want to see you change your life for the better. 

This is a great show packed with actionable insights.

#345: Not Caring What Other People Think Is a Superpower

Why does it seem easier to imagine the end of the world than to see the end of capitalism? Part of the answer turns on a rift between radical economic and ecological thought: one emphasizing capitalism’s economic woes, the other, how capitalism propels manifold biophysical crises, climate change above all. In this talk, Jason W. Moore suggests how we might mobilize the insights of both in a new synthesis that reveals the exhaustion of capitalism’s business-as-usual strategies, cohered over five centuries of conquest, colonialism, and capital accumulation.

World Accumulation and Planetary Life, Jason W. Moore, 10.10.17

Robert Cottrell talks to Will Davies about blogging, writing, sociology and social media

The Browser Talks To Will Davies

This week I’m joined by Professor Jeremy Gilbert to discuss Maurizio Lazzarato's 'Experimental Politics'. We talked about Lazzarato's intellectual background, the treatment of continental theory in the anglophone world, and the relevance of Lazzarato's work to the British political context. 

You can listen to Lazzarato's recent lecture (mentioned in the show) here:

https://culturepowerpolitics.org/podcasts/

#10 Jeremy Gilbert on Maurizio Lazzarato's Experimental Politics

internet connoisseur. likes a bit of everything.
I seem to be very into music from France recently - from Parisian pop to Occitan a capella folk.

Interesting talks and interviews etc

franbarton