In his second appearance on Singularity.FM, Professor Angus Fletcher returns to dive even deeper into the story of human intelligence. [See the first interview here.]

Fletcher is no ordinary guest. A rare hybrid of neuroscientist and Shakespearean scholar, he has advised DARPA, Hollywood, and the U.S. Army, where his narrative-based research earned him the Commendation Medal for groundbreaking work with Special Operations.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore the core ideas behind his bestselling book “Storythinking” and his upcoming book “Primal Intelligence” (Penguin, 2025) — and why story is not just for telling, but for thinking.

We unpack how story rewires our brains, restores purpose, and can even help individuals — and entire nations — reclaim their agency in an increasingly automated world.

You’ll learn: Why narrative, not logic, is humanity’s true superpower.

How imagination, intuition, emotion, and common sense form a “primal intelligence” that Angus believes AI will never replicate.

Why content isn’t king — context is.

How “plot twists” can transform trauma into growth — individually and collectively.

What happens when the U.S. military tests ancient storytelling theories on modern warriors.

From ancient wisdom literature to cutting-edge neuroscience, from baking bread with ChatGPT to surviving in war zones, this conversation doesn’t just span disciplines — it connects the dots that matter most to our future. This interview is not about AI. It is about being human in the age of AI.

Angus Fletcher on Storythinking and Primal Intelligence

Singularity.FM is the first and best known singularity podcast - the place where we interview the future. 

Singularity.FM is a series of singularity podcast interviews with the best scientists, writers, entrepreneurs, film-makers, philosophers and artists, debating issues such as the technological singularity, transhumanism, artificial intelligence, life-extension and ethics.

Past guests of this singularity podcast include people such as Ray Kurzweil, Peter Diamandis, Noam Chomsky, Stuart Hameroff, Marvin Minsky, Aubrey de Grey, Max More, Michio Kaku, Vernor Vinge, Cory Doctorow, Charles Stross and many, many others.

New tracks tagged #Angus Fletcher