“You want your life to be where, if it was your last year, you’d happy with how your life turned out.” Letters from a Stoic is one of Neil’s and Nat’s favorite works of philosophy, and has taken the world by storm in a massive resurgence over the last 10 years. Unlike most philosophy works, it’s extremely readable and endlessly applicable, and you’ll stumble upon useful bits of wisdom on every page. We’ve both read it and re-read it multiple times, and knew it had to be one of the first books and collections of wisdom that we shared with you. We covered a ton of topics from the book, including:  Focusing on developing deep friendships. Reading more timeless books and rereading books. Practicing negative scenarios to better prepare yourself for them. Being grateful for what you currently have. Being content your life now, for there may not be a tomorrow. Removing the unpragmatic fear of death. Facing difficult obstacles head on, instead of avoiding them.  Enjoy! If you want more on Letters from a Stoic, be sure to check out Nat’s notes on the book&nbsp;and pick up a copy yourself. And let Neil&nbsp;and Nat&nbsp;know on Twitter what you thought of this episode! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our other launch episode on Antifragile by Nassim Taleb, on how to turn chaos to your advantage! Mentioned in the show:  The Marathon of Beer, Books, and Philosophy Nat Chat Episode How to Profit from Chaos, Lessons from Antifragile Episode Stoicism The Lindy Rule Neil’s Newsletter Gratitude journal 5-Minute Journal Morning Pages Fight Through the Suck Saturnalia Dominic D’Agostino&nbsp;(Tim Ferriss Episode) (Joe Rogan Episode) Fushimi Inari Shrine  Books mentioned:  Letters from a Stoic&nbsp;(Nat’s Notes) (Free PDF) Antifragile&nbsp;(Nat’s Notes) Hillbilly Elegy The Dip  People mentioned:  Seneca Plato Epictetus Cato the Elder Marcus Aurelius Justin Mares Seth Godin Tim Ferriss Joe Rogan Socrates Steve Jobs Randy Komisar Adil Majid Jocko  1:26&nbsp;- Intro to the book discussion. Some background on Seneca and stoicism. 5:25&nbsp;- The issue of not settling in one place or focusing on one thing at a time, costing you strong personal relationships and richer knowledge on one subject. 8:00&nbsp;- Speaking of the Lindy rule of books, paying more attention to older books that are still popular today. 9:59&nbsp;- Rereading books every so often to gain new insights and learning more from them. 12:40&nbsp;- Doing things to strengthen yourself from poverty each day, learning the limits of wealth, and being content with what you have. 17:40&nbsp;- Using excuses to abstain from discipline and your personal plans. Also, speaking on the nature of fasting. 22:33&nbsp;- Setting aside a number of days in which you do away with indulgences and pleasures to increase your resilience and gratitude for these things. 25:47 - During times of safety, build yourself up to possible negative events to prepare yourself beforehand. 28:45&nbsp;- Despite growing physically old, you can maintain your spirit, your willpower, and how you respond to negative events. 30:52&nbsp;- Enjoying what you’re doing now and making sure that you’re happy with your life if it was your last year. Also, speaking on proving your words with actions and explaining Seneca’s suicide. 35:19&nbsp;- Escaping deep inner issues with travel and new experiences is faulty. “The same thing that drove you away, you carry with you.”. Advice and perspective on traveling with these issues. 42:00&nbsp;- Investing in religious items will not increase your chances of what you want to happen, it’s more going to come from you and what you’re doing. Also, abstaining from your pride in things that aren’t your own or that can be taken away. 46:21&nbsp;- Internalizing the idea of death and making the most of your life while alive. Behaving well because it’s the right thing to do, instead of behaving well for a reward at the end of your life....

2: Ancient Wisdom for a Better Life: Letters from a Stoic by Seneca

For some people, yes, computers are necessary and valuable, but for a lot of other people, they are simply accelerating and enabling this useless information consumption. In this episode, we cover how the Internet, social media, television, and technology is ruining our abilities to think, reason, entertain ourselves, and what to do about it. Amusing Ourselves to Death is one of both of our favorite books, and it was fun to see how much it related to the other topics we’ve been covering. We covered a wide range of topics, including:  How various forms of information affect our perception The prevalence of fake news now People concerned about others more than themselves Technology negatively affecting our attention spans The psychological aspects of the media and commercials Minimizing technological distractions How technology has changed our conversations  Enjoy! If you want more on  Amusing Ourselves to Death, be sure to check out  Nat’s notes on the book and to pick up  a copy yourself! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to listen to  our episode on The Sovereign Individual, to better prepare yourself for the cyber-economic future, and to  our episode on In Praise of Idleness, to reduce the guilt to work so much and to improve your leisure time. Mentioned in the show:   Orwell’s essays [2:37] USA Today [12:50] Buzzfeed [13:05] Business Insider [13:10]  Lincoln and Douglas debates [17:09] Pulp Fiction [21:10] Nat’s article on most popular internet sites [28:20] Alexa [28:22]  Nat’s 5-day water fast article [30:45] Nat’s article on Buzzfeed vs WSJ [33:46] Neil’s website [33:13]  Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine [40:59] The Daily Show [1:02:24] The Colbert Report [1:02:25]  Jon Stewart interview fake news [1:05:05]  Jon Stewart interview on Crossfire [1:05:37] Crossfire show [1:05:37]  Free speech issue on campuses article [1:06:59] Trump’s policies [1:12:55]  Trump’s speech in Virginia [1:13:35]  The Google Memo [1:16:10] (Nat’s article on this)  Made You Think episode on The Sovereign Individual [1:22:05] Estee Lauder [1:25:10] Sesame Street [1:27:50] Duolingo [1:29:18] Nat Chat podcast [1:31:12] Slack [1:36:18] Nat’s Facebook setup [1:41:06] Second Life [1:53:04]  Books mentioned:   Amusing Ourselves to Death [1:05] (Nat’s Notes)  Brave New World [1:32]  1984 [1:18]  Antifragile [9:13] (Antifragile’s Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) It’s Charisma, Stupid [9:25] Thomas Paine's Common Sense [21:56]  The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck [22:41] (Nat’s Notes)  50 Shades of Grey [23:15]  Musashi [31:36]  The 4-Hour Workweek [1:36:50] (Nat’s Notes)  People mentioned:  Neil Postman [1:07] George Orwell [1:18] Aldous Huxley [1:32] William Taft [7:20] Abraham Lincoln [7:25] Franklin D. Roosevelt [7:55] Donald Trump [8:30] Barack Obama [8:40] George Bush [8:41] Bill Clinton [8:43] Ronald Reagan [8:44] John F. Kennedy [8:47] Chris Christie [8:52] Paul Graham [9:24] Shakespeare [17:02] Stephen A. Douglas [17:09] Samuel L. Jackson [21:19] John Travolta [21:19] Thomas Paine [21:56] Mark Manson [22:39] James Patterson [26:54] Walden [37:41] Jim Kramer [51:55] Bernie Sanders [1:00:04] Plato [1:09:50] Socrates [1:09:50] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:10:12] Hillary Clinton [1:21:00] Scott Adams [1:21:07] Ted Cruz [1:21:07] Justin Mares [1:36:16] Tim Ferriss [1:36:56]  0:00 - Intro to the book’s discussion, an excerpt being read, and the book’s background. 4:14 - Discussion on how the form of the information portrayed affects how we perceive that information, and some of the informational form shifts that we’ve had so far. 6:57 - The visual components of information, and the power of appearance and charisma on success and popularity. 9:58 - Thoughts on the validity of written things versus other forms of information. 12:20 - Discussion on the media and the change of what now passes for quality knowledge. 17:17 - Talk on the lengthy Lincoln and Douglas debates in the 1800’s and how people were able to...

8: Get Off the Cocaine Pellet Dispenser: Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

Principles are fundamental truths that serve as the foundations for behavior that gets you what you want out of life. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss the book Principles by Ray Dalio. We’ve been fans of Dalio’s work since it was just a PDF floating around the Internet, and this massive tome delivers so many useful guidelines for how to live and work. We covered a wide range of topics, including:  Using meditation to improve your clarity with decision-making Developing machines and software for tasks likely to be repeated Seeking out and accepting constructive criticism without your ego getting in the way Improving your life by being more radically honest and expressive Reflecting more upon pain to promote growth The two five-step processes for confronting your own weaknesses and for getting what you want out of life Improving your ability to effectively make decisions  And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of  Principles here and to check out  Nat’s Notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our  episode on How to Think Like Elon Musk, to emulate Musk’s way of thinking for huge advantages in both work and life, and  our episode on Antifragile by Nassim Taleb, to learn how to profit from chaos. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Mentioned in the show:  Bridgewater [1:44] Futures [4:08] Morgan Stanley [5:20] Tim Ferriss’ interview with Dalio [9:23]  Theranos fraud [11:56]  Made You Think episode 13 - How to Think Like Elon Musk [14:27] Nat Chat podcast episode with Sebastian Marshall [16:59] The Lindy effect [22:16]  The Daily Show [24:10] Growth Machine [26:35] Bookinabox [29:22] Dogfish [29:39] Carnegie Mellon [29:44] Biblical Series Podcast [31:36] Evernote [33:25] Calendly [38:24] Estee Lauder [40:19] Theory of Constraints [57:06]  Neil’s article on the Lindy effect [59:49]  Myers Briggs [1:10:42]  Article on China rating citizens [1:12:06] Black Mirror [1:12:10]  Chris Sparks article on Medium about rating life goals [1:18:12]  Nat Chat podcast episode with Justin Mares [1:19:46] Article on Nat’s daily/weekly/quarterly review [1:23:07]  Crypto Made You Think episode [1:26:50]  Tucker Max’s article on paying celebrities to tweet about his book [1:29:17]  Books mentioned:   Principles  (Nat’s Notes)  The Way of Zen [13:04] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  Godel Escher Bach [14:14] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars [15:48] (Nat’s Notes)  Letters From a Stoic [21:58] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  Antifragile [22:32] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  Amusing Ourselves to Death [24:08] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  Finite and Infinite Games [26:08] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  The Goal [27:04] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  The E-Myth Revisited [27:05] (Nat’s Notes)  Hero With a Thousand Faces [34:54]  Lessons of History [34:55] (Nat’s Notes)  The Power of Myth [35:02] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  Spiritual Brain [35:30]  Steve Jobs Autobiography [37:45]  The 50th Law [45:46] (Nat’s Notes)  Mastery [46:17] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  The 48 Laws of Power [46:22] (Nat’s Notes)  Extreme Ownership [54:50] (Nat’s Notes)  People mentioned:  Ray Dalio Adil Majid [1:18] Tim Ferriss [9:23] Elon Musk [14:25] (How To Think Like Elon Musk episode) Sebastian Marshall [16:59] Adam Smith [22:28]  Colbert [24:11] Tucker Max [29:19] Dr. Jordan Peterson [31:37] Carl Jung [34:32] Joseph Campbell [34:36] (The Power of Myth episode) Will Durant [35:20] Dalai Lama [35:39] Steve Jobs [37:45]  Robert Greene [45:59] (Mastery episode) Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:00:41] (Antifragile episode) Euthyphro [1:14:31] Socrates [1:14:32] Chris Sparks [1:18:11] Justin Mares [1:19:46] Clay Matthews [1:22:47] Jocko [1:26:27]...

15: Principles for Getting What You Want Out of Life: Principles by Ray Dalio

The best of them know that their peak performance never comes when they’re thinking about it. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat cover The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey. Before you say “I don’t play tennis,” it’s not really about tennis. It teaches you how to better learn and teach by getting your conscious mind out of the driver seat, and letting your true ability present itself. If you enjoyed either The Way of Zen or Finite and Infinite Games, you’ll like this book as it describes many similar ideas. We cover a wide range of topics, including: &nbsp;&nbsp;  Improving your sense of calm during stressful situations. The nature of the subconscious and conscious minds. Getting into the flow-state and letting the subconscious express itself. How to better trust the subconscious mind. Why you should take time off to play more often. Learning things easier by observation and imitation. Why you should sometimes let things happen, rather than make them happen.  And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab  a copy of The Inner Game of Tennis and to check out  Nat’s Notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to listen to our episode on  The Way of Zen by Alan Watts, to learn about Zen Buddhism and improving your life with it, and our episode on  Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse, to learn how to push past your own self-limiting beliefs and to rethink everything. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. &nbsp; Mentioned in the show:  Lifehacker [3:20] University of Wisconsin [4:44] Buzzfeed [6:08]  The Inner Game of Everything article [6:17] USC [6:30]  The Components of Optimal Sexuality paper [8:13]  Video of person climbing through drive-through window [13:03] Tai-Chi Push Hands [20:13] Nat Chat [28:24] Nat Chat episode with Thomas Frank [28:24]  Nat Chat episode with Neil [32:18] Unlimited Brewing [33:19]  Nat Chat episode with Charlie Hoehn [35:39] Game of Thrones [37:35] Starcraft [38:00] Discord [41:01] Reportive [47:56] RocketReach [47:57]  The Five Levels to Expertise article [48:53]  Deep House Relax playlist [1:02:35] Spotify [1:02:37] Listenonrepeat.com [1:03:07] Instapaper [1:04:28] Medium [1:04:35] Youtube Red [1:04:39]  Adblocker [1:04:59]  The effect of lipids on alcohol metabolism [1:07:46] Dota [1:19:36] Hearthstone [1:19:36]  Books mentioned:   The Inner Game of Tennis (Nat’s Notes)  Godel Escher Bach [0:46] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance [1:34]  The Way of Zen [2:42] &nbsp;(Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  Rise of Superman [3:30]  Finite and Infinite Games [3:45] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  Switch [12:24]  Winning Ugly [17:40]  The Art of Learning [19:03] (Nat’s Notes)  Thinking Fast and Slow [22:53]  Antifragile [26:14] (Nat’s Notes) (Antifragile episode)  Principles [29:41] (Nat’s Notes) (Principles episode)  Mastery [30:03] (Nat’s Notes) (Mastery episode)  Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind [30:50] (Nat’s Notes)  Play It Away [34:03]  The Score Takes Care of Itself [1:23:22] (Nat’s Notes)  People mentioned:  Timothy Gallwey Elon Musk [0:53] (How to Think Like Elon Musk episode) Pete Carroll [1:55] Steven Kotler [3:30] Phil Jackson [5:38] Al Gore [6:34] Nicole Kidman [7:45] Juliette Binoche [7:47] Derek Sivers [9:40] Plato [11:47] Chip and Dan Heath [12:24] Warren Buffett [14:59] Brad Gilbert [17:41] Boris Becker [18:01] Josh Waitzkin [19:03] Daniel Kahneman [22:47] Alan Watts [23:24] (Way of Zen episode) Thomas Frank [28:29] D.T. Suzuki [30:40] Shunryu Suzuki [30:52] Charlie Hoehn [34:02]  Dreyfus Brothers [48:54] Ray Dalio [57:53] (Principles episode) Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:08:20] (Antifragile episode) Conor McGregor [1:21:27]  0:00 - Introductory quote, a bit of background on the book, and some discussion on the flow state. “Trying to get into flow is...

16: Reach Your Peak Performance by Letting Go: The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey

&nbsp;“Order and chaos are the yang and yin of the famous Taoist symbol: two serpents, head to tail. Order is the white, masculine serpent; Chaos, its black, feminine counterpart. The black dot in the white—and the white in the black—indicate the possibility of transformation: just when things seem secure, the unknown can loom, unexpectedly and large. Conversely, just when everything seems lost, new order can emerge from catastrophe and chaos. For the Taoists, meaning is to be found on the border between the ever-entwined pair. To walk that border is to stay on the path of life, the divine Way. And that’s much better than happiness.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss​  12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson. In his book, Peterson –a professor at the University of Toronto, and a practicing psychologist who has spent his life studying mythology psychology, religion and philosophy– writes about discipline, freedom, adventure, and responsibility, distilling the world’s wisdom into 12 practical and profound rules for life. "Winning at everything might only mean that you’re not doing anything new or difficult." We cover a wide range of topics, including:  Free speech and the nature of truth Why post-modernists are right… to an extent How to be a winning lobster Positive feedback loops and your own heaven and hell Why danger is important Appreciating the moment but planning for chaos  And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of  12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a book whose concepts will similarly change your outlook, as well as our episode on The Power of Myth, to further learn the power of mythology can be relevant to our everyday lives. &nbsp; Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. &nbsp; Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show:  Peterson’s Patreon page [5:21]  C-16 Amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Bill [5:40] Interview with Peterson on Joe Rogan's podcast [06:23] Pareto distribution [13:21] Virtue Signalling [17:05] Positive Reinforcement Loop [30:20] Mushroom Coffee [31:28] Perfect Keto [31:28] Ship of Theseus [34:40]  Slaying the Dragon Within Us [38:35] Self Authoring [49:57] Growth Machine [54:21] Greatness All Around Us by Neil Soni [55:18] Space X’s Falcon Heavy [1:01:47]  Positive reinforcement training [1:13:55]  Voldemort Effect [1:19:11] Crony Beliefs Podcast by Kevin Simler [1:20:37] BlackRock [1:22:34] Columbine Killers [1:25:05] Puja [1:34:32] The Marshmallow Experiment [1:36:16] Cain and Abel [1:38:42] Entropy [1:48:47] Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber [1:58:20] The Office - TV Series [2:00:51] Dominance Hierarchy [2:05:16] Jumanji (2018) [2:07:39] Jordan Peterson on the Jocko Podcast [2:32:03]  Psychological Significance of Biblical Stories [2:32:13]  &nbsp; Books mentioned:   12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes)  The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene [03:20] (Nat’s Notes)  Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [04:23]  Emergency by Neil Strauss [13:59] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  Seeing like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed by James C. Scott [16:12]  Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter [16:57] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932 by William Manchester [1:00:20]  Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson [1:02:58]  The Inner Game of Tennis [1:07:21] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  Letters from a Stoic by Lucius Annaeus Seneca [1:07:44] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio [1:08:14] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  Work Clean by Dan Charnas [1:09:44] (Nat’s...

26: Fix Yourself First: 12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson

Traditionally, power was what was seen, what was shown and what was manifested and, paradoxically, found the principle of its force in the movement by which it deployed that force. Those on whom it was exercised could remain in the shade; they received light only from that portion of power that was conceded to them, or from the reflection of it that for a moment they carried. Disciplinary power, on the other hand, is exercised through its invisibility; at the same time it imposes on those whom it subjects a principle of compulsory visibility. In discipline, it is the subjects who have to be seen. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss  Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault. In this book Foucault discusses the history of, and differences between, discipline and punishment. We find that, despite being one of the founding fathers of postmodernism, Foucault’s ideas are reasonable and well thought out. “In monarchical law, punishment is a ceremonial of sovereignty; it uses the ritual marks of the vengeance that it applies to the body of the condemned man; and it deploys before the eyes of the spectators an effect of terror as intense as it is discontinuous, irregular and always above its own laws, the physical presence of the sovereign and of his power.” We cover a wide range of topics, including:  Freedom of speech vs. Freedom from offense Whether language is interpreted by the speaker or the receiver Hierarchy in modern society A gruesome public execution How obtuse writing is intellectual signalling by serious philosophers  And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of  Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on  The Riddle of the Gun about other types of Freedom, and  Daily Rituals, about artists and geniuses that achieve great things because of their "discipline". Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show  North Star podcast [12:30]  Hardcore History podcast episode [14:15] Egalitarianism [26:28]  Turnover in the richest people [29:15] The Panopticon [33:18] Nat Chat with Adil Majid [37:47] Machiavellism [38:35] Growth Machine [38:44] Self-driving cars [44:20] Slate Star Codex [46:56] Black Mirror [57:13] Unregistered podcast [58:00] UK man arrested for making offensive joke [1:08:56] V for Vendetta (2005) &nbsp;[1:11:30]  Students no longer support free speech [1:12:00]  Kaepernick kneeling during anthem [1:13:32] Cognitive dissonance [1:21:36] Power Law distribution [1:23:40] Bruno Mars’ cultural appropriation [1:27:32]  Books mentioned   Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault (Nat’s Notes)  Daily Rituals by Mason Currey [5:47] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) The Stoics [7:16]  The History of Sexuality by Michel Foucault [9:26]  Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician by Michihiko Hachiya [20:06] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris [20:06] (book episode)  Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [21:12] (Nat’s Notes)  Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [28:32] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  The Sovereign Individual [30:21] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell [31:28] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  Recession Proof Graduate by Charlie Hoehn [35:40] (on Nat Chat)  Seeing Like a State by James Scott [40:00]  Albion’s Seed by David Fischer [46:56]  Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari [48:25]  Godel Escher Bach [1:07:52] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  Das Kapital by Karl Marx [1:20:05]  People mentioned  Michel Foucault Jacques Derrida [4:40] Immanuel Kant [5:20] Steve Jobs [5:25] David Perell [12:30] Emperor Hirohito [20:38] David Selverian [32:15]  Charlie Hohen [35:40] Andrés, our Podcast Editor [36:37] Adil Majid [37:45] Eminem [39:58] Nietzsche [59:10] Aristotle [1:00:50] Stephen Fry [1:09:40] Ron Paul [1:09:55] Jordan...

32: Where Does Power Come From? Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault

“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life. All that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” No books today, but a selected list of questions asked by Listeners! Neil and Nat answer one by one detailed questions about topics you had but they never talked about. We cover a wide range of topics, including:  What Neil and Nat do to survive Routines to get into flow Favorite podcast show and why they stopped listening to Tim Ferriss The future (and present of work) Balancing power and happiness  And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to ask more questions replying the mailing list! (What? You still haven’t signed up for the mailing list?!) If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Daily Rituals by Mason Currey, a book that discuss the crazy schedule creative people have to get into the flow, as well as our episode on Homo Deus by Yuval Harari where we talk about how AI may make humans useless. &nbsp; Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show  Unlimited Brewing [4:22] Made You Drink Beer. Coming Soon? [5:14]  US regulation doesn't allow to sell beer online [5:14] Brewmaster’ Reserve, Neil’s beer blog [5:49] Neil Soni on Nat Chat [6:40] LegalZoom [8:45] Maryland Government incorporation website [8:47] Incorporate.com [9:51] W-2 Form [10:52] Nat Chat [11:22] Growth Machine [11:47] Nat's personal site [12:15] Wendy’s Twitter campaign [16:52]  Deep House Relax playlist [27:56] Asana [33:03] Evernote [33:12] Sam Sheridan [36:42] Fat Tony [40:05] PwC [52:33]  Tiago Forte’s Progressive Summarization [55:05]  Flatgeologist [57:32] Slack [1:04:02] Vitalik Buteron, founder of Ethereum [1:10:53] Nat’s articles on sex [1:14:21] Stamena app - Nat’s app [1:14:21] Black Mirror [1:38:46]  Trump-Miller story [1:41:55]  Books mentioned   Daily Rituals by Mason Currey [28:59] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Taleb [32:21] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [37:58]  Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennet [38:07] (book episode)  The Goal [44:29] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter [37:58] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [43:20] (book episode)  Work Clean [44:29] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  Principles [44:33] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene [46:30] (Nat’s Notes)  Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [48:12] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins [57:13]  Finite and Infinite Games [57:42] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode)  12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [58:06] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode)  East of Eden by John Steinbeck [58:48] (Nat’s notes)  Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk [59:22] (Nat’s notes)  Deep Work by Cal Newport [1:03:01] (Nat’s notes)  So Good They Can’t Ignore You [1:03:01] (Nat’s notes)  Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault [1:10:10] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode)  The Sovereign Individual [1:19:29] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  Mastery by Robert Greene [1:28:04] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  People mentioned  Albert Einstein [0:00] Donald Trump [18:28] Elon Musk [18:28] (on this podcast) Dan Bilzerian [18:33] Adil Majid [19:17] (on this podcast  1,  2, 3) Pepper the Poochon [32:54] Taylor Pearson [44:20] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [48:02] (Antifragile episode) (Skin in the Game episode) Flatgeologists – Flat Earth Society [57:32] Jeff Bezos [1:11:31] Bill Gates [1:11:31] Mark Zuckerberg [1:11:31] Warren Buffet [1:11:31] Randall Eliason [1:42:42]  Show Topics 0:00 – Perfect drinks to enjoy the warm weather. 3:38 – Question #1. Why do you actually do for a living and how you've got there? Neil has a company that helps you build your brand beer,...

36: Flow, Happiness, Power, Future of Work, and More: Listeners Q&A #1

Solitude is what you have the least of here, especially as plebes. You don’t even have privacy, the opportunity simply to be physically alone, never mind solitude, the ability to be alone with your thoughts. And yet I submit to you that solitude is one of the most important necessities of true leadership. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat cover the first speech on this show! Solitude and Leadership by William Deresiewicz is a speech held by the professor at West Point Military Academy. In it, Deresiewicz goes against the common thinking that Yale’s professors or MBAs are leaders, just because they are the best at following what they are told to do, and looks at solitude and moments of deep work the roots for true leadership. Multitasking is not only not thinking, it impairs your ability to think. Thinking means concentrating on one thing long enough to develop an idea about it. [...] Developing your own ideas. In short, thinking for yourself. You simply cannot do that in bursts of 20 seconds at a time, constantly interrupted by Facebook messages or Twitter tweets, or fiddling with your iPod, or watching something on YouTube. We cover a wide range of topics, including:  Turning chaos into order vs maintaining the order The “clever” app that interrupts you to check if you are in the flow Guns and drug wars in Chicago Nat and Neil's rituals for solitude Why starting your podcast with your friends will bring you to the best of deep thinking A new sponsor that will make you smell better  And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to read Solitude and Leadership by William Deresiewicz! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on The Way of Zen by Alan Watts, a book that lingers in the benefits of meditation, as well as our episode on Work Clean by Dan Charnas, a live episode with the author of the book brings the shows how to work and manage like a chef. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show  William Deresiewicz on Nat Chat [2:12] On Political Correctness by William Deresiewicz [2:46] William Deresiewicz Speech at West Point 7:26 Yale University [7:32] CMU - Carnegie Mellon University [7:56] McKinsey [12:35]  Kanye West tweets [16:49]  AirPods [20:14] Slack [23:36] Asana [23:36] IKEA [30:39] Salesforce [32:03] HelpSpot 32:28 Ephemerality vs Value by Nat Eliason [37:29] Snapchat [37:40] Blinkist [38:43] Mentorbox [38:43] Joe Rogan and Colion Noir on Chicago's gang violence [47:22] Russell Brand - Legalisation of Drugs [48:47] Ron Paul’s view on abortion [50:36] Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show [51:52] Wait But Why articles on AI  part 1 and  part 2 [51:59] Melting Asphalt [52:25] Sam Harris’ reply to Robert Spencer about immigration [52:32]  Books mentioned  Solitude and Leadership by William Deresiewicz  Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [1:25] (book episode)  Excellence Sheep by William Deresiewicz [7:38] (Nat’s notes)  Extreme Ownership by Jocko [11:34]  12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [18:09] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode)  Antifragile by Nassim Taleb [18:09] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault [25:29] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  In Praise of Idleness [26:44] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  Ulysses by James Joyce [27:08]  Way of Zen by Alan Watts [30:08] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode)  Work Clean [31:08] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  The Rise of Superman by Steven Kotler [34:23]  Amusing Ourselves to Death [36:02] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [45:19] (Nat’s notes) (book episode  part 1 &amp;  part 2) The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris [47:10] (article episode)  The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson [52:25]  People mentioned  Sam Harris [47:10] (Guns episode) Kanye West [16:49] Jordan B. Peterson [17:09] (on...

37: Turn Off Your Notifications: Solitude and Leadership by William Deresiewicz

Jurgis, too, had heard of America. That was a country where, they said, a man might earn three roubles a day; and Jurgis figured what three roubles a day would mean, with prices as they were where he lived, and decided forthwith that he would go to America and marry, and be a rich man in the bargain. In that country, rich or poor, a man was free, it was said; he did not have to go into the army, he did not have to pay out his money to rascally officials—he might do as he pleased, and count himself as good as any other man. In this episode of Made You Think, we discuss  The Jungle by Upton Sinclair It is a novel that portraits realistically the life at the time of immigrant families. Aimed to promote socialism, it ended conceiving the first laws of consumer protection in the United States after the scandal created by the revelation of meat packing malpractices. “Leave it to me; leave it to me. I will earn more money—I will work harder. Jurgis.” We cover a wide range of topics, including:  The 3-day weekend A list of malpractices in the meatpacking industry that ended Embalmed meat killing soldiers in Spain Children labor in tech startups Monstrous sized apples and food stamps diets Businesses taking advantage of illegal immigrants Fiverr ads in NY and the Gig economy  And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of  The Jungle by Upton Sinclair! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, counterpoint to The Jungle, a book that vows for Capitalism, as well as our Recap episode, where we summarize our first 20 books, all under the effects of alcohol :). Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more.    &nbsp;   Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show  Lacroix [0:41] Pure Food and Drugs Act [2:46] Meat Inspection Act [2:46] Kettle &amp; Fire [48:26] Food stamps don’t cover the cost of healthy eating [49:01] Costco [50:43] Peter Attia at the Joe Rogan experience - Cocaine Revolutionized Surgery [59:19] Snus – Chewing Tobacco [1:01:28] Lindy Effect [1:02:34]  Verizon AT&amp;T-Time Warner Trust [1:14:17] Interstellar [1:15:52] North Star Podcast [1:17:29] Foxconn [1:19:50] Nike [1:19:50] Patreon [1:38:19] Distracted Boyfriend meme - Socialists vs. reality [1:42:17] Uber [1:50:25] Fiverr Ads in NY [1:50:25] UpWork [1:51:28] Hinge [2:01:55]  Books mentioned   The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (Nat's notes) Uncle's Tom Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe [3:20]  Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott [3:52]  Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [4:11]  The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker [24] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis [25:]  Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [37-42] (Nat’s notes) (book episode  part 1 &amp;  part 2)  Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [1:03:18] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  Leverage Points by Donella Meadows [1:22:15] (article episode)  The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson [1:23:32]  Animal Farm by George Orwell [1:44:49]  The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell [1:48:12] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson [1:49:38] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Das Kapital by Karl Marx [2:04:37]  War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy [2:05:22]  Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance [2:05:35]  People mentioned  Upton Sinclair Adil Majid [37:42] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [56:01] (Antifragile episode) (Skin in the Game episode)  Chris Christie (sports betting in New Jersey) [56:52] Neil deGrasse Tyson [1:17:02] David Perell from the North Star podcast [1:17:29] George Orwell [1:44:21] Jordan B. Peterson [1:45:16] (on Twitter) (12 Rules episode) Warren Buffet [1:46:23] Elon Musk [2:04:05] (on this podcast) Jeff Bezos [2:05:06]  Show Topics 0:00 – The Jungle It is a book commonly read in High School, but probably the intention gets missed when read young. The content of the story is very dark. At first it seems to...

40: Slaughterhouse Capitalism. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

"Now happiness, more than anything else, seems complete without qualification. For we always choose it because of itself, never because of something else." In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss  The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle. Aristotle "wrote" this book for his son, Nicomachea, in which philosophizes about the pursuit of happiness and how to find the point of flourishing of our lives. “We become builders building, we become harpists by playing the harp. Therefore we become just by doing just actions, temperate by doing temperate actions, brave by doing brave actions.” We cover a wide range of topics, including:  How to find the perfect middle point to flourish in our activities Why happiness is a path that requires action, and not a destination Why sons may vote for the opposite of their parents Stones, horses and slaves that find their purposes in life Harvard admission problems with Asian-Americans Blaming the 2a.m. pizza  And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of  The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, a book that approach happiness from another perspective, as well as our episode on Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, whose author proclaimed to be strongly influenced by Aristotle. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show  Nihilism [2:55] Postmodernism [2:55] The Donald on Reddit [22:39] Eugenics [23:21] The Office “Business School” – 4 types of business [26:33] 23andme [31:29]  Asian-Americans Suing Harvard Say Admissions Files Show Discrimination – NYTimes [35:05] Chinese Room Experiment [55:38] Turing Test [55:46] Kantian Deontology [1:26:35] Lindy Effect [1:27:54]  Books mentioned   The Nicomachean Ethics  Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [10:03] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  Blank Slate by Steven Pinker [20:40]  Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [30:06] (Nat’s notes) (book episode  part 1 &amp;  part 2)  Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [42:38] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode)  The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg [50:16] (Nat’s notes)  Homo Deus by Yuval Harari [55:05] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  Letters from a Stoic by Seneca [1:14:27] (Nat’s notes) (book episode)  People mentioned  Aristotle Socrates [0:59] Plato [0:59] Alexander the Great [0:59] Saint Thomas Aquinas [2:23] Ayn Rand [10:03] (Atlas Shrugged episode) Steven Pinker [19:57] John Searle [55:46] Scott Adams [1:05:18] Lucius Annaeus Seneca [1:14:27] (Letters from a Stoic episode) Zeno [1:14:45] Marcus Aurelius [1:15:02] Epictetus [1:15:02] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:26:59] (Antifragile episode) (Skin in the Game episode)  Show Topics 0:00 – Were these philosophers famous at their time or they became famous later? Plato's and Aristotle legacy and influence up to our days. Christianity and Virtue Ethics. Aristotle’s argumentation as a lawyer and dichotomy in opening speeches. 5:19 – Human flourishing as a better translation for happiness from Ancient Greek. 8:07 – Book 1. A book of ethics, how we should behave. Being able to judge what is happiness. Happiness Hierarchy. City Happiness before the Individual Happiness. Who decides what happiness is? How the Christian Church decided it was the source of morality. 11:51 – Aristotle and Buddhism. Appropriate level of moderation in all things. Difficulty to know what the a good middle is, but extremes are always bad. Alcohol during pregnancy. Using edge cases to find a good mean is not always possible. 16:46 – Extremism in politics. Family and switching to the opposite extreme view. 20:40 – Personalities traits pre-influenced by genes. Questions not allowed to be asked. "Nepotism" in professional basketball. Where to draw the line from extreme left or right. 25:56 – Hierarchies of a good life. Pleasure, political...

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