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Thoughts and ideas that might make you think about the world differently.
I recently spent some time chatting to OpenAI's chat API and the resulting conversation was impressive and at times rather surprising.
In this episode of Deviant Discourse William talks to Jacob Hohsfield, an ex-Mormon missionary who left the church and is now actively perusing Street Epistemology.
From climate change, vaccinations and the shape of the earth to the existence of ghosts, aliens, luck, karma and even god; Street Epistemology, is a conversational approach to that helps others honestly reflect on why they hold their beliefs.
Will speaks to Jon Warren about his journey from the bible belt of America to the world of scepticism and eventually to Street Epistemology. We also touch on the nature of truth, knowledge and the problems with tolerance of spiritual thinking even within sceptics.
There are lots of things we might be uncertain about, but one thing is for sure, we know we are real and the world is real. Right? You would know if you were just a brain in a vat; wouldn't you?
If you are finding it hard to make progress in a converation, it might just be that you are doing battle with Straw Men.
We might not always do the right thing, but we can be pretty sure we know what the right thing to do is. Right?
Ask most people what they want in life, and most of the time they will say that they want to be happy. But do they? Would you take The Happy Pill?
The foundation to any productive conversation is rapport, a relaxed and friendly relationship in which people are free to communicate openly.
If you have ever found yourself wishing that like Harry Potter, the heroes of Dungeons and Dragons or the Dragonborn of Skyrim we live in a world with magic in it, Well I good news... I think we do.
However many parents you have, however your specific configuration of parents works; and regardless of them being your biological parents or not; you don't get to choose them and they come a wide range of ability and aptitudes.
When we find ourselves in a group, we might not always be aware of how the group effects how we think.
From the moment you were born (and probably even before), many of the characteristics that combine to make you unique were being labelled.
Everyone copes with misfortune differently. Those who fall apart and those that stare it coldly in the face are both dealing with it in their own way.
Find out how a small change in the way something is presented can have a surprising impact on the decisions we make.
We can't all be exceptional at everything we do; but it's worth applying some healthy skepticism what we belive are our limitations.
