What Is Metacognition? Mindfulness, Meta-Awareness, and Other Metacognitive Strategies (#34)

Exploring Kodawari

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State Secrets: Inside The Making Of The Electric State

1
The Secret To Getting Inspired: Millie Bobby Brown & Chris Pratt Go Behind The Scenes 21:04

cách đây 7 weeks trước21:04

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21:04

Step into the mysterious and visually stunning world of The Electric State as host Francesca Amiker takes you behind the scenes with the creative masterminds who brought Simon Stålenhag’s dystopian vision to life. In this premiere episode, directors Joe and Anthony Russo, stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and producers Angela Russo-Otstot and Chris Castaldi reveal how they transformed a haunting graphic novel into an epic cinematic experience. Watch The Electric State coming to Netflix on March 14th. Check out more from Netflix Podcasts . State Secrets: Inside the Making of The Electric State is produced by Netflix and Treefort Media.…

cách đây 4 năm trước 59:27

MP3•Trang chủ episode

Timestamps:

[04:45] What is metacognition?
[08:25] Examining how you learn
[12:33] The bird's eye view and how metacognitive therapy can help with depression
[17:07] Metacogni-ception: the layers of metacognition
[19:27] Mindfulness, Meta-awareness, and mind wandering
[28:00] What is the difference between meditation and mindfulness?
[30:05] Modular model of the mind and the importance of embracing contradiction
[40:44] Camping and de-camping between viewpoints/opinions
[47:39] The Elephant in the Brain

What Is Metacognition?

There are multiple levels to understanding what metacognition is. On a basic level, metacognition happens anytime you assess the methods and strategies involved in your thinking processes. These lower-level metacognitive strategies occur anytime you evaluate your particular learning processes—your strengths, weaknesses, and style of learning—and use that knowledge for more successful learning. But on a deeper level, you can achieve meta-awareness (aka mindfulness), which is a true detachment from the mind. And science is increasingly showing that meta-awareness not only leads to more successful learning but that it also increases our feeling of well-being in the world.

Metacognition And Learning Strategies

Metacognition is an amazing tool for both students and teachers. When solving tasks and processing new information, metacognitive knowledge tells us what learning strategies are most likely to work. When teaching, you should encourage students to evaluate how their minds work and explain what learning strategies gave them the best outcomes in the past. Some people learn best visually, and some people learn best aurally. Others need to physically participate in a task for comprehension to occur. As learners, we should regularly make an evaluation of our cognitive processes, especially our weaknesses, and practice the particular strategies that are most successful. Whether you are teaching students or a learner yourself, metacognitive strategies give you the ability to control your learning and progress. Throughout the various learning contexts, watch your thinking take place from above it to find out what parts of your cognition lead to the best outcomes. And remember that metacognition is a skill, which means figuring it out will get easier the more you practice it.

Meta-awareness And Mindfulness

In one sense, the instruction for mindfulness and meta-awareness is pretty simple: sit down and observe your mind from a distance. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who developed mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), defined mindful awareness as the "awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally". And even though it sounds easy on the surface, avoiding mind wandering for even a few breaths is insanely difficult. Most of the time, we fail to achieve meta-awareness or mindfulness because we are lost in thought. And most students are never even taught this concept or the skills you can practice to develop meta-awareness. The first layer is to become aware of thoughts, body sensations, and emotions arising in the present moment. But on a deeper level, meta-awareness makes a lower-level object out of awareness itself. You become that which is aware. When people are taught the appropriate strategies in mindfulness and meta-awareness, they develop the ability to detach from their mental phenomena. Research by John D. Teasdale, linked below, shows that the metacognitive skills discussed in this episode allow patients to switch from thoughts like "I am depressed" to "I am aware of my depressive thoughts".

Conclusion

What is metacognition? Hopefully, after hearing this episode you'll realize that it is much more than a learning strategy or a trick you can use in the classroom. At a deeper level, it will allow you to get to know yourself and become a better person. Spending time in metacognitive space allows you to detach from opinions and emotions and embrace the contradictions that exist in every single mind. It will make you kinder to yourself and others! **Click here for our more in-depth article: Metacognition: The Bird's Eye View of the Mind**

What is Metacognition: Scientific Resources

Meta-Cognition in Mindfulness: A Conceptual Analysis-Dilwar Hussain
Reconstructing and deconstructing the self: cognitive mechanisms in meditation practice-Cortland J. Dahl
Metacognitive model of mindfulness-Jankowski, T
Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence-Teasdale, J. D

Support Us:

You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/

What Is Metacognition? Mindfulness, Meta-Awareness, and Other Metacognitive Strategies (#34)

Exploring Kodawari

published cách đây 4 năm trước

Chia sẻ

MP3•Trang chủ episode

Timestamps:

[04:45] What is metacognition?
[08:25] Examining how you learn
[12:33] The bird's eye view and how metacognitive therapy can help with depression
[17:07] Metacogni-ception: the layers of metacognition
[19:27] Mindfulness, Meta-awareness, and mind wandering
[28:00] What is the difference between meditation and mindfulness?
[30:05] Modular model of the mind and the importance of embracing contradiction
[40:44] Camping and de-camping between viewpoints/opinions
[47:39] The Elephant in the Brain

What Is Metacognition?

Metacognition And Learning Strategies

Meta-awareness And Mindfulness

Conclusion

What is Metacognition: Scientific Resources

Meta-Cognition in Mindfulness: A Conceptual Analysis-Dilwar Hussain
Reconstructing and deconstructing the self: cognitive mechanisms in meditation practice-Cortland J. Dahl
Metacognitive model of mindfulness-Jankowski, T
Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence-Teasdale, J. D

Support Us:

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1
Lessons And Observations in 2024 (#40) 53:21

cách đây 16 weeks trước53:21

53:21

Well, it's been over a year since our last episode! As a COVID-19 pandemic project, sticking to a consistent publishing schedule for this podcast has been tough. But we've always said that even if our focus on it fades and drifts, we'll continue putting out content as long as we have something to say. So, we threw this episode together on New Year's Eve to at least say that we put out one episode in 2024. Enjoy our lessons, observations, and reflections on 2024, which includes topics we hope to cover over a few episodes in 2025. We talk about the value of simplicity, gratitude prayers, learning to surrender, knowledge vs wisdom, and the meaning crisis in our culture and why there are so many zombie movies/TV shows. 2024 Quote "It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple." —Rabindranath Tagore Timestamps: [01:48] Gratitude practice/prayer [06:16] Earning your simplicity [08:52] The value of surrender [18:04] What is wisdom? [22:03] Meaning of life vs. meaning in life [39:24] The Greek word tonos and embracing healthy tension [45:19] Thoughts on toxic compassion Links: Overcoming Nihilism (My 2022 article) Zombies in Western Culture A Twenty-First Century Crisis by John Vervaeke, Christopher Mastropietro, and Filip Miscevic Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

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Revisiting Kodawari (#39) 39:50

cách đây 2 years trước39:50

39:50

In this episode—especially since it has been so long since our last one—we decided to revisit the concept of kodawari and how it has changed for us over the three years of doing this podcast/blog. Over time we encounter more knowledge and have more life experiences. And as we attempt to integrate those into a coherent life philosophy, our ideas about life change and update. I believe we have a duty to regularly bring a beginner's mind to our ideas so that we can "rediscover" them with novelty. There is something cyclic to the way that we descend into a more chaotic state of confusion and then emerge from it by finding once again our deep truths with freshness in the present moment. This cyclic process can subtly or drastically update our ideas, making them more personal, genuine, valuable, and "true". So since we are very different people than when we started the podcast three years ago, we felt it would be good to revisit the meaning of kodawari with fresh eyes. We especially lean into the uncompromising element of kodawari and why our society needs more "skillful inflexibility" to continue functioning. Timestamps: [04:36] Why are we revisiting the meaning of kodawari? [09:09] How has kodawari changed for us? [12:12] What are we uncompromising about? [20:41] Rethinking how perfection fits into kodawari [23:11] Why humility is crucial [26:32] Limitations of the intellect and Chekhov’s The Seagull [32:59] Our official 2023 definition of kodawari Links: First podcast episode on kodawari Article: What is Kodawari? Japanese Ramen’s Kodawari The Japanese philosophy of "Kodawari" Chekhov’s The Seagull A Rabbi, a Priest, and an Atheist Smoke Weed Together Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

1
The Hedonic Treadmill: Exploring Happiness , Meaning, and Hedonic Adaptation (#38) 53:44

cách đây 3 years trước53:44

53:44

“‘I shall take the heart,’ returned the Tin Woodsman; ‘for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.’” —L. Frank Baum The topic of this episode is happiness and hedonic adaptation, otherwise known as the hedonic treadmill. Hedonic adaptation is a phenomenon of our psychology and physiology that keeps us at a stable level of happiness over time. This adaptation is like an immune system that desensitizes us in relation to negative and positive experiences, making us continually find our happiness baseline. The Hedonic Treadmill The concept of hedonic adaptation dates back to a 1971 paper by Philip Brickman and Donald T. Campbell called "Hedonic Relativism and Planning the Good Society", and it was made even more famous in a 1978 study called "Lottery Winners and Accident Victims: Is Happiness Relative?" The study compared lottery winners and paraplegics with a control group to show that both groups eventually adjusted and returned to a baseline of happiness. The hedonic treadmill, or happiness treadmill, is named as such because no matter how much you chase happiness and increase it in the short term, you end up in the same place continually chasing. The hedonic pathways in our brains become desensitized to pleasurable things that we encounter regularly. So after big life events like winning the lottery, getting a job promotion, getting married, etc, we will tend to settle back to our happiness set point. The Meaning of Happiness Aside from the science of hedonic adaptation, we also talked about the philosophy of happiness and whether it is a good goal in life. How is happiness different from words like joy, pleasure, tranquility, peacefulness, excitement, satisfaction, content, cheerful, or well-being? Is happiness something we get from the external world or does it come from within? Do we seek happiness or are we really running away from suffering? And what is the difference between a meaningful life and a happy life? Solutions to the Hedonic Treadmill “Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” —Guillaume Apollinaire Lastly, we talked about ways to overcome hedonic adaptation so that we do not continually get caught in the same traps throughout life. Routines such as a dopamine detox and spiritual practices like gratitude and Beginner's Mind are all ways to avoid getting stuck on the hedonic treadmill. Timestamps: [06:08] What is happiness? [10:05] What is the difference between happiness and well-being? [15:28] Dopamine [27:57] What is hedonic adaptation? [35:14] Hedonic adaptation towards negative phenomena [39:23] How to combat the hedonic treadmill [50:40] Why negative emotions are necessary Links: A French poet’s beautiful advice on how to be happy (Luke's Medium article) Lottery winners and accident victims: is happiness relative? P Brickman, D Coates, R Janoff-Bulman Stepping Off the Hedonic Treadmill Beyond the Hedonic Treadmill: Revising the Adaptation Theory of Well-Being How Does Hedonic Adaptation Affect the Pursuit of Happiness? - with Joe Gladstone Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

1
Chad Goodman: The Art of Orchestral Conducting (#37) 1:10:32

cách đây 3 years trước1:10:32

1:10:32

In this episode, we explore the art of orchestral conducting with guest Chad Goodman. Chad is currently the conducting fellow of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, and he has also had fellowships at Festival Napa Valley and the Atlantic Music Festival. Since 2018, he has served as an assistant conductor to the San Francisco Symphony, and he also founded Elevate Ensemble in the Bay Area. Chad is also a good friend of ours, and so we used this conversation as an opportunity to get a more personal take on how orchestral conducting works and how a conductor thinks about music and prepares for concerts. We talked about music interpretation, the role of a conductor, communication, and how to unify a large group. We also talked about the beauty of constantly learning and improving and how outside knowledge helps unlock the secrets within a musical score. And lastly, aside from the more obvious sign language elements to orchestral conducting, we also tried to touch on abstract elements such as body language, eye contact, and energy. Some musical performances capture magical energy, and we wondered how a conductor thinks about that and how they try to cultivate that energy. Timestamps: [05:17] What exactly is orchestral conducting? [10:22] At what size does an ensemble need a conductor? [15:21] What makes conducting break down /not work? [25:05] How is kodawari relevant to conducting and what is perfection? [32:29] Why is music meaningful? [38:06] How does outside knowledge affect the interpretation/conducting of music? [48:52] On why learning never ends [56:07] Communication and the sign language of conducting [01:02:24] Bonus Questions/Speed Round Links: Chad's website Chad's Instagram How to enter ‘flow state’ on command | Steven Kotler Flow Profile Test from Flow Genome Project What is Kodawari? Kodawari and Circumambulation Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

1
Contending With Nihilism Part 2: Meaning in the Face of Absurdity (#36) 43:05

cách đây 3 years trước43:05

43:05

"Written fifteen years ago, in 1940, amid the French and European disaster, this book declares that even within the limits of nihilism it is possible to find the means to proceed beyond nihilism . In all the books I have written since, I have attempted to pursue this direction. Although “The Myth of Sisyphus” poses mortal problems, it sums itself up for me as a lucid invitation to live and to create, in the very midst of the desert." —Albert Camus This episode is part two of our exploration of nihilism and the search for meaning in life—be sure to check out the previous episode to hear the first half of this conversation. But in this episode, we try to overcome the meaning crisis induced by nihilism to find a more durable sense of meaning in life. We also try to figure out what meaning even is. Is it possible to define meaning? Or is it something more implicit and instinctual? And finally, we close out the episode by exploring the philosophy of Absurdism as outlined by Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus . As Camus states: "The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy." For a more thorough exploration of this topic, check out our article below: Overcoming Nihilism: Why Meaning Matters And How To Find It Timestamps: [04:50] Why you should contend with nihilism and camp in that perspective [08:20] What is meaning? [12:50] The meaning of the movie It's a Wonderful Life and why it makes people cry [19:00] Meaning as service to others and assuming that Being is good [21:05] Meaning as a surrender of the intellect [26:40] Meaning as pointing (Kevin Simler's A Nihilist's Guide to Meaning ) [29:19] Albert Camus, Absurdism, and The Myth of Sisyphus [39:30] How to bring someone back from a nihilistic place Links: The ending of It's a Wonderful Life Albert Camus: The Myth of Sisyphus Jordan Peterson: The Meaning of Life Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

1
Contending With Nihilism Part 1: The Meaning Crisis (#35) 45:31

cách đây 3 years trước45:31

45:31

“What does nihilism mean? That the highest values devaluate themselves. The aim is lacking; 'why?' finds no answer.” —Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will to Power This episode, Part 1 of our exploration of nihilism, gets into the justifications for nihilism and why it's important to give nihilism its due as a philosophy. We discuss Nietzsche and existential nihilism as well as the playful cosmic nihilism of people like Alan Watts or Kurt Vonnegut. We also explore whether or not nihilism is on the rise, and how it might be influencing political movements around the world. In Part 2, coming out shortly after this, we talk about how to overcome nihilism to find a more durable sense of meaning to life. For a more thorough exploration of this topic, you can read our article: Overcoming Nihilism: Why Meaning Matters And How To Find It Timestamps: [05:15] What is nihilism? [07:12] Cosmic nihilism and Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot [11:57] Nietzsche and existential nihilism [19:30] What is the opposite of being nihilistic? [22:23] Is nihilism on the rise? [26:07] Nihilism and moral relativism in social justice movements and "woke" ideology [34:03] The trap of ideology What Is Nihilism? Nihilism is a philosophy that more or less states that human life has no intrinsic meaning or value. There are different forms of nihilism—moral, cosmic, political, existential, etc—that each has interesting details and histories. But since Exploring Kodwari is more about approaching self-development with the kodawari energy , we were less interested in the academic side of nihilism and more interested in the personal/psychological way that we all wrestle with nihilistic thoughts. Some people are explicitly nihilistic, but it seems more common for people to implicitly/subconsciously succumb to nihilism. Maybe it is a way to cope with the challenges of life or maybe it is a problem of the intellect and rationalism going too far. Probably, each person's struggle with nihilism is slightly different. But our claim in this episode (and Part 2) is that you can find the most durable sense of meaning in life after properly contending with nihilism. Links: Nihilism in Rick and Morty and BoJack Horseman Pale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan Albert Camus: The Myth of Sisyphus A Nihilist's Guide to Meaning by Kevin Simler The Master, his Emissary & the Meaning Crisis (Iain McGilchrist & John Vervaeke) Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

1
What Is Metacognition? Mindfulness, Meta-Awareness, and Other Metacognitive Strategies (#34) 59:27

cách đây 4 years trước59:27

59:27

What is metacognition? Metacognition is a modern term coined in 1979 by the American developmental psychologist John H. Flavell. He defined it as “cognition about cognitive phenomena,” or “thinking about thinking”. But the concept of metacognition has been around long before that in philosophy. "Meta", meaning beyond or above, signals that metacognition is a form of thinking above our usual cognitive processes. And in this podcast episode, we work through the varying layers of metacognition and meta-awareness and how metacognitive skills can make us better learners and better people. Timestamps: [04:45] What is metacognition? [08:25] Examining how you learn [12:33] The bird's eye view and how metacognitive therapy can help with depression [17:07] Metacogni-ception: the layers of metacognition [19:27] Mindfulness, Meta-awareness, and mind wandering [28:00] What is the difference between meditation and mindfulness? [30:05] Modular model of the mind and the importance of embracing contradiction [40:44] Camping and de-camping between viewpoints/opinions [47:39] The Elephant in the Brain What Is Metacognition? There are multiple levels to understanding what metacognition is. On a basic level, metacognition happens anytime you assess the methods and strategies involved in your thinking processes. These lower-level metacognitive strategies occur anytime you evaluate your particular learning processes—your strengths, weaknesses, and style of learning—and use that knowledge for more successful learning. But on a deeper level, you can achieve meta-awareness (aka mindfulness), which is a true detachment from the mind. And science is increasingly showing that meta-awareness not only leads to more successful learning but that it also increases our feeling of well-being in the world. Metacognition And Learning Strategies Metacognition is an amazing tool for both students and teachers. When solving tasks and processing new information, metacognitive knowledge tells us what learning strategies are most likely to work. When teaching, you should encourage students to evaluate how their minds work and explain what learning strategies gave them the best outcomes in the past. Some people learn best visually, and some people learn best aurally. Others need to physically participate in a task for comprehension to occur. As learners, we should regularly make an evaluation of our cognitive processes, especially our weaknesses, and practice the particular strategies that are most successful. Whether you are teaching students or a learner yourself, metacognitive strategies give you the ability to control your learning and progress. Throughout the various learning contexts, watch your thinking take place from above it to find out what parts of your cognition lead to the best outcomes. And remember that metacognition is a skill, which means figuring it out will get easier the more you practice it. Meta-awareness And Mindfulness In one sense, the instruction for mindfulness and meta-awareness is pretty simple: sit down and observe your mind from a distance. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who developed mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), defined mindful awareness as the "awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally". And even though it sounds easy on the surface, avoiding mind wandering for even a few breaths is insanely difficult. Most of the time, we fail to achieve meta-awareness or mindfulness because we are lost in thought. And most students are never even taught this concept or the skills you can practice to develop meta-awareness. The first layer is to become aware of thoughts, body sensations, and emotions arising in the present moment. But on a deeper level, meta-awareness makes a lower-level object out of awareness itself. You become that which is aware. When people are taught the appropriate strategies in mindfulness and meta-awareness, they develop the ability to detach from their mental phenomena. Research by John D. Teasdale, linked below, shows that the metacognitive skills discussed in this episode allow patients to switch from thoughts like "I am depressed" to "I am aware of my depressive thoughts". Conclusion What is metacognition? Hopefully, after hearing this episode you'll realize that it is much more than a learning strategy or a trick you can use in the classroom. At a deeper level, it will allow you to get to know yourself and become a better person. Spending time in metacognitive space allows you to detach from opinions and emotions and embrace the contradictions that exist in every single mind. It will make you kinder to yourself and others! **Click here for our more in-depth article: Metacognition: The Bird's Eye View of the Mind ** Links: The Modular Mind -Exploring Kodawari Have Fewer Opinions -Exploring Kodawari Robin Hanson, Hidden Motives, and The Elephant in the Brain Agnes Callard on The Portal: Courage and Meta-cognitive Detachment What is a software sandbox? Honoro Vera 2019 Garnacha wine What is Metacognition: Scientific Resources Meta-Cognition in Mindfulness: A Conceptual Analysis -Dilwar Hussain Reconstructing and deconstructing the self: cognitive mechanisms in meditation practice -Cortland J. Dahl Metacognitive model of mindfulness -Jankowski, T Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence -Teasdale, J. D Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

1
Understanding Stoicism: Stoic Psychological Techniques for Living a Better Life (#33) 39:30

cách đây 4 years trước39:30

39:30

"Many of us have been persuaded that happiness is something that someone else, a therapist or a politician, must confer on us. Stoicism rejects this notion. It teaches us that we are very much responsible for our happiness as well as our unhappiness. It also teaches us that it is only when we assume responsibility for our happiness that we will have a reasonable chance of gaining it. This, to be sure, is a message that many people, having been indoctrinated by therapists and politicians, don't want to hear." —William Irvine, A Guide to the Good Life In this episode, we dig deeper into the philosophy of Stoicism and work through some of the specific psychological techniques and exercises that will help you to adopt the Stoic viewpoint. We also try to connect the growing popularity of Stoicism to the rise of victimhood culture over the last twenty years. As we said in the previous episode, Understanding Stoicism as a Philosophy of Life , much of Stoicism can be summed up by the psychological difference between viewing something as a blessing or as a curse. Timestamps: [04:18] Negative visualization: The trick for appreciating what you already have [13:07] The Dichotomy of Control and how to more strategically set goals [17:44] Trans Life Meditation [19:14] The Last Time Meditation [22:04] The Storytelling Frame [22:59] The Stoic Test [25:33] Prospective Retrospection [29:41] Summarizing Stoic beliefs and techniques in comparison to today's growing victim culture [33:18] "Tranquility in the Storm": Julius Canus and following through on your philosophy of life Links: Stoicism as a Philosophy of Life (Exploring Kodwari's in-depth article) Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (translated by Gregory Hays) A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine Daily Stoic: What is Stoicism? Author Terry Tucker—How to Embrace Suffering and Find Purpose in Life Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

1
Understanding Stoicism as a Philosophy of Life (#32) 53:03

cách đây 4 years trước53:03

53:03

"Remember: Matter. How tiny your share of it. Time. How brief and fleeting your allotment of it. Fate. How small a role you play in it." —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Stoicism as a philosophy is not the same as being lowercase s stoical. It is not about blocking our difficult feelings and emotions. Instead, Stoicism is an approach to life that teaches us how to handle our negative emotions in psychologically healthier ways. Timestamps: [04:11] What is Stoicism? Zeno of Citium and the beginnings of Stoicism to the Roman Stoicism centuries later [09:12] What is a philosophy of life? [16:26] The basic Stoic beliefs and assumptions [26:00] Definition of Stoicism in relation to the victim culture of today's societ y [31:40] Ataraxia/Tranquility: the grand goal of Stoicism [38:19] Epictetus and the dichotomy of control [45:13] Epictetus and the art of acquiescence What is Stoicism? So what is Stoicism? What are the Stoic beliefs and principles that can lead to a good life? The meaning of Stoicism can be expressed in many ways, but in essence, it is the difference between viewing something as a blessing or as a curse. It is realizing that the obstacles in life don't obstruct our path—they are the path. Marcus Aurelius, in one of his more famous Stoicism quotes, echoed this by saying the following: "The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way" . Author and advocate for Stoicism Ryan Holiday, founder of the Daily Stoic, wrote a book centered on this concept called The Obstacle Is the Way . Instead of victimizing ourselves when we have difficulties, we can see it as the very thing that advances us forward and makes us grow. As Marcus Aurelius says, this framing of events is what allows us to logically see challenges as blessings: “So remember this principle when something threatens to cause you pain: the thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is great good fortune.” We often cannot control external events, but we can always control our internal framing of those events. Stoicism calls this the art of acquiescence , and it is how we bring ourselves into harmony with nature, with what is. While more difficult, this includes accepting the challenges and tragedies of life, even our own death. In fact, Stoic beliefs and techniques centered around learning how to reframe events that happen to you in this more positive framing of a blessing. Stoicism philosophers (so-called Stoics) include famous Greek names like Zeno, Cleanthes, and Chrysippus as well as even more famous Roman names such Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. It is the Roman Stoicism, especially the famous Stoicism quotes by Marcus Aurelius, that serve as the foundation for this episode. For a more in-depth guide to Stoic beliefs, you can read our full article that corresponds to this episode: **Stoicism as a Philosophy of Life** And look out for Part 2 for our episode that takes these Stoic beliefs and transforms them into specific techniques. Links: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (translated by Gregory Hays) A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine Daily Stoic: What is Stoicism? Author Terry Tucker—How to Embrace Suffering and Find Purpose in Life Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

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#31: Violinist Katherine Bormann of The Cleveland Orchestra 1:06:59

cách đây 4 years trước1:06:59

1:06:59

This episode is our conversation with Katherine Bormann, a violinist with The Cleveland Orchestra since 2011. Katherine has degrees from Rice University and The Juilliard School and studied with Kathleen Winkler, Joel Smirnoff, and Ronald Copes. She has made appearances at Strings Music Festival, Mainly Mozart Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Tanglewood Music Festival, where she was also a member of the contemporary music ensemble, New Fromm Players. She was also a member of the New World Symphony for four years. In the episode, we talk about what it is like to be a musician in a top-tier orchestra, and how she maintains her technique, artistry, and inspiration. We also talk about the things outside of music that a musician must do to be their best self, especially the importance of being quiet and going within yourself so that you can better share your art with others. And of course, we talk about the grueling audition process required to get a job like this and some tips that she has for getting better at auditions and other high-pressure situations. It was definitely a bit of a music-geeky episode, but still, it is a conversation anyone can enjoy and get something out of, even if you're not a musician! ** Click here to watch the Youtube video for this episode ** Timestamps: [02:08] Katherine's background and how she got started with violin [04:05] The interconnectedness of all the arts and how they complement each other [06:04] Was there a moment of inspiration when Katherine knew she wanted to be a musician? [15:19] Why Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier Suite is Katherine's favorite piece [20:10] How has Katherine's relationship with music changed throughout her life/career? [24:40] The importance of establishing routines [29:04] How to play emotionally and be engaged with the music while also being technically accurate [34:19] The value of being well-rounded and knowing more than just your musical part [40:27] The problem of hedonic adaptation, especially how it affects musicians [45:45] The different personality types between instruments [48:50] Audition advice [53:42] Bonus questions Links: Katherin's Bio ON A PERSONAL NOTE | Cleveland Orchestra - With Violinist Katherine Bormann Trumpeter Maurice Murphy playing his first notes with the London Symphony Orchestra on John William's Star Wars score Beginner's Mind Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

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#30: Chaos and Order, Yin and Yang—The Ultimate Mental Model of Reality 1:13:30

cách đây 4 years trước1:13:30

1:13:30

We recently published a new page on our website organizing all of our mental models (aka mental frameworks) into one place. We explain what a mental model is and how you can use them to better understand the world. Mental Frameworks: Your Toolbox For Thinking More Clearly In short, mental models are ways of thinking that help to simplify the world. They block out the noise so that we can better pay attention to the signal. And the most fundamental mental model—the most fundamental way of categorizing and understanding the world—is understanding the dichotomy of chaos and order. Episode Timestamps: [04:00] Mental frameworks/models and how they help us think and understand the world [05:15] Why chaos and order is the ultimate mental framework [09:47] What is a good definition or some examples of chaos? [14:48] The duality of life and death [18:30] The light vs. the dark in storytelling (Star Wars, Marvel movies, Harry Potter, etc) [23:42] The delusion of anger and the hemispheric structure of the brain [31:57] Why chaos is represented by serpents and why a garden is the perfect balance of chaos and order [41:53] Why is chaos mythologically feminine and order masculine? [54:24] The big five personality traits (OCEAN) and political orientation (aka why the left fears pathologies of order and the right pathologies of chaos) [01:05:21] Chaos and time: Beethoven's 5th Symphony, Mahler's 5th Symphony, and why the crocodile in Peter Pan swallowed a clock. [01:09:45] Why the ideal musical performance involves one foot in order and one in chaos. Chaos and Order: When we analyze reality, we differentiate it into categories—we put boundaries between things. And making a division between chaos and order is the most fundamental categorization that we can make—it is the highest level of abstraction that you can represent reality with. When we are in order, things are happening as we expect. The car starts when we turn the key, our bodies stay healthy, and the people you know behave as they should. In order, we have low anxiety because we are in the domain of the known. Our models of reality are matching up with what we see in the environment. When we are in chaos, however, we get hit with the unexpected. Things around us aren't working as we thought they should, and the complexity of the world comes flooding in. In chaos, we are in the domain of the unknown, and it gives us high anxiety that our model of reality must be wrong/too simple. And this dichotomy between chaos and order is even mirrored in the hemispheric structure of our brains , as outlined in Dr. Iain McGilchrist's book The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World . Generally, the right hemisphere deals with chaos(the unknown/the exception to the rules) and the left hemisphere with order (the known/the rules). And of course, mythologically, the chaos and order duality is represented by the famous Chinese symbol of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang: In this famous symbol, the white snake represents order while the black snake represents chaos. In mythological terms, order is represented as masculine (father culture) while chaos is represented as feminine (mother nature). The key takeaway from the Yin and Yang symbol is that, like all dualities, both parts require the other to exist. If there was no contrasting black color, you could not even see the white snake (and vice versa). Many forms of spiritual awakening, like the Alan Watts video linked below, hinge on the realization that these dualities can are mutually dependent. And of course, the other takeaway from the Yin and Yang symbol is that the white snake's eye is black and the black snake's eye is white. This represents the possibility of transformation—inside order is the potential for chaos and inside chaos the potential for order. Conclusion: We will be expanding this mental framework into a full article in the future. But for now, enjoy this more conversational style exploration about chaos and order, the most fundamental mental model of reality. Links: Alan Watts Explains What Awakening Means Jordan Peterson | "Redefining reality in 6min" | TEDx The Master and His Emissary: A Conversation with Dr. Iain McGilchrist The Divided Mind: A Conversation with Iain McGilchrist The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World by Dr. Iain McGilchrist Roger Sperry’s Split Brain Experiments Video of Split-brain patient 'Joe' Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

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#29: Author Terry Tucker—How to Embrace Suffering and Find Purpose in Life 1:10:51

cách đây 4 years trước1:10:51

1:10:51

In this episode, we speak with author and motivational speaker Terry Tucker. Terry has lived all over the country and worked in many different fields. After playing NCAA Division I basketball in college, he worked in a marketing department and as a hospital administrator. After that, he worked as a police officer, both as a SWAT Hostage Negotiator and an undercover narcotics investigator. But in 2012, Terry began a very different path when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Acral Lentiginous Melanoma. To this day he continues his intense battle with cancer—most recently while in the hospital to amputate his leg they discovered tumors in both of his lungs. Unfortunately, his doctors don't really talk about a cure but about buying more time. But despite the hell that he's been through, Terry has somehow found a way to embrace his suffering to learn from it. Not only does he continue to fight on, he also does so with a remarkably positive and motivating energy. He's one of those people that have learned how to take their suffering and turn it into some deep life wisdom. And he shares that wisdom on his blog Motivation Check as well as in his newly published book titled Sustainable Excellence: Ten Principles to Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life. So in this episode, we talk about his life story, his book, and many other topics. We talk about suffering, love, religion, Stoicism, and the other fundamental truths that he lives his life by. We especially got into the topic of resentment—that is how can one avoid becoming resentful towards life, even in the face of extremely unfair suffering. Stoicism and Life Philosophy: I was recently reading William Irvine's book about Stoicism (A Guide to the Good Life), and he commented that most people don't really have a philosophy of life but instead live out a kind of enlightened hedonism—distractedly moving from pleasure to pleasure. He stressed how important it is, whether it be Stoicism or something else, that people embrace a philosophy of life to guide them. This is what I find most inspiring and powerful about Terry's message. His philosophy of life has been tested to the extreme by reality and he still follows it and learns from it. It's one thing to believe in life rules/principles in the abstract, but it's entirely different to truly live them out no matter what. Overall it was a really inspiring conversation, and we hope everyone can learn something from it! **Click here to watch the Youtube video for this episode** Timestamps: [02:40] Terry's background and his battle with cancer [08:21] Nietzsche: "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how" and Terry's motivation for living and bearing his suffering [12:33] The importance of failing: why you're either going to win or learn [21:48] Marcus Aurelius, Stoicism, and the importance of going within. [23:53] Terry's philosophy of "win the day" and the other fundamental truths that he lives his life by [28:53] The two different ways to address suffering: inner peace/acceptance mentality vs. the Navy Seal/warrior mentality [35:24] The growing resentment in today's society and how Terry, despite his suffering, avoids resentment [39:46] Is religion or a belief in a higher power necessary in order to battle the suffering in life? [49:59] Why is love the most important word in any language? [56:41] The importance of having your life philosophy tested by reality [01:03:23] Bonus Questions Links: Terry's website Motivational Check Terry's book: Sustainable Excellence: Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon And Extraordinary Life Terry's Twitter Navy Seal Jocko Willink's "Good" motivational video Navy Seal David Goggins motivation Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

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#28: Music and Life Wisdom with Trumpeter Scott Moore 1:11:34

cách đây 4 years trước1:11:34

1:11:34

For this episode, we were joined by trumpet player Scott Moore, who has been principal trumpet of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra since 1988. He has performed with the Chicago Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the National Symphony, and the Toronto Symphony. He has also recorded and performed with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, and with I Fiamminghi, the Orchestra of Flanders. As a teacher, Scott has served as a Mentor with the Hot Springs Music Festival (which is where I met him) and on the faculties of the Sewanee Summer Music Center and the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts. In the episode, we talked about his life in music and the wisdom he's acquired along the way. While we do geek out about specific aspects of trumpet playing and musician life, I think a lot of the wisdom and life advice can apply to all sorts of situations. The topics we cover include performance anxiety, audition advice, quieting the inner critic, golf, and other advice that I picked up from Scott back in 2014 when I was at the Hot Springs Music Festival. In particular, I remind him of the advice he gave me of "nobody is shooting at you" which 7 years later I still use pretty much every day. ** Click here to watch the Youtube video of this episode ** Timestamps: [02:18] Scott's background [05:22] Why do trumpets get associated as being the meatheads of the orchestra? [10:03] Performance mindset vs. audition mindset [15:23] Audition fatigue and the differences between the early music world and the modern music world [17:03] The Dunning–Kruger effect and why having self-awareness can be both a blessing and a curse [23:36] How to dial down the inner critic [25:20] Geeking out on trumpet sound production (finding the sweet spot of a note, letting the trumpet resonate, etc.) [31:53] What cocktails we're drinking! [35:49] Running into playing problems and what to do about it [42:42] Violin technique/sound production, ColourStrings violin method, and why we flinch away from difficult music [46:28] Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella and how to achieve peak performance [49:33] Overcoming performance anxiety and Scott's advice of "nobody is shooting at you". [55:39] Bonus Questions Links: Scott's Bio Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella Scott's Youtube Channel The Dunning–Kruger effect Colourstrings violin method Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

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#27: Robin Hanson, Hidden Motives, and The Elephant in the Brain 1:15:02

cách đây 4 years trước1:15:02

1:15:02

“At every single stage [of processing information]—from its biased arrival, to its biased encoding, to organizing it around false logic, to misremembering and then misrepresenting it to others—the mind continually acts to distort information flow in favor of the usual goal of appearing better than one really is.” —Robert Trivers In this episode, I speak with author and intellectual Robin Hanson. Robin is an associate professor of economics at George Mason University and a research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University. Robin has a bachelor's and a master's degree in physics, a Ph.D. in social science, and he has also researched artificial intelligence at Lockheed and NASA. The topic of conversation for this episode centered around a recent book of his, one which he co-authored with Kevin Simler, titled The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life. What is the Elephant in the Brain? Basically, it is a blindspot about how our minds work. As social creatures, we are wired to greatly care about what others think of us. And like all primates, our complex social behavior involves the politics of coalitions and norm enforcement—although grooming does serve a hygienic purpose, primates like chimpanzees use grooming for political purposes as well. Human beings don't groom each other this obviously, but we are constantly judging each other. We are watching each other to make sure that our social norms are being followed and to judge whether people will be good allies. And we are worried about them judging us the same way. So in this desire to look good, we often downplay our more selfish motives and amplify our more altruistic ones. And the disturbing thing is that our brain does this unconsciously, keeping “us” in the dark. To quote from the book: "We, human beings, are a species that’s not only capable of acting on hidden motives—we’re designed to do it. Our brains are built to act in our self-interest while at the same time trying hard not to appear selfish in front of other people. And in order to throw them off the trail, our brains often keep “us,” our conscious minds, in the dark. The less we know of our own ugly motives, the easier it is to hide them from others." When it comes to choosing who we want in our social circles, we tend to want teammates who value the group over their selfish desires. And we rely on social signals to get this information and to make sure the signals are honest. But lying is a cheap signal—a strategy that allows one to reap the benefits without paying the price. And this setup created an evolutionary arms race between lying and lie detection. George Costanza's Lying While we may think that the contents of our minds are private, we signal much more than we realize. And people monitor each other closely. So it turns out that the best way to lie is to follow George Costanza's advice: "Remember—it's not a lie if you believe it." Because of this, our selfish motives remain hidden away in our subconscious so that our conscious minds can believe—and thus convincingly communicate to others—our nicer sounding and more group-oriented motives. And the same goes for our institutions, which are often acting out secret agendas alongside the accepted and better sounding official agendas. Another quote from the book: “And they aren’t mere mouse-sized motives, scurrying around discreetly in the back recesses of our minds. These are elephant-sized motives large enough to leave footprints in national economic data." Red Pill or Blue Pill? It can be disturbing to get into the workings of the mind like this—it is a brutally honest view of human beings and our institutions. It means you have to get rid of the nicer and more prosocial explanations for human behavior and replace it with the hidden selfish motives that actually drive us. And while this might be easy to do on other people, it's quite difficult to do on yourself. In this way, it is sort of like the choice of taking the red pill or the blue pill in The Matrix. The red pill will wake you up to some of the uglier aspects of human behavior and the blue pill will keep you happily playing along with the social games around you. I personally tend to prefer honesty over feeling good, which is a challenge because evolution did not design us to be totally honest with ourselves. But even if you take the red pill, it doesn't mean that human beings become selfish liars, end of story. Human beings are complicated and we have many motives for our actions. And many of these motives are altruistic and fueled by love. This is not necessarily a dark view of humans, just a brutally honest one. But as Robin says in the podcast, we might all have an honesty budget and can only afford to take on some of the red pill. So perhaps you can just dig deeper into the human motives that are relevant to you and your institutions and leave the rest for someone else. **Click here to watch the Youtube video for this episode** Timestamps: [06:36] Origin story of The Elephant in the Brain [12:36] Why you're not the president or CEO of your mind, but instead the Press Secretary [14:36] Norms, motives, and cheating [18:40] The evolutionary arms race between lying and lie detection (Robert Trivers: "Self-deception—hiding the truth from the conscious mind—evolves the better to fool others." [21:02] Why we collectively look the other way with certain norm violations [23:36] Signaling, counter signaling, and group bonding exercises like initiation rituals [32:31] Body language, implicit status moves, and the kayfabe layers of dishonest signals during conversation [38:14] Can learning about your hidden motives help with self-improvement? [42:51] Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David, and the anonymous donor [45:18] The hidden motives behind charity [50:05] The hidden motives behind our political behavior (the "Do-Right" vs the "Apparatchik") [55:05] Covid-19 and the politicization of mask-wearing [59:52] Why institutions secretly support our faults [01:02:02] What do we do about the elephant in the brain and the elephant in the institutional design? [01:08:50] Why it's important to have an honesty budget Links: The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Robin Hanson and Kevin Simler The Age of Em: Work, Love, and Life when Robots Rule the Earth by Robin Hanson Robin's TEDx Talk: The Elephant in the Brain Overcoming Bias (Robin's blog) Hidden Motives: A Conversation with Robin Harris (On Sam Harris's Making Sense Podcast) The Bowerbird's Grand Performance! (BBC Earth) The Null Hypothesis: Why we should all have fewer opinions Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

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#26: Communication And The Origins Of Language 1:07:17

cách đây 4 years trước1:07:17

1:07:17

"Any model of communication is at the same time a model of trans-lation, of a vertical or horizontal transfer of significance. No two historical epochs, no two social classes, no two localities use words and syntax to signify exactly the same things, to send identical signals of valuation and inference. Neither do two human beings [...] Thus a human being performs an act of translation, in the full sense of the word, when receiving a speech-message from any other human being. [...] 'Translation,' properly understood, is a special case of the arc of communication which every successful speech-act closes within a given language. [...] In short: inside or between languages, human communication equals translation." —George Steiner from After Babel In this episode, we explore the concept of communication from a few different angles. We start with the mind-blowing idea from the above quote that all communication—whether it's between two different languages or within the same one—involves a translation. And all translations involve, no matter how subtle, a loss or change in the original information. In this sense, languages are approximations of ideas that are themselves approximations of reality. While this may seem obvious to some, I only fully connected to the depth of this concept after I began learning Turkish. In addition to this zoomed-out concept of communication/translation, we also explore a few different theories about how our human ancestors may have acquired language—from the universal grammar of Noam Chompsky to the idea that language grew out of collective rituals like grooming, music, dance, or other symbolic representation. There is a lot of debate on that front, but however language appeared, it is unique to humans and is probably why we so quickly out-competed the other non-Sapien homo species. In short, language allowed for the creation of shared myths—metaphorical truths—that could organize Homo-sapiens into much larger groups. Unlike physical characteristics, which are beholden to the slow evolution of genes and biology, stories and culture can adapt very quickly to meet the changing demands of the environment. And then after we zoom out on the history of language like that—and since Yankı is over six years into learning English and I've been learning Turkish for about 4 years—we finished by talking through what it's like to learn a second language and all of the funny situations that it causes, especially in our own relationship. Timestamps: [03:20] When communication fails [09:47] Communication between different languages [14:24] Why all communication is a translation [18:14] Did language come from music? [22:22] Language and the cognitive revolution [27:38] Inventing words in order to encapsulate concepts [34:20] Noam Chomsky's universal grammar vs. other "continuity theories" [38:55] My personal journey of learning Turkish [46:26] Dialogue and conversation as an aid for thinking [51:19] How language affects our view of the world and the geographic languages like Guugu Yimithirr that don't have left and right [55:23] Words and concepts that don't translate between languages Links: Lost In Translation: The Power Of Language To Shape How We View The World by NPR's Hidden Brain Manolis Kellis on human communication and language (from Lex Freedman Podcast) This Is Your Brain On Communication by Neuroscientist Uri Hasson Languages That Don't Use Left or Right Support Us: You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media. But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website: https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/ Follow Us: Our Website/Blog Newsletter Twitter: @EKodawari Instagram: @exploringkodawari Facebook: facebook.com/ExploringKodawari…

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