Episode · The Rubin Report · 2026-08-01
Books mentioned on How to Use AI Without Damaging Your Brain, the Science of Looksmaxxing & Leisure | Arthur Brooks
Dave Rubin of "The Rubin Report" talks to Arthur Brooks about dopamine-driven phone addiction and why technology prevents people from disconnecting; why boredom and time away from social media are ess
Arthur Brooks recommended Leisure, the Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper and A World Appears by Michael Pollan, and discussed The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Leisure, the Basis of Culture
Leisure, the Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper is a mid-twentieth-century philosophical work that examines the true meaning of leisure and its vital role in sustaining human culture against the pressures of modern utilitarianism.
Recommended“If you want to live the best possible life that probably the best writer about leisure is Yseph Peeper who's a a a 20th century German philosopher and he wrote a a very famous book called leisure the basis of culture where he talked about the fact that it should be something incredibly generative incredibly productive that they just don't”
Where to get it
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The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a complex philosophical novel that delves deeply into faith, doubt, free will, and morality through the turbulent relationships of the Karamazov family.
Discussed“He would say that me going to mass as a Catholic is a leisure activity. That me reading a book, you know, you know, reading the brother's Kamazov, which I don't have to read for work, that would be a form of leisure as well.”
Where to get it
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A World Appears
A World Appears by Michael Pollan is a non-fiction journey into consciousness that explores meditation, psychedelics, and the nature of the self.
Recommended“And so, you know, William James, the great American philosopher, he talked about the me self and the I self and and this is kind of, you know, all the new stuff like Michael Poland's book. Have you had him on your show yet? No, I haven't had him on yet. We've got he's on the master list, so hopefully”
Where to get it
