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Books podcasts were talking about in February 2022
During February 2022, several prominent podcasts featured discussions on literature spanning history, human behavior, and healthcare. On the All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg podcast, the host referenced Leo Tolstoi's classic novel War and Peace to illustrate the historical layers and complexity of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, emphasizing that superficial readings of major events are inadequate. Meanwhile, the Lex Fridman Podcast hosted several authors and experts. Lex Fridman discussed cyber warfare and security with Nicole Perlroth, highlighting her book This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends. Fridman also interviewed John Abramson regarding his critiques of the pharmaceutical industry, discussing both his new book Sickening and his earlier work Overdosed America. In that same conversation, Abramson referenced Milton Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom to debate the proper functions of government in relation to healthcare, while Fridman brought up Elizabeth Wurtzel's Prozac Nation to examine societal expectations of happiness. Additionally, the Huberman Lab podcast featured Andrew Huberman discussing various scientific and psychological works. Huberman explored David Spiegel's extensive bibliography, Amir Levine and Rachel Heller's book Attached on adult romantic relationship styles, and the broader intersection of health, science, and human connection.
All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
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War and Peace
Discussed“There are decades and layers to this story, like 'War and Peace'; if you only read one half of the final chapter, you might think you understand, but in reality, there's a lot to unpack.”
Huberman Lab
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Dissociation
Discussed“He has published over 480 journal articles and 170 book chapters on hypnosis, as well as topics like psychosocial oncology, which is the interaction of mind and body in the treatment of cancer and cancer outcomes, stress physiology, trauma, and other aspects of psychotherapy. He's published 13 books, making him truly the world expert in hypnosis and its clinical applications”
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Attached
Discussed“Fortunately, psychologists and biologists have begun to utilize this information to promote healthier, more secure adult romantic relationships. Authors Amir Levine and Rachel Heller are accomplished academics and researchers who have thoughtfully related Ainsworth's findings to adult attachment styles, providing strategies for improving attachment styles through their clinical research.”
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Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character
Discussed“Many accounts of his life, including 'Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman' and 'What Do You Care What Other People Think?' depict his playful spirit, from pranking colleagues to engaging in artistic endeavors.”
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Play It Away
Discussed“For those who want more guidance on how to play, there's a book I learned about through Tim Ferriss' blog called 'Play It Away: A Workaholic's Cure for Anxiety.' This book is focused on anxiety, written by Charlie Hoehn, spelled H-O-E-H-N, and I’ll provide a link to it in the show notes.”
Lex Fridman Podcast
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This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends
Discussed“You wrote the book 'This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends', and of course, we're referring to cyber war and cyber security.”
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Sickening
Discussed“The following is a conversation with John Abramson, faculty at Harvard Medical School, a family physician for over two decades, and author of the new book 'Sickening' about how Big Pharma broke American healthcare and how we can fix it.”
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Overdosed America
Discussed“You wrote the book 'Overdosed America' and the new book coming out now called 'Sickening' about how Big Pharma broke American healthcare, including science and research, and how we can fix it.”
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Capitalism and freedom
Discussed“So, okay, you mentioned Milton Friedman and you mentioned his book called 'Capitalism and Freedom.' He writes that there are only three legitimate functions of government: to preserve law and order, to enforce private contracts, and to ensure that private markets work.”
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Prozac nation
Discussed“But what's happened is that the publicity, I mean, 'Prozac Nation' was a good example of making the argument that why should people settle for normal happiness when they can have better than normal happiness? And if you're not feeling that normal happiness, you should take a drug.”
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Galileo's Error
Discussed“He is a panpsychist, which means he believes that consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of physical reality; of all matter in the universe. He is the author of 'Galileo's Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness' and is the host of an excellent podcast called 'Mind Chat.'”
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Lies In a Mirror
Discussed“They have an active center that tries to bring people in. I believe they are producing a book that I contributed to, concerning different philosophers' opinions on God and some of the big questions.”
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How the laws of physics lie
Discussed“You know, my colleague, the philosopher of science Nancy Cartwright, has got this book 'How the Laws of Physics Lie,' where she says, you know, physicists explore things in very specific circumstances and then, in an unwarranted way, generalize that.”
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
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A theory of justice
Discussed“And some of that is an unfair burden—the natural lottery, as John Rawls calls it.”
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On Liberty
Discussed“And what's so ironic about it is that, as you might know, John Stuart Mill, who was one of the fathers of utilitarianism and very often invoked in this current sort of collectivist setting with the mandates, right?”
