Moshe Hoffman - Hidden Games: The Power of Game Theory to Explain Irrational Behavior | STM #143

On episode 209, we welcome Robin Reames to discuss how the art of rhetoric is used to spread misinformation, how the concept of truth evolved from Ancient Greece to us, confronting fact-resistant individuals, the spectrum of misinformation and how some use science to mask it, cultivating negative emotions while offering harmful solutions to them, Donald Trump as a truth-teller and how that influences his audience, how con-men use our values against us, and how to help people distinguish which value is most important in a specific context.

Robin Reames is associate professor of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago, specializing in rhetorical theory and the history of ideas. Her books include Seeming and Being in Plato’s Rhetorical Theory and The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present which was co-authored with Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg. Her new book, available on March 19, 2024, is called The Ancient Art of Thinking For Yourself: The Power of Rhetoric in Polarized Times.

| Robin Reames |

► Website | https://psyche.co/users/robin-reames

► The Ancient Art of Thinking For Yourself Book  | https://amzn.to/3v3IPpQ

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On episode 208, we welcome Louis King to discuss Aim4theheart, working with Leila Steinberg, how 2Pac inspired Louis and Leon, emotional literacy and learning how to access and understand feelings, meeting Edi Mean of the Outlawz, Louis’ musical roots, how the music industry shortchanges its artists, selling music as crypto and empowering them, and Louis’ work as a music teacher helping underprivileged children.

Louis King is the director of outreach, assemblies, and concerts at the AIM 4 The Heart organization. He has expressed his message of Emotional Literacy education behind the walls of San Quentin Prison to the halls of Princeton University + More. Louis King has traveled from San Quentin to Harvard sharing his message and teaching Emotional Literacy through music and art. He has toured the world with artists such as Earl Sweatshirt, Anderson .Paak and the Outlawz. He has been featured as a hip-hop performance artist on Netflix, HBO & Fox Sports and has worked on soundtracks such as Star Wars & Planet of the Apes. He’s currently working on web 3 project on Gala Music with some of the biggest Hip Hop Icons. 

| Louis King |

► Website | https://www.aim4theheart.org

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/LouiiKing

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/louiiking

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/LouiiKing

► Famous in the Metaverse  | https://bit.ly/49BCAZl

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On episode 207, we welcome Constantine Sandis to discuss free will and determinism, the Libet experiments and criticisms of them, weakness of will and whether belief in it stems from a lack of understanding decisions, the difficulty in separating external and internal reasons for acting, self-deception and whether we can overcome it, if self-knowledge is possible and actually aids understanding, the psychological effects of priming, the significance of distinguishing the process of doing from the results, and the broad, practical purpose of analytical philosophy.

Constantine Sandis is Director of Lex Academic, Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His books include The Things We Do and Why We Do Them, Philosophy of Action: An Anthology, and Human Nature. His newest book, available now, is called From Action to Ethics: A Pluralistic Approach to Reasons and Responsibility.

| Constantine Sandis |

► Website | https://www.constantinesandis.com

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/csandis

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/csandis

► Bluesky |  https://bsky.app/profile/csandis.bsky.social

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/csandis

► Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/constantine-sandis-723454a4/

► Action to Ethics Book | https://bit.ly/3uO1MN7

Use discount code ACTIONETHICS35 which will give 35% off when entered at the checkout on Bloomsbury.com, and is valid until August 31, 2025.

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On episode 206, we welcome Mark White to discuss the drawbacks of antitrust laws, what rights consumers actually have, if trusts are unfair and unjust, the utilitarian argument against those laws, the flawed healthcare insurance system in the US and how its consumers struggle, whether it’s feasible to constantly have new entrepreneurs challenging trusts, the trading system in the NFL and how it prevents unfair competition, and what the economy could look like if antitrust laws are relaxed

Mark D. White is Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at the College of Staten Island/CUNY, where he teaches courses in philosophy, economics, and law, and is also a member of the economics doctoral faculty at the Graduate Center of CUNY. His books include A Philosopher Reads Marvel Comics’ Thor, A Philosopher Reads Marvel Comics’ Civil War, The Virtues of Captain America, Batman and Ethics, The Oxford Handbook of Ethics and Economics and A Philosopher Reads...Marvel Comics' Daredevil: From the Beginning to Born Again. His newest book is called Rights versus Antitrust: Challenging the Ethics of Competition Law.

| Mark D. White |

► Website | https://www.profmdwhite.com

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/profmdwhite

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/profmdwhite

► Rights versus Antitrust | https://amzn.to/49HNVa7

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On episode 205, we welcome Jack Symes to discuss the possible existence of god, the strongest arguments for it, whether Pascal’s Wager justifies belief in god, the different religions and whether they make belief in god irrational, god necessarily existing and being all good, how evil can stem good, whether evil even exists, the simple god hypothesis, if atheism is epistemically justifiable, the debate between Richard Swinburne and Richard Dawkins, Jack’s philosophical development, and whether moral relativism negates the possibility of god’s existence.

Jack Symes is a public philosopher and writer. He is the producer of The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast and editor of the Bloomsbury series Talking about Philosophy. He is currently a Teacher and Researcher at Durham University, UK. He’s the editor of the book Philosophers on Consciousness: Talking about the Mind which features a number of prominent contributors, as does his newest book, available now, Philosophers on God: Talking about Existence.

| Jack Symes |

► Website 1 | https://thepanpsycast.com/panpsycast2

► Website 2 | https://www.jacksymes.co.uk

► Twitter 1 | https://twitter.com/ThePanpsycast

► Twitter 2 | https://twitter.com/_JackSymes

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/thepanpsycast

► Philosophers on God Book | https://amzn.to/49anwSo

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

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On episode 204, we welcome Aaron James to discuss assholes, who they are and how they think, the difference between a regular asshole and someone with narcissistic personality disorder, whether all politicians are narcissistic and if regular people ever seek power, if assholes understand and care about the rules, how narcissists use the cover of autism to hide their bad behavior, using entitlement to disregard others’ feelings, the messiah figure and our pull toward it, why people love Donald Trump, the inherent complexity of those figures and why some people continue to love them, whether we can live with them, if humanity can tolerate a world with no good and bad guys, and a better narrative to good vs evil and how it can shape our national identity.

Aaron James holds a PhD from Harvard and is professor of philosophy at the University of California, Irvine, Aaron was awarded the Burkhardt Fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies, spending the 2009-10 academic year at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University He is the author of Fairness in Practice: A Social Contract for a Global Economy, the bestselling Assholes: A Theory, Assholes: A Theory of Donald Trump, Surfing with Sartre and numerous academic articles. His latest book, co-authored by Robert Hockett is called Money From Nothing: Or, Why We Should Stop Worrying About Debt and Learn to Love the Federal Reserve.

| Aaron James |

► Website | https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/150710/aaron-james/

► Faculty Website | https://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=4884

► Twitter |  https://twitter.com/OnAssholes

► Assholes: A Theory Book | https://amzn.to/49oANWX

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

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► Patreon |  patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 203, we welcome EDI Mean to discuss his book ‘Street Fame’, how it mirrors and differs from the music industry, EDI’s love of hip-hop and his warnings to up and coming rappers, what made 2Pac special, whether conscious rappers can thrive in the current market, how EDI’s understanding of mental health and trauma evolved, meeting the rest of the Outlawz, EDI’s rules for living and his legacy, what he enjoys about podcasting, EDI’s passion for writing and why this book is important to him, how 2Pac was able to merge the different parts of his personality, and EDI’s upcoming projects.

Malcolm 'Edi' Greenidge is a co-founding member of the legendary Hip-Hop group "Outlawz" founded by Tupac Shakur in the late 90s. His voice can be heard on over 100 million in record sales worldwide. His new book, available now, is called Street Fame.

| E.D.I. Mean |

► Website | https://o4ldigital.com

► Twitter |  https://twitter.com/therealedidon

► Facebook 1 | https://www.facebook.com/OfficialEDIMEAN

► Facebook 2 | https://www.facebook.com/TheOutlawz

► Instagram 1 | https://www.instagram.com/edidono4l

► Instagram 2 | https://www.instagram.com/TheOutlawzOfficial

► Youtube |  https://www.youtube.com/@EDIMeanTV

► Street Fame Book | https://amzn.to/48NpxUg

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

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► Patreon |  patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 202, we welcome Michael Amster to discuss the A.W.E. method, how changing your perspective and seeing miracles in the everyday alleviates suffering, how feeling awe interacts with chronic pain, the vagus nerve and the physiological affects of awe states, personality changes that can occur with psychedelics and meditation practices, what stepping away from the ego looks like, and how limiting and dysfunctional thinking shifts when experiencing awe.

Michael Amster, MD, is a physician and faculty member at Touro School of Medicine. With twenty years as a pain management specialist, he is currently the founding director of the pain management department at Santa Cruz Community Health. A practitioner of meditation for over thirty years, he is also a certified yoga and meditation teacher. He splits his time between clinical work, research on awe, teaching mindfulness, and leading awe-inspiring retreats around the world. His new book, co-authored with Jake Eagle, available now, The Power of Awe: Overcome Burnout & Anxiety, Ease Chronic Pain, Find Clarity & Purpose―In Less Than 1 Minute Per Day.

| Michael Amster |

► Website | https://thepowerofawe.com

► Linktree |  https://linktr.ee/powerofawe

► Facebook | https://bit.ly/4bbGUzG

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/thepowerofawebook

► Tiktok | https://www.tiktok.com/@thepowerofawe

► The Power of Awe Book | https://amzn.to/48IGdwk

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

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On episode 201, we welcome J. Aaron Simmons to discuss why we’re so unhappy, the limitations of pursuing external success, faith as risk with direction, Kierkegaard and the aesthetic life, status obsession as a form of avoidance, why cultivating good relationships may be more challenging than becoming rich, the archetypal seducer, becoming trapped in the goal-oriented mindset, and the meaning of authentic friendship.

J. Aaron Simmons is a Professor of Philosophy, a widely published author, a popular speaker, and also a trout fisherman and mountain biker. Specializing in philosophy of religion and political philosophy, Aaron is the former President of the Søren Kierkegaard Society (USA). Simmons is an active public philosopher and hosts the YouTube channel, “Philosophy for Where We Find Ourselves” and a frequent writer on Substack, “Philosophy in the Wild.” His newest book, available now, is called Camping with Kierkegaard: Faithfulness as a Way of Life.

| J. Aaron Simmons |

► Website | https://jaaronsimmons.com

► Youtube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtktPVW5IrLx0772vl8znWQ

► Substack | https://jaaronsimmons.substack.com

► Twitter |  https://twitter.com/jaaronsimmons

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090093484022

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/simmonsphilosopher

► LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-simmons-ph-d-98109b36

► Camping with Kierkegaard Book | https://amzn.to/3TZBSA4

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► Patreon |  patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 200, we welcome Tom Morris and Gregory Bassham to discuss stoic philosophy, radical acceptance and its relationship with the divine, what the stoics believed about god and the afterlife, the four cardinal virtues and why one needs to cultivate all of them, whether the stoics actually sought to eliminate negative emotions, how they addressed death and grief, explore what we can and can’t control, the stoic conception of good and bad, why being good was their purpose for being, Marcus Aurelius and his ability to balance nobility and humility, how the stoics dealt with perfectionism and overly harsh self-criticisms, and how Epictetus continues to inspire us by being an exemplar of stoic philosophy.

Tom Morris is author of Philosophy For Dummies and 30 other books. He was a philosophy professor at The University of Notre Dame. He now heads The Morris Institute for Human Values and is an active business speaker. Gregory Bassham is author of The Philosophy Book, an illustrated history of philosophy, and 10 other books. Gregory was a professor of philosophy at King’s College. Tom and Gregory have collaborated together to create a new book called Stoicism For Dummies, available next week on January 11th. 

| Tom Morris & Gregory Bassham |

► Website | https://www.tomvmorris.com, https://staff.kings.edu/sites/ghbassha

► Twitter |  https://twitter.com/TomVMorris

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/tom.morris.562329, https://www.facebook.com/gregory.bassham

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tomvmorris

► LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-morris-0955474

► Stoicism for Dummies Book | https://amzn.to/48tJdfN

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