Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

Weekly conversations on psychology, philosophy, science and decision-making AI summary

Spencer Greenberg Visit website › Science · EN · 328 episodes · latest 2026-11-11 · explicit

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What it is about

Clearer Thinking is a podcast about ideas that truly matter. If you enjoy learning about powerful, practical concepts and frameworks, wish you had more deep, intellectual conversations in your life, or are looking for non-BS self-improvement, then we think you'll love this podcast! Each week we invite a brilliant guest to bring four important ideas to discuss for an in-depth conversation. Topics include psychology, society, behavior change, philosophy, science, artificial intelligence, math, economics, self-help, mental health, and technology. We focus on ideas that can be applied right now to make your life better or to help you better understand yourself and the world, aiming to teach you the best mental tools to enhance your learning, self-improvement efforts, and decision-making. • We take on important, thorny questions like: • What's the best way to help a friend or loved one going through a difficult time? How can we make our worldviews more accurate? How can we hone the accuracy of our thinking? What are the advantages of using our "gut" to make decisions? And when should we expect careful, analytical reflection to be more effective? Why do societies sometimes collapse? And what can we do to reduce the chance that ours collapses? Why is the world today so much worse than it could be? And what can we do to make it better? What are the good and bad parts of tradition? And are there more meaningful and ethical ways of carrying out important rituals, such as honoring the dead? How can we move beyond zero-sum, adversarial negotiations and create more positive-sum interactions?

Publisher’s own description, taken unchanged from the podcast feed.

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Latest episodes

Is it intent or impact that matters in our relationships? (with Shawni Turner) E

2026-11-11 · 1 hr 18 min

Read the full transcript here. • If someone causes harm they never intended, should we treat that as morally different from harm they meant to cause, or does impact simply override intent? When self-responsibility says…
Why diets so often fail (with Katherine Saunders) E

2026-10-27 · 1 hr 6 min

Read the full transcript here. • If calorie math is so simple, why do the best diet trials average only three to five percent weight loss, with about 80 percent of that regained within five years? When your body loses…
Why diets so often fail (with Katharine Saunders) E

2026-10-27 · 1 hr 6 min

Read the full transcript here. • If calorie math is so simple, why do the best diet trials average only three to five percent weight loss, with about 80 percent of that regained within five years? When your body loses…
The Race to Replace Us With AI (with Garrison Lovely) E

2026-10-06 · 1 hr 14 min

Read the full transcript here. • Could AI simultaneously be an extraordinarily powerful technology and an economic bubble, and why would those possibilities not contradict each other? What does the history of the…
Why we procrastinate, and what actually helps (with Itamar Shatz) E

2026-09-21 · 56 min

Read the full transcript here. • What exactly is procrastination, and how is it different from simply deciding to postpone something? Why is chronic procrastination so common, and why can it affect highly conscientious…
Neurodiversity, Autism, Awe, and Religious Experience (with Jonathan Machnee) E

2026-09-13 · 1 hr 36 min

Read the full transcript here. • What does “neurodivergent” actually mean, and has the term become too broad to be useful? Why might people grouped under the same neurodivergent umbrella have conflicting needs? Is…
Can We End Factory Farming Without Giving Up Meat? (with Bruce Friedrich) E

2026-09-04 · 1 hr 8 min

Read the full transcript here. • Why is producing meat so inefficient? How does animal agriculture contribute to hunger and malnutrition? How large are the environmental costs of meat production? How does industrial…
Our relationship to chatbots (with Claire Boine) E

2026-08-18 · 1 hr 2 min

Read the full transcript here. • What makes an attachment to AI meaningfully different from an attachment to a human, animal, or fictional character? If chatbot relationships are built around validation and adaptation,…
The good advice you least want (with Cate Hall) E

2026-08-08 · 1 hr 5 min

Read the full transcript here. • Why do people gravitate toward self-help that reinforces the strategies they already use well? How can we identify the default lens through which we interpret nearly every situation?…
Why housing costs so much and what can be done about it (with Alex Armlovich) E

2026-07-31 · 1 hr 18 min

Read the full transcript here. • How large is the housing crisis, and why does it impose trillions of dollars in economic costs? Why has housing become especially unaffordable across English speaking countries and an…

Episode details from the publisher’s feed. Playback happens at the publisher.

Publisher details

Oldest episode in feed: 10/2020 · over 6 years
Typical length: 1 hr 20 min
Format: Episodic Newest first, episodes stand alone

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