Episode

#131: Eric Weinstein on Challenging “Reality,” Working with Peter Thiel, and Destroying Education to Save It
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1:35:05
Published: Wed Jan 13 2016
Description

My guest this episode is my friend, Eric Weinstein (@ericrweinstein), managing director of Thiel Capital, a Ph.D in mathematical physics from Harvard, and a research fellow at the Mathematical Institute of Oxford University. We recorded at my house after Eric emailed me this question: "Wanna try a podcast on… psychedelics, theories of everything, and the need to destroy education in order to save it?" He’s brilliant and hilarious. If you enjoyed my podcasts with Derek Sivers or Sam Harris, you’ll love this one. We cover a lot of ground, including: Living from first principles rather than the “consensus reality" The genius of Kung Fu Panda What it’s like working with Peter Thiel, and how Peter hired him How to innovate when you risk being crucified by close-minded communities (and experts) His favorite books Why one of his favorite documentaries is about pornographers And much more... Also, be sure to check this out. Here is the Johns Hopkins psychedelic research I'm backing. Check out the supporters from tech and business. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by technologists from places like Apple and world-famous investors. It has exploded in popularity in the last 2 years and now has more than $2.5B under management. In fact, some of my good investor friends in Silicon Valley have millions of their own money in Wealthfront. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams. Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you—for free–exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Or, as I would, you can set it and forget it. Well worth a few minutes: wealthfront.com/tim. This podcast is also brought to you by 99Designs, the worldís largest marketplace of graphic designers. I have used them for years to create some amazing designs. When your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99Designs. I used them to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body, and I've also had them help with display advertising and illustrations. If you want a more personalized approach, I recommend their 1-on-1 service, which is non-spec. You get original designs from designers around the world. The best part? You provide your feedback, and then you end up with a product that you're happy with or your money back. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run. ***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chapters
This episode explores Peter's idea of finding individuals who can see something new and figuring out what to do with them later.
00:00 - 12:24 (12:24)
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first principles
Summary

This episode explores Peter's idea of finding individuals who can see something new and figuring out what to do with them later. They also discuss the difficulty of escaping consensus reality and mitigating outside pressures.

Episode
#131: Eric Weinstein on Challenging “Reality,” Working with Peter Thiel, and Destroying Education to Save It
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Learning less common languages can bring added value and a sense of appreciation from others.
12:24 - 29:45 (17:21)
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Language Learning
Summary

Learning less common languages can bring added value and a sense of appreciation from others. Turkish and Japanese have formal similarities in grammar, while Japanese people have difficulty learning foreign languages due to their limited set of phonemes.

Episode
#131: Eric Weinstein on Challenging “Reality,” Working with Peter Thiel, and Destroying Education to Save It
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The world needs a secondary educational structure that imparts creativity and genius similar to how we can teach expertise to individuals in a structured way.
29:45 - 49:52 (20:06)
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Education
Summary

The world needs a secondary educational structure that imparts creativity and genius similar to how we can teach expertise to individuals in a structured way. Traumatic birth experiences may set people up to use high agency hacks to succeed, but they are not reliable strategies in the long run.

Episode
#131: Eric Weinstein on Challenging “Reality,” Working with Peter Thiel, and Destroying Education to Save It
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The concept of natural selection discovering and implementing mechanisms such as the 20 sided object and gears can influence and inspire human innovation to create and innovate in ways that are efficient and cost-effective.
49:52 - 1:03:37 (13:45)
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Innovation
Summary

The concept of natural selection discovering and implementing mechanisms such as the 20 sided object and gears can influence and inspire human innovation to create and innovate in ways that are efficient and cost-effective.

Episode
#131: Eric Weinstein on Challenging “Reality,” Working with Peter Thiel, and Destroying Education to Save It
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The scientific method is not always as straightforward as it's made out to be, and sometimes true scientific breakthroughs come from thinking outside of the box and trusting your instincts.
1:03:37 - 1:20:01 (16:23)
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Scientific Breakthroughs
Summary

The scientific method is not always as straightforward as it's made out to be, and sometimes true scientific breakthroughs come from thinking outside of the box and trusting your instincts. Peter Thiel's Fellowship program for young entrepreneurs also embodies this approach by offering high agency learning opportunities for super learners who may have been labeled as "learning disabled" in traditional educational environments.

Episode
#131: Eric Weinstein on Challenging “Reality,” Working with Peter Thiel, and Destroying Education to Save It
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Jordan Peterson advises individuals to seek unconventional ways of proving themselves wrong.
1:20:03 - 1:30:59 (10:56)
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Jordan Peterson
Summary

Jordan Peterson advises individuals to seek unconventional ways of proving themselves wrong. Consensus does not come naturally, and individuals should always be encouraged to innovate and think outside the box.

Episode
#131: Eric Weinstein on Challenging “Reality,” Working with Peter Thiel, and Destroying Education to Save It
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The use of hallucinogenic drugs, such as LSD and psilocybin, is not limited to counterculture and recreational purposes, but it is also used by intellectually gifted people, including billionaires and Nobel laureates, to enhance creativity and gain access to difficult-to-reach areas of the mind.
1:30:59 - 1:34:11 (03:11)
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Hallucinogenic Drugs
Summary

The use of hallucinogenic drugs, such as LSD and psilocybin, is not limited to counterculture and recreational purposes, but it is also used by intellectually gifted people, including billionaires and Nobel laureates, to enhance creativity and gain access to difficult-to-reach areas of the mind. Eric Weinstein and Tim Ferriss discuss this topic in their podcast and invite the audience to learn more about it at Johns Hopkins.

Episode
#131: Eric Weinstein on Challenging “Reality,” Working with Peter Thiel, and Destroying Education to Save It
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show