Episode

#226: How to Not Be Evil - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
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1:09:46
Published: Wed Mar 08 2017
Description

Dr. Philip Zimbardo (@PhilZimbardo) is one of the most distinguished psychologists in the world and a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He is arguably best known for his 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment, in which students were turned into mock prisoners and guards for a continuous 24-hour-a-day study. The experiment was planned for two weeks but terminated after just six days. In this podcast, we explore how we -- as humans -- can do less evil, how you can be a "deviant for day," mindful disobedience, and much more. It was a blast. Apart from the above, Dr. Zimbardo has served as President of the American Psychological Association and designed and narrated the award-winning 26-part PBS series, Discovering Psychology. He has published more than 50 books, including Shyness, The Lucifer Effect, The Time Cure, The Time Paradox, and most recently, Man, Interrupted. Dr. Zimbardo currently lectures worldwide and is actively working to promote his non-profit, The Heroic Imagination Project. His current research looks at the psychology of heroism. The question he poses is: "What pushes some people to become perpetrators of evil, while others act heroically on behalf of those in need?" Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Philip Zimbardo -- our oldest guest to date! 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 the future of financial advice. It's become especially popular among my friends in Silicon Valley and across the country because it provides the same high-end financial advice that the best private wealth managers deliver to the ultra wealthy -- but for any account size, at a fraction of the cost. Wealthfront monitors your portfolio every day across more than a dozen asset classes to find opportunities for rebalancing and harvesting tax losses, and now manages more than $5 billion in assets. Unlike old-fashioned private wealth managers, Wealthfront is powered by innovative technology, making it the most tax-efficient, low-cost, hassle-free way to invest. Go to wealthfront.com/tim to take the risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and it'll show you -- for free -- exactly the portfolio it would recommend. If you want to just take the 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. As a Tim Ferriss Show listener, you'll get your first $15,000 managed for free if you decide to go with its services. This podcast is also brought to you by iD Commerce + Logistics. I'm asked all the time about how to scale businesses quickly. Rule number one: remove unnecessary bottlenecks. Many businesses can do so by outsourcing inventory management and fulfillment to a company that makes this its primary focus. iD Commerce + Logistics is just such a company. It helps online retailers and entrepreneurs outgrow their competition by handling all types of details -- from inventory to packing and shipping. I depended on iD to handle these types of details when I launched The 4-Hour Chef so I could focus on promoting the book. As a listener of this podcast, you can get up to $10,000 off your start-up fees and costs waived by visiting tim.blog/scale or idcomlog.com/tim.***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
Tim Ferris talks about doing the opposite, his physical abilities and introduces his popular email newsletter, Five Bullet Friday.
00:00 - 01:02 (01:02)
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Tim Ferris
Summary

Tim Ferris talks about doing the opposite, his physical abilities and introduces his popular email newsletter, Five Bullet Friday.

Episode
#226: How to Not Be Evil - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this episode of the Tim Ferriss Show, Tim chats with Philip Zimbardo about his life, work, and notable Stanford prison experiment.
01:02 - 05:23 (04:21)
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Tim Ferriss
Summary

In this episode of the Tim Ferriss Show, Tim chats with Philip Zimbardo about his life, work, and notable Stanford prison experiment.

Episode
#226: How to Not Be Evil - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Dr. Philip Zimbardo discusses his famous Stanford prison experiment and explores the question of what causes some people to become perpetrators of evil while others act heroically on behalf of those in need.
05:23 - 09:25 (04:02)
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Psychology
Summary

Dr. Philip Zimbardo discusses his famous Stanford prison experiment and explores the question of what causes some people to become perpetrators of evil while others act heroically on behalf of those in need.

Episode
#226: How to Not Be Evil - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
This episode discusses the power dynamic between guards and prisoners in a prison setting, including the issue of blind obedience to authority and the responsibility of higher-ups in creating a toxic environment.
09:25 - 16:50 (07:25)
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Prisons
Summary

This episode discusses the power dynamic between guards and prisoners in a prison setting, including the issue of blind obedience to authority and the responsibility of higher-ups in creating a toxic environment.

Episode
#226: How to Not Be Evil - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The author of "The Lucifer Effect" discusses how to avoid the slippery slope of evil, which includes the evil of omission through passive tolerance of evil through inaction or indifference.
16:50 - 24:25 (07:35)
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Ethics
Summary

The author of "The Lucifer Effect" discusses how to avoid the slippery slope of evil, which includes the evil of omission through passive tolerance of evil through inaction or indifference.

Episode
#226: How to Not Be Evil - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The Milgram study showed that even small actions, such as pressing a 15-volt switch, can lead individuals down a path towards evil behaviors.
24:25 - 32:38 (08:13)
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Milgram study
Summary

The Milgram study showed that even small actions, such as pressing a 15-volt switch, can lead individuals down a path towards evil behaviors. This highlights the importance of being aware of the slippery slope and its potential impact on our actions.

Episode
#226: How to Not Be Evil - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this episode, host Michael Sandel discusses the importance of questioning authority and distinguishing between appropriate and inappropriate authorities with Princeton Theological student, Danté Stewart.
32:38 - 42:16 (09:38)
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Questioning Authority
Summary

In this episode, host Michael Sandel discusses the importance of questioning authority and distinguishing between appropriate and inappropriate authorities with Princeton Theological student, Danté Stewart.

Episode
#226: How to Not Be Evil - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Time perspective is the way individuals categorize and partition their sense of time into past, present, and future, and it influences all the decisions individuals make, regardless of size, which is largely unknown to them.
42:16 - 50:39 (08:23)
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Time Perspective
Summary

Time perspective is the way individuals categorize and partition their sense of time into past, present, and future, and it influences all the decisions individuals make, regardless of size, which is largely unknown to them.

Episode
#226: How to Not Be Evil - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast, the speaker talks about the concept of BTP, which involves being high on past positive, moderately high on future, and moderate on present hedonism.
50:40 - 1:02:13 (11:33)
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Positive Psychology
Summary

In this podcast, the speaker talks about the concept of BTP, which involves being high on past positive, moderately high on future, and moderate on present hedonism. By understanding and changing our time perspective, we can shape our past and present to prepare for a positive future of hope and possibilities.

Episode
#226: How to Not Be Evil - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
A former student confronts authority in a prison, challenging a moral injustice that was happening and making it clear that she is willing to pay the price despite the cruel abuse happening on the night shift.
1:02:13 - 1:07:04 (04:51)
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Justice
Summary

A former student confronts authority in a prison, challenging a moral injustice that was happening and making it clear that she is willing to pay the price despite the cruel abuse happening on the night shift.

Episode
#226: How to Not Be Evil - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The podcast host shares links to show notes and invites listeners to sign up for the upcoming episodes.
1:07:04 - 1:09:44 (02:40)
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Education
Summary

The podcast host shares links to show notes and invites listeners to sign up for the upcoming episodes. The host also boasts about teaching the most diverse courses in history, which may include obscure topics.

Episode
#226: How to Not Be Evil - Dr. Phil Zimbardo
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show