Episode
#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
1:16:57
Published: Sat Nov 05 2022
Description
Tim Harford is an economist, associate member of Nuffield College, Oxford and an honorary fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, a journalist and an author. Humans need to be able to accurately judge the world around them. With more information than ever, this should be getting easier by the year and yet clear thinking seems to be ever more elusive. Why are we so prone to biases and what are some of the biggest rationality blunders from history? Expect to learn why Sir Arthur Conan Doyle got obsessed with photos of fairies, what everyone misunderstands about inflation, the danger indiscriminate doubt and reflexive cynicism, the similarities between magic and misinformation, why smart people get hijacked by ideology and much more... Sponsors: Get a free bag of Colima Sea Salt at http://modernwisdomsalt.com/ (discount automatically applied) Get 83% discount & 3 months free from Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/MODERNWISDOM (use code MODERNWISDOM) Get 5 Free Travel Packs, Free Liquid Vitamin D and Free Shipping from Athletic Greens at https://athleticgreens.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Check out Tim's website - https://timharford.com/ Buy Tim's book - https://amzn.to/3DNELvw Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/
Chapters
In this podcast episode, listeners will hear about the benefits of high-quality hand harvested salt that is free of harmful additives.
00:00 - 01:37 (01:37)
Summary
In this podcast episode, listeners will hear about the benefits of high-quality hand harvested salt that is free of harmful additives. The discussion then shifts to topics like misinformation, ideology, and the dangers of reflexive cynicism.
Episode#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
PodcastModern Wisdom
Get a year's supply of vitamin D, five free travel packs, free pots, shakers and a 60-day money back guarantee by visiting Athletic Greens website.
01:37 - 07:42 (06:04)
Summary
Get a year's supply of vitamin D, five free travel packs, free pots, shakers and a 60-day money back guarantee by visiting Athletic Greens website. The product is suitable for various lifestyles and dietary restrictions.
Episode#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
PodcastModern Wisdom
The Cautionary Tales Podcast shares stories of risks taken and failures experienced, offering valuable lessons for listeners to learn from.
07:42 - 13:44 (06:02)
Summary
The Cautionary Tales Podcast shares stories of risks taken and failures experienced, offering valuable lessons for listeners to learn from. Having skin in the game is a good heuristic for everyone to assess their own experiences and outcomes.
Episode#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
PodcastModern Wisdom
Despite average prices going up by 10%, not everything has risen by the same amount and people's salaries are not increasing at the same rate, resulting in confusion about inflation.
13:44 - 19:22 (05:37)
Summary
Despite average prices going up by 10%, not everything has risen by the same amount and people's salaries are not increasing at the same rate, resulting in confusion about inflation.
Episode#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
PodcastModern Wisdom
This episode features a discussion about excessive skepticism and toxic cynicism in today's society.
19:22 - 24:32 (05:10)
Summary
This episode features a discussion about excessive skepticism and toxic cynicism in today's society. It explores why it's easier for people to think of negative arguments rather than positive arguments for their own beliefs and how we can think clearly about the world using data.
Episode#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
PodcastModern Wisdom
Tim Harford discusses how the current news cycle influences our attention to important world issues and the hesitance of experts to make definitive statements due to the unreliability of statistics in the past.
24:32 - 32:41 (08:08)
Summary
Tim Harford discusses how the current news cycle influences our attention to important world issues and the hesitance of experts to make definitive statements due to the unreliability of statistics in the past.
Episode#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
PodcastModern Wisdom
Humans have a natural bias towards believing what they want to and being cynical towards the things they don't.
32:41 - 39:22 (06:40)
Summary
Humans have a natural bias towards believing what they want to and being cynical towards the things they don't. This can be attributed to the theory of mind and consciousness, as they allow us to model what others might think, which can result in manipulating ideas to achieve desired outcomes.
Episode#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
PodcastModern Wisdom
Researchers found that by asking people to determine the truthfulness of headlines, their likelihood of sharing fake news decreased over the next few days.
39:22 - 44:19 (04:57)
Summary
Researchers found that by asking people to determine the truthfulness of headlines, their likelihood of sharing fake news decreased over the next few days. Study conducted by David Rand at MIT and Gord Pennycook at Regina University in Canada.
Episode#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
PodcastModern Wisdom
Economist and author, Tim Harford shares how combining rational choice theory with behavioral economics and psychology can help us better understand human decision making, even in cases that may seem illogical.
44:19 - 48:49 (04:30)
Summary
Economist and author, Tim Harford shares how combining rational choice theory with behavioral economics and psychology can help us better understand human decision making, even in cases that may seem illogical.
Episode#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
PodcastModern Wisdom
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, falls for the story of two little girls taking photographs of fairies at the bottom of their garden, even incorporating it into his writings.
48:49 - 53:58 (05:08)
Summary
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, falls for the story of two little girls taking photographs of fairies at the bottom of their garden, even incorporating it into his writings. However, it is later revealed that the photographs were hoaxes created using cardboard cutouts of fairies and practical effects.
Episode#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
PodcastModern Wisdom
This podcast explores how the introduction of caffeine contributed to the decline in mortality rate, as well as advancements in medicine and technology, such as time release mechanisms.
53:58 - 1:05:05 (11:07)
Summary
This podcast explores how the introduction of caffeine contributed to the decline in mortality rate, as well as advancements in medicine and technology, such as time release mechanisms.
Episode#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
PodcastModern Wisdom
The episode discusses various factors that may affect a woman's desired and actual number of children, including fertility issues, availability of partners, and government policies such as baby bonuses.
1:05:05 - 1:15:53 (10:47)
Summary
The episode discusses various factors that may affect a woman's desired and actual number of children, including fertility issues, availability of partners, and government policies such as baby bonuses. It also touches on the topic of women having fewer children than they would like.
Episode#548 - Tim Harford - Why Is Thinking Clearly So Difficult?
PodcastModern Wisdom
Tim Harford discusses his podcast Cautionary Tales and how it explores true stories of how things can go wrong in unexpected ways.
1:15:53 - 1:17:20 (01:26)
Summary
Tim Harford discusses his podcast Cautionary Tales and how it explores true stories of how things can go wrong in unexpected ways. He also shares his website timharford.com where readers can find his articles and Twitter links.