Episode 37 - Are Life and the Universe Inherently Kind or Cruel? A Scientific Debate

Is suffering built in? Is the universe a purposeless void? Or is negativity a product of human actions? Most importantly- how do we make life better for ourselves?

Welcome back to Polymath! This episode explores all these deep questions; but as usual, it's not just a 'hot take' from some rando online. Rather, I want to delve into a fascinating scholarly debate on all this by two thinkers- Steven Pinker and Eckhart Tolle (yes, those are their real names!).

Along the way, we'll be critically evaluating their positions with real evidence and scholarship from psychology. We'll be going through what the literature actually says about cosmic truths, human nature, and the improvement of the human condition- so you're getting all the accurate, comprehensive info you need. Enjoy!