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339 - Enlightened Disagreement

Northwestern University just launched the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement, a real-world institution devoted to "research-backed approaches to cultivating open-mindedness, identifying one’s own cognitive biases, working collaboratively with others despite disagreement and more." In this episode, David McRaney details his time as a resident of the Center, teaching students how to ask questions that activate a person's introspection, and then follow up with questions that evoke a person's motivated reasoning, then keep going until the other side articulates things they may have never considered before, and, in so doing, reveal the deeper motivations and values generating disagreement. You'll learn about this and all the other modules of the Center's pilot program. You'll also learn about a new game they are designing to improve scientific literacy of news consumers and news creators. Previous Episodes [https://youarenotsosmart.com/podcast/] How Minds Change [https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome] The Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement [https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/academics-research/litowitz-center-enlightened-disagreement/] Medill School for Journalism [https://www.medill.northwestern.edu] Patti Wolter [https://www.medill.northwestern.edu/directory/faculty/patti-wolter.html] Brad Zakarin [https://writingprogram.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/zakarin-bradley.html] Eli Finkel [https://elifinkel.com/about-eli] Nour Kteily [https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/academics-research/faculty/kteily_nour/] The Center for Public Deliberation [https://cpd.colostate.edu/] The Listen First Coalition [https://www.listenfirstproject.org/listen-first-coalition] Better Together America [https://www.bettertogetheramerica.org/] Heather Barnes [https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/academics-research/faculty/barnes_heather/] Martin Carcasson [https://cpd.colostate.edu/about-us/staff] Point Taken [https://pointtaken.social/] The Visual Thinking Lab [https://visualthinking.psych.northwestern.edu/] Steven Franconeri [https://psychology.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/core/profiles/steven-franconeri.html] Joshua Greene’s Website [https://www.joshua-greene.net/] Tango [https://letstango.org/] Tango Quiz Game Research [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02225-2] Love Factually Website [https://www.lovefactuallypod.com/] Joshua Hudson [https://www.med.unc.edu/medicine/gi/people/joshua-l-hudson-md-msc-2/] Protein Research [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31794597/] NYT Protein Deep Dive [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/09/well/eat/protein-fact-check.html] Tylenol Metastudy [https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanogw/article/PIIS3050-5038(25)00211-0/fulltext] The Garage [https://www.thegarage.northwestern.edu/news/the-garage-launches-problem-summit-to-connect-student-founders-with-real-world-crises] Monica Guzman [https://www.moniguzman.com] Braver Angels [https://braverangels.org] Jacqui Banaszynski [https://journalism.missouri.edu/people/jacqui-banaszynski/] David McRaney’s Twitter [https://twitter.com/davidmcraney] David McRaney's BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/davidmcraney.bsky.social] YANSS Twitter [https://twitter.com/notsmartblog] YANSS Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/youarenotsosmart/] Newsletter [https://davidmcraney.substack.com/] Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

338 - May Contain Lies - Alex Edmans (rebroadcast)

Alex Edmans, a professor of finance at London Business School, tells us how to avoid the Ladder of Misinference by examining how narratives, statistics, and articles can mislead, especially when they align with our preconceived notions and confirm what we believe is true, assume is true, and wish were true. Alex Edmans  [https://alexedmans.com] May Contain Lies [https://alexedmans.com/books/] What to Test in a Post Trust World [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpJx5VLQMxk] How Minds Change [https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome] David McRaney’s Twitter [https://twitter.com/davidmcraney] David McRaney’s BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/davidmcraney.bsky.social] YANSS Twitter [https://twitter.com/notsmartblog] YANSS Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/youarenotsosmart/] Newsletter [https://davidmcraney.substack.com/] Kitted [https://kitted.shop/] Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

337 - Cognitive Surrender - Gideon Nave and Steven D. Shaw

How is AI reshaping human reasoning? What is cognitive surrender, and how do we avoid its negative impact? What is system three thinking, and how can we get the most out of it? Artificial intelligence researchers Gideon Nave and Steven D. Shaw have some answers, some questions, and some suggestions. Previous Episodes [https://youarenotsosmart.com/podcast/] Thinking: Fast, Slow, and Artificial [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6097646] Gideon Nave's Website [https://gidinave.com] Steven D. Shaw's Website [https://www.whyweconsume.com] How Minds Change [https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome] David McRaney’s Twitter [https://twitter.com/davidmcraney] David McRaney's BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/davidmcraney.bsky.social] YANSS Twitter [https://twitter.com/notsmartblog] YANSS Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/youarenotsosmart/] Newsletter [https://davidmcraney.substack.com/] Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

336 - The 3.5 Percent Rule - Erica Chenoweth (rebroadcast)

If you want to overthrow a dictator, resist an authoritarian regime, or create a movement that can change the national status quo, you don't need half the country, you only need 3.5 percent of the population to join – but there are some caveats, and Erica Chenoweth whose research led to the discovery of the 3.5 Percent Rule, explains them to us in this episode. Previous Episodes [https://youarenotsosmart.com/podcast/] Erica Chenoweth's Website [https://www.ericachenoweth.com] Why Civil Resistance Works (the paper) [https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Why-Civil-Resistance-Works-Article.pdf] Why Civil Resistance Works (the book) [https://cup.columbia.edu/book/why-civil-resistance-works/9780231156820/] The TED Talk [https://tedxboulder.com/speakers/erica-chenoweth] The Q&A [https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/qa-erica-chenoweth] List of Protests by Size [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_protests_and_demonstrations_in_the_United_States_by_size] How Minds Change [https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome] David McRaney’s Twitter [https://twitter.com/davidmcraney] David McRaney's BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/davidmcraney.bsky.social] YANSS Twitter [https://twitter.com/notsmartblog] YANSS Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/youarenotsosmart/] Newsletter [https://davidmcraney.substack.com/] Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

335 - Align Your Mind - Britt Frank (rebroadcast)

Therapist, teacher, speaker, and trauma specialist Britt Frank tells us all about her new book, Align Your Mind, an all-access pass to understanding, befriending, and leading the multiple voices within yourself. Grounded in the latest research on Parts Work and Internal Family Systems, and offering proven techniques from Frank’s clinical practice and personal challenges, this engaging guide is a user manual to your own mind—and presents a road map for finding peace, confidence, and a deeper understanding of who you truly are. Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart] Previous Episodes [https://youarenotsosmart.com/podcast/] Britt Frank’s Practice [https://www.brittfrank.com] Align Your Mind Website [https://www.brittfrank.com/align-your-mind] Britt Frank’s Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/brittfrank/] How Minds Change [https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome] Newsletter [https://davidmcraney.substack.com/] David McRaney’s Twitter [https://twitter.com/davidmcraney] David McRaney's Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/davidmcraney.bsky.social] YANSS Twitter [https://twitter.com/notsmartblog]   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.