Best Polly Young Eisendrath Podcasts (2025)

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Waking Up is Not Enough Episode 34 - Why Protecting Free Speech Matters—and What’s Happening Now in Europe a Conversation w/ Diana Johnstone 1:14:22

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5d ago1:14:22

1:14:22

In this timely and eye-opening episode, American journalist Diana Johnstone joins us to unpack recent restrictions on free speech in Germany and France. She connects these developments to broader global dynamics, including Israel, Ukraine, NATO, and the shifting role of the U.S. in Europe and the Middle East. Diana also reflects on the transformati…

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Waking Up is Not Enough Episode 33 - Are You Coddling, Cancelling or Speaking Freely? A Conversation with Greg Lukianoff 1:13:47

3M ago1:13:47

1:13:47

If you want to learn more about how to speak freely and authentically without coddling or cancelling others, go to www.realdialogue.org and sign up for one of our online courses. Some of the courses carry APA-approved continuing education credits for mental health professionals and others are available just for self-study. Expand your skills and se…

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Waking Up is Not Enough Episode 32 - Original Love: A Conversation with Zen Teacher and Poet Henry Shukman 1:15:30

3M ago1:15:30

1:15:30

Why We Should Be at Ease With Ourselves and What Gets in the Way of It? Henry Shuman is a poet, author, and meditation teacher who has guided thousands of students from around the world in mindfulness and awakening practices. Henry is a Zen master in the Sanbo Zen lineage and the emeritus spiritual director at Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Sante Fe,…

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Waking Up is Not Enough Episode 31 - Human Consciousness is Self-Consciousness: A Conversation with an Authority on Human Consciousness: Dr. Michael Lewis (Part 2) 49:25

4M ago49:25

49:25

You may be confused about the word “consciousness” because it is used broadly to mean anything that has awareness of any kind — from a fungus to a dolphin to a human being. Unfortunately, this has been the way that we speak with each other about consciousness since Darwin came onto the scene. Consequently, as humans we do not know what our unique f…

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Waking Up is Not Enough Episode 30 - Human Consciousness is Self-Consciousness: A Conversation with an Authority on Human Consciousness: Dr. Michael Lewis (Part 1) 47:43

6M ago47:43

47:43

You may be confused about the word “consciousness” because it is used broadly to mean anything that has awareness of any kind — from a fungus to a dolphin to a human being. Unfortunately, this has been the way that we speak with each other about consciousness since Darwin came onto the scene. Consequently, as humans we do not know what our unique f…

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Waking Up is Not Enough Episode 29 - What Is the Point? A Conversation with Zen Master Barbara Rhodes About The Primary Point of Spiritual Practice 1:08:48

7M ago1:08:48

1:08:48

Most spiritual practice, especially Zen, emphasizes a kind of engaged curiosity – remaining aware of the present moment. Why? What can we get from this kind of awareness that we cannot get from just enjoying a warm brownie? How can you drop your desire to control what’s going on in yourself and around you and what might happen if you did? In this s…

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Waking Up is Not Enough Episode 28 - A Non-Dual Approach to the Philosophy of Quantum Theory: A Conversation with Dean Rickles PhD (Part 2) 53:47

8M ago53:47

53:47

Support the podcast: https://gofund.me/621e367c Dr. Dean Rickles and Dr. Harald Atmanspacher have together developed a new philosophical model called “dual-aspect monism.” This contemporary philosophy of physics attempts to transcend the hegemony of materialism in responding to observer phenomena and other puzzles inherited from Quantum Theory. In …

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Waking Up is Not Enough Episode 27 - A Non-Dual Approach to the Philosophy of Quantum Theory: A Conversation with Dean Rickles PhD (Part 1) 46:36

9M ago46:36

46:36

Support the podcast: https://gofund.me/621e367c Dr. Dean Rickles and Dr. Harald Atmanspacher have together developed a new philosophical model called “dual-aspect monism.” This contemporary philosophy of physics attempts to transcend the hegemony of materialism in responding to observer phenomena and other puzzles inherited from Quantum Theory. In …

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Waking Up is Not Enough Episode 26 - Enlightenment and Virtues in the West & East: A Conversation with Seth Segall PhD 1:52:12

9M ago1:52:12

1:52:12

Support the podcast: https://gofund.me/621e367c In this fascinating and rare conversation, Polly and Mike speak with psychologist and Zen teacher Seth Segall PhD whose recent book The House We Live In: Virtue, Wisdom and Pluralism looks at three great philosophers – Aristotle, Buddha, and Confucius – in terms of how they teach virtues and wisdom. I…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 25 - Unify Your Spiritual Development: A Conversation with Terry Moore 1:10:23

10M ago1:10:23

1:10:23

GoFundMe Page - https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-real-dialogue-polly-mikes-podcast-on-awakening Polly and Mike talk with writer and speaker Terry Moore whose recent book Here.Now.One: A Practical Guide to Spiritual Life sheds light on ways to make spiritual practice an integrated part of everyday life and whose recent TED talk directs our attenti…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 24 - How and Why Conflict Avoidance Is Harmful and Dehumanizing in Leadership, Families, and Communities 1:17:41

11M ago1:17:41

1:17:41

We need dialogue with others who think and feel differently from ourselves because we so easily deceive ourselves. Every project we develop, from science and technology, to art and culture, is a long conversation with others. In these activities, our self-protection and self-promotion, as well as our desire to defeat others, clouds our self-awarene…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 23 - Welcoming Your Experience, No Matter What: A Conversation with Gaylon Ferguson 1:22:16

12M ago1:22:16

1:22:16

In this lively and exploratory conversation, Mike and Polly talk with Buddhist teacher and author Gaylon Ferguson, Ph.D. Dr. Ferguson has led group meditation retreats since 1976 in many settings, but especially in retreat centers. He is the author of Natural Wakefulness (on the four foundations of mindfulness) and Natural Bravery (on the path of f…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 22 - Awakening in the Context of Language, Culture, and Development: A Conversation with Anthropologist Bruce Knauft 1:25:58

1y ago1:25:58

1:25:58

How are awakening and adult development affected by widely different languages and cultures? Mike and Polly have a fascinating conversation with Bruce Knauft Ph.D, Professor of Anthropology at Emory University. He is a long-term friend of, and expert on, the Gebusi people of Papua, New Guinea, as well as a long-term practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 21 - Why Early Buddhism Matters Now: A Conversation with Bill Waldron (Part 2) 1:12:27

1y ago1:12:27

1:12:27

Bill Waldron PhD is professor of Religious Studies at Middlebury College where he teaches Indian religions, especially Buddhism. His recent book “Mind Only: Why Yogachara Buddhism Matters” is an important contribution to clarifying non-dual awareness and a non-dual way of life: no “object” called “world” and no “subject” called “self.” Neither obje…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 20 - Why Early Buddhism Matters Now: A Conversation with Bill Waldron (Part 1) 45:34

1+ y ago45:34

45:34

Bill Waldron PhD is professor of Religious Studies at Middlebury College where he teaches Indian religions, especially Buddhism. His recent book “Mind Only: Why Yogachara Buddhism Matters” is an important contribution to clarifying non-dual awareness and a non-dual way of life: no “object” called “world” and no “subject” called “self.” Neither obje…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 19 - Politics of Belonging that Transcends Identities: Conversing with Bayo Akomalafe 53:36

1+ y ago53:36

53:36

In this episode, Dr. Akomalafe warns against colonizing our minds in the ways of colonialism: assuming we know exactly what to do to bring our situation under control or that we know exactly who we are. In this wide-ranging extraordinary conversation with Bayo, Polly and Mike discover new ways of thinking about body, life/death, and belonging while…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 18 - Whole Brain Living: A Conversation w/ Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor 1:21:50

1+ y ago1:21:50

1:21:50

In this podcast, Polly and Mike have a fascinating and frank conversation with Dr. Bolte Taylor about awakening and brain functions, as well as about the role played by psychedelics in today’s world. Jill raises concerns about the potential for brain injury and schizophrenia, especially in young adult users. She and Mike speak openly about the chal…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 17 - What is the Nature of Post-Conformity? 1:28:01

1+ y ago1:28:01

1:28:01

At the later stages of Ego Development, people naturally encounter self-evaluated standards in place of group norms and begin to feel intensive responsibility for their own achievements, self-respect and creative fulfillment. They no longer look to others for support or approval, even though they still long for it. Full-blown post-conformity gradua…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 16 - The Cost of Conformity & the Tightrope of Belonging 1:27:41

1+ y ago1:27:41

1:27:41

You may believe that conformity means compliance or popularity. In this podcast, Polly and Mike talk about conformity (in terms of Loevinger’s Stage Development) as the need to feel identified with a group in which you comply with “the rules” in order be accepted and approved of. Conformity naturally begins in the 6 – 12 year old human, but it migh…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 15 - Ken Wilber Uncovers: Zen, Awakening, & Stage Development - Insights on War, Ideologies, & Spirituality 59:46

1+ y ago59:46

59:46

In Part 2, Mike and Polly engage with Ken Wilber, a prominent American theorist and writer in transpersonal psychology, in a deep dive into the intersections of psychedelics, spiritual awakening, Zen, and spiritual development with contemporary issues like war and 'woke' ideologies. They explore how these diverse areas tie into adult stage developm…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 14 - Ken Wilber Explains: Navigating Identity Politics and 'Wokeness' Through Adult Development Stages 49:01

1+ y ago49:01

49:01

In a candid and open discussion, Polly and Mike delve into a fascinating conversation with Ken Wilber, an acclaimed American theorist and writer. They explore the distinct concepts of “waking up” and “growing up,” unraveling why the latter is crucial in today’s world. Ken Wilber, renowned for his integral theory – a comprehensive four-quadrant grid…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 13 - Cogitating on Donald Hoffman’s Conversations with Us: What’s the Take-Away? 45:21

1+ y ago45:21

45:21

Mike and Polly spend some time reviewing what they learned and what they are thinking about in relation to their podcasts #11 and #12. What are the implications for new developments in Conscious Realism? Because Conscious Realism brings human subjectivity into the forefront of what we take to be the “world out there,” it shares a lot with Real Dial…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 12 - What’s True About Human Consciousness? A Conversation w/ Don Hoffman, Ph.D (Part 2) 47:47

2y ago47:47

47:47

In his current scientific investigations, Donald Hoffman proposes that the fundamental building blocks of reality are not particles or atoms but conscious entities. He also advocates for a radical shift in our understanding of evolution, suggesting it has shaped our perception to prioritize survival rather than truth. This thought-provoking perspec…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 11 - What’s True About Human Consciousness? A Conversation with Don Hoffman, Ph.D 44:45

2y ago44:45

44:45

In his current scientific investigations, Donald Hoffman proposes that the fundamental building blocks of reality are not particles or atoms but conscious entities. He also advocates for a radical shift in our understanding of evolution, suggesting it has shaped our perception to prioritize survival rather than truth. This thought-provoking perspec…

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ENEMIES: From War To Wisdom Episode 50: Why War is Not Necessary 44:36

2y ago44:36

44:36

In this final episode, Eleanor and Polly look back over their time together in doing the podcast and they assess where humanity seems to be standing in regard to war and wisdom. They reflect on the state of war and why humans return repeatedly to armed polarization, called “war.” And they talk about other options for polarization – being able to ta…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 10 - Stages of Adult Development (Part 2) 39:37

2y ago39:37

39:37

What does it mean to be impulsive from the perspective of how you see yourself and other people? When does this way of acting and thinking first arise in human development and how does it change and adapt to self-control and self-care? Why is impulsiveness considered “pre-conformist” or reactive and predictable? In this episode, you will learn abou…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 9 - Stages of Adult Development (Part 1) 29:54

2y ago29:54

29:54

What does it mean to be impulsive from the perspective of how you see yourself and other people? When does this way of acting and thinking first arise in human development and how does it change and adapt to self-control and self-care? Why is impulsiveness considered “pre-conformist” or reactive and predictable? In this episode, you will learn abou…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 8 - Predictable Differences in Adult Minds (Part 2) 48:03

2y ago48:03

48:03

PART 2 What is the normal mind? Why do ordinary adults have so many differences and conflicts about what is real or true? Perhaps you have pondered this and looked at astrology, personality typologies, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Human Design or some other set of categories to try to figure out how you are different from other people. O…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 7 - Predictable Differences in Adult Minds (Part 1) 42:32

2y ago42:32

42:32

What is the normal mind? Why do ordinary adults have so many differences and conflicts about what is real or true? Perhaps you have pondered this and looked at astrology, personality typologies, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Human Design or some other set of categories to try to figure out how you are different from other people. Or you h…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode 6 - Ecstasy, Bliss or Equanimity: What’s Your Desire? 54:03

2y ago54:03

54:03

In waking up, people experience and report ecstatic states. Often these states are associated with euphoria in which feelings of pleasure, ease, and excitement are greatly expanded. Others report bliss or a feeling of total happiness. And still others report equanimity or stability of the mind in experiences of awakening. In this episode, Polly and…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode #5 - What Limits What We Learn From Awakening? 46:54

2y ago46:54

46:54

How much control do we have about what comes into our lives through awakening? What are the constraints on what we can learn? Is awakening good for our relationships? Does it matter how awakening is initiated – by the circumstances or the motivations? Why are there so many differences in what people learn, bring back, and translate into relating to…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode #4 - What We Can Learn from Awakening? 53:21

2y ago53:21

53:21

In this episode, Mike and Polly consider the take-away from awakening. Does it matter how awakening is initiated – our motivations, the method, what is driving us? Why are there so many differences in what individuals bring back and translate into relating to self and other? If we experience an “ontological shock” from awakening, whether we induce …

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode #3 - Why Wake Up? 56:55

2y ago56:55

56:55

What are we seeking through awakenings? If we are not seeking, they happen to us through childbirth or Near Death Experience, are there differences? Why is awakening valuable and/or is it always valuable? What part does the desire for awakening play in our experience? In this episode, Polly and Mike talk about their own seeking and motivations for …

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode #2 - Who Awakens? 1:08:12

2y ago1:08:12

1:08:12

While this question is a kind of Zen puzzle or koan, it is also the case that individual people have awakenings – and they have personalities and perceptions through which they peek into the infinite nature of reality and love. In this episode, Polly and Mike talk about their own awakenings and their belief/ideas/theories about how personality inte…

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Waking Up Is Not Enough Episode #1: Flourishing In the Human Space: Exploring Waking Up and Growing Up 42:52

2+ y ago42:52

42:52

On this episode of Waking Up: Flourishing in the Human Space, the hosts Polly Young-Eisendrath and Mike Berger explore the different ways humans can awaken to a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. They discuss their personal experience with awakening and the sense of interconnectedness that comes with breaking through one'…

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ENEMIES: From War To Wisdom Episode 49: Remaining Curious 46:08

3y ago46:08

46:08

In this episode, we discuss the meaning of curiosity as a primary emotion and how it is expanded or restricted, throughout our development from infancy through old age, by conscious and unconscious factors. Curiosity or “interest” motivates us to engage with our experiences in ways that we can learn from them. The human infant is born with a primar…

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ENEMIES: From War To Wisdom Episode 48: Listening Mindfully: Getting Out of Your Own Head 51:45

3y ago51:45

51:45

Why is it so hard to hear and feel another person’s meaning when you are in difficult conversations? Even though you may love the other person, when they speak about something that “makes you angry,” you may find it’s impossible to hear anything except your own thoughts. When we feel emotionally threatened, we protect ourselves and promote our own …

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ENEMIES: From War To Wisdom Episode 47: Speaking For Yourself: Foundation of Real Dialogue 1:00:33

3y ago1:00:33

1:00:33

In this podcast, we talk about how and why a speaker should LOWER emotional threat if that person wants to be seen, heard, and felt accurately. We don’t have to “be nice” or even “be kind,” be we have to limit ourselves to our own experience in speaking (not using “we” or “you” or claim to know “the facts”). Being able to speak subjectively (only f…

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ENEMIES: From War To Wisdom Episode 46: What is Power? What is Vulnerability? 32:06

3+ y ago32:06

32:06

How do Homo Sapiens get and control power? What do we mean by power and how does it relate to influencing others or taking control? What is “true power” that can sustain us through our difficulties and “false power” that leads only to fears and misgivings? In this podcast, we will contemplate power and vulnerability, and how they function in our re…

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ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom Episode 45: Fear of Death (Part 3) 29:31

3+ y ago29:31

29:31

What is death? Is it a flat-lining on the EEG in which the brain goes quiet? Is it cardiac arrest, the stopping of the heart? Is it the departing of consciousness from the body? Why does our definition of death change? If we cannot define death, how do we understand our fear of it? What’s the difference, for example, between what we feel about diff…

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ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom Episode 44: Fear of Death (Part 2) 28:35

3+ y ago28:35

28:35

What is death? Is it a flat-lining on the EEG in which the brain goes quiet? Is it cardiac arrest, the stopping of the heart? Is it the departing of consciousness from the body? Why does our definition of death change? If we cannot define death, how do we understand our fear of it? What’s the difference, for example, between what we feel about diff…

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ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom Episode 43: Fear of Death (Part 1) 41:14

3+ y ago41:14

41:14

What is death? Is it a flat-lining on the EEG in which the brain goes quiet? Is it cardiac arrest, the stopping of the heart? Is it the departing of consciousness from the body? Why does our definition of death change? If we cannot define death, how do we understand our fear of it? What’s the difference, for example, between what we feel about diff…

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ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom Episode 42: Free Speech and Right Speech: Following the Path of Non-Hatred Part 2 30:45

3+ y ago30:45

30:45

There are many public debates about “free speech” in terms of limiting “hate speech” that includes insults, hostility, or slander against others, especially “vulnerable others.” In this podcast we discuss how speech (the ways we speak to ourselves and others) plays a central role in ceding or avoiding war and chaos. We will compare “free speech,” a…

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ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom Episode 41: Free Speech and Right Speech: Following the Path of Non-Hatred 45:19

3+ y ago45:19

45:19

There are many public debates about “free speech” in terms of limiting “hate speech” that includes insults, hostility, or slander against others, especially “vulnerable others.” In this podcast we discuss how speech (the ways we speak to ourselves and others) plays a central role in ceding or avoiding war and chaos. We will compare “free speech,” a…

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ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom Episode 40: What is Propaganda? How Can We Tell That We Are Being Persuaded by False or Fake Narratives? Part 2 43:42

4y ago43:42

43:42

Episode 40: What is Propaganda? How Can We Tell That We Are Being Persuaded by False or Fake Narratives? Part 2 with Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. and Eleanor Johnson with special guest Robert Caper In this second part of this podcast, we will explore the nature of propaganda and how easy it is to believe in rhetoric that is based on false assumpti…

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ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom Episode 39: What is Propaganda? How Can We Tell That We Are Being Persuaded by False Rhetoric? 32:10

4y ago32:10

32:10

In this podcast, we will explore the nature of propaganda and how easy it is to believe. How can a listener/reader/consumer discern whether there are facts and evidence backing any particular attitude, statement or marketing? Is there some way to know if something is likely to be true or false when you read about it or hear? What is “confirmation b…

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ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom Episode 38: What Is “Crowd Psychology”? How Does It Affect Individuals and Groups (Part 2) 34:37

4+ y ago34:37

34:37

NEW EPISODE of Enemies: From War to Wisdom is now live! Episode 38 (Part 2): What Is “Crowd Psychology”? How Does It Affect Individuals and Groups with Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. and Eleanor Johnson with special guest Robert Caper Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, believed that crowd behavior (sometimes called “mob psychology”) leads…

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ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom Episode 37: What Is “Crowd Psychology”? How Does It Affect Individuals and Groups (Part 1) 36:19

4+ y ago36:19

36:19

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, believed that crowd behavior (sometimes called “mob psychology”) leads to unlocking the unconscious mind in becoming identified with a “group mentality” in the slogans or motivations of a charismatic leader. More contemporary theories of crowd behavior, such as psychologist Philip Zimbardo’s idea of “de…

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ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom Episode 36: What About Mothers & Daughters? Why Is It So Hard? 49:03

5y ago49:03

49:03

In the arena of entangled and often painful human relationships, the mother-daughter relationship may be paramount. If you think about it for a moment, you realize that every woman on earth has been inside of another woman, and then come out and had to differentiate or at least grow apart from that original home. Women are far too often alienated f…

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ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom Episode 35: Taking a Look at the Illusion of Reality: The Work of Donald Hoffman Part 2 40:04

5y ago40:04

40:04

In part two of this episode, we will talk about the theory offered by contemporary cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman to explain why our natural desires and fears do not lead us to insights about “reality.” We will review some of Hoffman’s model and approach which are still very much a work-in-progress. We are taking up Hoffman’s work on this podca…