Rethinking Reality With Cognitive Scientist Donald Hoffman (Episode #4)

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This episode is for you science nerds (and I include myself in that category). I speak with Donald Hoffman, a cognitive scientist at the University of California, Irvine who has been studying visual perception for over 40 years.

His research has led him to some intriguing and compelling theories about our ability (or inability) to see a true picture of reality -- and even about the nature of reality itself. His TED Talk “Do We See Reality As It Is” has garnered over 3 million total views on TED.com and YouTube.

In our conversation, we talk about two subjects I find endlessly fascinating and think about quite often: Perception and evolution. What does one have to do with the other, you might ask? 

In this episode, Don explains his controversial Interface Theory of Perception and brings forth compelling and rigorous scientific evidence to address this question and others, such as:

• Do we see a true picture of reality?
  

• What is the nature of reality?
  

• Do objects exist even when we're not looking?
  

• What are the practical implications if his theory proves to be true?

We also touch on some of the arguments against his theory, which I found super interesting.

Other Topics We Cover

If you find this subject matter is too dense for you, don't worry -- we also talk about more intuitive topics like:
 

• The relationship between science and religion
  

• What certain Eastern religions have in common with his scientific theory
  

• Don's antidote to anxiety
  

• Why anxiety is normal and how it has helped our species survive
  

• His hope for the future of science
  

• What makes science such a powerful tool

(If you want to jump to this part of the conversation, start at around 43:50).

Fair warning: Don is a super intelligent guy and this interview does get a little dense in some parts (like when we talk about string theory and the future of spacetime). But if you’re a curious soul like I am, I assure you, it is absolutely worth the cognitive investment. Personally, I had to listen to this interview several times to really absorb some of the concepts that went over my head the first time around.

I think you are going to find this conversation fascinating and thought-provoking, just as I did. However, you may find that you end up with more questions than answers. Alas! Such is the nature of these deep topics. So, prepare your cognitive faculties and get ready for some head-spinning theories...

Hope you like this episode! Let me know what you think in the comments below :)

Selected Links and Resources From The Episode

Confirmation bias

Large Hadron Collider

Don's TED Talk, "Do We See Reality As It Is?"

Visual Perception by Donald D. Hoffman

Do We See Reality? by Donald D. Hoffman (book coming soon)

The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber

People mentioned:

Albert Einstein

Theoretical physicist Edward Witten

Physicist Niels Bohr

Theoretical physicist Nima Arkani-Hamed

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson

Ruben Chavez is a writer, personal development educator, and host of The Think Grow Podcast. His Instagram account, ThinkGrowProsper, has amassed over 3 million followers. Along with his blog, these platforms are his way of inspiring and connecting with thoughtful, creative, and ambitious people just like you.

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The Art of Self-Expression with Illustrator and Author Mari Andrew

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If you are an artist or creator of any kind, this episode is for you. Mari Andrew (@bymariandrew on Instagram) is an author and illustrator who has built a massive and loyal following by sharing refreshingly honest illustrations about life, love, and vulnerability.

In our conversation, we talk about:

• How she created a career as an illustrator despite not having any formal art training
   

• What she contributes most to her success as an artist
   

• Why you shouldn’t feel guilty for getting paid for your creative work
   

• The benefit of not “fitting in”
   

• How she deals with criticism and trolls
   

• The power of stories

...and much more

Mari is also coming out with a book that expands upon some of her drawings with mini-essays about her journey: Am I There Yet? The Loop-de-loop, Ziggzagging Journey to Adulthood. We also talk about how that book came about. Mari is a delightful and intelligent woman who is not afraid to speak candidly about who she is and what she’s been through. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Selected Links and Resources From the Episode

• Mari's drawing about grief
   

• Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
   

• The album Mari said was like a life raft for her when she was dealing with grief
   

• Mari's website

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Using Meta-Habits and Foundational Principles to Improve Your Life with Daniel DiPiazza

Listen to this episode on iTunes here. Or, stream and download it below.

Daniel DiPiazza is the founder of Rich20Something, where he teaches young people how to start businesses they care about and live happier lives. He's also the author of the book Rich20Something: Ditch Your Average Job, Start an Epic Business, and Score the Life You Want (which I am fortunate enough to be a part of). You can find him on Instagram @Rich20Something.

Daniel and I have been friends for a few years so this is a fun interview. We talk about a variety of topics including:

• How he built his first business that allowed him to quit his job
   

• Why he journals every day
   

• The power of consistency
   

• The difference between working IN your life versus working ON your life
   

• His morning routine
   

• Foundational principles and the philosophy that spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle and retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink both live by
   

• His reasons for using DMT

My favorite part is when we discuss working on your life on a macro level -- what that looks like and why it's important (starting at around 24:55). We discuss various behaviors I like to think of as meta-habits (although I don't think we ever actually use this term in our conversation).

If you enjoyed this episode and want me to continue producing this kind of content, the best way to let me know is by subscribing to the podcast or leaving a review on iTunes. I appreciate your support!

Also, if you have any suggestions for future guests or topics you’d like to hear covered, you can email podcast@thinkgrowprosper.org.

Selected Links and Resources From the Episode:

Principles by Ray Dalio

Deep Work by Cal Newport

Tao Te Ching

The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

Jocko Willink's "Good" philosophy

Eckhart Tolle's "Accept What Is" philosophy

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki

Jim Kwik (memory and brain performance training)

What It’s Like to Die: Meeting God Through My Experiences With DMT by Daniel DiPiazza

Daniel's Alpha Mentorship Program

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The Think Grow PODCAST

I’m a passionately curious guy. I spend a lot of time thinking and learning about a variety of subjects and I tend to filter much of what I learn through the lens of personal development.

To me, personal development is anything that helps me improve intellectually, emotionally, physically, spiritually, socially, financially, or in any other aspect of my life.

Some of the questions that fuel my curiosity are:

• What’s the best way to live?

• Why do people think the way they think?

• What is the common ground between seemingly disparate philosophies/worldviews?

• How can the study of evolution help us better understand ourselves and others?

• What do we know about the history of the universe?

• ...and many others

For the past year or so, I’ve been wanting to explore these and many other topics with you all on ThinkGrowProsper, but didn’t know exactly how to go about it. It seems the answer was staring me in the face all along: Podcasting.

“To me, personal development is anything that helps me improve intellectually, emotionally, physically, spiritually, socially, financially, or in any other aspect of my life.”

I’m a huge fan of podcasts and have been listening to them for years. They are a convenient and effective learning tool -- long enough to explore complex ideas thoroughly but short enough that you can finish an episode during a few commutes.

Where I See This Going

I envision The Think Grow Podcast as being a place where personal development meets real life. I plan on exploring a variety of topics with interesting people to expose you to different perspectives you can use to enrich your mind and improve your life in whatever way you see fit.

I want to create a space where I can explore topics in more depth and nuance than in an Instagram caption or even a blog post. With social media training us to have shorter and shorter attention spans, I want to help people have a richer and more meaningful media experience through this kind of long-form content.

“I want this podcast to be a place where personal development meets real life.”

This podcast may also end up being a place where I provide book recommendations, reviews, and breakdowns to keep you updated on what I’m reading, since you all seem to be interested in that. 

I don’t know exactly where it will go but I’m open to wherever it leads. As of now, it’s more of an experiment than anything. Whether or not I continue will ultimately depend on your response to it and my enjoyment of it.

Listen To The First Episode

This first episode is very special to me -- not just because it’s the first but because my wife and business partner, Vanessa is my co-host! I wanted to introduce her to you all from the very beginning because I’ll likely reference her from time to time and she may even pop up in future episodes.

For the first few minutes, we chat about some of the reasons that compelled me to start this podcast. The rest of the episode (starting at around (08:45) is a Q&A kind of format where I answer questions that were submitted by you all several weeks ago.

“I want to create a space where I can explore subjects in more depth and nuance than in an Instagram caption.”

You can listen to The Think Grow Podcast on iTunes, or wherever you consume your podcasts.

If you like what you hear and want me to continue producing this kind of stuff, the best way to let me know is by subscribing and/or leaving a review on iTunes. You can also shoot me an email at podcast@thinkgrowprosper.org.

This would be extremely helpful data for me to have because if either you or I aren’t getting value from this project, then it’s probably not worth continuing.

Questions I Answer In The First Episode:

• What’s the first step to creating one’s own reality?
   

• How do you keep going and stay positive after all the rejection you’ve experienced in your life?
   

• What are your thoughts on mindfulness and stress reduction?
   

• How do you balance the "give-it-your-all / keep-trying / hard-work-pays-off" message with the "relax-and-watch-the-universe-do-its-thing / think-good-and-it-will-be-good" mindset?
   

• How and why did you start ThinkGrowProsper? What steps did you take? What have been your failures and successes? What mindset has helped you?
   

• What is your philosophy and how has it helped you to get where you are now?
   

• How do you know when it’s time to quit your job and become an entrepreneur?
   

• What is your daily/morning routine?
   

Ruben Chavez is a writer, personal development educator, and host of The Think Grow Podcast. His Instagram account, ThinkGrowProsper, has amassed over 3 million followers. Along with his blog, these platforms are his way of inspiring and connecting with thoughtful, creative, and ambitious people just like you.

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