Better Things & Better People
Sam and Rutger discuss human progress, altruism, philanthropy, work and meaning, and more.
Philosophy for Life
Sam and Donald discuss Stoicism’s history, techniques, and influence on modern psychology.
Writing as Practice
Sam and Natalie discuss how writing can be a spiritual practice—and Natalie’s own process.
Escaping Death
Sam and Sebastian discuss war journalism, near-death experiences, meaning, awe, and more.
Life and Work
Sam and George discuss George’s creative process, Buddhism, writing as practice, and more.
Knowledge Work
Sam and Cal discuss slow productivity, social media, trading money for time, and more.
Vocabularies of Being
Sam and Jane discuss Jane’s meditation practice and her poems, five of which she recites.
Silence and Pilgrimage
Sam and Pico discuss travel, retreats, religion, globalism, Japanese culture, and more.
Transformative Experiences
Sam and Laurie discuss identity, decision theory, morality, regret, the self, and more.
The Long Game
Sam and Robert discuss work, wealth, relationships, Zen, and what really makes us happy.
Psychedelics and Mortality
Sam and Roland discuss psychedelics’ promise, Roland’s cancer diagnosis, and his response.
Steps in the Right Direction
Sam and Russ discuss decision-making, economics, free will, marriage, morality, and more.
Preparing for the End
Sam, BJ, and Shoshana discuss end-of-life care, anxiety, pain control, planning, and more.
Philosophy and the Good Life
Sam and Kieren discuss moral realism, future bias, suffering, happiness, and selflessness.
Status Games
Sam and Will discuss status, dominance, virtue, success, gossip, social media, and more.
Where Is Happiness?
Sam and Arthur discuss identity, love, faith, intelligence, well-being, and the good life.
Why Wealth Matters
Sam and Morgan discuss investing, wealth, saving, compounding, luck, success, and more.
Freedom from the Known
Sam and Michael discuss psychedelics, meditation, the brain, end-of-life care, and more.
Deep Time
Sam and Oliver discuss time management, work-life balance, leisure time, and productivity.
The Limits of Self-Knowledge
Sam and Stephen discuss metacognition, intelligence, deception, self-awareness, and more.
The Limits of Pleasure
Sam and Paul discuss suffering, well-being, morality, money, status, altruism, and more.
Anger and Forgiveness
Sam and David discuss David’s poetry collection Consolations. David recites three pieces.
Distance and Arrival
Sam and David further explore David’s book Consolations, from which David recites poems.
Psychedelics and the Self
Sam and James discuss psychedelics, guided trips, microdosing, set and setting, and more.
The Boundaries of Self
Sam and David discuss David’s poems “Friendship,” “Honesty,” “Ambition,” and “Alone.”
The Price of Distraction
Sam and Adam discuss attention, multitasking, neuroplasticity, digital medicine, and more.
Life in the Shadow of Death
Sam, Jason, and Miles discuss the life of Amy Rosenthal, the grieving process, and more.
Being Good and Doing Good
Sam and William discuss altruism, philanthropy, morality, existential risk, and more.
The Power of Compassion
Sam and James discuss compassion, core beliefs, the doctor-patient relationship, and more.
A Good Life
Sam and Scott discuss well-being, Abraham Maslow, meditation, meaning, and transcendence.
Creatures of Habit
Sam and James discuss behavior change, systems vs. goals, attention, identity, and more.
The Science of Happiness
Sam and Laurie discuss well-being, framing, expectation, memory, and social interaction.
Identity and Conversation
Sam and David discuss work, relationships, and mortality. David reads three of his pieces.
Psychedelic Science
Sam and Roland discuss the state of psychedelics research and history of its prohibition.
The Art of Living
Sam and William discuss Stoicism’s wisdom, practices, and similarities with Buddhism.
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Artwork by Jason Chatfield