Evolve Faster with Scott Ely

Evolve Faster with Scott Ely


EF4 (S1-E2): The Decapitation of Reason: A Skeptic’s Guide

January 01, 2019

Can you trust reason? We rarely have a chance to change the world. If you could prove something fundamental about the human experience, but it came at an enormous cost, would you have the guts? And what if you proved humanity can’t really know anything? At the height of his success, a controversial philosopher named Ian Ament reveals a dangerous plan to do a head transplant swap with his brother. Nobody knows why and both the scientific and medical communities at large are very concerned. In a tense live interview being viewed around the world with a potential surgeon, Ross Hunter, Ament methodically explains his reasoning. Yet his reasons only bring more questions. Is there something more behind Ament’s plan? For the next 60 minutes of this interview, the historical arc of reason—and Ian’s head—are both on the chopping block as we wait to find out if the ax will fall. In this episode, we’ll discover what do the theories of rationalism, empiricism and skepticism have to say about the way we gain new knowledge. Why do rationalism and empiricism seem to collide on how humans function? Would it work to instead just be a skeptic every time you face a new obstacle? Finally, is there a way to optimize your mindset and take the best out of every world? The Evolve Faster Podcast is written, performed and produced by Scott Ely. Writing and production of each episode of the podcast is a major undertaking spanning many months—it’s a labor of love, but it needs your help to survive. To help ensure the creation of more episodes, please learn about ways you can support the podcast (register, share, review and subscribe) at https://evolvefaster.com/subscribe/