Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchEpisode 308: The Gray Man who Dreamed (Borges' "Shakespeare's Memory")
Episode 308
David and Tamler return to their happy place and talk about two pieces by JL Borges – the story "Shakespeare's Memory" and the [essay/story/poem/lite…
1 year, 2 months ago
Episode 307: What's in the BOX?
Episode 307
David and Tamler talk about two famous puzzles that for different reasons have bedeviled the rationalist community – The Monty Hall Problem and Newco…
1 year, 3 months ago
Episode 306: What to Expect When You're Expecting (David Lynch's "Eraserhead" with Barry Lam)
Episode 306
David and Tamler welcome Barry Lam back to the show. In the first segment we violate one of our own rules by talking about his new book "Fewer Rules,…
1 year, 3 months ago
Episode 305: Emile Is the Name of the Goat (with Paul Bloom)
Episode 305
VBW favorite Paul Bloom joins us to break down the Severance season finale and season 2 in general. We all agree that it's a much-needed return to fo…
1 year, 4 months ago
Episode 304: The Planes Don't Land
Episode 304
What has four thumbs and can effortlessly glide from the a priori to the a posteriori in a single episode? These guys. In the first segment we tackle…
1 year, 4 months ago
Episode 303: Measure This
Episode 303
Everyone knows Tamler hates numbers but he's not the only one who worries about them. We talk about the philosopher C. Thi Nguyen's excellent paper "…
1 year, 5 months ago
Episode 302: Metaphysical Edging
Episode 302
What makes something weird? What makes something eerie? David and Tamler wander into Mark Fisher's The Weird and the Eerie to learn more about these …
1 year, 5 months ago
Episode 301: Believing is Seeing?
Episode 301
It's Back 2 Basics: Psychology edition! Do coins look bigger to poor people? Do hills look steeper to people wearing heavy backpacks? What's the diff…
1 year, 6 months ago
Episode 300: If We Only Had A Brain
Episode 300
David and Tamler celebrate their 300th episode with a deep dive into the movie that inspired the podcast's title. Why is "The Wizard of Oz" the most …
1 year, 6 months ago
Episode 299: Oh the Humility!
Episode 299
David and Tamler wrap up the new year talking about intellectual virtues and Rachel Fraser's excellent essay "Against Humility." What is intellectual…
1 year, 7 months ago