EPS 53: Magical Thinking (The Voo Doo You Do): Guest Matthew Hutson

Video bonus feature:


SHOW NOTES

Matthew Hutson
Matthew Hutson

Matt Hutson has a B.S. in cognitive neuroscience from Brown University and an M.S. in science writing from MIT. He has written for WiredThe AtlanticThe New York Times MagazineDiscoverScientific American MindPopular MechanicsTechnology ReviewSlateNewYorker.comNYMag.comScienceMag.orgAeonNautilusAl Jazeera AmericaThe Boston Globe,The Washington PostThe Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and Psychology Today, where he was the News Editor for four years.

Find Matt on Twitter

Matt’s book The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking

MIN 1:30
Matt’s religious and spiritual background and context for writing about magic and how we think.

A Brief History of Time

Stephen Hawking

MIN 2:30

Cognitive Neuroscience studies

Meaning is filtered through the mind.

MIN 3:30

What is magical thinking and how does it happen all the time in our lives?

MIN 9:00

Humans are very social creatures and we apply our perspective (like thoughts and desires) onto other things that are not human.

MIN 11:30

Some atheists claim they don’t commit mistakes of magical thinking, but Matthew says, “Not so fast, we all do and it’s not so bad!”

Involuntary Cognitive bias

The experiments the tease out the behavioral repercussion of these basis.

MIN 14:30

Instinct and staying safe

MIN 16:30

How does Matt deal with his own magical thinking?

Realizing the difference between correlation and causation.

MIN 18

Learning Critical Thinking

Is there another explanation?

MIN 20

Transcendent experiences and loss of awareness of ego or a sense of awe.

Astronauts often return from space with a new belief in God or spirituality or ecologically-minded or with a renewed sense of awe.

MIN 23

Matt’s transcendent moment in Alaska.

MIN 25

Matt talks about the “The Soul Lives On” and “Everything Happens for a Reason” chapters of his book.

MIN 29

Up loading our brains to live on after us and artificial intelligence.

MIN 31

symbols: such as, people feel less lonely when they watch tv.

MIN 34

Consciousness as discreet states

MIN 35

Verbs most activate our motor system

MIN 38

The movie HER and brain simulation

MIN 40

The psychology of social status. power, prestige, and class how we achieve it. Why we care about getting it and what’s good about it and how it shows our values.

MIN 42

How upbringing can program us for life.


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Spark My Muse
Spark My Muse
Lisa Colón DeLay

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Lisa Colón DeLay writes often on matters of the attending to the inner life, creating a beloved community, spiritual formation, and consciousness. She is also a designer, teacher, speaker, and host of the weekly broadcast Spark My Muse since 2015. Lisa is Latina (born in Puerto Rico) and holds an MA in Spiritual Formation and is the author of "The Wild Land Within" (Broadleaf Books) and other books.