The Curious Advantage Podcast

#77 The Experience Machine - Is Reality All in Your Head? with Andy Clark (Cognitive Philosopher)


Listen Later

What if your brain isn’t just reacting to the world, but actually helping to create it?

In this episode, Paul Ashcroft and Garrick Jones are joined by world-renowned cognitive philosopher Andy Clark to explore the fascinating ideas behind his latest book, The Experience Machine.

Together, they dive into how the brain acts less like a camera and more like a prediction engine, constantly guessing what’s coming next and shaping the way we experience reality. From the link between curiosity and mistakes to the surprising ways our expectations influence pain and mental health, this is a rich conversation about perception, learning, and the stories we tell ourselves.

They also look at how embracing uncertainty drives growth and innovation, and how AI, algorithms, and education are shaping the way we think.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Curious Advantage Podcast
01:55 The Journey of Andy Clark
02:21 The Brain as a Prediction Machine
06:59 Balancing Predictions and Sensory Input
11:25 Error, Curiosity, and Learning
18:26 Wired to Reduce Uncertainty
21:16 Pain, Expectation, and Mental Health
25:45 Curating Uncertainty for Better Predictions
28:34 The Role of Environment in Shaping Reality
31:07 Art, Literature, and Predictive Systems
32:49 The Impact of Algorithms on Human Experience
34:34 AI and Human Predictive Models
40:23 The Future of AI and Human Collaboration
46:20 Education and Embracing Error
49:15 Practical Applications of Predictive Processing

About the Curious Advantage Podcast Series
Join the authors of The Curious Advantage in an exploration of how individuals and organizations can harness the power of curiosity to drive success in our new digital reality. In each episode, they engage in enlightening conversations with world-leading experts from a diversity of disciplines to bring to life the latest understanding of curiosity in a way that’s useful to anyone looking to embark on a journey of discovery, navigate challenges, and unlock opportunities. 

About The Curious Advantage Book
The Curious Advantage is an exploration of the idea of Curiosity and its increasing importance for thriving in the digital age. Taking the widest possible exploration of things Curious – historical, contemporary, neuro-scientific, anthropological, behavioural, semantic and business-focused. At the heart of the book is our model of Curiosity, called ’Sailing the 7C’s of Curiosity’. This model provides individuals with a practical framework for how to be successfully Curious and use Curiosity as a power skill to unlock their own potential. To find out more visit: curiousadvantage.com

Get your copy of The Curious Advantage on Amazon
The Curious Advantage Audiobook is also available on Audible
Follow The Curious Advantage on LinkedIn and Instagram

The Curious Advantage Podcast is executive produced by Jessica Wickham and Aliki Paolinelis. Audio editing is expertly by Danny Cross. Video editing is done by Jessica Wickham. 
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Curious Advantage PodcastBy The Curious Advantage

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

11 ratings


More shows like The Curious Advantage Podcast

View all
HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review

HBR IdeaCast

1,830 Listeners

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish by Shane Parrish

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

2,640 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,409 Listeners

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett by DOAC

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

7,001 Listeners

Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee by Dr Rangan Chatterjee: GP & Author

Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

4,045 Listeners

Worklife with Adam Grant by TED

Worklife with Adam Grant

9,187 Listeners

Google DeepMind: The Podcast by Hannah Fry

Google DeepMind: The Podcast

198 Listeners

Accidental Gods by Accidental Gods

Accidental Gods

123 Listeners

A Bit of Optimism by Simon Sinek

A Bit of Optimism

2,179 Listeners

Hard Fork by The New York Times

Hard Fork

5,438 Listeners

Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

Huberman Lab

28,304 Listeners

Wild with Sarah Wilson by Sarah Wilson

Wild with Sarah Wilson

74 Listeners

The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens by Nate Hagens

The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

392 Listeners

The News Agents by Global

The News Agents

980 Listeners

The Mel Robbins Podcast by Mel Robbins

The Mel Robbins Podcast

20,416 Listeners