In this episode of Occasionally Philosophical, Mark and Doug explore a deceptively simple question:

What does it actually mean to “know” something?

It starts with a story about a grocery list… but quickly turns into a deep dive into:

Whether knowing where information is = actually knowing it
How technology (like GPS and smartphones) might be reshaping our thinking
Why explaining something simply might be the true test of understanding
The rise of AI—and whether we’re trusting it too much
How online discourse has shifted from conversation to tribal signaling
Why “Google it” isn’t the slam-dunk argument people think it is

Along the way, we touch on ideas connected to thinkers like Hilary Putnam, Bertrand Russell, Noam Chomsky, and even Douglas Adams.

This episode is really about one thing:

👉 In a world where information is everywhere… how do we know what’s actually true?