Is religious belief a form of make-believe — and if so, what deeper truths might we be acting out? Neil Van Leeuwen joins Igor and Charles to explore the psychological roots of religion, the nature of belief, and how sacred values shape group identity. Igor reflects on the blurring line between religious and political convictions, Neil argues that religious credence operates more like imaginative play than factual belief, and Charles considers whether conspiracy theories might be filling the same social and psychological roles. Welcome to Episode 65.

Special Guest: Neil Van Leeuwen.

Links:

• Neil Van Leeuwen' site | Florida State University
• Religion as Make-Believe A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity | Book - Neil Van Leeuwen
• The Puzzle of Belief - Neil Van Leeuwen & Tania Lombrozo (2023)

Are your choices really your own — or are they quietly shaped by the people around you? Nicholas Christakis joins Igor and Charles to reveal the hidden power of social networks, from the surprising spread of kindness and cooperation to the ripple effects that shape our health, decisions, and even our wisdom. Igor uncovers the invisible social forces influencing our daily lives, Nicholas shares how our deep-rooted instincts for love, friendship, and teaching have shaped human civilization, and Charles considers how tapping into these instincts could help us build stronger, wiser communities. Welcome to Episode 64.

Special Guest: Nicholas Christakis.

Links:

• Human Nature Lab | Yale University
• Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives (Book) | Nicholas Christakis
• Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society (Book) | Nicholas Christakis
• Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live (Book) | Nicholas Christakis
• The Hidden Influence of Social Networks (Ted Talk) | Nicholas Christakis
• ETH Global Lecture: Social Artificial Intelligence (2024) | Nicholas Christakis
• The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years - Christakis, Fowler (2007)
• Cooperative behavior cascades in human social networks - Fowler, Christakis (2010)
• Induction of social contagion for diverse outcomes in structured experiments in isolated villages - Airoldi, Christakis (2024)
• Gut microbiome strain-sharing within isolated village social networks - Beghini, Pullman, Alexander, Shridhar, Prinster, Singh, Juárez, Airoldi, Brito, Christakis (2025)

Can AI ever be truly wise, or are we just seeing reflections of ourselves? Philosophy Professor Shannon Vallor joins Igor and Charles to explore how technology shapes human wisdom, why we’ve been thinking about AI all wrong, and what it really means to align machines with our values. Shannon unpacks the AI Mirror metaphor, suggesting that today’s AI isn’t a thinking mind but a reflection of human data, Igor considers whether technology could ever help us become wiser rather than just more efficient, and Charles wonders if philosophy can guide better decisions in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms. Welcome to Episode 63.

Special Guest: Shannon Vallor.

Links:

• Shannon Vallor | University of Edinburgh
• Shannon Vallor | Edinburgh Futures Institute, The University of Edinburgh
• The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking - Shannon Vallor (2024)
• How philosopher Shannon Vallor delivered the year’s best critique of AI - Fast Company (2024)
• The Turing Lectures: Can we live with AI? - Shannon Vallor
• The Danger Of Superhuman AI Is Not What You Think | Noema - Shannon Vallor
• The Thoughts The Civilized Keep | Noema - Shannon Vallor
• AI Is the Black Mirror | Nautilus - Philip Ball
• Technology and the Virtues A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting - Shannon Vallor (Book)
• Moral Machines: From Value Alignment to Embodied Virtue - Wendell Wallach, Shannon Vallor (2020)
• AI and the Automation of Wisdom - Shannon Vallor (2017)
• The AI Mirror — how technology blocks human potential | FT (Subscription Required)

What happens when philosophers start running experiments? Edouard Machery joins Igor and Charles to explain the principles of experimental philosophy, the surprising geography of wisdom, and why we should be skeptical about trusting science too much. Igor digs into what's universal vs what's local about how we think, Edouard explains why bad habits keep creeping into research, and Charles wonders if philosophy can support wise decisions around ordering another glass of wine when out with friends. Welcome to Episode 62.

Links:

• Edouard Machery's Homepage
• Edouard Machery | University of Pittsburgh
• Geography of Philosophy Project
• Philosophy Within Its Proper Bounds | Oxford University Press - Edouard Machery (2017)
• Experimental Philosophy | Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science - Edouard Machery (2024)
• Dimensions of wisdom perception across twelve countries on five continents - Rudnev, M., Barrett, H.C., Buckwalter, W. et al (2024)
• Editorial: Cultural Variation and Cognition | Springer Nature Link - Edouard Machery, Joshua Knobe & Stephen P. Stich (2023)
• Conversations at the Center | Podcast from Center for Philosophy of Science - Hosted by Edouard Machery

Can our political identities get in the way of wise action, even on existential issues like climate change? Leaf Van Boven and David Sherman join Igor and Charles to unpack how we perceive environmental policy through the lenses of group identity and social norms, revealing how misperceptions fuel inaction. Igor considers how group beliefs can override personal values, Leaf explores the power of asking, “What if I’m wrong?”, David suggests we may be following louder voices over wiser ones, and Charles wonders if we’re wired to stick to our “tribe” or if we can really think beyond our social bubbles. Welcome to Episode 61.

Special Guests: David Sherman and Leaf Van Boven.

Links:

• Leaf Van Boven | University of Colorado Boulder
• Environment, Decision, Judgment, and Identity Lab (EDJI) | University of Colorado Boulder
• David Sherman | UC Santa Barbara
• Sherman Lab | UC Santa Barbara
• Social Science Climate Lab
• The connections—and misconnections—between the public and politicians over climate policy: A social psychological perspective - Sherman, Van Boven (2024)
• Social norms explain prioritization of climate policy - Cole, Ehret, Sherman, Van Boven (2022)
• Politicians polarize and experts depolarize public support for COVID-19 management policies across countries - Flores, A., Cole J. C., Dickert S., Eom K., Jiga-Boy G. M., Kogut T., Loria R., Mayorga M., Pedersen E. J., Pereira B., Rubaltelli E., Sherman D. K., Slovic P., Vastfjall D., & Van Boven L. (2022)

Why do we have such a hard time figuring out what we’re feeling? Alan Fiske joins Igor and Charles to unravel the mystery of emotions, revealing why your gut feeling might not be as clear-cut as you think. Drawing from his research into Kama Muta—a heartwarming rush of connection—and his critiques of how we label emotions, Alan sheds light on why most of us are pretty terrible at naming what we feel. Igor tackles the complexities of universal emotions, Alan shares why cultural differences make this even trickier, and Charles wonders if anyone truly knows what’s going on inside their head. Welcome to Episode 60.

Special Guest: Alan Fiske.

Links:

• Alan Fiske's page | UCLA
• The lexical fallacy in emotion research: Mistaking vernacular words for psychological entities - Fiske (2020)
• Ways of Knowing Emotion, and What You Don't Know about Your Own Emotions: The Case of Kama Muta - Fiske (2020)
• Seeking Communal Emotions in Social Practices That Culturally Evolved to Evoke Emotions: Worship, Kitten Videos, Memorials, Narratives of Love, and More - Fiske, Schubert, Seibt (2024)
• Moral psychology is relationship regulation: moral motives for unity, hierarchy, equality, and proportionality - Rai & Fiske (2011)
• The four elementary forms of sociality: Framework for a unified theory of social relations - Fiske (1992)
• Kama Muta Lab | Research on social emotions

Can our expectations about ourselves and others reshape our lives? Science writer David Robson returns to explore how our expectations don’t just change personal outcomes—they influence how we connect with others. Drawing from his books The Laws of Connection and The Expectation Effect, David reveals the hidden psychology behind social interactions and how our misconceptions about what others think can hold us back. Igor delves into how expectations can foster or hinder meaningful relationships, David explains how small mindset shifts can help overcome social anxiety, and Charles reflects on why connecting with strangers can be easier (and more rewarding) than we think. Welcome to Episode 59.

Special Guest: David Robson.

Links:

• David Robson's Website
• How your expectations can transform your life | BBC Radio 4 (article)
• The Laws of Connection: 13 Social Strategies That Will Transform Your Life | Book
• The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World | Book
• David Robson's Column | The New Scientist

Can we create wise robots? Kerstin Dautenhahn joins Igor and Charles to dive into the intriguing world of social robots, the finer points of “Robotiquette,” and the potential role such robots can play in supporting therapeutic treatments. Igor reflects on the limits of robot-based wisdom, Kerstin reveals the potential of Generative AI like ChatGPT to generate false information about her own professional identity, and Charles considers the perils of socially awkward machines. Welcome to Episode 58.

Special Guest: Kerstin Dautenhahn.

Links:

• Kerstin Dautenhahn's page | University of Waterloo
• Social and Intelligent Robotics Research Laboratory (SIRRL)
• Robots are not human, even if we want them to be | Kerstin Dautenhahn | TEDxEastEnd
• Socially intelligent robots: dimensions of human–robot interaction - Dautenhahn (2007)
• Potential Applications of Social Robots in Robot-Assisted Interventions for Social Anxiety - S Rasouli, G Gupta, E Nilsen, K Dautenhahn (2022)
• User Evaluation of Social Robots as a Tool in One-to-One Instructional Settings for Students with Learning Disabilities - N Azizi , S Chandra, M Gray, J Fane, M Sager, K Dautenhahn (2023)
• Opportunities for social robots in the stuttering clinic: A review and proposed scenarios - S Chandra, G Gupta, T Loucks, K Dautenhahn (2022)

Can we ever really know ourselves, or are we destined to always make overly optimistic self-assessments? David Dunning joins Igor and Charles to discuss the Dunning-Kruger effect, the importance of asking the right questions, why arriving at an accurate view of ourselves is so challenging, and the implications for teaching, medicine, and even scientific research. Igor explores the possible reemergence of group assessments in education as a result of advances in AI, David shares why conversations with smart people often end up as competitions to ask the most questions, and Charles reflects on the wisdom-enhancing experience of jury service. Welcome to Episode 57.

Special Guest: David Dunning.

Links:

• Unskilled and unaware of it: how difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments - J Kruger, D Dunning (1999)
• The association between objective and subjective financial literacy: Failure to observe the Dunning-Kruger effect - Gilles E. Gignac (2022)
• Flawed Self-Assessment: Implications for Health, Education, and the Workplace - David Dunning Chip Heath Jerry M. Suls (2004)
• Feeling "Holier Than Thou": Are Self-Serving Assessments Produced by Errors in Self- or Social Prediction? - Nicholas Epley, David Dunning (2000)
• Why People Fail to Recognize Their Own Incompetence - David Dunning1. Kerri Johnson Joyce Ehrlinger Justin Kruger (2003)
• The Dunning–Kruger Effect: On Being Ignorant of One's Own Ignorance | Book Chapter - David Dunning (2011)

Have we overlooked a major source of awe, right under our collective noses? Dacher Keltner returns to the On Wisdom studio to discuss his new book "Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life", the power of moral beauty, the desire for connection, and the importance of wandering. Igor suggest that awe can also entail feelings of terror, Dacher reflects on the perils of awe being used against us, and Charles shares his experience of an awe walk-around-the-bloc. Welcome to Episode 56.

Special Guest: Dacher Keltner.

Links:

• Dacher Keltner | UC Psych
• Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life
• Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life
• Berkeley Social Interaction Laboratory
• Dacher Keltner: Why Awe Is Such an Important Emotion - YouTube
• The Science of Happiness Podcast | Greater Good
• Awe as a scientific emotion - Gottlieb, Keltner, Lombrozo (2018)
• Self-Transcendent Awe as a Moral Grounding of Wisdom - Dacher Keltner, Paul K. Piff (2020)
• Awe and humility. - PubMed - NCBI - Stellar, gordon, Anderson, Piff, McNeil, Keltner (2018)
• Why Do We Feel Awe? | Greater Good
• Why Does Awe Have Prosocial Effects? New Perspectives on Awe and the Small Self - Joshua D. Perlin, Leon Li (2020)
• Awe Motivates Authentic-Self Pursuit via Self-Transcendence: Implications for Prosociality - Tonglin Jiang, Constantine Sedikides (2021)