BTP Archives – Evolve Faster with Scott Ely

EF37 (BTP-EF13): Where Creativity Comes From and How to Find Your Uniquely Bloody Fingerprint — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF13

Podcast, BTP / By Scott Ely / 11/26/2019 01/09/2020

EF37 is a Behind The Podcast about Episode EF13 (The Bloody Fingerprint of Creativity). The driving question of this episode is … Where does creativity come from?! Art, imagination, and creativity aren’t mystical powers divinely granted to only a few, but instead are a cumbersome process where you need to wake up every day and work hard — just like any other job requiring hard work and years of practice. Although everybody wants to be creative, it’s the will we usually lack. But, unlike some mysterious force we can’t define, the will is more than attainable. Do you have the guts to face the failures you’ll have to endure to attain it?

EF35 (BTP-EF12): Cryptocurrencies, Gaming and Leveraging Failure to Help Us Define Who We Are — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF12

Podcast, BTP / By Scott Ely / 10/29/2019 01/09/2020

EF35 is a Behind The Podcast about Episode EF12 (Wired to Fail: Leveling Up in the Game of Life). The driving question of this is … What defines us? What have you done in your life that makes you feel proud? Although it can be anything — from having a satisfying job to a blossoming relationship with a person you love, we often don’t know what defines us. It’s not as easy as its three simple words imply.

EF33 (BTP-EF11): The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Creativity — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF11

Podcast, BTP / By Scott Ely / 10/01/2019 01/09/2020

EF33 is a Behind The Podcast about Episode EF11 (When the Lights Go Out: The Blinding Light of an Artificial Future). The driving question of this episode is … Can machines think, be creative or fall in love? It’s obvious we’re witnessing the dawn of artificial intelligence (AI). As the generation living through and directing this big change, we have to feel both excited and nervous. What will the next step be? Will machines become a new race with their own rights to live, love and create? How might the change — potentially a quantum leap — affect humanity?

EF31 (BTP-EF10): Dharma, Modifying Negative Thinking and the Never Ending Pursuit of Happiness by Embracing Suffering — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF10

Podcast, BTP / By Scott Ely / 09/17/2019 01/09/2020

EF31 is a Behind The Podcast about Episode EF10 (The Road to Happiness is Inked in Suffering). The driving question of this episode (and this BTP) for you to think through is … Does happiness define the good? We need to be happy to feel good. Even a 4-year-old child knows this somewhere in the chaos of their still-evolving mind. Thus, it seems logical the closer we are to becoming happy 24/7, the better. But when was the last time you met someone who achieved this? And have you ever thought through the practicalities of such a scenario?

EF29 (BTP-EF9): Waging War Between Reason and Emotions and the Importance of Leaving Things Unresolved — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF9

Podcast, BTP / By Scott Ely / 09/03/2019 01/09/2020

EF29 is a Behind The Podcast about Episode EF9 (I Feel, Therefore I am: Capsized on the River Emotion). The driving question of this episode (and this AMA) for you to think through is … Can rationality and emotions coexist? We tend to put people (and ourselves) into two groups: people who are rational, and people who are emotional. So what should you strive being? A rational or emotional person? Rationality is usually more encouraged as too many emotions can blur your mind. But is it that simple?

(EF27) BTP-EF8: Who are You and is it Possible to Upgrage Your Identity as an Adult Behind the Podcast of Episode EF8

EF27 (BTP-EF8): Who are You and is it Possible to Upgrade Your Identity as an Adult? — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF8

Podcast, BTP / By Scott Ely / 08/20/2019 01/09/2020

EF27 is a Behind The Podcast of Episode EF8 (Without a Compass: All Who Sail the Seas of Identity Are Not Lost). The driving question of this episode is … Can you change your identity? Or the shorter philosophical classic, who are you? Although you know your name, vital statistics, and other necessary information — you likely still ask yourself from time to time ‘who am I?’ What do we mean when we ask this seemingly simple, but infinitely deep, question? And is it possible that the answer could change over time, implying that your identity can evolve?

EF25 (BTP-EF7): The Power of Propaganda and Rhetoric to Divide Us and the Quest for a Better World — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF7

BTP, Podcast / By Scott Ely / 08/06/2019 01/09/2020

EF25 is a Behind The Podcast (BTP) looking back at Episode EF7 (Sleight of Mind: The Black Magic of Rhetoric). The driving question of this episode is … can we trust reason? Since perfected by the ancient Greeks, rhetoric has slowly devolved from a respected art into a manipulative tool used in marketing, politics and any other walk of life where mental and verbal coercion pays. Rhetoric, propaganda and the strategic use of logical fallacies are mental and verbal manipulations similar to the dark arts of black magic, in that they create smoke and mirrors to change minds to believe mistruths. And unlike a magician who deceives to entertain, these dark wizards act maliciously in pursuit of profit and power over others.

EF23 (BTP-EF6): Scaling Mount Wisdom Without Suffocating Under an Avalanche of Ego — Behind The Podcast of Episode EF6

Podcast, BTP / By Scott Ely / 07/23/2019 01/09/2020

Is it possible to learn to be wise? This is a Behind The Podcast (BTP) of Episode EF6 (Information Mainlining and the Folly of Modern Wisdom). The driving question of this episode (and this BTP) for you to think through is … what is wisdom?

EF21 (BTP-EF5): Should Lying be Made Illegal and the Importance of Figuring Out Why You Believe What you Believe — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF5

Podcast, BTP / By Scott Ely / 07/09/2019 01/09/2020

This is a Behind The Podcast (BTP) of Episode EF5 (Season 1, Episode 3 of the Evolve Faster Podcast) titled The Truth is Clay in the Hands of a Sculptor. The driving question of this episode (and this BTP) for you to think through is … what is the truth? Without knowing the truth, what can we do? Somewhere deep in our DNA, there’s a code that says we always need to seek honesty, we need to fight for trustworthiness. So we do our best to seek justice we all believe to be the same. When we attack someone for telling a supposed “lie”, we don’t do it because we want to hurt the person. Instead, we’re doing it because we want him or her to be “right” as well. Because, if there’s a single correct path and you are already on that path, then it’s logical you must help anyone who isn’t.

(EF19) BTP-EF4: Head Transplantation and Finding Inspiration for Speculative Fiction Behind the Podcast of Episode EF4

EF19 (BTP-EF4): Head Transplantations and Finding Inspiration for Speculative Fiction — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF4

Podcast, BTP / By Scott Ely / 06/25/2019 01/09/2020

The driving question of this episode (and this BTP) for you to think through is … How can you know anything? It’s a fascinating question that actually has surprisingly little research or philosophical investigation. You’re about to listen to a Behind the Podcast (BTP) of Episode EF4, which was Season 1, Episode 2 of the Evolve Faster Podcast titled The Decapitation of Reason: A Skeptic’s Guide.

EF17 (BTP-EF3): What Am I Supposed To Do, Free Will and Other Everyday Problems — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF3

Podcast, BTP / By Scott Ely / 06/11/2019 01/09/2020

The first episode of the first season of the Evolve Faster Podcast Episode starts with the big question that’s always lurking in your head: “What Am I Supposed To Do?” And it’s not referring to your lunch plans. Instead, it’s asking what will you until the inevitable day comes when you’re 6 feet underground to make sure you live a satisfying life of meaning? And let’s assume there’s no lunch down there to worry about anyway.

(EF16) BTP: Ask Me Anything Discussion with Antonio Rozich and Scott Ely on Croatia, Creative Writing, and Being Paid in Ayahuasca

(EF16) BTP: On Creative Writing, Video Games and the Future of the Evolve Faster Podcast (About Antonio Rozich)

Podcast, BTP / By Scott Ely / 06/04/2019 01/09/2020

In this episode, we go behind the scenes where Scott Ely talks to Antonio Rozich — his creative collaborator and co-writer on most of the episodes — on how they met, what it takes to be a creative writer and other odd background stories from creating Season One of Evolve Faster Podcast. From joint eureka moments to pointless yet heated arguments over if a character should go left or right on a river fork, this interview dissects how creativity can sometimes be better as both a shared and an individual process.