EF27 SHOW NOTES
Looking to play or download the episode? Click here… EF27 (BTP-EF8): Who are You and is it Possible to Upgrade Your Identity as an Adult? — Behind the Podcast of Episode EF8
EPISODE EF27 SUMMARY
Spoiler alert: You’re about to listen to a Behind The Podcast (BTP) of Episode EF8, which was Season 1, Episode 6 of the Evolve Faster Podcast titled Without a Compass: All Who Sail the Seas of Identity Are Not Lost. The driving question of this episode (and this BTP) for you to think through is … Who Am I? It’s a fascinating question that actually has surprisingly little research or philosophical investigation.
As a reminder about Episode EF8: You’re the sailor of the ship called you, and yet most people let their boats go into great disrepair and neglect. Feeling moored in the same spot for years with no clear understanding of the direction she needs to go, Lisa gets a unique opportunity to upgrade her identity boat with a chemical compass of sorts—a mysterious drug that will supposedly alter her complete identity—to supposedly better enable her to navigate through life’s rough waters. Could a change in your identity actually turn your entire life around for the better? Or are we destined to live with constant susceptibility to being lost in a sea of meaningless actions and emotions without any sort of compass to steer our ship?
The sixth episode of the first season of the Evolve Faster Podcast Episode is driven by the big question Who Am I. Today we question our identity more than ever. Why is it so? Is it because we’re growing more unsatisfied with who we are or because of external problems? Or maybe, it was always there lying dormant?
To peek behind the curtain of Episode EF8, we’ll dissect the following submitted questions:
- Why this question (who are you)?
- Are Lisa and Isaac modeled after anyone?
- Lisa changes an awful lot between this and the next episode… is this level of transformation really possible?
- Why did you decide to have CBT be a part of the drug test?
- Is the Mule a reference to Asimov’s Foundation?
- You say she was in a placebo group … so the drug DID work, but she didn’t take it?
- And more…
dedication
DEDICATION: Episode EF8 is dedicated to Isaac Asimov, a prolific scientist, and writer known for his dedicated work and the ability to create speculative stories of science fiction which continue to become true to this day. Asimov is known as one big three science fiction writers alongside Arthur Clarke and Robert A. Heinlein.
Asimov’s work kickstarted a whole new fictional genre that explores the future from a present point-of-view. It’s incredible that although his work is more than half a century old, it still leaves a lot of food for the thought. Many ideas born from Asimov’s mind and later put on the paper are only now starting to shape in real life.
Unlike with Orwell’s work, where for most of the ideas we hope they don’t become a reality, Asimov’s work is different. It’s hard to say if we want it to happen or not. He’s one of the true original speculative fiction writers to envision global video calls, self-driving cars, and, of course, artificial intelligence with questionable morality.
HOW ISAAC ASIMOV INSPIRES EF8
Although Isaac Asimov doesn’t inspire a particular character in EF8 as a person, if it weren’t for his work, EF8 might have a less interesting premise and name for the episode’s identity-changing drug.
A broken compass is the worst thing that can happen when trying to navigate through rough emotional waters. And is there a more dangerous open water than the ocean of life itself, where the compass of your identity is likely the only thing keeping your ship’s hull together? For the EF8 Episode protagonist, she’s way off course and the compass doesn’t seem to work at all.
I highly suggest you give Asimov’s fiction a read:
- Foundation Series, (1942).
- I, Robot, (1950).
- The Caves of Steel, (1953).
- The Naked Sun, (1956).
- Video Interview
inspirations
INSPIRATIONS: Erik Erikson and Joan Erikson, a famous couple who developed the theory of psychological development. Also, Mr. Erikson is the man we can thank for the term “identity crisis”. Aaron T. Beck and Albert Ellis, developers of cognitive behavioral therapy that helped people around the World with their psychological problems. John Locke, a philosopher who kickstarted the idea of identity as a consciousness shower that’s always pumping waves of mental water. Pat Martino, a jazz guitarist who managed to fight a horrific tragedy and come back stronger than before. A prolific musician with an inspiring knowledge of music theory. Episode EF8 was further inspired by Sam Harris, Plutarch, Theseus’ Ship, Max Tegmark, Otto von Bismarck, Oscar Wilde, Eddie Harmon-Jones, Cindy Harmon-Jones. For a full list of data and references please see Episode EF8 Show Notes.
references
Debbie Hampton, Neuroplasticity: The 10 Fundamentals Of Rewiring Your Brain. reset.me, http://reset.me/story/neuroplasticity-the-10-fundamentals-of-rewiring-your-brain/ (Accessed: Feb 19, 2019).
Evolve Faster Podcast EF7, https://evolvefaster.com/podcast/ef7-s1-e5-sleight-of-mind-the-black-magic-of-rhetoric/
Evolve Faster Podcast EF9, https://evolvefaster.com/podcast/ef9-s1-e7-i-feel-therefore-i-am-capsized-on-the-river-emotion/
episode quotes
Any of these quotes make you think? If so, please support the show by sharing…
While playing the game of life, one mindset is to press ‘Try Again’ until you succeed; the other is to give up and hand your controller to someone else. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Ten)
There’s a high risk of the game ruining lives and people getting physically addicted. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Ten)
And just like any success, any of our failures can also be either the strongest or the weakest link in our chain. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Ten) (EF12)
You have been lied to—The key to life is available to you. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Ten)
Being free to do what you want is the only thing you should strive to achieve. To be a free individual, unafraid to embrace the consequences of your actions, no matter how dire, is the ultimate human aspiration. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Ten) (EF12)
Your days are numbered—let that alone be the only inspiration you need to live a life of pure satisfaction, one failure at a time. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Ten) (EF12)
If we lived our lives more like playing a video game, where we embraced failure and fighting through all the tough levels on our own, maybe we’d all master life more quickly. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Ten)
Failing in a video game usually leads to a desire to overcome the obstacle the next time. So why do we so often live our lives desiring a comfortable bubble where we hand the controller to someone else? Because aren’t these failures what most defines us anyway?
Season One, Episode Ten: What defines who you are?
