Great conversation. If there's a part 2, I'd love to hear more ideas about regional differences in America's religious history and how those differences may be influencing patterns in current culture. The collapse of local difference into national narrative is both alienating and disempowering as the objects of attention become diffuse and distant. But the more locally one lives the less visible to the online global community one becomes, and so from an online perspective going local is to disappear. David touched briefly on what seem to him to be "performative" (I think that was the word he used) religious practices, but in many ways performance is the most accessible way to bridge the online and local.
Agree that a lot of the criticisms of universities (e.g. low IQ academics, flimsy social psychology) are overblown, but he's overselling quantitative academic work, particularly the fields of economics and neuroscience... Neuroscience can't replicate anything to save its life and economists are always finding ways to outdo each other in terms of QRPs.
I'm sad I wasn't really able to get into it with him on neuroscience. Haven't found any economists yet that I can grill. I would agree that economics seems about as predictive as astrology (as a field). I should probably do an article on economics but I keep writing drafts and not publishing...
Fascinating discussion with a super smart guy. I would love to see a part 2.
Absolutely do a second one. Engage him more in the second interview.
Great conversation. If there's a part 2, I'd love to hear more ideas about regional differences in America's religious history and how those differences may be influencing patterns in current culture. The collapse of local difference into national narrative is both alienating and disempowering as the objects of attention become diffuse and distant. But the more locally one lives the less visible to the online global community one becomes, and so from an online perspective going local is to disappear. David touched briefly on what seem to him to be "performative" (I think that was the word he used) religious practices, but in many ways performance is the most accessible way to bridge the online and local.
Agree that a lot of the criticisms of universities (e.g. low IQ academics, flimsy social psychology) are overblown, but he's overselling quantitative academic work, particularly the fields of economics and neuroscience... Neuroscience can't replicate anything to save its life and economists are always finding ways to outdo each other in terms of QRPs.
I'm sad I wasn't really able to get into it with him on neuroscience. Haven't found any economists yet that I can grill. I would agree that economics seems about as predictive as astrology (as a field). I should probably do an article on economics but I keep writing drafts and not publishing...