Episodes
Monday Aug 03, 2020
Classical Conditioning
Monday Aug 03, 2020
Monday Aug 03, 2020
While studying the digestive system of dogs, the legendary scientist Ivan Pavlov unexpectedly discovered classical conditioning: Automatic learning after concurrent presentation of two stimuli. His discovery changed the course of psychological research forever. Discussed in this episode: Pavlov's initial experiments on classical conditioning, examples of classical conditioning, major principles of classical condoning including acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, stimulus generalization, and second-order conditioning, Implications of classical conditioning in therapy, treatment for alcoholism, and treatment for bed-wetting, classical conditioning in advertising, and experiments on classical conditioning of the immune system.
Monday Jul 27, 2020
The Origins of Modern Art
Monday Jul 27, 2020
Monday Jul 27, 2020
In the Renaissance, painters sought to accurately depict real life. After this period, however, painters began to create artwork based on feeling, mood, and subjective vision. What engendered this movement of modern art? Discussed in this episode: The differences between Renaissance paintings and modern art paintings, how the Enlightenment shaped modern art, key traits of a modern art painting, the role of economic changes in Western Europe in the development of modern art, the development of the modern art movement with the foundation of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), counter-cultural tones in modern art, Gustave Courbet’s Realism as an early rebellion against the established forces of academicism in art, Édouard Manet's pioneering influence on modern art, the role of photography in the development of modern art, and Vincent van Gogh's "The Starry Night."
Supplementary materials available on website ("A Burial At Ornans" by Gustave Courbet (1849-1850), "Nocturne in Black and Gold – The Falling Rocket" by James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1875), "Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe" by Édouard Manet (1863), and "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh (1889)).
Monday Jul 20, 2020
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Monday Jul 20, 2020
Monday Jul 20, 2020
Science seeks to ascertain facts through experimental observation. However, paradigm shifts can occur in science, markedly changing our very reality. How do these scientific revolutions occur? Discussed in this episode: Thomas Kuhn's landmark 1962 book, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions," the scientific method, how scientific revolutions happen, prerequisites to scientific revolutions, characteristics of revolutionary works in science, Nicolaus Copernicus' theory of heliocentrism, Galilean versus Aristotelian dynamics, Isaac Newton's theory of gravity, why paradigm shifts fail to occur immediately after new ground-breaking theories, science versus truth, and the lasting effects of scientific revolutions.
Monday Jul 13, 2020
Moonlight (2016) Analysis
Monday Jul 13, 2020
Monday Jul 13, 2020
Barry Jenkins’ 2016 film, Moonlight illustrates the challenges of being oneself in the face of negative societal influence. In the face of pressures to conform to stereotypes, to portray oneself in a way that is acceptable to others, or simply to survive in a strenuous environment, it can become nearly impossible to remain unbound from society’s shackles of expectation. Because societal influence can force someone to suppress who they are, this person can become molded into someone who is unrecognizable to others and even to themselves. When moments of freedom do arise for these people, it can be like standing under the moonlight by the ocean: While their skin reflects a blue tint, they look different to others but at the same time feel free as the one who stands without a care under the moonlight. Paradoxically, it is in the most vulnerable state of judgment from others for being oneself when a person may feel the most profound sense of freedom.
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Neuroplasticity
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change structure and function in response to experience. What are the factors that change the brain and how did scientists discover them? Discussed in this episode: The history of the idea neuroplasticity, early neuroplasticity experiments, materialist explanations in neuroscience, pioneering environmental enrichment findings by Donald Hebb, caveats to environmental enrichment studies, monocular deprivation studies by David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel, real-world application of environmental enrichment studies, the effects of poverty and low socioeconomic status on brain development, the effects of rigorous training on the brain, studies of neuroplasticity in London taxi drivers, neuroplasticity in blind people, and behavioral manipulation using optogenetics.
http://insightfulthinkersmedia.com
Monday Jun 29, 2020
Systemic Racism in the United States
Monday Jun 29, 2020
Monday Jun 29, 2020
Systemic racism in the United States did not end with the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862. Four hundred years after the first slave was brought to United States, discriminatory practices remain. Discussed in this episode: The Jim Crow Laws, discriminatory Black Codes, Michelle Alexander's "The New Jim Crow," housing discrimination (Redlining), The War on Drugs, discriminatory practices of the Nixon and Reagan Administrations, mass incarceration, Killer Mike's "Reagan," Gang Starr's "Conspiracy," the economics of public and private prisons, unfair policing and sentencing of African Americans, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Monday Jun 22, 2020
The Mind-Bending Effects of Psychedelics
Monday Jun 22, 2020
Monday Jun 22, 2020
Psychedelics produce mind-altering effects. What, exactly, does one experience under their influence and why? Discussed in this episode: The safety of psychedelics, The function of the brain in its baseline state, subjective reports of the psychedelic experience, Aldous Huxley's 1954 book, "The Doors of Perception," Michael Pollan's 2018 book, "How to Change Your Mind," The evolution of psychedelic plants and fungi, how psychedelics act on the brain, ego dissolution on psychedelics, the potential for psychedelics in therapy, and Aldous Huxley's discussion about the disdain of psychedelics in Western culture.
Monday Jun 15, 2020
The Information Age and Its Implications
Monday Jun 15, 2020
Monday Jun 15, 2020
In the Information Age, information has become a commodity that is quickly and widely disseminated and is easily accessible, especially through digital mediums. How did we get here and what does it mean for us? Discussed in this episode: The origin of speech determined by genetic, anatomical, and anthropological studies, cave paintings in the Paleolithic periods, the origin of writing, talking drums, the telegraph, the telephone, the Flynn Effect, research by Hubel and Wiesel on the visual cortex, the brain's dependence on the environment in development, and the positive and negative implications of the Information Age.
Saturday Jun 13, 2020
Malcolm X: A Voice of Black Empowerment
Saturday Jun 13, 2020
Saturday Jun 13, 2020
Malcolm X was a civil rights hero who spoke about black pride and black nationalism in the 1950s and early 1960s. To get to this point, he reinvented and redeemed himself through education and religion. Discussed in this episode: The life and words of Malcolm X, Black Nationalism, The Black Panther Party, racism in the United States, the negative effects of a lack of role models, low expectations for success imposed on African Americans, lack of opportunity for African Americans, and Malcolm X's redemption through reading, self-directed education and religion.
Thursday May 21, 2020
In-Depth Analysis into Anxiety
Thursday May 21, 2020
Thursday May 21, 2020
Discussed in this episode: The spotlight effect, insecurity, social anxiety, body dysmorphic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, cognitive behavioral therapy, stoicism, the importance of values in anxiety, the importance of thresholds in anxiety, first-world problems, and the Dodo Bird Effect in Psychotherapy.
Wednesday Apr 29, 2020
Human Nature: More than a Blank Slate
Wednesday Apr 29, 2020
Wednesday Apr 29, 2020
Discussing Steven Pinker's 2002 Pulitzer Prize-nominated novel, The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature. Discussed in this episode: The dominant views of human nature (The Blank Slate, The Judeo-Christian Theory, The Noble Savage, The Ghost in the Machine, and Behaviorism), radical feminism, dangers of a Blank Slate Theory of human nature, apprehension for abandoning The Blank Slate Theory (Possibility for inequality, determinism, and nihilism), lines of evidence from cognitive science, genetics and neuroscience that disprove the Blank Slate Theory, and critical opinions about the book.
http://insightfulthinkersmedia.com
Monday Apr 06, 2020
To Pimp a Butterfly: Kendrick Lamar's Magnum Opus
Monday Apr 06, 2020
Monday Apr 06, 2020
Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly" discusses how negative influences including fame, fortune, power, status, the devil, gang influence, neighbourhood ties, depression, regret, colorism, and racism lead to the pimping of a butterfly (corrupting a naturally free human being). The beauty of the album exists not only in the complexity of this problem, but also in the love and hope the ever-evolving butterfly retains despite these negative influences. The butterfly not only retains love and hope for himself, but also shares his message with young caterpillars who are afflicted by similar issues.
Monday Apr 06, 2020
Ex Machina: Blurred Lines Between Humans and Artificial Intelligence
Monday Apr 06, 2020
Monday Apr 06, 2020
In-depth analysis into Artificial Intelligence and the questions raised in the movie Ex Machina. Discussed in this episode: The Turing Test, The Chinese Room thought experiment, The Mary's Room thought experiment, Jason Pillock's automatic drip art, Yuval Noah Harari's "Homo Deus," neuroscience experiments on external control of rats, Trans-cranial Magnetic Stimulation, and the implications of companies profiting from our personal data.
http://insightfulthinkersmedia.com
Thursday Mar 19, 2020
The Effects of Social Media on the Brain and Behavior
Thursday Mar 19, 2020
Thursday Mar 19, 2020
Discussing the effects of social media on the mind and subsequent behavior. Discussed in this episode: How the environment modulates the brain, Harvard Research on self-disclosure on social networking sites, unattainable beauty standards and their potential effects on young women, possible benefits of social media, tactics used to make social media addictive, operant conditioning and its reinforcement schedules, the anxiety-inducing effects of social media, cancel culture, and the Cambridge Analytica Scandal.
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
Parasite (2019) Analysis
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
A thematic analysis of Bong-Joon ho's 2019 film, Parasite. View the accompanying blog post at https://www.insightfulthinkersmedia.com
Friday Feb 07, 2020
On Consciousness and its Various Forms
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Discussing the subjective nature of consciousness and its various forms. Also discussed this episode: The Universe, Ziya Tong's "The Reality Bubble," Michael Ward, and Kobe Bryant.