A.J. jacobs on radical honesty, following the whole bible, and reframing global problems as puzzles

Abstract

This podcast episode features an interview with a New York Times bestselling author who has written extensively on the topic of self-improvement through unusual and challenging self-experiments. The author discusses his experiences with various experiments, such as radical honesty, trying to follow the Bible literally, and thanking everyone who helped make his morning cup of coffee. He also discusses his views on effective altruism, longtermism, and the value of storytelling as a tool for social change. He argues that framing global problems as puzzles can increase motivation and encourage cooperation. He also suggests that the concept of “blackmailing yourself” can be an effective strategy for personal improvement. He discusses his mixed feelings about the media, but he remains optimistic that more effective altruists will enter the field of journalism and contribute their unique perspectives to important social issues. – AI-generated abstract.