ON WISDOM Podcast – Episode 17: The Metaphysics of Email & The Perils of Productivity (with Oliver Burkeman)

The On Wisdom podcast features a social-cognitive scientist in Toronto and an educator in London discussing the latest empirical science regarding the nature of wisdom. Igor Grossmann runs the Wisdom & Culture Lab at the University of Waterloo in Canada. Charles Cassidy runs the Evidence-Based Wisdom project in London, UK. The podcast thrives on a diet of freewheeling conversation on wisdom and decision-making, and includes regular guests spots with leading behavioural scientists from the field of wisdom research and beyond. Welcome to The On Wisdom Podcast.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Our current productivity culture appears to peddle a false promise:

If we can just get better organised, we really can do everything – no tough life choices or trade-offs need to be made!

Guardian journalist and author Oliver Burkeman joins Igor and Charles to discuss the ironic effects of the pursuit of productivity, the inbox zero phenomenon, the futile denial of limitations, the Jevons paradox, Keynes’ concerns about a future society drowning in leisure time, Nietzsche’s suspicions regarding our beloved busyness, the social complexities of sending back a poorly made coffee, and the importance of living a life that is larger than politics.

Igor wonders if the ‘slow-food’ philosophy can be extended to start a ‘slow-work’ movement in social and medical sciences to help address replication concerns, Oliver explains why he sat on the London underground loudly calling out the names of approaching stations to a carriage full of strangers, and Charles reveals how a ‘free-coffees-for-nice-customers’ policy can badly backfire, particularly if your customers are British.

Welcome to Episode 17.

Click here to listen to ‘Episode 17: The Metaphysics of Email & The Perils of Productivity (with Oliver Burkeman)’ in full
Click here to visit the On Wisdom Podcast site.
Click here to get to the podcast through iTunes.
Click here to subscribe to the podcast through your chosen app.

If you have any thoughts about the On Wisdom podcast, please get in touch.

You can get in contact at charles@evidencebasedwisdom.com, via the about page or find me on twitter @EBasedwisdom. You can also contact us through the On Wisdom site here or find us on twitter @onwisdompodcast.