Joshua Knobe is a Yale professor and experimental philosopher whose research explores identity, morality, human behaviour and the way we decide what makes someone their “true self.” In this conversation, we start with a deceptively simple question: what makes you, you? From there we get into why we see the “good” parts of people as more real, how relationships and first impressions shape identity, and how much of who we are changes depending on the people and situations around us.
We also explore alcohol and personality, the different versions of ourselves we present online and in person, whether authenticity is even possible, and why social media can distort the way we understand ourselves and other people. Joshua also talks about morality, spirituality, art, emotional expression and the strange point where documenting your life starts to become a performance.
If this one's got you thinking about goals, I built something for exactly that.
The Chapter System: https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x
If you like this type of episode, you'll probably like any of the following: https://studio.youtube.com/playlist/PLGUpYukY0ZPc/videos
Chapters:
00:00:00 Preview
00:01:29 What Makes You, You?
00:03:11 Why We Think the “Good” Part Is the Real You
00:07:56 Why We Believe There’s Good Deep Down
00:11:38 The Different Versions of You
00:15:44 Why Your Best Work Feels Like the Real You
00:18:05 Alcohol and the “Real” You
00:23:33 Attachment, Shame and Self-Perception
00:29:31 Are You More Real In Person Than Online?
00:34:11 Why Men Communicate Differently
00:40:32 Religion, Spirituality and the True Self
00:41:34 Why Do We Like Sad Art?
00:48:46 When Pain Becomes Art
00:53:43 Travel, Distance and How We See Other Lives
00:56:55 Why Art Stops Being About the Artist
01:02:12 When Does Footage Become Art?
01:03:53 Can You Ever Be Authentic on Camera?
🎙️ MY STUFF
The Chapter System (the PDF):
https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x
All my other stuff: https://awakenoutofcontext.com
Joshua Knobe:
Website:
https://campuspress.yale.edu/joshuaknobe/
Yale:
https://philosophy.yale.edu/profile/joshua-knobe
Experimental Philosophy:
https://experimental-philosophy.yale.edu/
