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/

Maurice Schweitzer is a Wharton professor whose research explores trust, deception, negotiation, decision-making and the way we manage how other people see us. In this conversation, we start with a deceptively simple question: what makes you, you? From there we get into how culture and travel shape identity, whether AI can deceive us, why humans lie, and the strange line between dishonesty and kindness.

We also explore the downside of goal setting, why ambitious targets can sometimes encourage unethical behaviour, and how easy it is to lose sight of the bigger goal while chasing the one directly in front of us. Maurice also talks about impression management, authenticity, prosocial lies, the cost of bad feedback, and his latest work on how the metaphors we use can shape the way we understand the world.

If this one's got you thinking about goals, I built something for exactly that.

The Chapter System: https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

Chapters:

00:00 What makes you, you?

02:51 How travel and culture change who we are

06:37 AI, context and what makes us human

11:30 Can AI be deceptive?

15:44 Why do humans lie?

20:22 British small talk and socially acceptable deception

22:50 Prosocial lies: when kindness and honesty collide

25:33 The hidden cost of polite dishonesty

30:58 Surprise parties, proposals and “good” deception

35:25 Can goals make us unethical?

41:26 Goal hierarchy, values and knowing when to stop

43:46 Work, travel and competing priorities

46:07 Impression management and authenticity

49:33 How metaphors shape the way we think

🎙️ MY STUFF

The Chapter System (the PDF):

https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

All my other stuff: https://awakenoutofcontext.com

Maurice Schweitzer:

Wharton: https://oid.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/schweitz/

X: https://twitter.com/me_schweitzer

Friend & Foe: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/205841/friend-and-foe-by-adam-galinsky-and-maurice-schweitzer/

If you’re going through a period of high stress and you can’t just take time off, this episode is about how to create genuine pockets of peace anyway. I’ve been experimenting with some ridiculously simple ways of switching off properly after work, and somehow I’ve ended up having some of the most peaceful moments I’ve experienced in years.

A lot of it comes down to removing stimulation; shutting the laptop, turning the phone off and basically doing nothing for a bit. That’s also led to some pretty strange moments of presence, including feeling weirdly connected to a dog and walking through the sea thinking the waves felt almost alive. It’s not about learning to tolerate an unsustainable life; it’s about finding peace while you’re working your way through a difficult chapter.

If this one's got you thinking about what chapter you're in right now, 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://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09omZ7V629URAvyHG0KxIH_

Chapters:

00:00 Can stress and peace exist at the same time?

01:30 Making the most of limited downtime

02:54 “But you live in paradise”

03:31 Knowing when to stop working

04:45 The simplest way I’ve found to switch off

08:47 Getting your phone out of the equation

11:25 Replacing your phone with a journal

12:38 When ordinary life starts feeling vivid

13:48 “I felt like a dog”

15:55 When the ocean felt alive

17:56 Extreme work needs extreme rest

18:48 Don’t use this to tolerate an unsustainable life

19:26 Eustress, “dick stress” and losing the plot

20:00 Stress doesn’t have to disappear to feel peace

🎙️ MY STUFF

The Chapter System (the PDF):

https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

All my other stuff: https://awakenoutofcontext.com

Ed Latimore is a professional heavyweight boxer, Army National Guard veteran, physics graduate and writer. In this conversation, we explore AI, learning, identity, fatherhood and why “efficiency is a false god.”

We also discuss chess, dyslexia, creativity, sobriety, digital life, personal constraints and how difficult experiences can become unexpected advantages.

If this one's got you thinking about what chapter you're in right now, 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://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09omZ7V629URAvyHG0KxIH_

Chapters:

00:00 Trailer

00:52 Fatherhood & Becoming the Dad He Never Had

06:00 Authenticity in the Age of AI

13:06 Why Ed Loves Chess

20:06 How Boxing Taught Ed How to Learn

34:00 AI, LLMs & the Hard Work of Thinking

45:01 “Efficiency Is a False God”

55:18 Reading, Dyslexia & Intelligence

1:04:04 Why Constraints Become Advantages

1:18:22 Old Identities & What We Choose to Resurrect

1:29:03 Likability & Emotional Control

1:34:37 What’s Next for Ed Latimore

🎙️ MY STUFF

The Chapter System (the PDF):

https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

All my other stuff: https://awakenoutofcontext.com

https://x.com/EdLatimore

https://edlatimore.com/about

https://www.linkedin.com/in/edlatimore/

https://www.youtube.com/@EdLatimore1

This was my first HYROX of 2026 and the first since the back injury I picked up in Bali a couple of months ago. As a result, I was nowhere near the level of training I was used to before a race. I knew it was going to be difficult, but I didn't expect to be surrounded by the medical team.

Join me as I journey from Phuket to Bangkok for this Thailand vlog. I also ventured around Bangkok for 4 days and show you some of the sights along the way. This is not your typical Bangkok travel vlog, so don't expect all the tourist spots. It mainly involves me wandering around hot and flustered, getting lost, and an emotional visit to Khao San Road, 9 years after my first-ever backpacking trip, where it all began.

If this one's got you thinking about what chapter you're in right now, 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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ky3sQEMwUM&list=PLMebuClQRf09N1EW4xaBRDZJQqPlDB_5B

Chapters:

0:00 Are you okay?

0:15 Phuket Airport (and the gangster taxi driver)

1:04 I've left it in the taxi

2:29 Faster is safer

3:15 First morning in Bangkok

4:06 Pre-race prep is not going well

4:41 Khao San Road, 9 years on

5:43 I don't deserve to be here

6:57 Race morning

7:55 No gels. Haribo it is

9:04 HYROX Bangkok (the race)

9:16 The medic

10:11 The day after

11:17 Honest reflection on the result

12:05 Grab bike to Sukhumvit

15:45 The crash

17:35 Massage

18:29 Khao San at night

19:01 Meet Kevin

21:01 Aging documentary filmmaker

🎙️ MY STUFF

The Chapter System (the PDF):

https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

All my other stuff: https://awakenoutofcontext.com

This week I handed over the keys of my email to ChatGPT and it got me thinking about the challenges and opportunities of AI. I thought it might be useful for you to hear the perspective of an employer, podcaster, creator, and my observations on how it's changing the world of travel and outcomes for non-native English speakers.

If this one's got you thinking about what chapter you're in right now, 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://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09omZ7V629URAvyHG0KxIH_

Chapters:

00:00 intro: i feel like AI continually solves one problem but then creates another

00:09 why I'm changing my mind on receiving AI-generated podcast invitations

03:41 my predictions on the future of email as AI monitored emails become the new norm

04:52 my experiences this week during a staff recruitment drive, and the effects that AI is having for both myself and applicants

08:35 non-native English speakers are learning from cheaply generated AI-slop TikTok content. Is this a good or bad?

10:35 if everything can be instantly translated, is there now zero incentive for non-natives to learn English?

13:07 the beginnings of a huge drop in the price of AI and the effect this will have on society

13:37 OpenAI vs Anthropic: why competition for these two behemoths is great for consumers and business owners

14:45 what do I mean when I say “insight over knowledge”?

15:22 closing thoughts

🎙️ MY STUFF

The Chapter System (the PDF):

https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

All my other stuff: https://awakenoutofcontext.com

Nine years ago I left Gili Trawangan with no money, a banging head, and a boat to Komodo I nearly missed.

This week I went back with Mica and Tomi, now alcohol-free, to see what's changed.

Turns out, mostly me.

We island-hop from Bali to Gili T and finish on Gili Air. Plenty of boats, chats with locals, my not-funny-funny toilet humour, Borat impressions, a masturbation joke or two, and the deep chats you'd expect:

Is life one big illusion? If everything you experience is your brain interpreting and projecting the signals it can decode, what are you actually looking at?

This one's emotional for me. It was the last weekend Mica, Tomi and I had together, and I'll treasure it.

Same island. Completely different chapter.

FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE

Mica: https://www.instagram.com/micaturrin

Tomi: https://www.instagram.com/nomadtomi

More vlogs with Mica and Tomi:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09N1EW4xaBRDZJQqPlDB_5B

If this one's got you thinking about what chapter you're in right now, I built something for exactly that.

The Chapter System: https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

Chapters:

00:00 No money, no signal, three boat tickets

02:05 Getting to the port

05:20 The crossing

14:00 Beach stop

17:28 Gili T, nine years later

19:30 What's changed on the island

25:55 Cafe chats: preloading philosophy

31:30 The joke that didn't land

42:50 Is life one big illusion?

47:30 My last night here, nine years ago

53:00 On to Gili Air

55:45 Our last weekend ends

🎙️ MY STUFF

The Chapter System (the PDF):

https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x

Newsletter: https://awakenoutofcontext.com

Get the exact system I designed and live by to set my goals. It's ten dollars, and it's how you can support the show without me ever asking you to buy me a coffee: https://thechaptersystem.com/pdf

If you're trying to grow a social media page from nothing, thinking about betting on yourself and going all in on a side hustle, or you're a runner curious about what elite coaching actually looks like (your form, your footwear, your easy runs, all of it), this episode covers the lot.

Myles Rawson grew his Instagram from nothing to 300,000 followers in around 12 months. This is the full story of how, from the man himself.

When we first spoke, his channel had just started blowing up. In this one we go right back to the beginning: the 6am workouts before full electrician days with video editing until 11pm, the fuck-this moment where he nearly packed it in, the video format that finally took off, and the ten grand he paid a coach when that money was hard to find.

It's not just a growth story though. He also sorts my back out again: my anterior pelvic tilt, what sitting all day does to runners, why easy runs expose your form, what modern footwear does to the 250,000 nerve endings in your feet, and how to build strength for HYROX without bulk.

Plus: living with elite runners at a training camp in Kenya, and the DM from Bear Grylls that turned into coaching him.

Chapters:

00:00 Trailer

00:35 Catch-up: the year the channel blew up

01:15 Electrician by day, running coach by night

12:08 Hormozi’s ten grand bet on himself

22:45 Kenya: living with elite runners

32:25 My pelvic tilt, his verdict, and the sitting problem

56:16 Footwear, 250,000 nerve endings, and overstriding

1:01:47 Building running strength

1:15:28 Coaching Bear Grylls

1:17:32 Where to find Myles

🎙️ MY STUFF

The Chapter System (the PDF): https://thechaptersystem.com/pdf

Newsletter: https://awakenoutofcontext.com

GUEST

Myles Rawson, running technique coach

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/findyourstridecoach

Coaching: link in his bio, or DM him at @findyourstridecoach

Previous episode with Myles: #69, Shave Minutes Off Your HYROX Time, Running Form Masterclass

https://youtu.be/ei-CGsGKMYQ?si=0B6nvaQHLqbhZMrH