Getting Used to It: A Conversation with Cass R. Sunstein (Episode

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  • čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
  • Sam Harris speaks with Cass Sunstein about habituation and its consequences. They discuss habituation to positive and negative experiences, marriage, happiness, meaning, variety, doing good vs feeling good, midlife crises, kids, wealth and happiness, things vs experience, the “illusory-truth effect,” misinformation and social media, echo chambers and extremism, what governments can do to respond to misinformation, free speech on college campuses, the 2024 Presidential election, and other topics.
    Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School, where he is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy. He is the most cited law professor in the United States. From 2009 to 2012 he served in the Obama administration as Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. He has testified before congressional committees, been involved in constitution-making and law reform activities in a number of nations, and written many articles and books, including Nudge (with Richard Thaler), #Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media, Impeachment: A Citizen’s Guide, Too Much Information, Noise (with Daniel Kahneman and Olivier Sibony), and most recently Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There (with Tali Sharot). He is now working on a variety of projects involving the regulatory state, fake news, and freedom of speech.
    Website: hls.harvard.edu/faculty/cass-...
    Twitter: @CassSunstein
    March 19, 2024
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Komentáře • 152

  • @glenrotchin5523
    @glenrotchin5523 Před 2 měsíci +10

    Appreciation, gratitude, the human capacity for adaption, and emotional settling. Why does it feel like this conversation is simply revisiting life experience and common sense? I guess it says something about our current state of affairs that people feel it’s necessary.

  • @ThePaulaon1
    @ThePaulaon1 Před 2 měsíci +6

    Wonderful espisode with a fantastic guest. Really enjoyed this first part and look forward to tuning into the rest when home get after work.

  • @billscannell93
    @billscannell93 Před 2 měsíci +6

    "It is what it is" is the motto of every last person sitting around in jail. Sometimes it's the only thing to tell oneself.

    • @ZM-dm3jg
      @ZM-dm3jg Před 2 měsíci

      That's the motto and famous catchphrase of millionaire content creator Asmongold

    • @billscannell93
      @billscannell93 Před 2 měsíci

      @@ZM-dm3jg Interesting. I mostly associated it with jail. If you watch shows about jail/prison everyone says it constantly.

    • @chadsmith2281
      @chadsmith2281 Před měsícem

      ​@@ZM-dm3jg"It is what it is" has been around way before the internet lol. My whole family has been saying this from when I was a kid in the 80's and probably way before I was even born.

  • @ferriveiro3101
    @ferriveiro3101 Před 2 měsíci +3

    Novelty and variety is indeed really important to living a rich and meaningful life. Often we reject invitations to take part in new things in order to retreat into what is easy and familiar. Living the same day, every day, especially in isolation, can become so depressing. It's important to constantly seek out new experiences to keep life fresh and retain childlike wonder at the world.

    • @BB-uy6do
      @BB-uy6do Před 2 měsíci

      There is no making sense based on your deterministic beliefs. I’m spewing out minutia. Your spewing out minutia. Don’t you get it? Stop preaching.

  • @tgaines1922
    @tgaines1922 Před 2 měsíci +18

    Love the content

  • @jynxkizs
    @jynxkizs Před 2 měsíci

    Sometimes I think people complain just to complain because it helps them feel better. Because they are habituated to the action that leads to feeling better, they make something up to complain about just to feel better.

  • @chazlewis8114
    @chazlewis8114 Před 2 měsíci +5

    Great conversation. A lot of us know these things already but it's good to be reminded.

  • @scotchbarrel4429
    @scotchbarrel4429 Před 2 měsíci +12

    Finished your waking up audiobook last week, looking forward to the next one. Glad you narrate your own books, some narrators sound weird.
    With that out of the way, lets begin 😂👊💙

  • @danburlaqu9056
    @danburlaqu9056 Před 2 měsíci +3

    Meaning life requires variety.

  • @garyhamilton2104
    @garyhamilton2104 Před 2 měsíci +4

    What a wild ride this one was! wow!

  • @johncarter1150
    @johncarter1150 Před 2 měsíci +2

    Good conversation to fall asleep t

  • @ScottPalangi
    @ScottPalangi Před 2 měsíci +2

    Yep, we survive.

  • @jascha9033
    @jascha9033 Před 2 měsíci +2

    Who's the artist of the Thumbnail art?

  • @PapakShirazi
    @PapakShirazi Před 2 měsíci

    thanks

  • @toby9999
    @toby9999 Před 2 měsíci +14

    Sadly, I've not been habituated to barking dogs. After 30 years of ear bashing. I notice every bark, every minute of every day, and it's driving me insane.

    • @tomchelle1
      @tomchelle1 Před 2 měsíci +3

      That was the first thing I thought about

    • @ablaverble8552
      @ablaverble8552 Před 2 měsíci +2

      I feel how you feel. What helped me was to actually focus on how their ultimate goal is to drive me crazy. So I started seeing them as mad dogs that have departed from realty and live in an alternate reality of their own believing.

    • @gamlow
      @gamlow Před 2 měsíci +2

      maybe you should analyze its roots, some childhood experience that makes dog barking especially noticeable

    • @toby9999
      @toby9999 Před 2 měsíci +3

      ​@gamlow Could be some of that. I was afraid of dogs as a child. Now I just dislike them. But I think much of the problem for me is the realisation that people don't give a toss about their neighbours or pretty much anyone else in their communities. That doesn't sit well with ne. Knowing that barking dogs is one of the top causes of strife between neighbours, these people go ahead and install these barkers in their yards. Every time the dog barks, it's like giving your neighbour the middle finger. It's especially troubling when it happens regularly late at night or early morning. I also work from home, so I have to find ways to block it out.

    • @VColossalV
      @VColossalV Před 2 měsíci

      One of the few humans to dislike dogs​@@toby9999

  • @Dominatrix97
    @Dominatrix97 Před 2 měsíci +2

    20:19 “you have a place you live in… you have a job, it’s good, it’s steady…” As if this were the norm in 2024! Go and tell a Deliveroo driver, or a cashier in a supermarket!! 22:52 “and if you don’t have the resources you can have a little vacation”, no you f**cling can’t!!! These two guys live in a parallel universe and they’re not even aware of it. And no, not everyone in their fourties has seen Los Angeles …

    • @feels-py1ff
      @feels-py1ff Před 2 měsíci

      Agree yeah I think they are talking about a minority because most people don't even leave their hometown

  • @clancykelly5508
    @clancykelly5508 Před 2 měsíci +2

    Sam: What is habituation?
    Guest: You get used to things.
    😎

    • @remyleo
      @remyleo Před 2 měsíci

      I'm just 5 minutes in, when does sam habituate to Trump ?

    • @Thiscannotbetruebutitis
      @Thiscannotbetruebutitis Před 2 měsíci

      German doctors sent to work in concentration camps got habituated very quickly. From completely shocked and appalled by the cruelties they themselves started doing unimaginable cruelties to the Jews within one week on average. That genocide happened under secrecy from the population and other countries as long as they could keep it secret. This time we see a genocide happening right in front of our eyes. Committed by a western country and supported by the US, UK and Germany among others. It is projected that 1 million Palestinians will be dead by July due to starvation. Will humanity get habituated?

  • @43nostromo
    @43nostromo Před 12 dny

    Dawgs, daughters... no big whoop.

  • @AH-wr1ir
    @AH-wr1ir Před 2 měsíci +1

    the problem of polarisation is cognitive dissonance. people create identities around their beliefs and then double down when the facts contradict.

  • @ahmetdogan5685
    @ahmetdogan5685 Před 2 měsíci +3

    Habituation is not as bad as hebetation.

    • @Thiscannotbetruebutitis
      @Thiscannotbetruebutitis Před 2 měsíci +2

      Ha ha ha… I found your contribution so funny that I had to look up this word. Here is an application I found for it: Sam’s arguments about Palestinians and other Muslims are hebetative. but then, arguments, preparing ethnic, cleansing, and genocide have never been intellectually demanding.

    • @NinaSuessi
      @NinaSuessi Před 2 měsíci

      😂

  • @jjphenom2831
    @jjphenom2831 Před 2 měsíci +2

    What a very interesting first 30 minutes.
    Nonetheless I cannot believe Sam's framing of the question at 29:32. Unfortunately I cannot listen to the full version but I certainly hope that the following segment at least mentiones anti-democratic concepts as prebunking, mal information and the disinformation government board.

    • @JakeRoselli
      @JakeRoselli Před 2 měsíci +6

      Sam is such a smart guy. I will never understand his continued stubbornness on all things COVID. His inability to understand what government did through social media tampering. He never talks about what government got wrong or admits how they stifled voices who turned out to be correct. How bizarre.

    • @davegold
      @davegold Před 2 měsíci +3

      @@JakeRoselli You can put ten people together who agree that the government got covid policy wrong and stifled dissent, but those 10 people will disagree just as much among themselves.

  • @CandidDate
    @CandidDate Před 2 měsíci

    I got used to short episodes.

  • @realdeal139
    @realdeal139 Před 2 měsíci

    Great episode, Sam and Cass were great here!

  • @rufusreloaded1043
    @rufusreloaded1043 Před 2 měsíci +2

    The free accounts for people who cant afford them thing. I applied, never heard back. Applied again, never heard back.

    • @ThePaulaon1
      @ThePaulaon1 Před 2 měsíci

      I've never once had a problem where are you applying @?

    • @kirathekillernote2173
      @kirathekillernote2173 Před 2 měsíci

      Check spam also. Although it didn't happen to me, that's a possibility

    • @samdg1234
      @samdg1234 Před 2 měsíci +1

      I've never had trouble getting an account, either. Even despite some of my very disagreeable comments on what Sam has to say.

    • @rufusreloaded1043
      @rufusreloaded1043 Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@samdg1234 Why do you say you've never had a problem? How many times have you asked for an account?

    • @samdg1234
      @samdg1234 Před 2 měsíci

      @@rufusreloaded1043
      *"How many times have you asked for an account?"*
      Maybe 3 or 4. The free - I think he calls them scholarships - expire (I think they last for 3 months), and then you need to re-apply if you want to continue with it.

  • @BB-uy6do
    @BB-uy6do Před 2 měsíci

    His criticism and my response to his criticism are determined. Your response to my comment is determined as well. It’s baffling that no one realizes the cycle of minutia. (This is based on Sam Harris‘s own belief system.)

  • @Jules-Was-a-Liberal
    @Jules-Was-a-Liberal Před 2 měsíci +1

    I'm just some dude on YT, not expert, and can't easily squeeze thoughts on this into short comment either. Gonna try though: longtime fan of Sam, also of Claire and Quillette. However, I disagreed with Sam to a lesser extent, and Claire to a greater extent, on the pandemic (which keeps coming up).
    I'm obviously not a virologist, but the main issue involves how civil liberties are understood in emergency situations. Free speech is the main point. Sam says: shouldn't the levers of government be used in extreme situations, to suppress noncompliance, as well as ostensible or actual misinformation?
    Without attempting to get into details, I say, there's a threshold beyond which martial law is declared. This precedent involves the relevant "bright line" on this issue. Where is the threshold? I assume that's debatable, and I don't know historical precedent well enough to elaborate, and am somewhat agnostic as to whether new precedent should be established. But, with those caveats, my best personal judgement is that the pandemic did NOT rise to the level, at which martial law MUST be instituted for the survival of the country.
    So, suppressing speech? Restricting behaviors? Adopting the temporary authoritarian measures associated with martial law? Why? Was the mortality rate 50%? 25%? 10%? No. Did it kill infants? Children? Teens? No. A very dangerous precedent is established, when the bar is lowered to declare martial law, and thus institute authoritarian measures for an indeterminate period of time. In spite of my appreciation for Sam and his work, I think he needs to recalibrate his position on this issue.

  • @SuzyChapsticksArmy
    @SuzyChapsticksArmy Před 2 měsíci

    sure alot of CYCLING talk there Sam!!! awesome #cyclechic

  • @00Julian00
    @00Julian00 Před 2 měsíci +10

    Can you debate Doctor Norman Finkelstein? I'm sure you saw the debate between him and Benny Moore's and destiny and Mouin

    • @domsnow6418
      @domsnow6418 Před 2 měsíci +5

      What would be the point. Finkelstein has long stopped being an honest interlocutor

    • @djw101
      @djw101 Před 2 měsíci +3

      ​@@domsnow6418 Yeah I'm amazed when pple are so impressed with Finkelstein.
      But one thing I did appreciate though - on Mikhaila Peterson podcast - was that he was genuinely distrubed by 7 Oct and did not just ignore that horror (which is what most pro-Palestines have to do), but it seems he had to spend some time and effort framing it in a way that he could still be on Palestine's side and not Israel's. That's something at least. His framing btw was that it was analagous to a violent slave revolt - a bit of a desperate reach if you ask me, but I prefer that over ignoring or whataboutary.

    • @chazlewis8114
      @chazlewis8114 Před 2 měsíci

      If Finklestein is the best representative they're got, then Palestine is forever doomed.

    • @lazyvault39
      @lazyvault39 Před 2 měsíci +1

      ​@@djw101It's nice atleast that he changed tunes a bit after his open celebration of oct. 7 on social media. That still doesn't change his questionable views on the conflict, citing international law, but at the same time praising the actions of the houthis against civilians. Also his views on Russia/Ukraine are just frightening and completely incompatible with his view on Israel/Palestine (unless they simply boil down to hatred for the USA and every allied state by proxy).

    • @RS-uh7rz
      @RS-uh7rz Před 2 měsíci

      *Benny Morris

  • @lestergolden9362
    @lestergolden9362 Před 2 měsíci

    Why are Americans still using cheques? The last time I used one Lehman Brothers was still in business.

  • @CrystalSauceOnEverything
    @CrystalSauceOnEverything Před 2 měsíci

    A Hail Mary
    Get Sci-Fi author Neal Stephenson on the pod
    I don’t know if you’ve read any Neal books but the two of you seem likely to have great conversations

  • @DamienWalter
    @DamienWalter Před 2 měsíci

    This is like hearing two Last Men exchanging notes on how not to become an Ubermensch.

    • @TempestTossedWaters
      @TempestTossedWaters Před 2 měsíci

      Utterly valueless comment. One could say this about anything to look smart.

    • @DamienWalter
      @DamienWalter Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@TempestTossedWaters "Should I buy a tv or get an experience?" We studied this and the statistical answer is you should confront your own mortality.

  • @ET_LWO
    @ET_LWO Před 2 měsíci

    Cognitive habits…

  • @sanekabc
    @sanekabc Před 2 měsíci

    The "variety" point is nonsense. Life is novel each moment. It is not the thing which needs to be changed, it is the recognition that the thing is constantly new and fresh.

  • @00Julian00
    @00Julian00 Před 2 měsíci +7

    Sam, can you debate Doctor Norman Finkelstein? He called you a dummy.

    • @domsnow6418
      @domsnow6418 Před 2 měsíci +6

      Why let yourself be dragged down to this level

    • @kg356
      @kg356 Před 2 měsíci +1

      I can't imagine a more insufferable debate than Norm and Sam.

  • @BB-uy6do
    @BB-uy6do Před 2 měsíci

    Your views on morality conflict with your ideas on determinism. The ideas on your podcast are minutia. My response to your ideas on determinism is minutia. Don’t you get it? There is no habituation.

  • @user-vw6fu3yd4e
    @user-vw6fu3yd4e Před 2 měsíci +3

    boring

  • @da-be-ju
    @da-be-ju Před 2 měsíci +1

    Sam, it's time for you to revisit the Gaza issue. The situation is deteriorating rapidly and your previous arguments no longer hold up.

  • @twntwrs
    @twntwrs Před 2 měsíci +5

    Mr. Harris worries "we're getting habituated to total disfunction and toxic partisanship in our politics and just a failure to have a fact based discussion about anything of consequence..." meanwhile he remains oblivious to how his behaviour fits that exact description.

    • @toby9999
      @toby9999 Před 2 měsíci +3

      Well, no one is immune, right? We're all human. The best we can do is try to improve ourselves.

    • @Yossarianhoenikker
      @Yossarianhoenikker Před 2 měsíci +5

      Or you're the oblivious one

    • @jjjccc728
      @jjjccc728 Před 2 měsíci +1

      For example?

    • @jmc5335
      @jmc5335 Před 2 měsíci

      ​@@jjjccc728Palestine

    • @jmc5335
      @jmc5335 Před 2 měsíci

      ​@@jjjccc728Racist pseudoscience

  • @Jmriccitelli
    @Jmriccitelli Před 2 měsíci +31

    23 children starved to death in Gaza according to the WHO. Will Sam come out against Deuteronomy?

    • @Gphilly819
      @Gphilly819 Před 2 měsíci

      But this war was started by Hamas and they’re stealing a lot of the food

    • @Indiscrimi
      @Indiscrimi Před 2 měsíci +50

      Sam has already made several statements about the Gaza conflict. You can look them up.

    • @atlehman69
      @atlehman69 Před 2 měsíci

      ​@@IndiscrimiYa they were terrible. Sam is BRAIN DEAD on Israel

    • @MD-bu3xc
      @MD-bu3xc Před 2 měsíci +17

      Sam, so coherent, intelligent, logical and self aware, has one great big giant blind spot. Nothing will change how he views Israel and its determination to drive every single Palestinian from that land. He will never see.

    • @wasdwasdedsf
      @wasdwasdedsf Před 2 měsíci +32

      @@MD-bu3xc drive them from the land? with 100x better economy and 10x better military... why have they gotten nowhere towards that goal in 100 years?

  • @tommydavidwalker2445
    @tommydavidwalker2445 Před 2 měsíci

    Sam, why are half of your guests all juice? Seems odd seeing as though the juice population is only 2% in the United States and far less on a worldwide scale

  • @landonnelson1864
    @landonnelson1864 Před 2 měsíci +6

    Sam is brilliant, logical and coherent. But he has one major blind spot.
    He will never see the primary issue is with Israel determination to drive every Palestine from there land.

    • @EpicLemonMusic
      @EpicLemonMusic Před 2 měsíci +12

      Womp womp. Blame Hamas

    • @PoetlaureateNFDL
      @PoetlaureateNFDL Před 2 měsíci +1

      Possibly

    • @MYRRHfamily
      @MYRRHfamily Před 2 měsíci +5

      Either that or he attempts to segregate the issues of Israel’s crimes from hamas’ crimes. Hard to find the virtuous party here…

    • @davidfayfield6594
      @davidfayfield6594 Před 2 měsíci +6

      Isn’t it the opposite? From the river to the sea? That’s a hijab saying right ?

    • @domsnow6418
      @domsnow6418 Před 2 měsíci +2

      They‘re not the ones chanting exactly that though. If they wanted to do that it would have happened decades ago. Yet israeli arabs enjoy full civil rights and are part of the parliament.

  • @nickortiz4285
    @nickortiz4285 Před 2 měsíci +4

    I remember when I thought Sam was one of the most intelligent and interesting men in the world lol

    • @twntwrs
      @twntwrs Před 2 měsíci +1

      Yeah, back when Hitch was around to keep Sam on the rails. Another derailment is Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

    • @dandybufo9664
      @dandybufo9664 Před 2 měsíci

      but then suffered aTBI ?

    • @domsnow6418
      @domsnow6418 Před 2 měsíci +2

      And you changed your mind because…?

    • @samdg1234
      @samdg1234 Před 2 měsíci

      @@twntwrs
      *"The Sophistry of Christopher Hitchens"*

  • @CP-nl2zb
    @CP-nl2zb Před 2 měsíci +1

    Sam is a World Champion Pseudo intellectual.
    Sammy The Pseudo Harris.

  • @WtfYoutube_YouSuck
    @WtfYoutube_YouSuck Před 2 měsíci +2

    Sam just can't get over his Trump Derangement Syndrome. It's annoying that it's the subtext to everything he produces anymore. I used to think he was such a chill, meditative, peaceful guy...but he really can't seem to let that shit go and just move on or talk about anything else besides politics and how he lacks such faith in his American system that he thinks one phony troll and a bunch of boomers ambling through a building in DC could somehow overthrow it all.

    • @twntwrs
      @twntwrs Před 2 měsíci +1

      You could swap out Harris for CZcams in your screen name and still be correct.

    • @lazyvault39
      @lazyvault39 Před 2 měsíci

      And yet, after almost a decade that phony troll has still a very decent chance to become president again, already boasting about how he will try even harder to erode democracy.
      I can see that it can be annoying to always hear about him, but ignoring him isn't an option as long as he enjoys this much support.
      There is such a thing as opposite Trump derangement. People are judged for criticizing trump or the general populist conspiracy brained movement in any way, just because people went overboard on doomerism in his first term.

    • @davegold
      @davegold Před 2 měsíci

      The success of that phony troll in winning a 2024 Presidential nomination despite all his well evidenced problems should convince you that political and legal common sense is not hindering his success.

    • @Papaconstantopoulos
      @Papaconstantopoulos Před 2 měsíci +2

      Great original point especially now that the subject of TDS is currently running and will be the center of national attention for the next year, great observation I do wish liberals would just let it go already

    • @countdebleauchamp
      @countdebleauchamp Před 2 měsíci +2

      ​@@PapaconstantopoulosSpeaking of habituation, I wish Trumpers would let go of the ubiquitous habit of labeling anyone who dislikes Trump as having TDS. It's lazy.