#47 Alex Goik

In this episode, I sit down with an old martial arts training partner and friend in Alex Goik. Alex is a really intellectual guy so apart from being great at Jiu Jitsu, I really appreciate his insights into China and Chinese culture, given the amount of research, discussion and investigation he has down as part of his studies in formulating his thesis on China's social credit system. This conversation has also made me think about how cultural differences are also be driven by language and how our thoughts are influenced by the language we think in. 語言是文化的載體 (Yǔyán shì wénhuà de zàitǐ)- this very statement in Chinese alludes to how language is the carrier of culture, so when we think about governance in other countries perhaps we really do need to understand their language to gain a better insight into their thought process. I also think this is why it is so important that we allow the freedom of expression, thought and allow open discussion to really review our ideas and perspectives. Enjoy!