EPISODE · Dec 6, 2025 · 1H 15M
How to Convince the World of Bulls**t & Evil - Malcolm Gladwell - #1029
from Modern Wisdom · host Chris Williamson
Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist, podcast host and an author. Do contagious diseases, memetic epidemics, and drug epidemics spread through the same underlying pathways? The answer may explain why society keeps falling into the same contagious patterns, and how we might prevent future memetic epidemics before they happen. Expect to learn what the history of the death penalty is in the United States, what the “Tipping Point” means and what happened when we reached it, how epidemics of ideas differ from epidemics of drugs, what makes someone a “super-spreader” of social change, the “tipping point” dynamic of trans athletes in sports, if we are responsible for the epidemics we start and much more… Timestamps: (0:00) Does the Death Penalty Reflect America’s True Values? (6:36) Why the US Still Clings to Capital Punishment (13:37) How Social Influence Has Shifted Since Malcolm’s First Book (26:37) What Spreads Faster: Drug Epidemics or Dangerous Ideas? (35:29) How Parental Behaviours Shape Who We Become (43:28) Why We’re So Quick to Blame Our Parents (48:00) Why are Stories More Infectious Than Fact? (55:51) Is the Trans Athlete Debate Worthy of Headlines? (01:02:34) Should College Athletes Get More Academic Flexibility? (01:11:32) Keep Up to Date With Malcom Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get 10% discount on all Gymshark products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10) Get a 15% discount & free shipping on Manscaped’s shavers at https://manscaped.com/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM15) Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period from Shopify at https://shopify.com/modernwisdom Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist, podcast host and an author. Do contagious diseases, memetic epidemics, and drug epidemics spread through the same underlying pathways? The answer may explain why society keeps falling into the same contagious patterns, and how we might prevent future memetic epidemics before they happen. Expect to learn what the history of the death penalty is in the United States, what the “Tipping Point” means and what happened when we reached it, how epidemics of ideas differ from epidemics of drugs, what makes someone a “super-spreader” of social change, the “tipping point” dynamic of trans athletes in sports, if we are responsible for the epidemics we start and much more… Timestamps: (0:00) Does the Death Penalty Reflect America’s True Values? (6:36) Why the US Still Clings to Capital Punishment (13:37) How Social Influence Has Shifted Since Malcolm’s First Book (26:37) What Spreads Faster: Drug Epidemics or Dangerous Ideas? (35:29) How Parental Behaviours Shape Who We Become (43:28) Why We’re So Quick to Blame Our Parents (48:00) Why are Stories More Infectious Than Fact? (55:51) Is the Trans Athlete Debate Worthy of Headlines? (01:02:34) Should College Athletes Get More Academic Flexibility? (01:11:32) Keep Up to Date With Malcom Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get 10% discount on all Gymshark products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10) Get a 15% discount & free shipping on Manscaped’s shavers at https://manscaped.com/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM15) Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period from Shopify at https://shopify.com/modernwisdom Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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How to Convince the World of Bulls**t & Evil - Malcolm Gladwell - #1029
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