#796: L.A. Paul — On Becoming a Vampire, Whether or Not to Have Kids, Getting Incredible Mentorship for $250, Transformative Experiences, and More

L.A. Paul is the Millstone Family Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Cognitive Science at Yale University. She is also the author of Transformative Experience. Her work on transformative experience has been covered by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, NPR, and the BBC, among others. And in 2024, she was profiled by The New Yorker. 

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Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction 

05:56 L. A. Paul's Journey into Philosophy

09:55 Challenges in Studying Philosophy

25:29 The Role of Philosophy in Modern Times

27:50 Vampire Thought Experiment

32:07 The Transformative Experience of Parenthood

36:55 The Concept of Act-State Independence

39:33 Philosophical Insights on Parenthood

52:29 Personal Reflections on Choosing Parenthood

56:37 From Chemistry to Philosophy: A Personal Journey

01:01:14 Philosophical Literature Recommendations

01:07:44 Exploring the Value of Analytic Philosophy

01:08:29 Philosophical Insights from Movies

01:08:46 Primer and La Jetée: A Deep Dive

01:09:45 The Joy of Problem Solving

01:10:37 Getting Started with Analytic Philosophy

01:12:09 Philosophy Resources and Recommendations

01:13:23 Addressing Nihilism and Finding Intellectual Companionship

01:17:29 Philosophical Misrepresentations in Media

01:20:18 Continental vs. Analytic Philosophy

01:21:57 Philosophy's Role in Broader Applications

01:26:31 Philosophy and Psychedelics

01:32:55 Facing Cognitive Decline with Philosophy

01:35:57 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Projects

*

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