btrmt. lectures Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-btrmt-lectures A brain scientist talking about (better) patterns of thought, of feeling, and of action. One pattern, one podcast—you see if it works for you. The btrmt. lectures, with Dr Dorian Minors. (btrmt.—said "betterment.") Dorian Minors 9d13779d-ad7c-5164-950d-a8318b60a773 yes en Thu, 11 Jun 2026 17:19:15 +0000 Thu, 11 Jun 2026 17:20:32 +0000 https://btr.mt https://img.transistorcdn.com/sL-eNAcjjhUcA8x6RtNJG-fa-jChYrhsMeU4OCWR4NI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS85Yjll/ODRkZTJhYzM1NzZh/ODgyMTBhZTBiNGFk/MjI3ZS5wbmc.jpg btrmt. lectures https://btr.mt episodic Dorian Minors A brain scientist talking about (better) patterns of thought, of feeling, and of action. One pattern, one podcast—you see if it works for you. The btrmt. lectures, with Dr Dorian Minors. (btrmt.—said "betterment.") A brain scientist talking about (better) patterns of thought, of feeling, and of action. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior Dorian Minors No No Meditation isn't for everyone 16 16 Meditation isn't for everyone full substack:post:199914283 https://share.transistor.fm/s/386f0609 Meditation is the one practice everyone agrees on. It’s on the NHS, in schools, in every influencer’s guide to life, and the pitch is always the same: good for you, good for everyone, can’t hurt. Two of those three are false. It can hurt, it isn’t for everyone—and once you see what it actually is underneath the cushion, you realise you’re probably already doing it.

Further reading

References
  • Farias, M. & Wikholm, C. (2015). The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? Publisher page.
  • Van Dam, N. T., Targett, J., Davies, J. N., Burger, A. & Galante, J. (2025). Incidence and predictors of meditation-related unusual experiences and adverse effects in a representative sample of meditators in the United States. Clinical Psychological Science. Article.
  • Schlosser, M., Sparby, T., Vörös, S., Jones, R. & Marchant, N. L. (2019). Unpleasant meditation-related experiences in regular meditators: Prevalence, predictors, and conceptual considerations. PLOS ONE. Article.
  • Lindahl, J. R., Fisher, N. E., Cooper, D. J., Rosen, R. K. & Britton, W. B. (2017). The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists. PLOS ONE. Article.
  • Farias, M., Maraldi, E., Wallenkampf, K. C. & Lucchetti, G. (2020). Adverse events in meditation practices and meditation-based therapies: A systematic review. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. Article.
  • Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation. General Hospital Psychiatry. Article.

]]> Meditation is the one practice everyone agrees on. It’s on the NHS, in schools, in every influencer’s guide to life, and the pitch is always the same: good for you, good for everyone, can’t hurt. Two of those three are false. It can hurt, it isn’t for everyone—and once you see what it actually is underneath the cushion, you realise you’re probably already doing it.

Further reading

References
  • Farias, M. & Wikholm, C. (2015). The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? Publisher page.
  • Van Dam, N. T., Targett, J., Davies, J. N., Burger, A. & Galante, J. (2025). Incidence and predictors of meditation-related unusual experiences and adverse effects in a representative sample of meditators in the United States. Clinical Psychological Science. Article.
  • Schlosser, M., Sparby, T., Vörös, S., Jones, R. & Marchant, N. L. (2019). Unpleasant meditation-related experiences in regular meditators: Prevalence, predictors, and conceptual considerations. PLOS ONE. Article.
  • Lindahl, J. R., Fisher, N. E., Cooper, D. J., Rosen, R. K. & Britton, W. B. (2017). The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists. PLOS ONE. Article.
  • Farias, M., Maraldi, E., Wallenkampf, K. C. & Lucchetti, G. (2020). Adverse events in meditation practices and meditation-based therapies: A systematic review. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. Article.
  • Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation. General Hospital Psychiatry. Article.

]]> Sat, 30 May 2026 21:41:58 +0000 Dorian Dorian 1577 Meditation can harm you, and it isn't for everyone. Strip the branding and it's just trained attention—half of what you already do—so the only real variable is what you point it at. Meditation can harm you, and it isn't for everyone. Strip the branding and it's just trained attention—half of what you already do—so the only real variable is what you point it at. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No In Praise of the Sage 15 15 In Praise of the Sage full substack:post:198074291 https://share.transistor.fm/s/2d2cad85 The modern Western story is that real knowledge comes from science or careful reasoning, and anything else—the elder, the guru, the village wise woman—is suspect. But science and reflection themselves rest on a third, intuitive, embodied mode of knowing that we use constantly and pretend we don’t. The doctor and the guru are running on the same authority structure; the only difference is who’s allowed to wear the coat. Which means we’re picking our sages by taste instead of principle—and that’s how charlatans win.

Not sure what I’ve got against linen trousers in this episode. Quite like them if I’m honest.

Further reading

References

]]> The modern Western story is that real knowledge comes from science or careful reasoning, and anything else—the elder, the guru, the village wise woman—is suspect. But science and reflection themselves rest on a third, intuitive, embodied mode of knowing that we use constantly and pretend we don’t. The doctor and the guru are running on the same authority structure; the only difference is who’s allowed to wear the coat. Which means we’re picking our sages by taste instead of principle—and that’s how charlatans win.

Not sure what I’ve got against linen trousers in this episode. Quite like them if I’m honest.

Further reading

References

]]> Sat, 16 May 2026 19:34:00 +0000 Dorian Dorian 2009 The doctor and the guru run on the same authority structure. We just pick which one to trust by its costume. Choose by what sits under the coat or you lose to charlatans. The doctor and the guru run on the same authority structure. We just pick which one to trust by its costume. Choose by what sits under the coat or you lose to charlatans. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No The Scientific Ritual 14 14 The Scientific Ritual full substack:post:196134515 https://share.transistor.fm/s/43d4f968 Science feels like the most reliable thing we have. The opposite of belief. But it’s a belief system itself—a ritual, with all the failure modes that rituals have. And the receipts are right there in the replication crisis.

Further reading

References

The replication crisis itself

Statistical ritualism

p-values, Bayes factors, and software
  • Wikipedia: p-value, Bayes factor
  • Ronald A. Fisher (1925), Statistical Methods for Research Workers — where the 5% threshold appears as an illustrative example
  • Harold Jeffreys (1939), Theory of Probability — where the Bayes-factor thresholds (BF > 3 substantial, BF > 10 strong) come from
  • JASP — the open-source Bayesian statistics software with default priors

Specific replication-crisis casualties

Books cited in the lecture

Other

]]> Science feels like the most reliable thing we have. The opposite of belief. But it’s a belief system itself—a ritual, with all the failure modes that rituals have. And the receipts are right there in the replication crisis.

Further reading

References

The replication crisis itself

Statistical ritualism

p-values, Bayes factors, and software
  • Wikipedia: p-value, Bayes factor
  • Ronald A. Fisher (1925), Statistical Methods for Research Workers — where the 5% threshold appears as an illustrative example
  • Harold Jeffreys (1939), Theory of Probability — where the Bayes-factor thresholds (BF > 3 substantial, BF > 10 strong) come from
  • JASP — the open-source Bayesian statistics software with default priors

Specific replication-crisis casualties

Books cited in the lecture

Other

]]> Sat, 02 May 2026 17:36:00 +0000 Dorian Dorian 2241 Science isn't the opposite of belief. It's a ritual—and like any ritual it misfires, which is how a method built to find truth becomes a machine for manufacturing exaggerations. Science isn't the opposite of belief. It's a ritual—and like any ritual it misfires, which is how a method built to find truth becomes a machine for manufacturing exaggerations. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No It’s Not Social Media, Life Is Just Worse 13 13 It’s Not Social Media, Life Is Just Worse full substack:post:194407942 https://share.transistor.fm/s/fff0ad17 Everyone’s worried about social media and mental health. Jonathan Haidt sold two million copies telling us smartphones rewired our children’s brains. Thirty-five US states passed phone restriction legislation off the back of it. But when you look at the research—really look—the evidence for social media causing mental health problems is shockingly thin. What isn’t thin is the evidence that life, structurally, is getting worse in a dozen measurable ways. Maybe we’re blaming the screen because the alternative is harder to fix.

Further reading

References
  • Amy Orben’s research group, University of Cambridge
  • Ferguson, C. J. et al. (2024). Social media use and youth mental health: A meta-analysis. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. doi:10.1037/pro0000589
  • Fassi, L., Orben, A. et al. (2024). Social media and adolescent mental health: A meta-analysis of 143 studies. JAMA Pediatrics. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2078
  • Tolboll, K. B. (2026). Social media use and mental health in children and adolescents: An umbrella review. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. doi:10.1111/camh.70071
  • Fassi, L., Orben, A. et al. (2025). Digital technology use and adolescent mental health: A registered report. Nature Human Behaviour. doi:10.1038/s41562-025-02134-4
  • Broadbent, P. et al. (2023). The public health implications of the cost-of-living crisis. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. doi:10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100585
  • Arundel, R. et al. (2022). Housing unaffordability and mental health. International Journal of Housing Policy. doi:10.1080/19491247.2022.2106541
  • McGorry, P. D. et al. (2025). The youth mental health crisis: A paradigm shift. Frontiers in Psychiatry. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1517533
  • Kirkbride, J. B. et al. (2024). The social determinants of mental health and disorder. World Psychiatry. doi:10.1002/wps.21160
  • Plackett, R. et al. (2022). Digital technology and mental health of young people: A scoping review. JMIR Mental Health. doi:10.2196/43213
  • Garcia-Manglano, J. et al. (2024). Escapism, social media, and internalising symptoms in adolescents. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. doi:10.1177/02654075241230248
  • Maheux, A. J. et al. (2024). Social media use and adolescent mental health: An annual research review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. doi:10.1111/jcpp.14085
  • Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985). Wikipedia
  • Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation (2024). Wikipedia
  • Stuart Ritchie, Science Fictions (2020). Publisher

]]> Everyone’s worried about social media and mental health. Jonathan Haidt sold two million copies telling us smartphones rewired our children’s brains. Thirty-five US states passed phone restriction legislation off the back of it. But when you look at the research—really look—the evidence for social media causing mental health problems is shockingly thin. What isn’t thin is the evidence that life, structurally, is getting worse in a dozen measurable ways. Maybe we’re blaming the screen because the alternative is harder to fix.

Further reading

References
  • Amy Orben’s research group, University of Cambridge
  • Ferguson, C. J. et al. (2024). Social media use and youth mental health: A meta-analysis. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. doi:10.1037/pro0000589
  • Fassi, L., Orben, A. et al. (2024). Social media and adolescent mental health: A meta-analysis of 143 studies. JAMA Pediatrics. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2078
  • Tolboll, K. B. (2026). Social media use and mental health in children and adolescents: An umbrella review. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. doi:10.1111/camh.70071
  • Fassi, L., Orben, A. et al. (2025). Digital technology use and adolescent mental health: A registered report. Nature Human Behaviour. doi:10.1038/s41562-025-02134-4
  • Broadbent, P. et al. (2023). The public health implications of the cost-of-living crisis. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. doi:10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100585
  • Arundel, R. et al. (2022). Housing unaffordability and mental health. International Journal of Housing Policy. doi:10.1080/19491247.2022.2106541
  • McGorry, P. D. et al. (2025). The youth mental health crisis: A paradigm shift. Frontiers in Psychiatry. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1517533
  • Kirkbride, J. B. et al. (2024). The social determinants of mental health and disorder. World Psychiatry. doi:10.1002/wps.21160
  • Plackett, R. et al. (2022). Digital technology and mental health of young people: A scoping review. JMIR Mental Health. doi:10.2196/43213
  • Garcia-Manglano, J. et al. (2024). Escapism, social media, and internalising symptoms in adolescents. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. doi:10.1177/02654075241230248
  • Maheux, A. J. et al. (2024). Social media use and adolescent mental health: An annual research review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. doi:10.1111/jcpp.14085
  • Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985). Wikipedia
  • Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation (2024). Wikipedia
  • Stuart Ritchie, Science Fictions (2020). Publisher

]]> Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:59:30 +0000 Dorian Dorian 1752 Social media isn't the disease. It's the symptom you can see. The sad kids on TikTok are there because they're sad, not sad because they're there. Social media isn't the disease. It's the symptom you can see. The sad kids on TikTok are there because they're sad, not sad because they're there. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No Pop Neuroscience is Just a Fancy Way of Saying ‘Calm Down’ 12 12 Pop Neuroscience is Just a Fancy Way of Saying ‘Calm Down’ full substack:post:193349060 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b7eb548f Amygdala hijack, polyvagal theory, the lizard brain, vagus nerve hacks, brain wave states—these look like different theories explaining different things about human behaviour. They’re not. They’re all the same theory: a wildly overengineered version of “just cool the fuck out, and you’ll be better at stuff.” Why do we keep building these things? And what do we miss when we do?

Further reading

References

]]> Amygdala hijack, polyvagal theory, the lizard brain, vagus nerve hacks, brain wave states—these look like different theories explaining different things about human behaviour. They’re not. They’re all the same theory: a wildly overengineered version of “just cool the fuck out, and you’ll be better at stuff.” Why do we keep building these things? And what do we miss when we do?

Further reading

References

]]> Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:28:00 +0000 Dorian Dorian 1836 Pop neuroscience is just "calm down" in a lab coat. The theories are scaffolding around trivial advice, attractive because they make your problems someone else's fault, and the scaffolding hides what actually matters. Pop neuroscience is just "calm down" in a lab coat. The theories are scaffolding around trivial advice, attractive because they make your problems someone else's fault, and the scaffolding hides what actually matters. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No Bias is Good 11 11 Bias is Good full substack:post:192028319 https://share.transistor.fm/s/945bc033 Everyone’s been told that bias is the enemy of good thinking. Over 200 cognitive biases catalogued on Wikipedia, and the message is clear: your brain is broken, and if you could just think more rationally, you’d make better decisions. But when researchers actually tested whether knowledge of biases helped predict behaviour, the experts did worse than random laypeople. Maybe the problem isn’t bias. Maybe the problem is what we think bias is.

Further reading

References

]]> Everyone’s been told that bias is the enemy of good thinking. Over 200 cognitive biases catalogued on Wikipedia, and the message is clear: your brain is broken, and if you could just think more rationally, you’d make better decisions. But when researchers actually tested whether knowledge of biases helped predict behaviour, the experts did worse than random laypeople. Maybe the problem isn’t bias. Maybe the problem is what we think bias is.

Further reading

References

]]> Sat, 21 Mar 2026 20:24:00 -0100 Dorian Dorian 1575 Bias isn't a flaw in your thinking. It's a precision instrument. The brain trades variance for consistency because the world is noisy, so don't fight the bias, find the belief driving it. Bias isn't a flaw in your thinking. It's a precision instrument. The brain trades variance for consistency because the world is noisy, so don't fight the bias, find the belief driving it. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No The Amygdala is Not the Fear Centre 10 10 The Amygdala is Not the Fear Centre full substack:post:189020098 https://share.transistor.fm/s/1b8fa983 Everyone’s been told the amygdala is the fear centre of the brain. That it hijacks your rational mind and throws you into fight-or-flight at the sound of an email notification. This is nonsense—the kind of nonsense that makes every McKinsey consultant sound like a neuroscientist and every neuroscientist cringe. The amygdala is an emotional intensity detector, not an emotional dictator. And focusing on it is distracting you from what actually matters: how you respond to the world.

Further reading

References

]]> Everyone’s been told the amygdala is the fear centre of the brain. That it hijacks your rational mind and throws you into fight-or-flight at the sound of an email notification. This is nonsense—the kind of nonsense that makes every McKinsey consultant sound like a neuroscientist and every neuroscientist cringe. The amygdala is an emotional intensity detector, not an emotional dictator. And focusing on it is distracting you from what actually matters: how you respond to the world.

Further reading

References

]]> Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:06:00 -0100 Dorian Dorian 1063 Your amygdala doesn't decide your fear. You do. It's not a fear centre, it's an intensity detector, and calming it down is solving the wrong problem. Watch how you respond instead. Your amygdala doesn't decide your fear. You do. It's not a fear centre, it's an intensity detector, and calming it down is solving the wrong problem. Watch how you respond instead. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No Hydraulic Despotism 9 9 Hydraulic Despotism full substack:post:188848219 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b9bff0f6 Karl Wittfogel’s theory of hydraulic despotism was savaged by his peers and rightly so. But the pattern he was reaching for—that whoever controls the essential flowing resource controls the people—is the story of modern infrastructure. Energy, social media, payment systems, AI compute. We handed over the water. We don’t have to hand over everything else.

Further reading: - The Betterment article that inspired this - From Zero: on recreating systems from scratch - Digital Selves: taking control of your digital presence - True Family Ties: on the erosion of our communities - Education is Entertainment: on why some ideas stick

References: - Karl Wittfogel and Hydraulic civilisations on Wikipedia - Wittfogel, Oriental Despotism (1957) - Thames Water’s debt crisis (BBC) - Russia-Ukraine food insecurity (European Council) - Nvidia valuation (BBC) - Mann’s Infrastructural Power on Wikipedia - Platform Capitalism and its dynamics - Callon’s Obligatory Passage Points and Latour’s Actor-Network Theory on Wikipedia - Essential Facilities Doctrine on Wikipedia - EU Digital Markets Act on Wikipedia - Cory Doctorow, “The Post-American Internet” (39C3 talk) — on the new coalition, anticircumvention law, and Eurostack - Cory Doctorow on enshittification and adversarial interoperability - Elinor Ostrom, Governing the Commons (1990) - Selye’s Eustress — the distinction between good stress and bad stress

]]> Karl Wittfogel’s theory of hydraulic despotism was savaged by his peers and rightly so. But the pattern he was reaching for—that whoever controls the essential flowing resource controls the people—is the story of modern infrastructure. Energy, social media, payment systems, AI compute. We handed over the water. We don’t have to hand over everything else.

Further reading: - The Betterment article that inspired this - From Zero: on recreating systems from scratch - Digital Selves: taking control of your digital presence - True Family Ties: on the erosion of our communities - Education is Entertainment: on why some ideas stick

References: - Karl Wittfogel and Hydraulic civilisations on Wikipedia - Wittfogel, Oriental Despotism (1957) - Thames Water’s debt crisis (BBC) - Russia-Ukraine food insecurity (European Council) - Nvidia valuation (BBC) - Mann’s Infrastructural Power on Wikipedia - Platform Capitalism and its dynamics - Callon’s Obligatory Passage Points and Latour’s Actor-Network Theory on Wikipedia - Essential Facilities Doctrine on Wikipedia - EU Digital Markets Act on Wikipedia - Cory Doctorow, “The Post-American Internet” (39C3 talk) — on the new coalition, anticircumvention law, and Eurostack - Cory Doctorow on enshittification and adversarial interoperability - Elinor Ostrom, Governing the Commons (1990) - Selye’s Eustress — the distinction between good stress and bad stress

]]> Sat, 21 Feb 2026 12:04:00 -0100 Dorian Dorian 1049 You're not coerced by malice. You're coerced by convenience. Control the flow, control the people: the most discredited theory in political science describes social media, energy and compute perfectly. The alternatives exist. We just don't use them. You're not coerced by malice. You're coerced by convenience. Control the flow, control the people: the most discredited theory in political science describes social media, energy and compute perfectly. The alternatives exist. We just don't use them. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No Atavism Isn’t the Answer 8 8 Atavism Isn’t the Answer full substack:post:188827933 https://share.transistor.fm/s/ee9fa0b4 Seed oils, raw milk, carnivore diets, tradwives, phone bans, anti-sunscreen, cold plunges—these look like separate cultural phenomena across health, diet, gender, and technology. They’re all the same pattern: the same two faulty assumptions, the same Just So Story template, the same political movement. The yearnings are real. The reasoning isn’t.

Further reading: - The Betterment article that inspired this - Evolution is Overrated - All Food is Toxic - Hydraulic Despotism - Nature vs Nurture Just Isn’t That Interesting - Tinbergen’s Four Questions - Education is Entertainment: on why some ideas stick - Mundane Cults

References: - MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) on Wikipedia - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wikipedia - Butter and Plant-Based Oils Intake and Mortality, JAMA Internal Medicine (2025) - The Evidence Behind Seed Oils’ Health Effects, Johns Hopkins (2025) - Paul Saladino, The Carnivore Code - Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation - Candice Odgers, Nature review on smartphones and mental health - Ferguson (2025): Do Social Media Experiments Prove a Link With Mental Health: A Methodological and Meta-Analytic Review - Liver King on Wikipedia - Andrew Huberman on Wikipedia - Ballerina Farm / Hannah Neeleman on Wikipedia - Tradwife on Wikipedia - Tradwife: Between Myths and Realities, King’s College London Global Institute for Women’s Leadership - MAHA, Means, Money, Public Citizen report on MAHA and wellness industry revenue

]]> Seed oils, raw milk, carnivore diets, tradwives, phone bans, anti-sunscreen, cold plunges—these look like separate cultural phenomena across health, diet, gender, and technology. They’re all the same pattern: the same two faulty assumptions, the same Just So Story template, the same political movement. The yearnings are real. The reasoning isn’t.

Further reading: - The Betterment article that inspired this - Evolution is Overrated - All Food is Toxic - Hydraulic Despotism - Nature vs Nurture Just Isn’t That Interesting - Tinbergen’s Four Questions - Education is Entertainment: on why some ideas stick - Mundane Cults

References: - MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) on Wikipedia - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wikipedia - Butter and Plant-Based Oils Intake and Mortality, JAMA Internal Medicine (2025) - The Evidence Behind Seed Oils’ Health Effects, Johns Hopkins (2025) - Paul Saladino, The Carnivore Code - Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation - Candice Odgers, Nature review on smartphones and mental health - Ferguson (2025): Do Social Media Experiments Prove a Link With Mental Health: A Methodological and Meta-Analytic Review - Liver King on Wikipedia - Andrew Huberman on Wikipedia - Ballerina Farm / Hannah Neeleman on Wikipedia - Tradwife on Wikipedia - Tradwife: Between Myths and Realities, King’s College London Global Institute for Women’s Leadership - MAHA, Means, Money, Public Citizen report on MAHA and wellness industry revenue

]]> Sat, 07 Feb 2026 20:45:00 -0100 Dorian Dorian 1669 Seed oils, raw milk, cold plunges, tradwives—one template runs them all: name a modern ill, invent an ancestral past, sell the return as cure. It's built on a fantasy we can't verify. Seed oils, raw milk, cold plunges, tradwives—one template runs them all: name a modern ill, invent an ancestral past, sell the return as cure. It's built on a fantasy we can't verify. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No Values Don’t Matter 7 7 Values Don’t Matter full substack:post:185640283 https://share.transistor.fm/s/ddb6a6d4 Everyone loves organisational values. Corporates, militaries, sports clubs, schools—any place where people collect in a serious way has a list of qualities they want everyone to embody. But values are just virtue ethics by another name. And virtue ethics suffer two rather troubling problems: virtues are hugely context-dependent, and the situation overwhelmingly drives behaviour anyway. So if you want people to act virtuously, design the context.

Further reading: - The Betterment article that inspired this - Overview of the ethical landscape - On catastrophic leadership failure - Everything is choice architecture - Making strong group dynamics - On motivation - Belief-consistent information processing

References: - MacIntyre’s After Virtue - Situationist critique of virtue ethics - Person-situation debate - Milgram’s obedience experiments - Stanford Prison Experiment - John Doris on the ecological approach to ethics - Maria Merritt on “humility ethics” - Moore and Beadle on organisations as MacIntyrean practices

]]> Everyone loves organisational values. Corporates, militaries, sports clubs, schools—any place where people collect in a serious way has a list of qualities they want everyone to embody. But values are just virtue ethics by another name. And virtue ethics suffer two rather troubling problems: virtues are hugely context-dependent, and the situation overwhelmingly drives behaviour anyway. So if you want people to act virtuously, design the context.

Further reading: - The Betterment article that inspired this - Overview of the ethical landscape - On catastrophic leadership failure - Everything is choice architecture - Making strong group dynamics - On motivation - Belief-consistent information processing

References: - MacIntyre’s After Virtue - Situationist critique of virtue ethics - Person-situation debate - Milgram’s obedience experiments - Stanford Prison Experiment - John Doris on the ecological approach to ethics - Maria Merritt on “humility ethics” - Moore and Beadle on organisations as MacIntyrean practices

]]> Sat, 24 Jan 2026 15:19:05 -0100 Dorian Dorian 1818 Values don't shape behaviour. The room does. They're virtue ethics relabelled—and courage for a soldier isn't courage for a teacher. Build the context; drop the list. Values don't shape behaviour. The room does. They're virtue ethics relabelled—and courage for a soldier isn't courage for a teacher. Build the context; drop the list. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No The Hard Problem of Consciousness Isn’t a Problem 6 6 The Hard Problem of Consciousness Isn’t a Problem full substack:post:183921983 https://share.transistor.fm/s/dca0b5ca What is consciousness? From Mary’s Room to philosophical zombies, from panpsychism to eliminativism, everyone has theories about the “hard problem.” But under what realistic circumstances would it actually matter whether something is truly conscious versus merely appearing conscious?

Further reading

References

]]> What is consciousness? From Mary’s Room to philosophical zombies, from panpsychism to eliminativism, everyone has theories about the “hard problem.” But under what realistic circumstances would it actually matter whether something is truly conscious versus merely appearing conscious?

Further reading

References

]]> Fri, 09 Jan 2026 23:05:00 -0100 Dorian Dorian 907 The hard problem of consciousness isn't a problem. It's a beautiful argument with no stakes. Behaviour is what matters, not the ghost behind the curtain. The hard problem of consciousness isn't a problem. It's a beautiful argument with no stakes. Behaviour is what matters, not the ghost behind the curtain. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No Who Cares if There’s No Such Thing as Free Will? 5 5 Who Cares if There’s No Such Thing as Free Will? full substack:post:183891956 https://share.transistor.fm/s/82a9540a From Libet’s experiments to modern neuroscience, evidence keeps mounting that our decisions might be predetermined. But even if free will is an illusion, what would actually change? Behaviour is still something we can modify, determinism doesn’t excuse us from consequence, and the debate itself is practically irrelevant.

Further reading

References

]]> From Libet’s experiments to modern neuroscience, evidence keeps mounting that our decisions might be predetermined. But even if free will is an illusion, what would actually change? Behaviour is still something we can modify, determinism doesn’t excuse us from consequence, and the debate itself is practically irrelevant.

Further reading

References

]]> Fri, 26 Dec 2025 23:09:00 -0100 Dorian Dorian 759 Whether free will is real changes precisely nothing. The world's too complex for the answer to bite, and behaviour bends the same way no matter which side wins. Whether free will is real changes precisely nothing. The world's too complex for the answer to bite, and behaviour bends the same way no matter which side wins. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No Nature vs Nurture isn't Interesting 4 4 Nature vs Nurture isn't Interesting full substack:post:182345821 https://share.transistor.fm/s/c7fd115f The nature versus nurture debate seems foundational to understanding human behaviour. But evolutionary stories are just stories, genetics is shaped by environment, and the environment matters far more anyway. So why are we still arguing about it?

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]]> The nature versus nurture debate seems foundational to understanding human behaviour. But evolutionary stories are just stories, genetics is shaped by environment, and the environment matters far more anyway. So why are we still arguing about it?

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]]> Fri, 12 Dec 2025 23:59:00 -0100 Dorian Dorian 762 Nature is just nurture given time, and nurture is obviously the one in charge. The whole debate is Gladwell bait: superficially sexy, practically useless. Nature is just nurture given time, and nurture is obviously the one in charge. The whole debate is Gladwell bait: superficially sexy, practically useless. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No Mundane Cults 3 3 Mundane Cults full substack:post:182343971 https://share.transistor.fm/s/f54c2938 The word cult conjures images of hooded figures, mass suicide, and narcissistic leaders. But this dark image is nonsense—the kind that makes us more vulnerable to destructive groups. Cults are actually a pervasive building block of modern community, from veganism to fitness franchises to health movements. The question isn’t whether you’re in one, but whether it’s one you chose.

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]]> The word cult conjures images of hooded figures, mass suicide, and narcissistic leaders. But this dark image is nonsense—the kind that makes us more vulnerable to destructive groups. Cults are actually a pervasive building block of modern community, from veganism to fitness franchises to health movements. The question isn’t whether you’re in one, but whether it’s one you chose.

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]]> Fri, 28 Nov 2025 23:01:00 -0100 Dorian Dorian 1452 Cults aren't the fringe. They're the architecture of ordinary community, and not being in one usually means something's gone wrong. The question is whether yours is one you chose. Cults aren't the fringe. They're the architecture of ordinary community, and not being in one usually means something's gone wrong. The question is whether yours is one you chose. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No Men aren't from Mars 2 2 Men aren't from Mars full substack:post:179612971 https://share.transistor.fm/s/c3be7624 Gender essentialism is having a moment. Everyone’s reading books about what it means to be a man or woman, and Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus keeps getting recommended to me like it’s gospel. Here’s the thing: the book perfectly illustrates a pattern we see everywhere. The same behaviours—complaining, offering advice, needing reassurance, getting defensive—are cast as reasonable when men do them and unreasonable when women do them. Gray’s men are emotionally fragile and his women just want basic partnership, but somehow it’s the women who need to lower their expectations. This isn’t about men and women. It’s about how we frame identical behaviours differently based on who’s doing them.

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]]> Gender essentialism is having a moment. Everyone’s reading books about what it means to be a man or woman, and Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus keeps getting recommended to me like it’s gospel. Here’s the thing: the book perfectly illustrates a pattern we see everywhere. The same behaviours—complaining, offering advice, needing reassurance, getting defensive—are cast as reasonable when men do them and unreasonable when women do them. Gray’s men are emotionally fragile and his women just want basic partnership, but somehow it’s the women who need to lower their expectations. This isn’t about men and women. It’s about how we frame identical behaviours differently based on who’s doing them.

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]]> Fri, 14 Nov 2025 23:01:00 -0100 Dorian Dorian 2084 Men and women aren't wired differently. We read the same behaviour as reasonable in him and unreasonable in her—normalising troubled men while pathologising women's ordinary needs. Men and women aren't wired differently. We read the same behaviour as reasonable in him and unreasonable in her—normalising troubled men while pathologising women's ordinary needs. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No Stress is Good 1 1 Stress is Good full substack:post:178654076 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0c97697f Everyone’s convinced stress is this outdated evolutionary technology—poorly calibrated to modern life, something to avoid at all costs. The story goes that it evolved to help us run from tigers, but now it’s just triggered by email notifications. This is nonsense. Stress is the only thing that gets us to perform at all. It’s the most valuable biological technology we have. This lecture walks through the Yerkes-Dodson Law—a simple, 100-year-old model that explains how stress actually works, why we need it, and how to use it well.

Further reading: - The Betterment article that inspired this - More on stress and cognitive flexibility - Why the amygdala doesn’t work the way you think

References: - The Atlantic Article, demonstrating the typical approach to stress - Sapolsky’s book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers - Yerkes Dodson Law - Vartinian et al. (2020), Goldfarb et al. (2017), Lenow et al. (2017) or this commentary on the relationship between low stress and cognitive flexibility - Eustress (Hans Seyle, 1976). More modern developments would be Cognitive Appraisal Models and Attribution Theory - Chronic Stress and Allostatic Load

]]> Everyone’s convinced stress is this outdated evolutionary technology—poorly calibrated to modern life, something to avoid at all costs. The story goes that it evolved to help us run from tigers, but now it’s just triggered by email notifications. This is nonsense. Stress is the only thing that gets us to perform at all. It’s the most valuable biological technology we have. This lecture walks through the Yerkes-Dodson Law—a simple, 100-year-old model that explains how stress actually works, why we need it, and how to use it well.

Further reading: - The Betterment article that inspired this - More on stress and cognitive flexibility - Why the amygdala doesn’t work the way you think

References: - The Atlantic Article, demonstrating the typical approach to stress - Sapolsky’s book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers - Yerkes Dodson Law - Vartinian et al. (2020), Goldfarb et al. (2017), Lenow et al. (2017) or this commentary on the relationship between low stress and cognitive flexibility - Eustress (Hans Seyle, 1976). More modern developments would be Cognitive Appraisal Models and Attribution Theory - Chronic Stress and Allostatic Load

]]> Fri, 31 Oct 2025 23:01:00 -0100 Dorian Dorian 1538 Stress isn't broken by modern life. It's a performance tool, and the line between fuel and harm isn't the stressor. It's whether you control it. Stress isn't broken by modern life. It's a performance tool, and the line between fuel and harm isn't the stressor. It's whether you control it. betterment, psychology, brain science, philosophy of mind, thought patterns, human behaviour, human behavior No