Episode 11: Serenity of the Stoics

Episode 11: Serenity of the Stoics

November 2, 2020Posted inPodcastNo Comments
How should we define success? Many people define success by using very specific metrics concerning resources like time, money, or status. But in reality these are really just arbitrary vanity metrics, and achieving them will rarely be satisfying enough to relieve the pressure to attain more. We also have little to no control over these outcomes, so how can we define success by something we have more direct control over and take responsibility for?
Episode 10: The Matthew Principle: How to Work Less & Achieve More

Episode 10: The Matthew Principle: How to Work Less & Achieve More

October 25, 2020Posted inBest of, PodcastNo Comments
There is a principle in statistics that not so many people know about, but is extremely useful to know, known mathematically as, “The Pareto distribution.” It’s also referred to as Price’s Law or the Matthew Principle based on the scripture in Matthew 25:29 quoting Jesus, “to everyone who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Episode 9: Prisoner’s Dilemma

Episode 9: Prisoner’s Dilemma

October 18, 2020Posted inPodcastNo Comments
Mathematicians and business majors are exploring political science theory and philosophy through game theory. Game theory is a college level math class that is typically attended by math majors and business majors. Why business majors? Because game theory is the study of how to use logic to find the optimal strategy in a competitive situation. And the most common simulation to come out of game theory is the Prisoner’s Dilemma. Here is the scenario.
Episode 8 – Life of Pi’s Parables

Episode 8 – Life of Pi’s Parables

October 10, 2020Posted inBest of, PodcastNo Comments
Today we will return to an idea presented earlier two weeks ago the lesson titled, “The Truth of Myth,” in which we presented the idea that nonfiction presents truth objectively, but that fiction and mythology, though objectively true, present a subjective truth that often feels even more deeply accurate than true stories. To do so we will dive deeply into the story of the popular book and film called, “Life of Pi.”
Episode 7: SuperHero Mythology

Episode 7: SuperHero Mythology

October 4, 2020Posted inPodcastNo Comments
Q: What is today’s most popular mythology? We may look down on the old stories of mythology as superstition or meaningless fictions, but where do we turn when we face chaos that we cannot explain? We all watch stories about zombies, aliens, science fiction, and fantasy. We look to modern day demigods, humans with supernatural abilities. We turn to SuperHeroes.
Episode 6: The Truth of Myth

Episode 6: The Truth of Myth

September 27, 2020Posted inPodcast
Q: What Can Myths Tell Us About Truth? Myths are the grand old epic poems, the ancient archetypal stories we have been telling about creation and the evolution of man. Stories that go beyond the facts of who, what, when, and where to help us understand the deeper more critical question--why. These are stories so old and so common among so many various people groups that they are older than our oldest writings. 
Episode 5: Reason for Religion

Episode 5: Reason for Religion

September 19, 2020Posted inPodcastNo Comments
Today I want to introduce an academic approach to the importance of religious belief systems. So first let’s start with an interesting question. We'll be discussing Pascal's Wager, Jordan Peterson's ideas from Maps of Meaning, and the famous child development psychologist Jean Piaget.  Q: Can one be certain that God exists or doesn’t exist? How much are you willing to gamble on it?
Episode 3: Samson’s Riddle

Episode 3: Samson’s Riddle

September 1, 2020Posted inPodcastNo Comments
Samson is one of the legendary strongmen of history and for those of you who have learned about parables and revelations of nature from Bible Study, I think you’ll recognize a great example of how God used a parable to foreshadow the tragedy that would eventually consume Samson’s life. Listen to the story from Judges chapter 14 for yourself and see if you can recognize it.