Episodes 67
Avg. Duration 52m
Activity Declining
Apple Rating 4.9 (15)
Since Apr 2018
Latest Episode Nov 2025

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Monthly
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Episodic
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feeds.fireside.fm

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About This Podcast

On Wisdom features a social and cognitive scientist in Toronto and an educator in London discussing the latest empirical science regarding the nature of wisdom. Igor Grossmann runs the Wisdom & Culture Lab at the University of Waterloo in Canada. Charles Cassidy runs the Evidence-Based Wisdom project in London, UK. The podcast thrives on a diet of freewheeling conversation on wisdom, decision-making, wellbeing, and society and includes regular guests spots with leading behavioral scientists from the field of wisdom research and beyond. Welcome to The On Wisdom Podcast.

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Recent Episodes

67: The Wisdom Turing Test - Part Two (with Steve Rathje)

Nov 16, 2025 49m

What can insights from the psychology of technology teach us about wisdom in the age of AI? In this special follow-up episode, Igor and Charles are joined by Steve Rathje to explore how classic ideas…

66: The Wisdom Turing Test - Part One

Oct 26, 2025 40m

What happens when we ask our own fantastic listeners — and AI — what it means to live wisely? In this episode, Igor and Charles hand the mic to members of the On Wisdom audience to hear their answers…

65: Religion as Make-Believe (with Neil Van Leeuwen)

May 08, 2025 58m

Is religious belief a form of make-believe — and if so, what deeper truths might we be acting out? Neil Van Leeuwen joins Igor and Charles to explore the psychological roots of religion, the nature…

64: The Potency and Potential of Social Networks (with Nicholas Christakis)

Mar 12, 2025 59m

Are your choices really your own — or are they quietly shaped by the people around you? Nicholas Christakis joins Igor and Charles to reveal the hidden power of social networks, from the surprising…

63: The AI Mirror: Why Machines Reflect Us More Than They Think (with Shannon Vallor)

Feb 23, 2025 44m

Can AI ever be truly wise, or are we just seeing reflections of ourselves? Philosophy Professor Shannon Vallor joins Igor and Charles to explore how technology shapes human wisdom, why we’ve been…

62: Experimental Philosophy: Testing the Limits of Wisdom and Knowledge (with Edouard Machery)

Dec 09, 2024 57m

What happens when philosophers start running experiments? Edouard Machery joins Igor and Charles to explain the principles of experimental philosophy, the surprising geography of wisdom, and why we…

61: Beyond Bias: Group Identity, Wisdom, and the Climate Crisis (with Leaf Van Boven and David Sherman)

Nov 10, 2024 1h 8m

Can our political identities get in the way of wise action, even on existential issues like climate change? Leaf Van Boven and David Sherman join Igor and Charles to unpack how we perceive…

60: Wisdom, Love, and the Lexical Fallacy (with Alan Fiske)

Oct 20, 2024 1h 13m

Why do we have such a hard time figuring out what we’re feeling? Alan Fiske joins Igor and Charles to unravel the mystery of emotions, revealing why your gut feeling might not be as clear-cut as you…

59: Shaping Reality and Relationships: The Science of Connection and Expectation (with David Robson)

Sep 23, 2024 49m

Can our expectations about ourselves and others reshape our lives? Science writer David Robson returns to explore how our expectations don’t just change personal outcomes—they influence how we…

58: The Social Robots are Coming! (with Kerstin Dautenhahn)

Nov 02, 2023 49m

Can we create wise robots? Kerstin Dautenhahn joins Igor and Charles to dive into the intriguing world of social robots, the finer points of “Robotiquette,” and the potential role such robots can…

57: The Epic Challenge of Knowing Thyself (with David Dunning)

Oct 07, 2023 1h 3m

Can we ever really know ourselves, or are we destined to always make overly optimistic self-assessments? David Dunning joins Igor and Charles to discuss the Dunning-Kruger effect, the importance of…

56: Awe Reloaded (with Dacher Keltner)

Aug 29, 2023 50m

Have we overlooked a major source of awe, right under our collective noses? Dacher Keltner returns to the On Wisdom studio to discuss his new book "Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It…

55: Wise of the Machines (with Sina Fazelpour)

Aug 05, 2023 1h 4m

How can we make AI wiser? And could AI make us wiser in return? Sina Fazelpour joins Igor and Charles to discuss the problem of bias in algorithms, how we might make machine learning systems more…

54: Emotions Are Not What You Think (with Lisa Feldman Barrett )

May 30, 2023 49m

What actually are “emotions” and how are they made? Lisa Feldman Barrett joins Igor and Charles to discuss what we’ve got right and what we’ve got completely wrong about the nature of our emotional…

53: Moral Reframing and The Science of Political Persuasion (with Robb Willer)

Apr 10, 2023 59m

How can you persuade someone who disagrees with you on everything? In this episode, we discover the secrets of political persuasion with Robb Willer, a leading expert on political persuasion and…

52: World Wide Wisdom (with Deepak Ramola)

Jan 05, 2023 55m

Imagine gathering hard-earned lessons from survivors of human trafficking in Nepal, middle school children in Afghanistan, refugees in Europe, and even a man who has witnessed over 12,000 deaths.…

51: Tricky Colleagues and Contagious Emotions (with Tessa West)

Nov 16, 2022 57m

How do we respond wisely to foolish behaviour in the workplace? Tessa West joins Igor and Charles to talk about the most common types of ‘jerks at work’ - including the bulldozer, the credit stealer,…

50: Morality Meets World (with Joshua Greene)

Oct 10, 2022 57m

To give to both your favourite charity and a super-effective charity recommended by experts, visit Giving Multiplier: https://givingmultiplier.org/invite/ONWISDOM Can insights from moral psychology…

49: Wise Goals (with Ayelet Fishbach)

Aug 31, 2022 47m

What does goal-setting have to do with wisdom and how do we pick wise goals? Ayelet Fishbach joins Igor and Charles to discuss the dangers of moving too swiftly from planning-mode to action-mode, how…

48: A Joyous Journey from Black-and-White to Grey (with Tom Gilovich)

Aug 01, 2022 48m

Is "the spectrum" a more helpful way to think about the world than "categories"? Tom Gilovich joins Igor and Charles to discuss the perils of black-and-white thinking, the evolving data on the hot…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does On Wisdom have?

On Wisdom has published 67 episodes since April 2018, covering topics in Philosophy, Science.

Is On Wisdom still active?

On Wisdom is currently declining with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 52m.

How do I contact On Wisdom for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for On Wisdom, including email and social media links.

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