Best Epic Cassidy Podcasts (2025)

1
65: Religion as Make-Believe (with Neil Van Leeuwen) 58:14

11d ago58:14

58:14

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 of belief, and how sacred values shape group identity. Igor reflects on the blurring line between religious and political convictions, Neil argues that …

1
64: The Potency and Potential of Social Networks (with Nicholas Christakis) 59:14

2M ago59:14

59:14

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 spread of kindness and cooperation to the ripple effects that shape our health, decisions, and even our wisdom. Igor uncovers the invisible social force…

1
63: The AI Mirror: Why Machines Reflect Us More Than They Think (with Shannon Vallor) 44:30

3M ago44:30

44:30

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 thinking about AI all wrong, and what it really means to align machines with our values. Shannon unpacks the AI Mirror metaphor, suggesting that today’s A…

1
62: Experimental Philosophy: Testing the Limits of Wisdom and Knowledge (with Edouard Machery) 57:10

5M ago57:10

57:10

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 should be skeptical about trusting science too much. Igor digs into what's universal vs what's local about how we think, Edouard explains why bad habits…

1
61: Beyond Bias: Group Identity, Wisdom, and the Climate Crisis (with Leaf Van Boven and David Sherman) 1:08:36

6M ago1:08:36

1:08:36

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 environmental policy through the lenses of group identity and social norms, revealing how misperceptions fuel inaction. Igor considers how group beliefs can over…

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60: Wisdom, Love, and the Lexical Fallacy (with Alan Fiske) 1:13:00

7M ago1:13:00

1:13:00

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 think. Drawing from his research into Kama Muta—a heartwarming rush of connection—and his critiques of how we label emotions, Alan sheds light on why m…

1
59: Shaping Reality and Relationships: The Science of Connection and Expectation (with David Robson) 49:40

8M ago49:40

49:40

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 connect with others. Drawing from his books The Laws of Connection and The Expectation Effect, David reveals the hidden psychology behind social interactions…

1
58: The Social Robots are Coming! (with Kerstin Dautenhahn) 49:02

1+ y ago49:02

49:02

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 play in supporting therapeutic treatments. Igor reflects on the limits of robot-based wisdom, Kerstin reveals the potential of Generative AI like ChatGPT …

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57: The Epic Challenge of Knowing Thyself (with David Dunning) 1:03:02

1+ y ago1:03:02

1:03:02

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 asking the right questions, why arriving at an accurate view of ourselves is so challenging, and the implications for teaching, medicine, and even scien…

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56: Awe Reloaded (with Dacher Keltner) 50:08

1+ y ago50:08

50:08

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 Can Transform Your Life", the power of moral beauty, the desire for connection, and the importance of wandering. Igor suggest that awe can also entail …

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55: Wise of the Machines (with Sina Fazelpour) 1:04:20

2y ago1:04:20

1:04:20

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 diverse, and the thorny challenge of alignment. Igor considers whether interacting with AIs might help us achieve higher levels of understanding, Sina sug…

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Episode 190 - Conan the Barbarian (1982, Satirist reboot) 2:11:25

2y ago2:11:25

2:11:25

Well folx, this is it, our final episode of Swords & Satire. We have tried so hard, and come so far, but in the end, it doesn’t even matter… No, wait, sorry, don’t know where that Lincoln Park song came from, but have created one more episode to honor how far we have come as a show, and the classic fantasy film that started it all, Conan the Barbar…

1
Satirist Skit - The Babadook: Family Meeting 4:47

2y ago4:47

4:47

So … after watching The Babadook and considering how it ended we were wondering, what would it be like to live with a Babadook in your basement? We figured there would be growing pains, just like with any relationship, and they may need to have a family meeting eventually, right? Well, here we go playing out this confrontation for you, so you no lo…

1
Episode 189 - The Babadook 1:08:59

2y ago1:08:59

1:08:59

You may have some perfectly reasonable, perfectly understandable questions about our movie choice for this week. We can hear the masses clamoring to ask us now, with questions like: What does the Babadook have to do with Pride Month? Is demonic possession a regular part of the grieving process? And, why does he wear such a snazzy tophat, and where …

1
Satirist Skit - Cloud Atlas: Recycle, Reuse, Rebirth 7:12

2y ago7:12

7:12

So we are now all familiar with the soul trajectory of the important people in Cloud Atlas, but what about the common souls, what happens to them? Well, you can stop your wonderin’, because we have created this skit to fill you in on those excitin' details that got missed in the original film. So quit your yammerin’ and gibberin’ and start listenin…

1
Episode 188 - Cloud Atlas 1:02:00

2y ago1:02:00

1:02:00

Happy Pride Month everyone! Yay! Time to break out those rainbow bricks you picked up at your local Target and smash bigotry and hate. And it’s also time to celebrate queer joy and happiness! So to celebrate we are covering Cloud Atlas, a film about the complexity of the human condition, how we are all more alike than we are different, and how love…

1
54: Emotions Are Not What You Think (with Lisa Feldman Barrett ) 49:04

2y ago49:04

49:04

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 lives. Igor grapples with the idea that red apples aren’t necessarily red, Lisa shares that anger doesn’t always look like anger, and Charles learns tha…

1
Satirist Skit - Eragon: The Fat Melts Right Into The Meat 5:42

2y ago5:42

5:42

We decided to recreate Jack’s favorite scene from Eragon, the butcher’s shop scene in Eragon’s hometown, but we put our own little zany twist on it. So buckle up and listen in for some slice of life action that is so mundane that it’s funny!

1
Episode 187 - Eragon 1:02:13

2y ago1:02:13

1:02:13

This week we are talking about Eragon, a coming-of-age fantasy movie about finding yourself and your draconic BFF, written for teenagers, and quite obviously by a teenager. Even though this film has a few key storytelling mistakes, and one glaring oversight regarding problematic dynamics, it is a fun fantasy adventure, based on a young adult novel …

1
Satirist Skit - Reign of Fire: Terrible Storytellers 3:38

2y ago3:38

3:38

One of the best scenes from Reign of Fire isn’t when Matthew McConaughey jumps into a dragon’s mouth wielding nothing but an ax, nor is it when Christian Bale attempts to run down a dragon on horseback. No, the best scene is when Bale and Butler recreate Star Wars as a play for the wee ones of their camp, and we have reimagined how that might have …

1
Episode 186: Reign of Fire 1:17:17

2y ago1:17:17

1:17:17

This week we cover a post-apocalyptic fantasy epic about a pandemic of dragons that nearly wipes out humanity by the year 2020, and the last of the human survivors decide to stop merely surviving so they can start thriving… as soon as they take down the dragon patriarch that is. So it’s not quite as bad as the pandemic we all lived through, but tha…

1
Satirist Skit - Super Mario Bros: Couples Counseling Sim 7:14

2y ago7:14

7:14

Turns out not everything is so peachy in the Mushroom kingdom, and Mario is dragged into couples counseling by his better half. Turns out that even those couples that have a magical bond go through rough patches like the rest of us. Listen in to hear how their first session goes.

1
Episode 185: The Super Mario Bros. Movie 59:59

2y ago59:59

59:59

The heartwarming movie, based on an iconic and much beloved video game franchise, about a strong brotherly bond and how friends and family can help you conquer your fears, has finally been released and we’re here to talk about it for your listening pleasure! * * Disclaimers: Interactions between brothers are limited Family bonding may vary Any simi…

1
Satirist Skit - A D&D Movie Pitch: Oatmeal Floors and Pudgy Dragons 5:17

2y ago5:17

5:17

We’ve gone back to the production office for a good old movie pitch for our skit this week. Listen in to hear us convince our “boss” of our unusual ideas to make a D&D movie with a higher budget, and fewer cheesy anachronisms. But no one is messing with the magical oatmeal floor, that feature is a must for any D&D movie worth its salt!…

1
53: Moral Reframing and The Science of Political Persuasion (with Robb Willer) 59:36

2y ago59:36

59:36

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 moral reframing. Igor grills Robb on the ethics of activism in social science, Robb defends his mission to make a difference in the world, and Charles is a…

1
Episode 184: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 1:10:05

2y ago1:10:05

1:10:05

We are very excited to share our episode on our Satirist outing to go see the new Dungeons and Dragons movie! This silly, serious film is a true fit for our show and made us feel like we were watching the emotional, yet ridiculous journey of a D&D adventuring party, and how we who have played know that it can go. We get into the weeds on what type …

1
Satirist Skit - Tron: It’s More Fun When You Don’t Think 3:40

2y ago3:40

3:40

We realized that the world of Tron has some horrible implications about the programs people create in a general sense. If programs were really alive like they are in the Tron movie, then what happens when people rewrite or delete code, or erase entire programs? The implications are haunting, but perhaps it’s best if we don’t think about that too mu…

1
Episode 183: Tron (1982) 1:00:22

2y ago1:00:22

1:00:22

We Satirists love us some science fantasy, and we delve into a classic this week with the movie Tron. Is this just a fun adventure movie that answers the question, what if you could go into a computer and talk to the programs, or is there something deeper going on? Well, we are masters at thinking way too much about the movies we watch so you know …

1
Satirist Skit - Stargate: Operation Bomb Squad 6:29

2y ago6:29

6:29

This time we were called to focus on the military briefing scene from Stargate, just before they go into the portal, for our skit this week. We highlight the ridiculous nature of the mission, and the U.S. military in general. We also included some toilet humor because we just can’t seem to help ourselves. We hope you enjoy it!…

1
Episode 182 - Stargate 1:02:45

2y ago1:02:45

1:02:45

We begin our science fantasy month with a classic movie about a trek through the stars that leads to liberating humans on a distant planet (it’s a long story), with the added spice of the unexamined elements of American exceptionalism and the military science complex. It turns out this beloved fantasy adventure movie from our youths has problematic…

1
Satirist Skit - Pride and Prejudice...and Zombies 5:05

2y ago5:05

5:05

We take you back to a magical time in the merry old land of England. The year was 1816 and Jane Austen was pitching her new book to her publishers, but it would prove hard to convince them to keep the supernatural undead element in her story. Her work as intended has been restored as of 2016 when there was also a movie made to honor her work, title…

1
Episode 181 - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 51:24

2y ago51:24

51:24

You, dear listeners, may be wondering why we covered a movie about love and marriage, even though it does fit in with our other movies this month. While the supernatural veneer of zombies, loosely placed over a story about the social customs of the aristocracy, could be enough to make this movie a fantasy film, the designation is shaky at best. But…

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Satirist Skit - Only Lovers Left Alive: The Pit 4:09

2y ago4:09

4:09

Hello all! Here we have our first stand alone skit, based on the movie we covered last week, Only Lovers Left Alive. We couldn't help but zero in on that pit that poor Ian was tossed into unceremoniously in the movie, so we built the skit around that scene. We also threw in an obscure reference to our Waterworld skit near the end just for funsies. …

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Some Changes To Our Show... 4:40

2+ y ago4:40

4:40

Hi everyone! We are making some changes to the show and we recorded an announcement for you all, so you can stay informed about what we are going to be doing going forward. Thank you for listening and supporting the show!

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Episode 180 - Only Lovers Left Alive 1:12:29

2+ y ago1:12:29

1:12:29

We satirists can’t resist a good quirky romance story, so we decided to cover the film Only Lovers Left Alive this week, a movie about bohemian vegan vampires in love. And since they’re vampires they’ve been in love for hundreds of years. How do they keep the spark alive you ask? Why by living apart for a lifetime or two until they get bored of bei…

1
Episode 179 - Warm Bodies 1:01:50

2+ y ago1:01:50

1:01:50

We have a discussion about a classic love story for you this week to start off the month all about love, and in the case of our show it’s all about supernatural love beyond the grave. This is just your classic rom-com about a girl and her zombie, and how they defy the odds about who’s living and who’s dead, and how they get their haters to leave th…

1
Episode 178 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 1:16:09

2+ y ago1:16:09

1:16:09

We have finally taken the plunge and decided to start covering this franchise, because even though everyone and their siblings have analyzed this series, we haven’t done it yet, so here it goes. If you want to hear us talk about a movie in which Hitler battles against baby Jesus, the gross negligence of people in the wizarding world, and how J. K. …

1
Episode 177 - The Adventures of Baron Munchausen 1:08:58

2+ y ago1:08:58

1:08:58

Listen in this week to hear us try to coherently discuss a movie about your wacky, perhaps irredeemable grandpa, who won’t shut up about his past adventures that seem really cringe from a modern lens. He also keeps threatening to die if no one will pay attention to him, but you unfortunately really need his help to distract your problematic uncle t…

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Episode 176 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 1:20:04

2+ y ago1:20:04

1:20:04

Join us this week as we discuss this fun, fantastical romp about a family feud that feeds on the needs of marginalized Narnians, exploiting their desire for sovereignty and autonomy to fuel the neverending battle for control of Narnia. Also, there’s a magical cat that is the local god, but also maybe the god of Earth, but is almost certainly not a …

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Episode 175 - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 1:33:39

2+ y ago1:33:39

1:33:39

This week we continue our new year tradition of covering a film of the Tolkein universe, and as it turns out, this movie also fits with our meta theme for the year (that we started with the Cats film) of films that have ruined lives. Long-time listeners will know that every good fantasy film is about class struggle, at least in part, and this one i…

1
52: World Wide Wisdom (with Deepak Ramola) 55:12

2+ y ago55:12

55:12

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. Deepak Ramola has been on such a lesson-gathering mission for a while, and he joins Igor and Charles to discuss the life lessons he has collected, who get…

1
Episode 174 - Cats (2019) 1:14:59

2+ y ago1:14:59

1:14:59

For our new year special this time around we decided to cover a film that has broken every human law and has us seeking the sweet, sweet release of the Heaviside Layer. That’s right, it’s Cats (2019). If you ever wondered what Jellicle cat means, or why one of them must be Chosen each year, then you’ve come to the wrong place, because we are just a…

1
Episode 173 - Santa’s Slay 1:15:45

2+ y ago1:15:45

1:15:45

While this is something of a funny, anti-holiday-cheer choice for our show this season, it is oddly more representative than other comedies of its era, even while the humor is painfully outdated (we seriously took psychic damage from some scenes). The Santa lore is also incredibly unique, completely unlike anything else you have ever heard about, w…

1
Episode 172 - The Nightmare Before Christmas 1:20:09

2+ y ago1:20:09

1:20:09

We are covering a holiday classic this week, and after watching it this time around we realized this movie connects almost everything we watched into one universe through the Kingdom Hearts games! You have to be a gaming and Disney nerd to get it so hopefully we still have some of you along for the ride with us! We also realized that this movie is …

1
Episode 171 - Gremlins 1:11:21

2+ y ago1:11:21

1:11:21

To start off our holiday movie coverage we thought we would talk about a classic holiday movie about the horror of the suburbs. Turns out there were a lot of details we forgot about or overlooked before that jumped out at us this time and made us realize this movie is all about class struggle. There are both overt and subtle ways that this film sho…

1
Episode 170 - Disenchanted 1:30:00

2+ y ago1:30:00

1:30:00

We were so excited to share our thoughts about this film with you all, since we covered the first movie, Enchanted, on our show and we wrote a sequel for one of our Rewriting History movie pitch episodes (which you can find on our Patreon page). This seemingly heartfelt, whimsical family film has a lot about it that we found offensive or reprehensi…

1
Episode 169 - The Secret of Nimh 1:18:08

2+ y ago1:18:08

1:18:08

We have a rare gem for you, our faithful listeners, in our discussion this week of the whimsical fantasy film about death, torture, and constant threat of bodily harm, The Secret of Nimh! And you may be surprised that a film from 1982 features a female protagonist, who is a single mother of four, and who shows her mettle not through violence, but t…

1
Episode 168 - The Secret World of Arrietty 1:22:46

2+ y ago1:22:46

1:22:46

This week we cover a whimsical tale of a young girl, named Arrietty, going on her first “borrowing” mission with her father, and the sickly boy, named Shawn, who just will not leave her alone. Both Shawn and Arrietty struggle to find out how they belong in a will they won’t they scenario that may leave you feeling queasy, since she’s a tiny 6 inch …

1
51: Tricky Colleagues and Contagious Emotions (with Tessa West) 57:48

2+ y ago57:48

57:48

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, and the gaslighter, discussing what drives such unhelpful behaviour, and how best to deal with it. Igor explores the different ways we can respond to …

1
Episode 167 - Everything, Everywhere, All At Once 1:19:28

2+ y ago1:19:28

1:19:28

Your life so far has been mostly uneventful and you're wondering if you will die with any sense of real accomplishment when you think back on what you have done with your life. Your husband wants to leave you and your daughter wants nothing to do with you, and all you do is laundry and taxes. But then, a more confident and charismatic version of yo…

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