The Armen Show

What causes cooperation when there is potential to exploit? Why is cooperation commonplace in nature, when there is clear benefit from selfish behavior. Examining humans and non-human animals, Professor Nichola Raihani of University College London explores this topic in The Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World, and joins us on episode 315 of the […]

What can we learn from 17th century economic discourse? A crucial transformation in economic thinking happened at the time, and analysis of the discussion of the time period is informative regarding a shift from a more moral view to one of company growth. Professor Emily Erikson of Yale University discusses these concepts from her latest […]

What is meritocracy, and how are the dynamics associated with its proliferation affecting equality and culture? Professor Daniel Markovits of Yale Law School joins on episode 313 of the show, and we discuss these concepts from his book The Meritocracy Trap: How America’s Foundational Myth Feeds Inequality, Dismantles the Middle Class, and Devours the Elite. […]

Fossils take us through a history of evolution with the pieces that are found. Dr. Paige Madison of the University of Copenhagen studies fossils, human evolution through findings, and joins us on episode 312 of the show, coming from the Natural History Museum in Denmark. From her bio: “Paige is a postdoctoral researcher at the […]

Professor Damon Centola of the University of Pennsylvania joins on episode 311 to discuss topics from his book Change: How To Make Big Things Happen. We look to spread ideas and behaviors that resonate, and knowing how to do so is a key piece of the process. The more we know about information and behavioral […]

On episode 310, we switch things up and head to the world of poetry and writing on the switch to living in America by author Roya Hakakian. Her book A Beginner’s Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious takes us through what one can expect being in the United States, from the perspective […]

Welcome to episode 309 of the show, with our guest being Professor Lee Cronin of The University of Glasgow. This was a special episode returning to in-person material, and we discussed a variety of topics including philosophy, physics, reduction, emergence, chemistry, and time. It was very enjoyable and informative to take part in this discussion. […]

Investigative journalist Carey Gillam joins the show on episode #308, and we discuss her recent book The Monsanto Papers: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man’s Search for Justice. From her bio: “Carey Gillam is an American investigative journalist and author with more than 30 years of experience covering food and agricultural policies and practices, including […]

Are there detailed maps of representations of sights, sounds, and action held in our brain? Postdoctoral scholar Rebecca Schwarlose joins us to discuss this topic and more from her latest book Brainscapes: The Warped, Wondrous Maps Written in Your Brain―And How They Guide You. Rebecca Schwarzlose is a neuroscientist at Washington University in Saint Louis. […]

Data and information hits at the heart of what is growing over time in the public domain. Dr. Caleb Scharf, Director of Astrobiology at Columbia University , covers this topic from books to bits in his latest book The Ascent Of Information: Books, Bits, Genes, Machines, and Life’s Unending Algorithm. He joins on episode 306 […]

Author and science writer Annie Murphy Paul joins on episode 305 of the show to discuss her latest book The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain. Her book is about tapping into the intelligence that exists outside of the brain, and using the environment and world around us to propel our thinking. […]

What impact are the top companies having on the market and workers around the world? Does grabbing control of the market limit the ability of others to rise up just as smoothly? Economics Professor Jan Eeckhout of Pompeu Fabra University in Spain joins us on episode 304 of the show to discuss these topics and […]

Welcome to a special edition of the show – Episode #303 featuring a panel of three past guests returning on the topic of Chance Meetings. My three guests here are Professor Bill Sullivan of the Indiana University School of Medicine, Dr. Azra Raza of Columbia University, and Professor Dan Cable of London Business School. The […]

Welcome to episode 302 of the show, with guest Adam Rogers, author of the book Full Spectrum: How The Science Of Color Made Us Modern. The world of color, as applied to usage and products for people, has developed over centuries of time. Adam takes us through the history, stories of where resource mining created […]

Immunology and epidemiology have served as two very important fields this past year, as the world has responded to a virus. UK-based international expert in immunology John Rhodes joins us on episode 301 to discuss his recent book How To Make A Vaccine: An Essential Guide For COVID-19 & Beyond. We cover the research behind […]

Welcome to episode 300 of the show~. We have come far, and learned a lot along the way. This one includes discussion about the value of declarative energy, as well as how we are not starting from scratch whenever we do something. Enjoy, and onward we go.

Professor Elizabeth S. Anderson joins us on episode 299 of the show, as we make our way to the 300s. She is an American philosopher, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and John Dewey Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy and Women’s Studies at the University of Michigan and specializes in topics including political philosophy and ethics. Anderson […]

We have guest Carl Zimmer returning to the show, with his new book Life’s Edge: The Search for What It Means to Be Alive. He first joined on episode 207 of the show to discuss his previous book She Has Her Mother’s Laugh, and has written numerous books in the science category. Carl is “a […]

What kind of power does ethics hold, and does the law lag behind where ethics can be in the current moment? What kind of ethical questions should we ask ourselves before making important decisions? Dr. Susan Liautaud covers these topics in her latest book The Power of Ethics: How to Make Good Choices in a […]

Can we as people come together to think beyond the short term? Do we have the capacity to make a decade or two from now as important as next week? It is up to us to go “Beyond a Near-term Orientation”, and that is what Bentoism is about. It was created by Yancey Strickler, co-founder […]

Welcome to episode 295 of the show, the first of 2021, with Professor Mauro F. Guillén. As a future-oriented person, discussing the upcoming trends leading us toward 10 years from now is something I am interested in. These trends are covered in 2030: How Today’s Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything. […]

We start from one place and end up at another. In this episode, we close out 2020 with a last episode of the year, bringing us to 52 episodes for the 52-week year~. Here, I discuss the guests we’ve had on in 2020, concepts they brought up, and some takeaways for all of you.

Welcome to episode 293 of the show, with Professor Richard Coss of the University of California, Davis. From his educational transitions to life transitions, he has covered a variety of disciplines, and looks at key elements of animal behavior and predator activity. Of his biography, “Dr. Coss is an emeritus professor of psychology at the […]

Hello to all of you, and welcome to episode 292 of the show, with Professor John Harte of The Harte Lab at UC Berkeley. Focusing on biodiversity, climate change, complex systems, ecology, and policy analysis, Professor Harte and his lab members tackle a range of issues. Professor Harte is an ecologist and Professor of the […]

Where will virtual therapeutics take healthcare in upcoming years? Dr. Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS, gastroenterologist at Cedars-Sinai, writes about this in his book VRx: How Virtual Therapeutics Will Revolutionize Medicine. Directing the Center for Outcomes Research and Education at Cedars, he guides investigation of the application of digital health technologies, which include wearable biosensors, smartphone […]

Welcome to episode 290 of The Armen Show Podcast. This one is about the value of branching out in daily times, and different ways you can branch out in your own life. Adding a little variation to your day can be all you need to keep it interesting. This can be in the form of […]

Fear is a driving force for much of the population, and Dr. Daniel T. Blumstein speaks about fear in his book The Nature of Fear: Survival Lessons from the Wild, released by Harvard University Press. Looking at marmots, snakes, and a variety of animals, in regards to their fear responses and biochemical adjustments, allows us […]

Welcome to episode 288, which might be my first one on this show that is both solo and still in video form. On this one, as the show continues its growth, I describe thoughts in relation to a quote I read that said “Continuation is power”. When I saw that, I recognized the value in […]

Hello and welcome to episode 287 of the show. On this one, I look to recap a few past episodes, what I learned from them, and what you might be able to take away. The episodes are #274 with Dr. Geoffrey West, #268 with Dr. Maryam Baqir, and #267 with James Nestor. Dr. West gave […]

We are joined on episode 286 of the show by guest Robert Bilott. He is an environmental attorney at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. He is the author of Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle against DuPont, which was then turned into the 2019 film Dark Waters. From his bio, Robert […]

Glad to have you all on here for episode 285 – this one is a treat because it includes visuals of the paintings, sculptures, clothing, and crystals created and procured by Dr. Robby Gordon, who has created the Hollywood Gallery and Sculpture Garden. These entities are packed with artistic works of his own, along with […]

Welcome to episode 284 of the show, with Dr. Jeffrey Rediger, MD, MDiv, faculty member at Harvard Medical School, Medical Director of McLean SE Adult Psychiatry Community Affairs at McLean Hospital, and Chief of Behavioral Medicine at Good Samaritan Medical Center. Dr. Rediger is author of Cured: The Life-Changing Science of Spontaneous Healing, and covers […]

In episode 15, which was 268 episodes ago, I mentioned my two past Ebooks, along with a couple of quotes from the one called “Quote Analysis: Volume 1”, but I did not go into detail about each quote. In this audio, I cover all 11 quotes, and my current take on what they mean. Listing […]

We switch it up on The Armen Show every so often. On this episode #282, I will be answering 28.2 questions about myself and the show, as far as my perspective and responses as though I am being interviewed. I find it to be fairly informative. The first 9 questions, and one later one, are […]

Welcome to episode 281 of the show, where I cover a few messages and topics in a monologue type of form. The main theme on this one is that there is value outside yourself to absorb from, and you can tag on to the stories of others to enhance the story of your own. Show […]

Welcome London Business School Professor Dan Cable to episode 280 of the show. He has come out with a new book titled Exceptional: Build Your Personal Highlight Reel and Unlock Your Potential. Building your highlights into a listing of strengths can give you motivation to use moving forward. He is Professor of Organizational Behavior and […]

Welcome actress and producer Kat Fairaway to episode 279 of the show. Depth is something that Kat represents, and depth is something that I find to be valuable. We can see moments as fleeting elements, or explore them further, such that time allows us to understand more. Kat is known for her work in productions […]

To look at something holistically is to look at it with a broad view, as compared with narrowing our perspective and leaving out the bigger picture when making decisions. Dr. Joseph Sarkissian handles the world of dentistry in such a way, treating patients with detail that takes their total health into account, and he joins […]

When it comes to interviewers, few are as currently prolific as Ricardo Lopes, host of “The Dissenter”. He is known for his social commentary, provoking thought, having strong opinions, and still being open-minded to new concepts. He hails from Portugal, and has been doing interviews for a few years now. On his show, Ricardo has […]

Welcome to another edition of The Armen Show. On #276, it is a stream of consciousness, as I take you through thoughts. Show notes: how feeling is to be let through why feeling is a representation of truth that thoughts are not able to be, in the same way how a post about leaked e-mails […]

What does a little risk taken or effort made today do for you a week from now? How about 10 years from now? We look at life in an extended framework if we want to see it more clearly. Episode 275 is about this concept, how something can build only once it is started, and […]

What is the damage we’re not attending to, with regards to the pandemic? How does biological and social contagion spread based on population and contact networks? How do scaling laws inform us about efficiency and person/city/network growth and change over time? Last month, researcher and professor Dr. Geoffrey West, author of Scale: The Universal Laws […]

Our time is our own to get things done, for our own form. On episode 273, it is about building your own thing, and not letting your important time slip, though the time not connected to your main projects is not as important. Show notes: your self-oriented time noting the value of moments versus the […]

Writing in a journal can be the way to some forms of understanding or expression. My recent writings in one contribute to the thoughts in this episode, which is #272 of the show. Show notes: How to propel work forward The way that collaboration can bring out elements that were dormant Using the “why” behind […]

Welcome moral and political psychologist Dr. Cory J. Clark to episode 271 of the show~. She has done research in the categories of moral judgment, punishment, free will, political bias, and motivated cognition. Looking at how bias applies in daily discourse or decision-making helps to clear out poor decisions that would have to be corrected […]

Welcome guest Dr. Darya Pino Rose to episode 270 of the show~. She has a neuroscience Ph. D. from UC San Francisco, wrote the book Foodist: Using Real Food and Real Science to Lose Weight Without Dieting, and has posted much content in relation to food and health on her website Summer Tomato. In 2019, […]

When you think of a corporation, you think of its products and services, but in the case of Samsung, its history is connected to families, dynasties, and its tie to the economic prosperity of South Korea. In Samsung Rising: The Inside Story of the South Korean Giant That Set Out to Beat Apple and Conquer […]

There are a select few individuals who have gone through such a recent moment of intensity and pressure as Dr. Maryam Baqir, M.B.B.S., of Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. As Covid-19 cases quickly ramped up in the epicenter of the virus, doctors like her began to respond to an onslaught of cases that […]

We breathe our way through the day, with 25000 breaths taking place each time. How you breathe, and the ripple effects of that habit, effects much of your waking day. Author and journalist James Nestor takes us through this information in his book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. James has written for […]

Physical therapist and content creator Brian Dy joins us again on episode 266 of the show. He previously took part on episode 223, and returns now with a collection of content on his YouTube channel. Being a content creator involves a lot of editing, researching, and more. Show notes: finding your voice, and what that […]