Dr. Joel Pearson is a cognitive neuroscientist, psychologist, and professor known for his groundbreaking research on the human mind, imagination, and decision-making. He is the founder and director of the Future Minds Lab at the University of New South Wales, where he explores the science behind consciousness, mental imagery, and innovation. Dr. Pearson’s work bridges neuroscience and technology, offering insights into how the brain shapes perception, creativity, and behavior. He is also an entrepreneur and thought leader, frequently speaking on the future of human potential and the intersection of science and society.
In our conversation we discuss:
(00:00) What exactly is intuition?
(05:28) Is intuition inherited or learned from experience?
(07:53) Is my gut feeling bias or intuition?
(10:11) How do we know when to trust intuition?
(14:08) How can emotional arousal distort intuition?
(19:54) Why are humans so bad with probability?
(26:15) Can intuition transfer across environments?
(34:08) Can we heal biased intuition through psychedelics?
(36:57) What is mental imagery and how to use it?
(44:14) How can mental imagery break limiting beliefs?
(50:11) How do we visualize to achieve success?
(54:26) Are we living in a controlled hallucination?
(59:08) What does this mean for objective reality?
(1:02:07) Will AI reduce our use of intuition?
(1:06:48) Will AI make us mentally lazy?
(1:11:20) What skills will become obsolete in the future?
(1:14:47) Will we need to unlink work from identity?
(1:21:53) How should we redesign education for AI?
(1:26:28) What can individuals do to prepare?
(1:32:13) Who will replace whom in the AI future?
Learn more about Prof. Joel Pearson:
https://www.profjoelpearson.com/
Book:
https://www.amazon.com/Intuition-Toolkit-Science-Knowing-without/dp/1763557111
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