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David McRaney

@davidmcraney.bsky.social
2.8K followers 214 following 97 posts

How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com | YANSS: YouAreNotSoSmart.com | Speaking: www.harrywalker.com/speakers/david-…

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Reposted by David McRaney
Kieran Healy @kjhealy.co · 18/09/2026
This is the far more likely pathway for how AI will end us all, btw. Not via some superintelligent swarm of paperclip maximizers, but by a cascading sequence of dumb fuckups driven by human beings who have arranged things to be fast-moving and catastrophically fragile while also being really lazy.
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Headed to Dent 2026 to meet amazing people and give a lecture about how brains make meaning via conceptualization and categorization and, with the word “genius” as my example, how that can lead to the very weird things like the fallacy of reification: dentthefuture.com/conference
dentthefuture.com
The Dent Conference — Dent
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Every once in a while, I retrain all my algorithms, especially YouTube, by searching for and clicking on the things that would be in the sections I’d most frequent in a giant, perfect bookstore. I find this comforting in the way one might with gardening or closet organizing.
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Katherine Alejandra Cross @quinnae.com · 29/07/2026
Out of all the cataclysms we suffer, pandemics alone deny us our most important coping mechanism: each other. To gather, to seek comfort in each other's company, becomes deadly--a vector of the disaster, rather than shelter from it. And yes, that very obviously fucks with you.
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
I just Shazam-ed “My Life” by Billy Joel, made the huh face to no one, looked around the cafe, the eyes-down non-audience, and was for a moment truly, fully the universe experiencing itself. I will now sit and drink my coffee in an emotional state our language lacks the capacity to express
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
For the new book I’m almost done writing, I had to read a lot of hot take collections (philosophical texts) from around 1600 forward, and it’s bonkers how many insights get repeated every 20 years or so by people who assume they are the first person to ever notice X. Note: I am super guilty of same
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Just finished another chapter of this very strange book about collective sensemaking told through the story of a single word (genius). I will now celebrate with a brief interlude in this long writer hermitage by buying coffee in person.
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Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Facts don't really matter when it comes to changing beliefs. Ppl will do anything to keep their 'in-group' strong, even if it means endorsing lies and misinformation. But there will be a threshold above which individuals start to question what they stand for. @davidmcraney.bsky.social's book 👇
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Mike Rugnetta @mikerugnetta.com · 26/06/2026
Pals! A new @neverpo.st! I read the news and Producer @audreyevans.bsky.social talks with @oddletters.bsky.social and @kissane.myatproto.social about AI hallucinations sweeping the nation, what this means for the production of knowledge, and what Dark Elves have to do w/ it all (a fair amount tbh!)
neverpo.st
🆕 Never Post! What Happens When Search Goes Full AI
Producer Audrey talks with Mols Sauter and Erin Kissane about what AI hallucinations actually are – * Call us at 651 615 5007 to leave a voicemail * Drop us a voice memo via airtable * Or email u...
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m. r. sauter @oddletters.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
this summer i am splitting my time between thinking about LLMs + genre theory and wrapping up my book on venture capital policy in the 1970s and as a result i am _moderately crazed_. please enjoy the evidence here!
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Erin Kissane @kissane.myatproto.social · 26/06/2026
Looks like the unhinged AI podcast ep with the always-great @oddletters.bsky.social is up! Ty Audrey and co for the chance to talk about LLMs as, you know, demons.
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I’m in the just wept in public to Long As I Can See the Light while transcribing an interview with a Shakespearean actor telling me about his Jean Valjean tattoo over chips and salsa in Texas stage of writing this book. Solid.
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Huh, this is now the most downloaded episode since my interview with @rushkoff.com about billionaire preppers (episode 242). youarenotsosmart.com/2026/04/13/y...
youarenotsosmart.com
YANSS 337 – How to preserve your critical thinking and avoid cognitive surrender when using AI to solve problems, make decisions, and learn new things
How is AI reshaping human reasoning? What is cognitive surrender, and how do we avoid its negative impact? What is system three thinking, and how can we get the most out of it? Artificial intellige…
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
I love that the word “refrigerator” stuck, and now we must live with it. Also, FYI, the “re” part doesn’t mean “to return to its previous state,” but “to intensely and purposefully make so.” Latin stuff.
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
All my spam emails have switched over to rather obvious LLM-generated body copy. I'm fascinated by how writing like this now seems, well, obvious. It took a minute, but our innate pattern recognition (much of what brains do) is catching up, maybe even outpacing the spam/slop.
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
I'm in the wipe-chalk-marker-streaks-off-desk-with-coffee-retrieved-by-pinky-then-post-about-it stage of the writing process.
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
I'd like to see an alt Spider-Man comic/movie where this is the species of spider that bites him, and these are the extent of the powers he gains:
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Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
This is incredible. I don’t know how else to explain this but it makes the moon look so real. I get that’s a funny thing to say but the clarity and the closeness of the image taken by an actual person changes the perspective I think.
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
New episode about the latest research into how AI can negatively impact human reasoning and decision making: youarenotsosmart.com/2026/04/13/y...
youarenotsosmart.com
YANSS 337 – How to maintain your critical thinking and avoid cognitive surrender when using AI to solve problems, make decisions, and learn new things
How is AI reshaping human reasoning? What is cognitive surrender, and how do we avoid its negative impact? What is system three thinking, and how can we get the most out of it? Artificial intellige…
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
I strongly suspect AI is not getting better nearly as quickly as it is getting better at convincing users that it is getting better.
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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Splashdown! Welcome home, Integrity.
A big splash in the ocean under the three red and white parachutes
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Lawd. Happycry over here
Integrity main chutes
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Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
🌎 Watch the return of NASA's Artemis II mission live with us--just an hour to go until the astronauts splash down! www.scientificamerican.com/video/watch-...
A "live" logo above a headline reading NASA's Artemis II crew returns to Earth. Above an artist's rendering of the Orion spacecraft entering Earth's atmosphere.
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
This is so exceedingly rad. Livestream: www.youtube.com/live/6RwfNBt...
Astronauts in the cockpit of Orion viewed from NASA livestream
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Clive Thompson @clivethompson.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
hey kids you may want to tune into the NASA livestream for the Artemis 2 mission it's rapidly approaching home and the earth is getting *big* they're set to splashdown at 8:07 pm tonight www.youtube.com/live/6RwfNBt...
A screenshot of the Youtube live stream of the Artemis Two mission, it shows the Artemis 2 craft on the far left lit by the sun, and in the middle of a completely black background is Earth, looming fairly large half shadowed, with the brightly lit part showing blue ocean interlaced white clouds
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Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
I went back to capture what the astronauts said in full when the clock was stopped at T-10 minutes and they were asked if they were go for launch: This is Victor. We are going for our families. This is Christina. We are going for our teammates. This is Jeremy. We are going for all humanity.
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Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Really timely re-release of @davidmcraney.bsky.social’s brilliant You Are Not So Smart podcast with @chenoweth.bsky.social. #NoKings feels so close to 3.5%. Also makes the key point that the likes of the odious MTG opposing the US government really helps. Stoking division works both ways.
you-are-not-so-smart.simplecast.com
336 - The 3.5 Percent Rule - Erica Chenoweth (rebroadcast) | You Are Not So Smart
If you want to create a movement that can change the national status quo, you don't need half the country, you only need 3.5 percent of the population to join – but there are some caveats.
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
I appreciate how when I fumble a bit entering my food intake into my app for that stuff, it just dutifully records and calculates. You ate 690 little red potatoes? Sure. 11,900 calories for dinner? Ok. No judgment here. Keep at it. What gets measured gets managed
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
I love how we reacted to Furbies, owl toys that played prerecorded gibberish less and less and prerecorded words more and more. People believed they were learning, they had minds. Give us just the right amount of the right kind of lifeform cues, and we will fill in the rest with agentic pareidolia
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
The information deficit model is appealing, but the research suggests we resist updating our priors even when exposed to mountains of expertly-vetted information if that updating threatens our social connections or requires us to admit we made poor decisions based on misinformation and propaganda.
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David Rand @dgrand.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
DebunkBot is live on BlueSky! Tag @debunkbot.bsky.social in reply to any post to get the facts
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Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
People significantly overestimate the social costs of changing their beliefs. Partisans self censor and suppress dissent to avoid appearing disloyal and facing social punishment. Reminding them of prior group loyalty can open them to changing their beliefs pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41627338/
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David Mair @davidmair4.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Everyday wisdom in 30” from @jayvanbavel.bsky.social @davidmcraney.bsky.social Your attention is your most valuable resource (“pay”) so don’t let others decide how you use it. Scrolling adds up! No “view from nowhere”, believing is seeing. Most political content on SM is a tiny minority opinion.
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Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
How can so many people watch the same event yet “see” so many different realities? @davidmcraney.bsky.social and I discuss why people often come to different conclusions--even if they watch the same video Listen: youarenotsosmart.com/2026/02/16/y... Read here: www.romolocapuano.com/wp-content/u...
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Derrell Durrett @derrelldurrett.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
I listened to this ep of You Are Not So Smart with guest Steven Franconeri from Colorado State, and I think every jurisdiction in the country oughta be looking to his lab for help. Episode webpage: www.youarenotsosmart.com Media file: stitcher.simplecastaudio.com/aa9f2648-25e...
youarenotsosmart.com
You Are Not So Smart
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Martín Carcasson @mcarcasson.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Got to meet @davidmcraney.bsky.social at a conference last summer. Knew his books well before we met. He is a journalist who is great as translating research and practice to broader audiences. Last week I had the chance to chat w him on his podcast about my work. youarenotsosmart.com/2026/01/23/y...
nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
YANSS 331 – The wicked problems that often emerge during debate, disagreement, and deliberation
Dr. Martin Carcasson tells us how he, as the Director of the Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State, trains people how to facilitate deliberation and overcome wicked problems so that they…
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Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
Only a small % of people engage in toxic activity online, but they’re responsible for a disproportionate share of hostile or misleading content on nearly every platform Because super-users are so active, they dominate our collective impression of the internet www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...
theguardian.com
Are a few people ruining the internet for the rest of us?
Why does the online world seem so toxic compared with normal life? Our research shows that a small number of divisive accounts could be responsible – and offers a way out
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Giving Multiplier @givingmultiplier.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
⌛️ Two days left to double your donation to @give-directly.bsky.social for #PodsFightPoverty! Donate: givedirectly.org/pods
givedirectly.org
Pods Fight Poverty: 2x your impact for 700+ Rwandan families in poverty | GiveDirectly & Giving Multiplier
Join us in sending life-changing cash to 700+ Rwandan families, with your favorite podcasters helping deliver ~$1,100 per family to spend on what they need most. While match funds last, your donation ...
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Want to avoid a terrible holiday dinner? Cognitive scientists at Northwestern have created a game (that you can download for free) that makes it possible to avoid fights and find common ground when addressing the issues you likely avoid discussing. youarenotsosmart.com/2025/12/22/y...
youarenotsosmart.com
YANSS 328 – The science behind a game (you can start playing today) that turns heated arguments into productive conversations
Dr. Steven Franconeri explains the powerful insights and opportunities offered by a game he and his team at Northwestern University created for having better disagreements, better debates, better c…
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
According to actual, real studies into this sort of thing, the number of people needed to ensure a protest movement succeeds is much lower than you might assume: youarenotsosmart.com/2025/05/14/y... Apple Podcats: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/6og4...
youarenotsosmart.com
YANSS 313 – Why the number of people needed to make a protest movement successful is much lower than you might assume
If you want to overthrow a dictator, resist an authoritarian regime, or create a movement that can change the national status quo, you don’t need half the country to join, you only need 3.5 p…
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Always relevant: youarenotsosmart.com/2024/01/20/y...
youarenotsosmart.com
YANSS 279 – Why people don’t speak out against, and even defend, norms they secretly despise
Have you ever been in a classroom or a business meeting or a conference  and had a question or been confused by the presentation, and when the person running the show asked, “Does anyone have …
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
My first morning as the writer-in-residence at Ernest Hemingway's house. Info about this place: comlib.org/hemingway/he...
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David Mair @davidmair4.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Great case for knowing your most cherished identities to recognise when your misinformation radar is likely to fail. @davidmcraney.bsky.social @matthewfacciani.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/y...
podcasts.apple.com
320 - Misguided - Matthew Facciani
Podcast Episode · You Are Not So Smart · 18/08/2025 · 1h 9m
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
Had to use a VPN to get on BlueSky to let you know that I drank chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast out of a Mason jar for lunch before writing about the role of hermeneutics in the pursuit of intellectual humility when avoiding the fallacy of reification concerning abstractions like "genius" 👋
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Eli Finkel @elijfinkel.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
A big THANK YOU to @davidmcraney.bsky.social for featuring the #LoveFactually podcast on #YouAreNotSoSmart! The episode delves into #TheNotebook, figuring out what the movie gets right -- and what it gets wrong -- about how relationships work. Enjoy! youarenotsosmart.com/2025/08/04/y...
youarenotsosmart.com
YANSS 319 – What movies often get wrong about romantic love, relationships, and human mating in general
Two psychologists who study love, relationships, and human mating behavior pick apart the movie “The Notebook” and tell us what it gets right and what it gets wrong when it comes to por…
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
I think this is super rad and want you to know about it: I am headed to Chicago right now to attend a conference of scientists who study disagreement at the Center for Enlightened Disagreement at Northwestern. Article about the launch of this place: www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/news/blog/20...
kellogg.northwestern.edu
‘Center for Enlightened Disagreement’ launches at Northwestern University and the Kellogg School of Management
Novel center will attract top academics and thought leaders across sectors to develop better ways to engage across diverse perspectives
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Ben Jackson @jacksobc.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
@davidmcraney.bsky.social talking to Britt Frank is one of my favourite things. I loved this episode both times I listened to it. I just hope it won’t take a third time before I put into practice some of the really useful advice that Britt doles out. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/y...
podcasts.apple.com
318 - The Intention Action Gap - Britt Frank (rebroadcast)
Podcast Episode · You Are Not So Smart · 21/07/2025 · 1h 10m
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kentropic @kentropic.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
As this episode of one of the best podcasts around explains, people who believe in conspiratorial narratives are often intelligent, & their retreat into dangerous nonsense like Q can be seen as a rational (but flawed & fearful) attempt to make sense of an irrational world. @davidmcraney.bsky.social
youarenotsosmart.com
YANSS 151 – What we can learn about our own beliefs, biases, and motivated reasoning from the community of people who are certain the Earth is flat
In this episode we sit down with the director and producers of the documentary film, Behind the Curve, an exploration of motivated reasoning and conspiratorial thinking told through the lives of pe…
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Reminder: The smarter a person is and the more education they earn, the better they will become at rationalizing and justifying their incorrect beliefs if so motivated.. Critical thinking is a skill, like playing guitar. It must be learned and practiced (and the person must want to do both).
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David McRaney @davidmcraney.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Seems a good time to re-share this episode of YANSS about why civil resistance is incredibly powerful and how that works (scientifically), but also what it takes to make it work after the soldiers and police arrive. Guest: @chenoweth.bsky.social - Links: youarenotsosmart.com/2025/05/14/y...
youarenotsosmart.com
YANSS 313 – Why the number of people needed to make a protest movement successful is much lower than you might assume
If you want to overthrow a dictator, resist an authoritarian regime, or create a movement that can change the national status quo, you don’t need half the country to join, you only need 3.5 p…
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