Ep 20: A.J. Jacobs on Humility, Omniscience, and the Perils of Polygamy

A.J. Jacobs spent a year reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica and published a book about the experience. In this episode of The Filter, we discuss his project generally and touch on cultural complexity, what counts as history, Pascal's wager, the decay of knowledge over time, polyamory, humility, and why you might want a skull on your desk. Related links: A.J. Jacobs homepage. The Know-it-All (Main book we discussed). Other books we discussed: The Half-Life of Facts, But What If We're Wrong?, Beyond Fate, Do Humankind's Best Days Lie Ahead? My analysis of the date behind climate change and one skeptical take on the 97% consensus claim. Other Filter episodes discussed in this one: Jesse Walker, Sandra Tsing Loh, Russ Roberts.