Sign up for my free "5-Bullet Friday" newsletter: https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/ and get updates on the five coolest things I’ve found each week as well as exclusive giveaways. Professor Tyler Cowen (https://twitter.com/@tylercowen) has a personal moonshot: to teach economics to more people than anyone else in the history of the world—and he might just succeed. In addition to his regular teaching at George Mason University, Tyler has blogged every day at Marginal Revolution for almost 17 years, helping to make it one of the most widely read economics blogs in the world. Tyler cocreated Marginal Revolution University, a free online economics education platform that’s reached millions. He is also a bestselling author of more than a dozen books, a regular Bloomberg columnist, and host of the popular Conversations with Tyler podcast. His latest project is Emergent Ventures, a $5 million fund to support entrepreneurs who have big ideas on how to improve society. Intro [00:00] Who is Tyler Cowen? [00:14] Why Tyler chose economics [01:47] On economics being parasitical on anthropology [03:13] What did playing chess for money teach young Tyler? [04:14] What is meta-rationality? [05:30] How a hyperlexic parses information and sources around COVID-19 [06:22] How to remain meta-rational during times of duress or panic [08:23] Twitter Search as a truth-generating mechanism? [10:06] “What is it you do to train that is comparable to a pianist practicing scales?” [11:05] Fiction recommendations for nonfiction purists [13:13] Complex music to “forestall mental laziness” [14:06] Tyler’s daily writing practice [15:16] How does Tyler compose first drafts? [19:18] Elaborations on two of Tyler’s 12 Rules for Life [20:14] “Learn how to learn from those who offend you.” [21:26] What has Tyler changed his mind about lately? [22:48] What percentage of Tyler’s writing does he publish? [26:00] On watching television only in Spanish [26:40] How society can break its pattern of stagnation and cautiousness [29:00] On blogging daily for the past 17 years [31:53] The positive feedback loop of a daily habit [34:14] The Conversations with Tyler podcast [35:51] How did Tyler prepare for guest Neal Stephenson? [37:36] How he’s preparing for future guest Emily St. John Mandel [39:21] Why is Tyler hesitant to recommend books? [40:38] How to cultivate your meta-rational muscles [42:18] Other Tyler projects [44:43] What has Tyler learned about the art of interviewing? [45:43] “Browser tabs don’t lie" [48:27] Meta-rational thoughts on the current coronavirus news? [49:17] Reliable and level-headed sources of coronavirus information [53:33] Why did Tyler choose to create Emergent Ventures? [54:50] What would Emergent Ventures’ success look like to Tyler? [57:53] Tyler's most controversial views [58:43] Favorite failures [1:00:10] How Tyler copes with being “weirdly never unhappy” [1:02:20] “Is this a talisman or do you want the real thing?” [1:05:36] How does Tyler choose guests for his podcast? [1:09:13] New behaviors or habits [1:10:29] A commitment to being kinder [1:11:48] What would Tyler’s billboard say? [1:13:18] Tyler asks me questions: [1:17:41] How do I restore lost focus? [1:17:52] Do I think cold exposure is partly a placebo or talisman? [1:19:16] Do I fear I might say no to too many things? [1:20:24] Do I worry that too many of my friends are highly successful people? [1:22:42] Tyler and I share some of our favorite movies. [1:24:36] If I could take a year off from all responsibilities, how would I choose to spend it? [1:27:33] How much are Tyler and I alike versus being different? [1:29:03] As someone with an interest in traveling the historical routes of pilgrims, what do I find of most value in religion? [1:32:21] What is the unified theory of me? [1:35:58] Parting thoughts. [1:44:14] SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 400 million downloads and been selected for “Best of iTunes” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/