This past Friday, April 19th, philosopher Daniel Dennett passed away at the age of 82. Throughout his life he has impacted many people through his work. On this week's show Darren shares some of his thoughts on this great man and gives an overview of a few of his books. Thank you Daniel Dennett.

Yesterday, a friend asked me how to meditate, that talk inspired this episode. Here is my guidance for absolute beginners: 1: sit comfortably (no pain or sleepiness) 2: set a timer for 5 minutes 3: pick a meditation object (breath, vision, sound) 4: when you notice a wandering kind, bring it back to focus. A successful session is one that you compl…

Adam looks at evidence that the popular Stanford Prison Experiment was not as well run as we've heard which raises concerns about the conclusions we make from it. Darren considers some recent events in the world of AI and wonders whether or not AI could soon be taking over some creative jobs.

When you dedicate yourself to one thing, the lessons learnt begin to help you with everything. In this episode I discuss the quote by Miyamoto Musashi 'If you know the way broadly you will see it in all things' - applying the lessons I have learnt in martial arts, poetry, meditation, chess and life to one another, discussing the intersection betwee…

Two weeks ago I began transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to treat my depression, anxiety and PTSD. 10 sessions in and I am starting to see significant progress. In this episode I share my experiences of the process and my hopes for the future. Current offerings: - Hunt Your Own Shadow: free 12 week email course - Insight Timer: guided audio co…

Artificial Intelligence or Artificial Creativity? Can an AI be more creative than a human? Darren looks at a study which attempts to answer this question. With the upcoming solar eclipse occurring in North America on April 8th, Adam examines the risk of staring at the sun and gives some tips on how to view an eclipse safely.…

The moment we label something, it is limited. The label isn’t the truth, it is a representation of, it’s a finger pointing to the moon, it is a suggestion of possibility that always falls short of reality. In this episode I share the following poem and muse about its implications, leaving you with the spiritual practice of looking beyond the label,…

I’m not saying they’re aliens but … they’re aliens. Adam uses hard hitting science to evaluate the validity of these allegedly non human mummified remains which were presented to the Mexican Congress in the fall. A shocking discovery which puts into question everything we know about our world or a hoax? Darren gives us a review of Peter Attia’s boo…

In this session I share the audio from my presentation in the Breaking Boxes ‘Power Of Connection Summit’, where I joined seven other presenters over two days to talk on all things connection. My talk was titled ‘Connection From Within The Darkness’ - I talk about the disconnect we often feel to ourselves and the world following trauma and how we c…

Darren gives us a news roundup of some recent things happening in the world of AI including OpenAI's text to video tool Sora, Google Deepmind's Gemini 1.5, as well as what implications this and other upcoming technologies could have on our lives. Adam tries to find out if there was ever anyone who really baked a file into a cake to break out of jai…

Identify and release the limiting beliefs that no longer serve you with this free 12 week email course. Featuring exclusive guided audio tracks, introspective contemplations, expansion challenges, and email coaching - this course will act as a guide, offering insights, prompts and suggestions that will help you to identify and release the limiting …

We try something a little different on the latest episode of The Reality Check. Having recently seen the movie Oppenheimer Darren and Adam have a discussion about this great film. If you haven’t seen the movie already it might be a good idea to check it out before listening to the show!

I wondered if it was possible to implant memories like in the movie Total Recall. So I talked to a neuroscientist to see how plausible it was. Join me as Dr. Kristina Wright takes me on a deep dive into the science of fiction. At the end of the episode, Dr. Wright will rank the plausibility of memory implantation in Total Recall on a 1-5 scale from…

Life will shoot us with the first arrow - these are real injuries, setbacks, losses and pain. But the greater cause of our suffering comes form ‘the second arrow’ - the fear, anxieties, ruminations, and other internal mechanisations that we dwell upon. In this episode I discuss the concept of the second arrow, as well as how we can use it to elimin…

Put down that poinsettia salad, checkers. Darren looks into a popular myth that poinsettia plants are poisonous to animals, including people. Then Adam looks into what's been going on with Mickey Mouse and Steamboat Willie as he explores trademark, copyright and what it means to enter the public domain.…

I wondered if extreme time dilation was possible like in the movie Interstellar. So I talked to an astronomy educator to see how plausible it was. Join me as Athena Brensberger takes me on a deep dive into the science of fiction. At the end of the episode Astro Athens will rank the plausibility of time dilation portrayed in Interstellar on a 1-5 sc…

This year we retire our annual prediction segment with a final look back at how accurate, or rather how innacurate, we were in our predictions of what would happen in 2023. Darren examines the validity of a popular claim that people with Down syndrome are stronger. Finally we end the show with a special announcement from Pat and Cristina.…

I wondered what George Washington would say if he were here today. Thankfully so did author Kim Megahee. (Sorry for the mispronunciation in the episode) Kim has written several time-traveling science fiction books and is the first-ever book and author I am featuring on Reality Check. Time Patriot uses history and the theory of time travel to explor…

I wondered if cyborg soldiers would fight future battles like in the movie Elysium. So I talked to Dr. Justin Clifford, a tactical physical therapist working with military special warfare operators to find out. Join me and Dr. Clifford as we dive deeply into the science of fiction. At the end of the episode, Dr. Clifford will rank the plausibility …

In this episode I share a guided meditation that I shared on the Insight Timer app. What if you were to give thanks in advance for the wonderful things that were going to happen? - And what if you used that question to reframe your gratitude practice into the future? In this session we contemplate this concept and suggest how it could be adapted to…

The crew gets to interview TRC’s very own Darren McKee, author of the critically acclaimed book, ‘Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World’. We chat about the challenges of writing a first book, some of the key takeaways, and have a few laughs along the way.…

I wondered if human kinds inevitable future would have us looking and living like the people on Wall-E. So I talked to Steve Kamb, the founder of Nerd Fitness for his perspective on the plausibility of this potential future. Join me and Steve as we take a deep dive into the science of fiction. At the end of the episode Steve will rank the plausibil…

In this session I share a guided meditation that I shared on the Insight Timer app. This track is an invitation to explore the beauty of the present moment. To stop the rush and to settle into the now. It begins with a discussion of the benefits of finding opportunities to meditate through out the day and then goes into a mindful story. Join me on …

This is the story of a dark night of the soul, of traversing the depths of despair, and of rebirth. It is the story of transformation from a shadow version of myself into my embodied fullness. It is the story of reintegration with my body after years of trauma, and of letting go of old wounds and identities that no longer serve me. It is a story of…

I wondered if the creation of a super soldier was possible outside the cinematic universe of "Captain America". So I talked to Dr. Guilermo Escalante, Assistant Dean and Professor of Kinesiology, who is also a leading researcher in PED’s to see how plausible it really was. Join me as Dr. Escalante takes me on a deep dive into the science of fiction…

Wondering what the heck is going on with AI? Why are some people so concerned? Darren's new beginner-friendly book Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World addresses exactly those questions. In an engaging and easy-to-read style, it explores the promise and peril of advanced AI, why it might be a thr…

Will mindfulness meditation lead to enlightenment? In this talk I respond to an email from follower on Insight Timer who has found some contradictory advice relating to their meditation practice and the goal of enlightenment. I go deep on the different interpretations of awakening presented by different practices/instructors, and offer some guidanc…

World-renowned AI expert Yoshua Bengio talks with Darren McKee and Adam Gardner about his long career, why advanced AI could be harmful, and whether open-source of powerful AI models is a risk.