L.A. Paul on Vampires, Life Choices, and Transformation

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4.7 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2020

⏱️ 75 minutes

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Summary

Philosopher and author L.A. Paul talks about her book Transformative Experience with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Paul explores the uncertainties that surround the transformative experiences that we choose and that happen to us without choosing. How should we think about the morality and personal impact of these kinds of experiences, especially when some decisions are very hard or impossible to reverse? Examples include becoming a vampire, having children, religion, and other life experiences and choices.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Econ Talk, part of the Library of Economics and Liberty.
0:08.0	I'm your host, Russ Roberts of Stanford University's Hoover Institution.
0:12.0	Our website is econtalk.org, where you can subscribe, comment on this podcast,
0:17.0	and find links and other information related to today's conversation.
0:21.0	We'll also find our archives where you can listen to every episode we've ever done going back to 2006.
0:27.0	Our email address is mailadycontalk.org. We'd love to hear from you.
0:33.0	Today's February 11th, 2020, my guest is philosopher and professor L.A. Paul of Yale University,
0:39.0	her latest book in the subject of today's conversation, is transformative experience.
0:44.0	Laurie, welcome to Econ Talk.
0:46.0	It's nice to be here.
0:48.0	This book tied together a number of issues I've been thinking about lately related to rationality,
0:53.0	decision-making, data, evidence, how to live your life.
0:58.0	And it did so in some very delightful and unexpected ways.
1:02.0	It's hard to believe, but in the entire econ talk archive of over 700 plus episodes,
1:08.0	I have never had a guest talk about being a vampire.
1:12.0	But that streak is over.
1:15.0	I want to start with how you start your book with a seemingly silly question.
1:19.0	Turns out not to be silly, but the question should a person become a vampire.
1:24.0	Why is that a hard decision?
1:27.0	Well, so I think the possibility of becoming a vampire is an intensely interesting one.
1:32.0	I'd like to imagine Dracula coming to you as you're touring a dungeon, somewhere in Europe,
1:40.0	and offering you this irreversible choice.
	...

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