What If You’re Wrong? How Uncertainty Makes Us More Human with William Egginton

The One You Feed

iHeartPodcasts

Education, Self-improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Buddhism, Mental Health

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2025

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, William Egginton invites you to ask the question, “What if you’re wrong?” as he explains how being uncertain makes us more human. William explores the surprising overlap between a physicist, a philosopher, and a poet—each of whom came to the same unsettling truth: that we mistake our model of reality for reality itself. But this isn’t just about subatomic particles or dusty old philosophy books. It’s about how certainty—especially in our relationships—can blind us. What if embracing uncertainty is actually the doorway to wisdom, compassion, and a more connected life?

Key Takeaways:

Exploration of the intersections between philosophy, literature, and quantum physics.
Discussion of the nature of reality and the limitations of human knowledge.
Examination of biases and their impact on perception and understanding.
Importance of interpretation in both science and philosophy.
Relational understanding of identity and its formation through interactions.
Analysis of free will versus determinism and its philosophical implications.
Concept of “degrees of freedom” in understanding human agency.
Implications of quantum mechanics on our understanding of reality.

If you enjoyed this conversation with William Egginton, check out these other episodes:

How to Find Zest in Life with Dr. John Kaag

Unsafe Thinking with Jonah Sachs

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Transcript

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0:00.0	We shouldn't be surprised that stories can help us interpret the mathematical explanations of the physical world that are at the basis of physics.
0:17.4	Welcome to the one you feed. Throughout time, great thinkers have recognized the importance of the thoughts we have.
0:23.6	Quotes like, garbage in, garbage out, or you are what you think, ring true.
0:29.6	And yet, for many of us, our thoughts don't strengthen or empower us.
0:33.6	We tend toward negativity, self-pity, jealousy, or fear. We see what we don't have instead of what we do.
0:41.8	We think things that hold us back and dampen our spirit. But it's not just about thinking.
0:47.2	Our actions matter. It takes conscious, consistent, and creative effort to make a life worth living.
0:53.5	This podcast is about how other people
0:55.4	keep themselves moving in the right direction, how they feed their good wolf. You know those
1:03.2	moments when you're absolutely certain, you know why your partner did something that is driving
1:08.1	you crazy? What if quantum physics proves you can't be that certain
1:12.7	about anything? Today, philosopher William Eggington joins me to discuss his book The Rigger
1:17.9	of Angels, where a physicist, a philosopher, and a storyteller all stumbled upon the same
1:24.4	unsettling truth. We mistake our model of reality for reality itself.
1:29.9	What really stuck with me in this conversation
1:32.2	is how quantum mechanics doesn't just challenge what we know about particles.
1:36.9	It challenges what we think we know about ourselves and each other.
1:41.7	And as it turns out, learning to live with that uncertainty might just be the
1:46.3	key to feeding the good wolf within us. I'm Eric Zimmer, and this is the one you feed.
1:53.3	Are you hungry? Colleen Witt here and eating while broke is back for season four every Thursday
1:59.2	on the Black Effect Podcast Network.
2:01.7	This season, we've got a legendary lineup serving of broke dishes and even better stories.
	...

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