Yale Professor Joshua Knobe - Why Are We Drawn to Sad Art? #137
Oct 5, 2026 · 1 hr 8 min · 15 segments
Joshua Knobe is a Yale professor and experimental philosopher whose research explores identity, morality, human behaviour and the way we decide what makes someone their “true self.” In this…
Joshua Knobe is a Yale professor and experimental philosopher whose research explores identity, morality, human behaviour and the way we decide what makes someone their “true self.” In this conversation, we start with a deceptively simple question: what makes you, you? From there we get into why we see the “good” parts of people as more real, how relationships and first impressions shape identity, and how much of who we are changes depending on the people and situations around us. We also explore alcohol and personality, the different versions of ourselves we present online and in person, whether authenticity is even possible, and why social media can distort the way we understand ourselves and other people. Joshua also talks about morality, spirituality, art, emotional expression and the strange point where documenting your life starts to become a performance. If this one's got you thinking about goals, I built something for exactly that. The Chapter System: https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x If you like this type of episode, you'll probably like any of the following: https://studio.youtube.com/playlist/PLGUpYukY0ZPc/videos Chapters: 00:00:00 Preview 00:01:29 What Makes You, You? 00:03:11 Why We Think the “Good” Part Is the Real You 00:07:56 Why We Believe There’s Good Deep Down 00:11:38 The Different Versions of You 00:15:44 Why Your Best Work Feels Like the Real You 00:18:05 Alcohol and the “Real” You 00:23:33 Attachment, Shame and Self-Perception 00:29:31 Are You More Real In Person Than Online? 00:34:11 Why Men Communicate Differently 00:40:32 Religion, Spirituality and the True Self 00:41:34 Why Do We Like Sad Art? 00:48:46 When Pain Becomes Art 00:53:43 Travel, Distance and How We See Other Lives 00:56:55 Why Art Stops Being About the Artist 01:02:12 When Does Footage Become Art? 01:03:53 Can You Ever Be Authentic on Camera? 🎙️ MY STUFF The Chapter System (the PDF): https://bit.ly/4gw6m6x All my other stuff: https://awakenoutofcontext.com Joshua Knobe: Website: https://campuspress.yale.edu/joshuaknobe/ Yale: https://philosophy.yale.edu/profile/joshua-knobe Experimental Philosophy: https://experimental-philosophy.yale.edu/
Joshua Knobe is a Yale professor and experimental philosopher whose research explores identity, morality, human behaviour and the way we decide what makes someone their “true self.” In this…
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