Chaos Theory: The Hidden Force That Secretly Controls Your Life - Brian Klaas - #806

About this episode

Brian Klaas is a political scientist, a professor at University College London and an author. Small, seemingly insignificant events can have profound effects on the world. But how much of our fate is truly determined by chance, and if chaos plays such a huge role, how much control do we actually have over anything? Expect to learn the chance story of the atomic bomb's targeting, the difference between contingency and convergence, why our brains are so good at distorting reality, the link between Donald Trump's election and the dinosaurs, how a cigar changed the course of the American Revolution, why floorboards in New England are 23 inches wide and much more... Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get $150 discount on Plunge’s amazing sauna or cold plunge at https://plunge.com (use code MW150) Get a 20% discount & free shipping on your Lawnmower 5.0 at https://manscaped.com/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM20) Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours with your first box at https://www.drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom (automatically applied at checkout) Timestamps: (00:00) How Chance Dictated Hiroshima & 9/11 (05:48) Does Anything Happen for a Reason? (16:33) The Illusion of Control in Modern Society (20:27) Small Things Causing Significant Events (24:24) Would Brian Kill Baby Hitler? (32:07) Our Brains Distort Reality (40:41) How a Cow Could Start World War 3 (51:32) Interpreting Political Polls & Predictions (01:01:08) The Link Between Trees & US Independence (01:08:06) How to Live When Everything You Do Matters (01:18:46) Is Brian’s Mentality Shift a Positive One? (01:29:14) Where to Find Brian Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: This Is How To Master Your Life - David Goggins - #577: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠⁠⁠ How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs - Dr Jordan Peterson - #712: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠⁠⁠ The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain - Dr Andrew Huberman - #700: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠⁠ - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices