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Syndication

In episode #46 I was joined by journalist and author, James Bloodworth. James's book, The Myth Of Meritocracy, is a detailed investigation of the inequalities at the heart of how society works.  Bloodworth has found that if you're born poor you'll stay poor in spite of the widely-held belief that hard work and intelligence will see us rewarded with a better quality for ourselves and our family.

Topics covered during the conversation:

  1. What Meritocracy is and why it's a myth.
  2. Why political parties have embraced it as an ideal worth pursuing (or at least talking about pursuing).
  3. Why there is so little social mobility in society.
  4. The role of genetics in social mobility.
  5. The failure of education to address inequality of opportunity and income.
  6. What we can do to make society more egalitarian.

James was a brilliant guest and his book is an excellent, concise read. In a lot of ways The Myth Of Meritocracy confirms something you've probably always felt to be true but does it better than you ever could.

Enjoy the episode. Dave

For full episode notes, including links to where you can get James's book, please visit my blog at inspireland podcast.

Direct download: INSPIRELANDBLDWRTHBNC.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:11am EDT

In episode #45 I was joined by the wonderfully sweary Sarah Knight to discuss the philosophy behind her bestselling book: The Life Changing Magic Of Not Giving A Fuck. This book's philosophy is more than a gimmick and helps us identify the things in our lives that bring us joy while simultaneously teaching us to give less fucks about the things/people/ideas that we don't really give a fuck about.

During my chat with Sarah we discussed;

  1. The inspiration for the book and what it had to do with a tidy sock drawer.
  2. The NotSorry method of giving less fucks.
  3. How honesty and politeness are key to successfully giving less fucks.
  4. The three types of people who don't give a fuck; children, assholes, and the enlightened.
  5. The 4 categories of fuck giving; Things, Work, People, and Family.
  6. The danger of 'the likeability vortex.'
  7. How giving less fucks really has the power to positively change your life.

This episode was one of the most fun we've done to date and I'm sure you'll enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed chatting. Enjoy the fucking show. Dave

For full episode notes go to www.inspirelandpodcast.com

Direct download: InspirelandKNIGHTBNC.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:39am EDT

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