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Academia is a place where many go and few succeed. Thousand of new grad students matriculate into programs every year and, save in the sciences and economics, there simply are not enough jobs for everybody. There is a path to succeeding in academia, though: doing. Those who are successful produce original, quality content at a higher rate than their competition.
Professor Jason Brennan is one of the most prolific academics I know. He has produced a book-per-year for the past several years, regularly presents his ideas through public media, and has succeeded in a space where many try and fail — academic philosophy. His most recent book, Against Democracy, still garners public attention following the 2016 political season in the United States and Europe.
Jason joins me today to discuss his background — how he got interested in academic philosophy and went from a kid working in a factory to a tenured professor at an elite university, how he discovered the path to success in his field, the tools he uses to keep himself on that path, and what he’s learned along the way.
One such tool is reverse induction. This is a common tool among the successful doers in this series. We discuss what it is and how to use it in the interview.
All episodes of Doers are produced by Lacey Peace.