#413: Tyler Cowen on Rationality, COVID-19, Talismans, and Life on the Margins

Tyler Cowen on Rationality, COVID-19, Talismans, and Life on the Margins | Brought to you by NutriBullet and ExpressVPN . "If you need to measure, you've failed." — Tyler Cowen Professor Tyler Cowen ( @tylercowen ) has a personal moonshot : to teach economics to more people than anyone else in the history of the world—and he might just succeed. In addition to his regular teaching at George Mason University , Tyler has blogged every day at Marginal Revolution for almost 17 years, helping to make it one of the most widely read economics blogs in the world. Tyler cocreated Marginal Revolution University , a free online economics education platform that’s reached millions. He is also a bestselling author of more than a dozen books , a regular Bloomberg columnist, and host of the popular Conversations with Tyler podcast, where he examines the work and worldviews of thinkers like Martina Navratilova, Neal Stephenson, Reid Hoffman, and many more. His latest project is Emergent Ventures , a $5 million fund to support entrepreneurs who have big ideas on how to improve society. Please enjoy! This episode is brought to you by NutriBullet . NutriBullet is the affordable, easy-to-use, easy-to-clean blender that was first recommended to me by entrepreneur Noah Kagan when I interviewed him for the podcast. Its signature blending process transforms high-fiber veggies, nuts, seeds, and fruits into silky, nutrient-dense smoothies (or protein shakes, savory soups, and dips) that are easy to digest and absorb. Now, the engineers at NutriBullet have created an incredibly convenient upgrade named the NutriBullet Blender Combo . This device is their most versatile yet, allowing you to effortlessly switch between single-serve and full-size blending—everything that you know and love about the classic device, plus all the performance and capacity you expect from a full-size blender. Don’t settle for blenders that leave your smoothies filled with chunks. Get the NutriBullet Blender Combo, and introduce your veggies and fruits to 1,200 watts. It easily gets the job done. And for you, my dear listeners, NutriBullet is offering 20% off of all products on its website. To get your 20% off, just go to NutriBullet.com/Tim ! * This episode is also brought to you by ExpressVPN . I’ve been using ExpressVPN since last summer, and I find it to be a reliable way to make sure that my data is secure and encrypted, without slowing my Internet speed. If you ever use public Wi-Fi at, say, a hotel or a coffee shop (where I often work and as many of my listeners do), you’re often sending data over an open network, meaning no encryption at all. One way to ensure that all of your data is encrypted and can’t be easily read by hackers is by using ExpressVPN . All you need to do is download the ExpressVPN app on your computer or smartphone and then use the Internet just as you normally would. You click one button in the ExpressVPN app to secure 100% of your network data. Use my link ExpressVPN.com/Tim today and get an extra three months free on a one-year package! *** If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts /iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast . Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday . For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts . Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Please fill out the form at tim.blog/sponsor . Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books . Follow Tim: Twitter : twitter.com/tferriss Instagram : instagram.com/timferriss Facebook : facebook.com/timferriss YouTube : youtube.com/timferriss Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld , Hugh Jackman , Dr. Jane Goodall , LeBron James , Kevin Hart , Doris Kearns Goodwin , Jamie Foxx , Matthew McConaughey , Esther Perel , Elizabeth Gilbert , Terry Crews , Sia , Yuval Noah Harari , Malcolm Gladwell , Madeleine Albright , Cheryl Strayed , Jim Collins , Mary Karr, Maria Popova , Sam Harris , Michael Phelps , Bob Iger , Edward Norton , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Neil Strauss , Ken Burns , Maria Sharapova , Marc Andreessen , Neil Gaiman , Neil de Grasse Tyson , Jocko Willink , Daniel Ek , Kelly Slater , Dr. Peter Attia , Seth Godin , Howard Marks , Dr. Brené Brown , Eric Schmidt , Michael Lewis , Joe Gebbia , Michael Pollan , Dr. Jordan Peterson , Vince Vaughn , Brian Koppelman , Ramit Sethi , Dax Shepard , Tony Robbins , Jim Dethmer , Dan Harris , Ray Dalio , Naval Ravikant , Vitalik Buterin , Elizabeth Lesser , Amanda Palmer , Katie Haun , Sir Richard Branson , Chuck Palahniuk , Arianna Huffington , Reid Hoffman , Bill Burr , Whitney Cummings , Rick Rubin , Dr. Vivek Murthy , Darren Aronofsky , and many more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .