Episode 276: Attention Please

This Very Bad Wizards podcast episode centers on the controversial firing of a university chancellor for creating and starring in amateur pornographic videos with his wife, alongside a vegan cooking show featuring porn stars. The hosts debate the appropriateness of the firing, considering the lack of explicit policy violations and the moralizing language used in the university's statement. They discuss the chancellor's judgment in making his side projects public and whether his actions warranted dismissal. The discussion then shifts to William James's chapter on attention, exploring its role in cognition, behavior, and the nature of genius. A key takeaway is James's assertion that sustained voluntary attention, though seemingly continuous, is actually a series of repeated efforts.