Beautiful Illusions

Author: Darron Vigliotti, Jeffrey Horton

Jeff & Darron ponder the intersection of reality, consciousness, and culture. These conversations comprise an ongoing attempt to construct meaning by exploring art and science, developing understanding of the context underpinning our current moment in time, and imagining possible futures for human civilization. No expertise here, just two guys who enjoy learning, thinking, and talking about big ideas, deep questions, and the beautiful illusion that is the subjective human experience. *New episodes released every one to two months on Sunday mornings*
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Language: en

Genres: Natural Sciences, Philosophy, Science, Society & Culture

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EP 41 - Everything's Amazing, Nobody's Happy
Episode 41
Sunday, 22 February, 2026

Visit our website BeautifulIllusions.org for a complete set of show notes and links to almost everything discussed in this episodeSelected References:3:33 - Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aaronson4:51 - See the entry for “Seasonal Affective Disorder” from John Hopkins Medicine6:38 - Listen to Beautiful Illusions Episode 25 - “Living the Dream” from 20228:14 - See the “Hygiene hypothesis” Wikipedia entry13:42 - See ideas related to the pace of major cultural and technological shifts popularized in Future Shock by Alvin Toffler (1970)15:50 - See “Calorie-free sweeteners can disrupt the brain’s appetite signals” from USC’s Keck School of Medicine (2025)22:30 - See “The semi-satisfied life” from Aeon about Arthur Schopenhauer’s thoughts on happiness24:59 - Watch the classic Simpson’s clip “You could flash fry a buffalo in 40 seconds”29:30 - See the “Habituation” Wikipedia entry28:40 - See “AI and the Human Condition” from the Stratechery Substack, which contains the Louis C.K. clip “Everything is Amazing…and Nobody is Happy”This episode was recorded in September February 2026The “Beautiful Illusions Theme” was performed by Darron Vigliotti (guitar) and Joseph Vigliotti (drums), and was written and recorded by Darron Vigliotti