Deep Questions with Cal Newport
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Deep Questions with Cal Newport
Cal Newport is a computer science professor and a New York Times bestselling author who writes about the impact of technology on society, and the struggle to work and live deeply in a world increasingly mired in digital distractions. On this podcast, he answers questions from his readers and offers...
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Ep. 388: What’s Worrying Jon Haidt Now? + Should You Buy a Landline? (Cal just did…)
Despite some initial skepticism, Jonathan Haidt’s crusade against kids using smartphones has been more or less completely vindicated. Which got us thi...
Ep 387: Can Substack Save Journalism? + Viral Advice for Ignoring Your Phone
Last year, when columnist Paul Krugman left the NYT, it seemed like yet another example of the traditional media crumbling. But Krugman, as it turns o...
Ep 386: Was 2025 a Great or Terrible Year for AI? (w/ Ed Zitron)
Ep 386: Was 2025 a Great or Terrible Year for AI? (w/ Ed Zitron)
2025 was a year that was saturated in AI news, from Deep Seek, through claims...
Ep 385:
In this replay of a classic episode from March 2024, Cal discusses his transformative experience using a small analog notebook to tackle a complicated...
Ep 384: What Should I Read for a Deeper New Year?
In our annual holiday episode, Cal tackles one of the questions he’s asked most often: What should I read? But with a twist. He recommends six books t...
Ep 383: Why Is Everyone Talking About “Against the Machine”? (w/ Tyler Austin Harper)
Earlier this fall, the activist, novelist, and essayist Paul Kingsnorth published an anti-technology polemic called “Against the Machine.” To say it h...
Ep. 382: Is the Internet Becoming Television?
Last month, Derek Thompson published an intriguing essay that made waves in technology criticism circles. It was titled: “Everything is Television.” I...
Ep. Ep 381: Life Advice from Legendary Writers
In today’s episode, Cal reviews some of his favorite advice from legendary writers (plus a bonus piece of advice from his own craft). Within each sugg...
Ep. 380: ChatGPT is Not Alive!
There has been a lot of loose talk online recently about the capabilities of existing AI tools. In this episode, Cal reacts to a specific recent clip...
Ep. 379: The Flexibility Myth
When companies began instituting return-to-office plans after the pandemic, a disproportionate number of women chose instead to leave the workforce. W...
Ep. 378: The Lost Art of Long Thinking
We often talk on this show about how digital devices undermine our ability to consume more complicated and meaningful ideas. But what about our abilit...
Ep. 376: The Lincoln Protocol
How do you escape a world where constant digital distractions and darkness threatens to pull you down? Maybe take a page out of Abraham Lincoln’s life...
Ep. 377: The Case Against Superintelligence
Techno-philosopher Eliezer Yudkowsky recently went on Ezra Klein's podcast to argue that if we continue on our path toward superintelligent AI, these...
Ep. 376: The Lincoln Protocol
How do you escape a world where constant digital distractions and darkness threatens to pull you down? Maybe take a page out of Abraham Lincoln’s life...
Ep. 375: Did OpenAI Just Kill Social Media?
Ep. 375: Did OpenAI Just Kill Social Media?
OpenAI has been making waves recently with their release of their Sora 2 video generation model, whi...
Ep. 374: This is Your Brain on Phones
It’s hard to cultivate a deep life when you cannot go more than a few minutes without checking your phone. In this episode, Cal looks closer at the pr...
Ep. 373: The Internet’s Best Advice for Reinventing Your Life
In 2023, I published an episode about resetting your life that became one of my most popular. In the years since, multiple major podcasters and YouTub...
Ep. 372: Decoding TikTok’s Algorithm
Last week, it was announced that Oracle would take over operation of TikTok in the US. One of the primary reasons proposed for this deal is that it wa...
IN-DEPTH: Focus like a Nobel Prize Winner (w/ Brian Keating)
In this episode of IN-DEPTH, Cal is joined by Dr. Brian Keating, the Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics at UCSD, and one of the most prol...
Ep. 371: Is it Finally Time to Leave Social Media?
We seem to be stuck in a purgatory when it comes to the worst of the social media platforms. We know they’re not great, but it’s hard to muster enough...
Ep. 370: Deep Work in the Age of AI
A recent study called into question a core assumption about the generative AI revolution: that these tools, at the very least, will make us more produ...
Ep. 369: Why Are We Getting Dumber? A Debate.
IQ scores had been steadily rising since WWII. But, more recently, this phenomenon has stopped. Since 2010, we’ve actually been getting dumber. In th...
IN-DEPTH: The Game of Life (w/ Tim Ferriss)
In this episode of IN-DEPTH, Cal is joined by bestselling author and podcaster, Tim Ferriss. Tim rocketed to prominence with his 2007 book, “The Four...
Ep. 368: I Want Work-Life Balance. Am I Doomed to Mediocrity?
A 22-year-old made a splash recently when he published a Wall Street Journal op-ed claiming that work-life balance makes you mediocre. He went on to b...
Ep. 367: What if AI Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This?
In recent years, it’s been hard not to react to the possibilities of generative AI without a mixture of euphoria or dread. But after OpenAI’s lacklust...
Ep. 366: How to Reinvent Your Life in 4 Months (Classic Episode from August, 2023)
In this replay of one of the more popular episodes from the Deep Questions archives, originally aired in August ,2023, Cal explores some of his early...
Ep. 365: What Technology Wants (and How to Push Back)
Why do we end up entangled with tools that don’t have our best interests in mind? How can we fix this situation? In this episode, Cal dives deep into...
Ep. 364: Metrics 101
When Cal recently returned home from his time spent up in New England he set up a whole new set of daily metrics to track in the fall to keep him poin...
Ep. 363: Escaping the Digital Doldrums
What does Walt Disney’s malaise in the 1940s have to do with our current struggles with our screens? In this episode, Cal uses a little-known story fr...
Ep. 362: The Texting Dilemma
When we think about unhealthy phone usage, we think about the flashing apps, like TikTok and Instagram, in which billions of dollars have been spent t...
Ep. 361: Do You Need an App Blocker?
Are you worried that you’re using your phone too much? An app blocker might make sense. But how do they work, and which one is right for you? In this...
Ep. 360: One-Page Productivity
Trying to stick to complicated time management systems without any breaks can eventually lead to burn out. But if you stop organizational efforts alto...
Ep. 359: Should We Fear Cognitive Debt?
A blockbuster new study out of MIT takes a closer look at the impact of writing with the help of AI. In today’s episode, Cal breaks down this paper wi...
Ep. 358: Are Parents (Finally) Ready to Fight Smartphones?
Back in 2023, Cal gave a detailed deep dive that described the three phases of scientific understanding of smartphones, social media, and kids. In tod...
Ep. 357: What Worries the Internet’s Favorite Philosopher?
Few philosophers in recent memory have enjoyed as much attention as Byung-Chul Han. His mix of profundity and pithiness in tackling some of the big is...
IN-DEPTH: The Art of Non-Conformity (w/ Chris Guillebeau)
In this episode of IN-DEPTH, Cal is joined by Chris Guillebeau, the author of the new book, TIME ANXIETY, and creator of the beloved Art of Non-Confor...
Ep. 356: How Much Should We Work?
The data shows knowledge workers really are more exhausted and more prone to burnout than ever before. But why? In this episode, Cal draws inspiration...
Ep. 355: Quit Social Media (For Real This Time)
A common complaint about social media skepticism is that we’re falling into a classic moral panic. We’ve been concerned about many past mass media tec...
Ep. 354: The Workload Fairytale
A few years ago, in a spirit of post-pandemic experimentation, multiple countries ran formal trials to test a radical idea: shortening the workweek. I...
Ep. 353: Summer Schedules
Summer is here. It’s time to slow down. In this episode, Cal discusses his radically simplified summer schedule and then suggests you similarly inject...