Intelligence Squared The Trillion Dollar Battle For Your Attention, with Peter Schmidt and D. Graham Burnett
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Feb 9, 2026 
Peter Schmidt, co-founder of the Strother School of Radical Attention and attention activist, and D. Graham Burnett, Princeton historian of science, discuss the trillion-dollar fight over human focus. They explore attention as a common good, trace its philosophical history, warn against 'human fracking' of attention, and outline collective politics, sanctuaries, and low-barrier activism to reclaim shared mental space.
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Attention As A Systemic Commodity
- A new industry has arisen that commodifies human attention and monetizes our focus at scale.
- Peter Schmidt argues this exploitation is systemic and cannot be solved by individual willpower alone.
How History Narrowed Attention
- Historical lab psychology shaped our narrow, task-oriented model of attention tied to machines and the military.
- D. Graham Burnett says this history limits how we conceive attention and enables current exploitation.
Attention Beyond Screen Time
- Attention is broader: time, mind, and senses, informed by traditions from Augustine to Buddhist thought.
- D. Graham Burnett urges a capacious definition to anchor a politics worth organizing for.
