People I (Mostly) Admire

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151. Neurobiologist, Philosopher, and Addict

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Feb 15, 2025

Guest

Owen Flanagan

Owen Flanagan, a philosopher and neurobiologist from Duke University, dives deep into his 20-year struggle with addiction and its implications on consciousness. He shares personal anecdotes, linking them to his research, highlighting the intricate relationship between neuroscience and philosophical thought. The discussion touches on drug legalization debates, the importance of storytelling in recovery, and the complexities of addiction as a disease. Flanagan also examines how ancient philosophies and modern science intertwine in understanding human behavior.

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INSIGHT

Enduring Greek Philosophy

Ancient Greek philosophy has endured due to its focus on fundamental problems of the human condition.
Problems like the role of friendship and good political organization remain relevant today.

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ANECDOTE

Sharing the Addiction Story

Owen Flanagan openly shared his decades-long addiction story in his book.
His motivation was to help both professionals and individuals affected by addiction.

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INSIGHT

Addiction as a Disease

The mainstream view of addiction as a disease, possibly a neural disorder, has been prevalent for decades.
This model suggests genetic susceptibility and environmental influences play a role.

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Consciousness at the Crossroads

01:35 • 14min

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The Interplay of Neuroscience and Philosophy in Understanding Behavior

15:49 • 4min

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Navigating Addiction: Personal Stories and Scientific Insights

20:12 • 16min

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Exploring Drug Legalization: Ethics and Implications

36:08 • 2min

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Exploring Drug Legalization and Addiction

38:02 • 13min

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Geography Quiz: Exploring Listener Demographics

50:32 • 7min

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Exploring Addiction: A Neurobiological and Philosophical Perspective

57:46 • 2min

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#11600

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

Bridget Jones. Mad About the Boy

Ernest Riera Arbussà

Helen Fielding

Set 20 years after the first novel, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy follows Bridget as she emerges from the grief of her husband Mark Darcy's death. She is now a single mother of two, dealing with the challenges of modern life, including social media, dating younger men, and managing her children. The novel explores themes of widowhood, aging, and the complexities of contemporary relationships. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the book topped sales charts upon its release.

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Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism

The Big Book

William G. Wilson (Bill W.)

The Big Book is the basic text of Alcoholics Anonymous, written by Bill W. and first published in 1939. It outlines the Twelve Steps program for recovery from alcoholism and includes personal stories of recovery, advice for spouses, family members, and employers, as well as counsel for agnostics. The book emphasizes the importance of admitting powerlessness over alcohol, seeking help from a higher power, and community support in achieving and maintaining sobriety. It has been widely influential and has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

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Consciousness Reconsidered

Owen Flanagan

In 'Consciousness Reconsidered,' Owen Flanagan presents a broad and engaging argument that we are on the way to understanding consciousness within the natural order. He advocates for 'constructive naturalism,' a methodology that integrates first-person reports of phenomenal experiences, psychological models, and neurophysiological data to explain consciousness. The book addresses various philosophical positions, including eliminativism and non-naturalism, and argues for the importance of subjective consciousness in the natural world. Flanagan draws on insights from cognitive neuroscience, neural Darwinism, and connectionist brain architecture to provide a synthetic theory of consciousness that emphasizes its essential role in human intelligence and purposeful behavior.

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Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear

Carl Hart

In this book, Dr. Carl L. Hart presents a radically different vision of drug use, arguing that when used responsibly, drugs can be beneficial for human health and functioning. Hart draws on his over 25 years of research and his own personal experiences to debunk popular myths about drug addiction. He argues that the greatest damage from drugs comes from their illegal status and the resultant stigma and racialized policies. The book emphasizes that many adults use drugs responsibly without becoming addicts, and it advocates for a shift towards drug policies based on scientific evidence and human rights rather than fear and sensationalism.

#19639

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

What Is It Like to Be an Addict?

Understanding Substance Abuse

Owen Flanagan

In this book, Owen Flanagan offers a state-of-the-art assessment of addiction science and proposes a new ecumenical model for understanding and explaining substance addiction. He argues that substance addictions comprise a heterogeneous set of 'psychobiosocial' behavioral disorders, influenced by multifarious cultural, social, psychological, and neural features. Flanagan explores the ways addicts can take responsibility for their addiction, the role of shame in healing, and the collective shame society bears for its indifference to the psychological and social causes of addiction. The book provides new insights for understanding and treating addiction, integrating the sciences with a sophisticated view of the consciousness-brain/body relation.

#51917

The Bodhisattva's Brain: Buddhism Naturalized

Owen Flanagan

In this book, Owen Flanagan argues that it is possible to discover in Buddhism a rich, empirically responsible philosophy that could point to a path of human flourishing. He critiques recent 'science of happiness' literature that correlates happiness with Buddhism based on neurological studies, and instead proposes a fully naturalistic and comprehensive philosophy that is compatible with the rest of knowledge. The book examines the intersection between religion, neuroscience, and moral philosophy, and it challenges traditional Buddhist doctrines to align with scientific findings and cognitive science.

Owen Flanagan's newest book details his 20-year dependence on alcohol and pills — and outlines his research on what addiction can tell us about the nature of consciousness.

SOURCES:
- Owen Flanagan, philosopher, neurobiologist, and professor emeritus at Duke University.

RESOURCES:
- What Is It Like to Be an Addict?: Understanding Substance Abuse, by Owen Flanagan (2025).
- Consciousness Reconsidered, by Owen Flanagan (1993).
- Against Happiness, by Owen Flanagan, Joseph E. LeDoux, Bobby Bingle, Daniel M. Haybron, Batja Mesquita, Michele Moody-Adams, Songyao Ren, Anna Sun, and Yolonda Y. Wilson. (2023).
- The Bodhisattva's Brain: Buddhism Naturalized, by Owen Flanagan (2013).
- The Really Hard Problem: Meaning in a Material World, by Owen Flanagan (2009).
- Big Book, by Alcoholics Anonymous.
- "Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health," by Cristie Glasheen, Kathryn Batts, Rhonda Karg, Jonaki Bose, Sarra Hedden, and Kathryn Piscopo (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2016).

EXTRAS:
- "Professor Carl Hart Argues All Drugs Should Be Legal — Can He Convince Steve?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
- Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear, by Carl Hart (2021).

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