Visual Thinking, Rebuilding the Trades, Animal Consciousness, Training AI | Dr. Temple Grandin #64

What is visual thinking? Are we devaluing the trades today to our own peril? Do we need to do a better job of getting our children out and playing with tools? My guest this week thinks so, and I largely agree with her. I'm humbled and honored to have Dr. Temple Grandin on my show this week. Dr. Grandin is incredibly well known for her work in the fields of Autism, thinking, and animal welfare. She has just finished a brand new book: Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions. We spend quite a bit of our time discussing aspects of the book and the ways that we can better utilize the various skills that we have as a people. If you want to support our movement to bring civility back to discourse, hit the subscribe/follow button; leave a kind comment or rating where applicable; and share the show with a friend. 

// EPISODE LINKS //

Dr. Grandin's Website: https://www.templegrandin.com/

Dr. Grandin's book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3E1qgnx

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser

00:35 Introduction

02:07 Start of conversation

02:45 How do visual thinkers differ from verbal thinkers?

05:02 How did discovering thinking on a continuum change your thoughts on visual thinking?

09:08 We're eliminating futures because of one class.

09:55 Too much testing today, not enough learning

12:57 AI is exciting and horrifying at the the same time.

19:27 We're not valuing the trades well enough

22:44 What role did working with animals play in your understanding of thinking?

26:08 Most difficult part of your job working with animals and machinery?

27:53 "I would have been a video game addict" had I been born 30 years later.

30:09 We need to get back to building things beyond Legos

35:06 Working with large animals and teaching them manners

40:25 AI and privileging language

47:16 Computers will not replace us

50:45 What makes you hopeful about how we look at visual thinking in the future?

52:02 My closing thoughts

// WEBSITE //

Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //

1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

2. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

3. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

4. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLHOpM03o&t=202s

5. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL13gP9ZE&t=50s

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#templegrandin #visualthinking #skills #psychology #chatgpt