Intellectual Freedom Podcast
Intellectual freedom is not just a buzzword. It is a fundamental necessity for human civilization and your life's flourishing. It is the essence of the human spirit to question, explore, and seek answers to the most profound questions that confront us every day.
Without intellectual freedom, we are but slaves to the whims of those in power, unable to challenge authority, push boundaries, or pursue truth. In our post-modern world, ignorance and oppression weigh heavy on all of us, stifling creativity, innovation, and progress. The quest for knowledge is not a luxury. It is a basic human need. Only through intellectual freedom can we unlock the full potential of our collective intellect and build a brighter future for all.
This podcast explores topics in culture, philosophy, wisdom literature, and complex problems we all confront in life.
Intellectual Freedom Podcast
#132: Your Brain Has Been Rewired—And They Called It Entertainment
We live in an age where distraction isn’t an accident—it’s the business model.
In this episode, Dr. David D. Hopkins takes you inside Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death and exposes how our attention, curiosity, and even our capacity to think have been quietly hijacked by the entertainment culture we call “media.”
Postman warned us: the danger wasn’t censorship—it was amusement.
And forty years later, the prophecy has come true.
Dr. Hopkins unpacks the first three chapters of Amusing Ourselves to Death and explains how America’s “Typographic Age” — a time when people read deeply, argued thoughtfully, and valued logic — transformed into a world of soundbites, headlines, and infinite scroll.
You’ll discover:
- Why the average TV news segment lasts under 90 seconds—and what that does to our ability to understand complex issues.
- How the medium itself rewires our brains, replacing patience and logic with speed and spectacle.
- What neuroscience says about the decline of deep reading and attention in the digital era.
- Why a society addicted to amusement loses not just its focus, but its freedom.
This episode isn’t just cultural criticism—it’s a wake-up call.
You haven’t lost your attention span. It’s been monetized.
And the longer we mistake noise for knowledge, the harder it becomes to think freely, love truth, or even know ourselves.
Visit my website at davidhopkins.com.
