# RYAN HOLIDAY: Why wisdom takes work (and smart people still do stupid things)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson-293543/ryan-holiday-why-wisdom-takes-work-and-smart-people-still-do-stupid-things
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson-293543/ryan-holiday-why-wisdom-takes-work-and-smart-people-still-do-stupid-things.md
Podcast: [Crisis What Crisis with Andy Coulson](https://stenobird.com/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson-293543)
Published: 2026-03-17T06:45:00+00:00
Episode link: http://www.crisiswhatcrisis.com
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/7dfd9f4d-914c-4d62-b38c-d47a362376a8.mp3?aw_0_1st.showid=d55f2648-7b9e-4e35-9ce1-0a0938cc6579&aw_0_1st.episodeid=7dfd9f4d-914c-4d62-b38c-d47a362376a8
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson-293543/episodes/ryan-holiday-why-wisdom-takes-work-and-smart-people-still-do-stupid-things
Duration seconds: 2291

## Resource

Why do genius-level intellects fall for conspiracy theories? How does someone who taught himself rocket science from Soviet manuals end up believing nonsense on social media? Ryan Holiday – bestselling author of The Daily Stoic , Ego is the Enemy , and The Obstacle is the Way – joins me on Crisis What Crisis to explore why intelligence doesn't protect you from stupidity, why modern life's frictionlessness is making us weaker, and what ancient Stoic philosophy can teach us about navigating today's world. In this conversation, we discuss Elon Musk's descent into conspiracy theories, why judging young men from reading philosophy is dangerous, what Marcus Aurelius would make of AI, and why Victor Frankl warned in 1979 that our "too soft" world would lead to emptiness. POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY: I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on. This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR: Why "making a massive contrarian bet that works" can be brain-destroying The Stoic POW who tapped Epictetus through prison walls in Vietnam Why young men desperately need philosophy (not less of it) How to guard against your own stupidity while pursuing wisdom What Marcus Aurelius would say about your Instagram habits LESSONS YOU'LL LEARN: Intelligence DOES NOT EQUAL wisdom – being brilliant at one thing doesn't protect you from being an idiot about others Stay a student forever – Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-king, made a point of always staying a student Friction builds resilience – a frictionless life l…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson-293543/episodes/ryan-holiday-why-wisdom-takes-work-and-smart-people-still-do-stupid-things/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson-293543/ryan-holiday-why-wisdom-takes-work-and-smart-people-still-do-stupid-things.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.