Gad Saad

Date: 2017-07-11 | Duration: 2h 57m

Episode Overview

Gad Saad, Lebanese-Canadian evolutionary behavioral scientist and professor at Concordia University, joins Joe for a nearly three-hour intellectual conversation spanning Islam, tribalism, evolutionary psychology, and political correctness. Saad — creator of the popular YouTube series 'The Saad Truth' — explains the concept of 'Ostrich Parasitic Syndrome,' his term for the psychological tendency to avoid facts that conflict with desired narratives. They probe the distinction between devout Islam and radical Islam, trace the roots of the Shia-Sunni divide through the vacuum left by Saddam Hussein, and discuss the evolutionary basis of welfare state assumptions. Saad shares his love of stand-up comedy and has a seven-minute bit in his act about a polarizing figure. The conversation ends with a preview of the next episode featuring Maynard James Keenan from Tool.

About Gad Saad

Gad Saad is an author and commentator known for his books The Parasitic Mind and Suicidal Empathy, which explore how ideological systems can hijack human cognition and emotion. Drawing from his Lebanese Jewish background and family's experiences during the Lebanese Civil War, Saad brings personal perspective to his discussions on geopolitics, cultural values, and the Middle East conflict. He examines how excess empathy can become destructive and analyzes the intersection of ideology, culture, and Western liberal values.

Key Moments

– Islam, Radicalism, and Ostrich Parasitic Syndrome
– Evolutionary Psychology and Human Nature
– Shia-Sunni Divide and Iraq War Consequences
– Welfare State and Biology
– Stand-Up Comedy as Social Commentary
0:00:00 – Gad Saad on his background and the 'big hubbub'
0:19:46 – Radical Islam — does 'radical' just mean 'really serious'?
0:42:12 – Batma — Gad's term for the intellectual crusades
0:59:00 – Saddam Hussein's removal and the Shia-Sunni civil war
1:19:17 – The welfare state's false assumptions about human nature
2:53:26 – Find Gad at @GADSAAD on Twitter and The SAAD Truth on YouTube

Transcript Excerpt

Starting point is 00:00:00 No? Abandon. Three, two... And we're live. What's up, buddy? Hey, how are you? How are you? I'm very sorry about that sound of the thing in the background, ladies and gentlemen. You hear that? Listen. That's annoying. We'll shut that off. Can we shut that off? Sure, go ahead. Okay. Can you shut it off, Jamie? Starting point is 00:00:24 That is because there was smoke in this room. And the godfather has an issue with the smoke. How did you get over your asthma? Around puberty, it often subsides, especially if you're quite athletic, which I was. And then it completely went away by about 13 and only came back by about 25. But now I'm not full-blown asthmatic. Only when I get sick, if I, let's say, get a cold, it will migrate to my chest, turn into bronchitis, and what will take you four days to fight might take me a month of whooping cough. Starting point is 00:00:58 Whoa. That's why I'm really careful about not getting a cold, you know. You must be a hand washer. Well, that's why when I came out of the bathroom, my instinct was to tell Jamie as I was shaking his hand, I washed my hands. Because I'm always careful about shaking other people's hands, so I'd like to extend them the same courtesy. Yeah, man, I shake some people's hands, and it's like they just dunked it in the pool. Some people, like, they get so sweaty, and you shake their hand, You go, whoa, okay, but what's going on with this hand? Like, what kind of weird bacteria? Starting point is 00:01:28 I read this article that was saying that water bottles, when you reuse a water bottle, they've tested them, and they say that there's less bacteria on dog toys. It's pretty bad. Well, that's why, by the way, I've resorted to fist bumping. Not because I'm cool, but it just reduces the amount of germ transfer from one person to the other by just going like this. But don't you think that that compromises your immune system by not exposing it to a lot of different things? There is actually ...

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Frequently asked about this episode

Who was the guest on Joe Rogan Experience #985?

Gad Saad was the guest on JRE #985. This page includes the episode overview, topics discussed, and related resources.

What topics were discussed on JRE #985?

On Joe Rogan Experience #985 with Gad Saad, topics include Islam, Radicalism, and Ostrich Parasitic Syndrome, Evolutionary Psychology and Human Nature, Shia-Sunni Divide and Iraq War Consequences, and Welfare State and Biology.

Where can I read the transcript for JRE #985?

The full searchable transcript for Joe Rogan Experience #985 with Gad Saad is available on this page, along with key topics and timestamps.