Are We Losing the Ability to Learn?

There's a question we keep dancing around in a world built on instant access and instant convenience: are we actually getting smarter, or are we just getting better at looking things up? In this episode, we explore one of the most uncomfortable realities we are currently facing. Are the tools designed to make us more capable slowly eroding the cognitive muscles that made us capable in the first place?

We break down how convenience and on-demand information have begun to reduce our tolerance for mental friction. The discomfort that is often the birthplace of real thinking, real problem-solving, and real learning. We talk about boredom and how we need to embrace it. The idle mind is where creativity and insight live, and we are actively avoiding it.

We also get into the Dunning-Kruger effect. When people have surface-level access to information without the depth that builds genuine understanding, overconfidence grabs you by the throat. We discuss why we think it's driving real division between people who think they know and people who actually do. (hello grifters)

And because we're not in the business of just pointing at problems, we close out with what you can actually do about it. We chat through how to set healthy limits with your tech use, why picking up a physical book or writing something by hand still matters in 2026, and how learning to sit with not knowing and not immediately reaching for your phone or an AI is an exercise that your brain needs. We hope you enjoy!

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Love always,

L&T