Skip to content
Steven Pressfield: The War of Art | Lex Fridman Podcast #102
This video isn’t embeddableWatch on YouTube →
Lex Fridman PodcastLex Fridman Podcast

Steven Pressfield: The War of Art | Lex Fridman Podcast #102

Steven Pressfield is a historian and author of War of Art, a book that had a big impact on my life and the life of millions of whose passion is to create in art, science, business, sport, and everywhere else.

Lex FridmanhostSteven Pressfieldguest
Jun 20, 20201h 27mWatch on YouTube ↗

Summaries, chapters, transcripts, and FAQs on this page are made by uListen, not YouTube.

Episode Details

EPISODE INFO

Released
June 20, 2020
Duration
1h 27m
Channel
Lex Fridman Podcast
Watch on YouTube
▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Steven Pressfield is a historian and author of War of Art, a book that had a big impact on my life and the life of millions of whose passion is to create in art, science, business, sport, and everywhere else. I highly recommend it and others of his books on this topic, including Turning Pro, Do the Work, Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit, and the Warrior Ethos. Also his books Gates of Fire about the Spartans and the battle at Thermopylae, The Lion's Gate, Tides of War, and others are some of the best historical fiction novels ever written. Support this podcast by signing up with these sponsors:

EPISODE LINKS: Steven's Website: https://stevenpressfield.com/ Steven's Twitter: https://twitter.com/SPressfield Steven's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steven_pressfield/ Books:

PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41 OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 5:00 - Nature of war 11:43 - The struggle within 17:11 - Love and hate in a time of war 25:17 - Future of warfare 28:31 - Technology in war 30:10 - What it takes to kill a person 32:22 - Mortality 37:30 - The muse 46:09 - Editing 52:19 - Resistance 1:10:41 - Loneliness 1:12:24 - Is a warrior born or trained? 1:13:53 - Hard work and health 1:18:41 - Daily ritual CONNECT:

SPEAKERS

  • Lex Fridman

    host
  • Steven Pressfield

    guest

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lex Fridman Podcast, featuring Lex Fridman and Steven Pressfield, Steven Pressfield: The War of Art | Lex Fridman Podcast #102 explores Steven Pressfield on War, Resistance, and Serving the Creative Muse Lex Fridman and Steven Pressfield explore war both as a historical reality and as a metaphor for the inner battles of the creative life. Pressfield argues that humans are still tribal cave-people at heart, making conflict inevitable, but believes outer wars mirror a deeper spiritual war within each person. They dive into his concept of Resistance—the ego-driven force that blocks creative work—and contrast it with the higher self that seeks meaning, love, and service to a “muse.” The conversation also covers Israel’s wars, mortality and reincarnation, the discipline and health of a writer’s daily routine, and what it really means to be a professional and a “warrior” in art.

RELATED EPISODES

Robert Langer: Edison of Medicine | Lex Fridman Podcast #105

Robert Langer: Edison of Medicine | Lex Fridman Podcast #105

David Patterson: Computer Architecture and Data Storage | Lex Fridman Podcast #104

David Patterson: Computer Architecture and Data Storage | Lex Fridman Podcast #104

Ben Goertzel: Artificial General Intelligence | Lex Fridman Podcast #103

Ben Goertzel: Artificial General Intelligence | Lex Fridman Podcast #103

Joscha Bach: Artificial Consciousness and the Nature of Reality | Lex Fridman Podcast #101

Joscha Bach: Artificial Consciousness and the Nature of Reality | Lex Fridman Podcast #101

Karl Friston: Neuroscience and the Free Energy Principle | Lex Fridman Podcast #99

Karl Friston: Neuroscience and the Free Energy Principle | Lex Fridman Podcast #99

Kate Darling: Social Robotics | Lex Fridman Podcast #98

Kate Darling: Social Robotics | Lex Fridman Podcast #98

Get more out of YouTube videos.

Read along on your phone, search it beside the video, or ask your favorite AI app what was said.