Julia Mossbridge: Unlocking suppressed human capacities, the internet’s role in democratizing knowledge, and overcoming ego in academia | JRE

Exploring how suppressed human capacities and the internet's democratization can revolutionize scientific inquiry and innovation.

Listen on The Joe Rogan Experience

Share

Add us on Google by Editorial Team May. 8, 2026

Key takeaways

• Human capacities are often ignored or suppressed, yet acknowledging them can unlock potential.
• The scientific community sometimes suppresses research on unconventional phenomena.
• The internet has democratized information, enabling exploration of unconventional ideas.
• Ego in academia can hinder open inquiry and exploration of controversial topics.
• The slow pace of academic validation can stifle innovation.
• Psychic phenomena have been studied by intelligence communities since the 1950s.
• Political polarization in the US hinders effective problem-solving.
• Ideological thinking limits political discourse and collaboration.
• The reverence for experts can obstruct open-minded inquiry.
• Human ego can lead to demands for unquestioning deference in scientific discourse.
• Cultural barriers prevent the recognition and utilization of innate human capacities.
• The internet’s role in knowledge dissemination has transformed public discourse.
• Historical research into psychic phenomena contrasts with UFO studies’ acceptance.
• Many Americans do not strictly align with right or left political ideologies.
• Evaluating ideas based on merit, not credentials, is crucial for scientific progress.

Guest intro

Julia Mossbridge, PhD, is founder and president of American Electrodynamics, co-founder and chief science officer of The Institute for Love and Time, and senior advisor for American DeepTech. She conducted postdoctoral research in cognitive neuroscience at Northwestern University, focusing on precognition and how time works in the human brain. Her latest book, “Have a Nice Disclosure!,” is available now.

The overlooked potential of human capacities

• There are capacities within people that are often ignored or suppressed, but they can be useful if acknowledged

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Cultural norms often discourage the exploration of innate human abilities.

• It turns out you can do a lot with them if you feel like you are allowed to have them

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Societal acceptance is key to unlocking human potential.
• The potential of human abilities is often overlooked due to cultural barriers.
• Embracing these capacities requires a shift in cultural attitudes.

• If it doesn’t feel like it’s verboten, if it doesn’t feel like shameful

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Recognizing these abilities can lead to significant personal and societal benefits.
• Acknowledging human potential can transform individual and collective experiences.

Challenges in the scientific community

• The scientific community tends to ignore or actively suppress research on certain phenomena

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Academic publishing biases hinder the dissemination of unconventional research.

• There’s some papers that I’ve published that just won’t get listed in Google Scholar

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Researchers in emerging fields face significant barriers.
• The suppression of unconventional research reflects broader issues in academia.
• Biases within academic publishing limit the exploration of new ideas.
• Overcoming these challenges requires systemic changes in the scientific community.
• The scientific community’s resistance to unconventional research stifles innovation.

The internet’s role in democratizing information

• The internet has democratized access to information, allowing more people to explore unconventional ideas

  — Julia Mossbridge

• The internet has expanded access to diverse ideas and discussions.

• I think that’s one of the really beautiful things about the internet

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Knowledge dissemination has been transformed by the internet.
• Public discourse has become more inclusive due to the internet.
• The internet enables the exploration of ideas previously inaccessible.

• The internet has made much more information available

  — Julia Mossbridge

• The democratization of information fosters innovation and creativity.

Ego and its impact on academia

• Ego can hinder the pursuit of knowledge in academia

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Academic environments are influenced by ego-driven dynamics.

• We have a problem of ego and ego becoming a wall to gathering more information

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Ego can prevent open inquiry and exploration of controversial topics.
• The pursuit of knowledge is often limited by ego in academia.
• Overcoming ego-driven barriers is crucial for academic progress.

• Ego becoming a wall to gathering more information

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Addressing ego in academia can lead to more inclusive research environments.

The slow pace of academic validation

• The academic process is slow, often taking decades to validate new ideas

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Slow academic timelines hinder timely advancements in research.

• Academia is so slow they can learn something and then ten years later they’re like do you think it’s true

  — Julia Mossbridge

• The need for faster innovation contrasts with slow academic processes.
• Delays in academic validation can stifle innovation.

• Twenty years later they’re like maybe we can make something with it

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Accelerating academic processes is crucial for timely innovation.
• The slow pace of academia affects fields like psychic studies significantly.

Historical research into psychic phenomena

• The psychic world has been studied by the intelligence community since the 1950s

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Psychic phenomena have a long history of research despite limited acceptance.

• The psychic world has been studied like by the intelligence community

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Research into psychic phenomena contrasts with UFO studies’ acceptance.
• The historical treatment of psychic phenomena reflects societal attitudes.

• The UFO world was supposed to be oh we don’t care about that

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Intelligence communities have shown interest in psychic studies for decades.
• Understanding historical research can inform current discussions on psychic phenomena.

Political polarization and its impact

• Both political sides fail to solve problems due to their desire to be right or smart

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Political polarization limits effective problem-solving in the US.

• The thing that really pisses me off about the left is this wanting to be smart

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Ideological thinking hinders political discourse and collaboration.

• The thing that pisses me off about the right is wanting to be right

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Many Americans find themselves in the middle of the political spectrum.

• How can we actually solve the problems that are going on instead of just wanting our team to win

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Addressing polarization requires a focus on collaborative problem-solving.

The reverence for experts and its consequences

• The reverence for experts can hinder open-minded inquiry and the pursuit of truth

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Unquestioning reverence for experts can obstruct critical questioning.

• It worries me that we put so much reverence in scientists or whatever or experts

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Evaluating ideas based on merit is crucial for scientific progress.

• Does this seem reasonable does it seem like she’s after the you know moving towards the good

  — Julia Mossbridge

• The culture of reverence for experts can stifle innovation.

• Those are really the standards regardless of your degree

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Encouraging open-minded inquiry requires questioning expert authority.

Human ego and its influence on scientific discourse

• Human ego can lead experts to demand unquestioning deference

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Ego-driven behavior in experts can stifle inquiry and discussion.

• The problem is human ego… wanting the reverence

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Recognizing ego’s influence is crucial for effective knowledge sharing.

• Wanting people to defer to you wholly with no questions whatsoever

  — Julia Mossbridge

• Addressing ego in scientific discourse can foster more inclusive environments.
• Ego can create barriers to open communication and collaboration.
• Overcoming ego-driven challenges is essential for scientific progress.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.