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Lex Fridman PodcastOct 14, 2025

#483 – Julia Shaw: Criminal Psychology of Murder, Serial Killers, Memory & Sex

Summary, books mentioned, transcript quotes, and timestamps for #483 – Julia Shaw: Criminal Psychology of Murder, Serial Killers, Memory & Sex on Lex Fridman Podcast.

Guest

Julia Shaw

Books mentioned

Green Crime The Idiot Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side+1 more

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#483 – Julia Shaw: Criminal Psychology of Murder, Serial Killers, Memory & Sex mentions Green Crime, The Idiot by Dostoevsky, Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side, and Evil with timestamps, quotes, and episode context.

Green Crime The Idiot Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side Evil

3 books from this episode

Green Crime

and her new book that you should definitely go order now, “Green Crime,” which is a study of the dark underworld of poachers, illegal gold miners, co…

The Idiot

Dostoevsky

If you study, quote unquote, “evil,” or study monsters, you may become that.

Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side

You wrote the book “Evil: The Science Behind Humanity’s Dark Side.”

Guest: Julia Shaw

Episode summary

Julia Shaw is a criminal psychologist and author who in her books explores human nature, including psychopathy, violent crime, the psychology of evil, police interrogation, false memory manipulation, deception detection, and human sexuality.

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Green Crime

The host introduces Julia Shaw and urges listeners to order her new book Green Crime, describing it as a study of the…

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The Idiot

Dostoevsky

The speaker mentions The Idiot while discussing the psychological risks and framing when studying 'monsters' or evil,…

Card

Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side

The book is mentioned as a foundational framework for understanding evil as a spectrum of personality traits rather t…

Card

Evil

The book was mentioned to introduce and frame a scientific discussion of evil as a continuum of personality traits ra…

Card

Making Evil

The book is mentioned to explore whether people are born evil or shaped by environment, using the provocative thought…

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The host lists Julia Shaw's books while introducing her expertise, explicitly urging listeners to order her new book…

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The Memory Illusion

The book is mentioned as one of Julia Shaw's works that explores how memories can be manipulated and the nature of fa…

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Book mentions7

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What is #483 – Julia Shaw: Criminal Psychology of Murder, Serial Killers, Memory & Sex about?

Summary, books mentioned, transcript quotes, and timestamps for #483 – Julia Shaw: Criminal Psychology of Murder, Serial Killers, Memory & Sex on Lex Fridman Podcast.

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What are the main takeaways from #483 – Julia Shaw: Criminal Psychology of Murder, Serial Killers, Memory & Sex?

These are the strongest takeaways surfaced by the transcript, summary copy, and linked mentions for #483 – Julia Shaw: Criminal Psychology of Murder, Serial Killers, Memory & Sex.

The conversation centers on psychology of evil.
A second recurring theme is false memories.
Referenced books include Green Crime and The Idiot by Dostoevsky.
The strongest audience signal points to Listeners interested in criminal psychology, environmental crime, and true-crime readers curious about organized ecological wrongdoing and criminal psychologists, researchers, and clinicians interested in psychopathy and the ethics of studying violent or antisocial behavior.

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Which books are mentioned in #483 – Julia Shaw: Criminal Psychology of Murder, Serial Killers, Memory & Sex?

Green Crime, The Idiot by Dostoevsky, and Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side are the clearest linked books in this episode, each tied back to transcript timestamps and quote cards.

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Why are listeners searching for #483 – Julia Shaw: Criminal Psychology of Murder, Serial Killers, Memory & Sex?

#483 – Julia Shaw: Criminal Psychology of Murder, Serial Killers, Memory & Sex keeps attracting summary-style searches because this page combines episode context, transcript quotes, book references, and direct jump links back into the audio.

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Topic and sentiment signals

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Top triggers

psychology of evil(2)false memories(1)Julia Shaw book mention(1)new book announcement(1)studying evil(1)Would you kill baby Hitler?(1)

Mention sentiment

Deep Dive(5)Highly Recommended(2)

Audience signals

Listeners interested in criminal psychology, environmental crime, and true-crime readers curious about organized ecological wrongdoingcriminal psychologists, researchers, and clinicians interested in psychopathy and the ethics of studying violent or antisocial behaviorReaders interested in psychology, criminal behavior, and the scientific study of morality and violent conductReaders interested in psychology, criminal behavior, and moral philosophy — especially those curious about personality traits underlying violent or harmful behavior.Readers interested in moral psychology, social psychology, and those curious about the roots of extreme wrongdoing and how empathy can inform responsesListeners interested in psychology, human sexuality, and readers seeking accessible books on bisexuality and related research

Books Mentioned

The full list below is ranked by how useful each mention is to a listener: stronger recommendation language, clearer quote context, and better timestamp support rise first.

Green Crime

Best for Listeners interested in criminal psychology, environmental crime, and true-crime readers curious about organized ecological wrongdoingOften cited around new book announcement

“Named as Julia Shaw's new book, a study of environmental criminals like poachers and illegal miners.”

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Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: new book announcement

For: Listeners interested in criminal psychology, environmental crime, and true-crime readers curious about organized ecological wrongdoing

Key quote: “and her new book that you should definitely go order now, “Green Crime,” which is a study of the dark underworld of poachers, illegal gold miners, corporate frauds, hitmen, and all kinds of other environmental criminals.”

The host introduces Julia Shaw and urges listeners to order her new book Green Crime, describing it as a study of the dark underworld of environmental criminals including poachers, illegal miners, corporate frauds, and hitmen. The mention frames the book as a timely, important contribution that fits with Shaw's broader work on the psychology of wrongdoing.

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The Idiot

Dostoevsky

Best for criminal psychologists, researchers, and clinicians interested in psychopathy and the ethics of studying violent or antisocial behaviorOften cited around studying evil

“Referenced metaphorically: 'Prince Myshkin character from The Idiot by Dostoevsky' when discussing perspective on people.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: studying evil

For: criminal psychologists, researchers, and clinicians interested in psychopathy and the ethics of studying violent or antisocial behavior

Key quote: “If you study, quote unquote, “evil,” or study monsters, you may become that.”

The speaker mentions The Idiot while discussing the psychological risks and framing when studying 'monsters' or evil, referencing Nietzsche and the fear that engaging closely with such subjects might change the investigator. The book is used to illustrate how researchers and clinicians can approach studying harmful people as pattern recognition and puzzle-solving rather than emotional involvement.

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Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side

Best for Readers interested in psychology, criminal behavior, and the scientific study of morality and violent conductOften cited around psychology of evil

“Full title given when interviewer says Julia Shaw wrote the book; discussed as the book 'Evil' in the interview.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: psychology of evil

For: Readers interested in psychology, criminal behavior, and the scientific study of morality and violent conduct

Key quote: “You wrote the book “Evil: The Science Behind Humanity’s Dark Side.””

The book is mentioned as a foundational framework for understanding evil as a spectrum of personality traits rather than a binary label of monsters versus non-monsters. The discussion uses the book's concepts (the dark tetrad and questions like whether people are born evil) to explore how traits like sadism and lack of empathy manifest and influence harmful behavior over a lifetime.

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Evil

Best for Readers interested in psychology, criminal behavior, and moral philosophy — especially those curious about personality traits underlying violent or harmful behavior.Often cited around psychology of evil

“Julia Shaw's book about the psychology of murder and sadism mentioned among her works; also referenced as title discussed in interview.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: psychology of evil

For: Readers interested in psychology, criminal behavior, and moral philosophy — especially those curious about personality traits underlying violent or harmful behavior.

Key quote: “So, would I go back in time and kill baby Hitler? The answer is no, because I don't think it's a straight line from baby to adult, and I don't think people are born evil.”

The book was mentioned to introduce and frame a scientific discussion of evil as a continuum of personality traits rather than a binary label. It was used to explore how traits like psychopathy, sadism, narcissism, and Machiavellianism manifest subclinically and to question whether people are born evil using the 'kill baby Hitler' thought experiment.

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Making Evil

Best for Readers interested in moral psychology, social psychology, and those curious about the roots of extreme wrongdoing and how empathy can inform responsesOften cited around Would you kill baby Hitler?

“Alternative UK title for Shaw's book 'Evil', referenced in discussion about the Nietzsche quote and title differences.”

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: Would you kill baby Hitler?

For: Readers interested in moral psychology, social psychology, and those curious about the roots of extreme wrongdoing and how empathy can inform responses

Key quote: “So, would I go back in time and kill baby Hitler? The answer is no, because I don’t think it’s a straight line from baby to adult, and I don’t think people are born evil.”

The book is mentioned to explore whether people are born evil or shaped by environment, using the provocative thought experiment of killing baby Hitler to prompt discussion. The author argues against labeling people as inherently evil and advocates for empathy and understanding of the social and psychological processes that enable harmful behavior.

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Best for Listeners interested in psychology, human sexuality, and readers seeking accessible books on bisexuality and related researchOften cited around Julia Shaw book mention

“Listed among Julia Shaw's books, about bisexuality.”

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Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: Julia Shaw book mention

For: Listeners interested in psychology, human sexuality, and readers seeking accessible books on bisexuality and related research

Key quote: “Her books include “Evil,” about the psychology of murder and sadism; “The Memory Illusion,” about false memories; “Bi,” about bisexuality; and her new book that you should definitely go order now, “Green Crime,” which is a study of the dark underworld of poachers, illegal gold miners, corporate frauds, hitmen, and all kinds of other environmental criminals.”

The host lists Julia Shaw's books while introducing her expertise, explicitly urging listeners to order her new book 'Green Crime' and noting her other works including 'Bi'. The mention of 'Bi' is part of establishing Shaw's breadth on human sexuality and credibility in the conversation about evil and criminal psychology.

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

Check price

The Memory Illusion

Best for Readers interested in memory, false memory research, and the psychology behind how people construct recollectionsOften cited around false memories

“Listed as one of Julia Shaw's books, about false memories.”

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: false memories

For: Readers interested in memory, false memory research, and the psychology behind how people construct recollections

The book is mentioned as one of Julia Shaw's works that explores how memories can be manipulated and the nature of false memories. It is used to establish her authority on memory-related topics while situating her broader research into deception, criminal behavior, and how people form beliefs about wrongdoing.

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Green Crime

Lex Fridman Podcast · 0:23

and her new book that you should definitely go order now, “Green Crime,” which is a study of the dark underworld of poachers, illegal gold miners, co…

The Idiot

Lex Fridman Podcast · 20:33

If you study, quote unquote, “evil,” or study monsters, you may become that.

Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side

Lex Fridman Podcast · 1:38

You wrote the book “Evil: The Science Behind Humanity’s Dark Side.”

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