The Caffeine Stream

Today Sierra and I dive into polling, particularly political "opinion polls." Much of our discussion revolves around Christopher Hitchens' 1992 essay "Voting in the Passive Voice," which can be found on Harper's archive here: https://tinyurl.com/2p9xrkum We also discuss Gaetano Mosca's notion of "political formulas," a concept I learned about from Curtis Yarvin, but which can be read about in  The...

Today we explore whether the term "capitalism" has any utility at all. Trying my best to stay within language and avoid too much economics (or Marxism), I make the case that "capitalism" does not exist because it describes a non-system as a system... but it takes some exploration on the nature of capital, money, property, commons, and human relations to even begin to flesh out such a subject.   Le...

Today I sit down with Mathias Nordvig, professor of Viking studies and Nordic culture at the University of Colorado at Boulder. We have a lengthy chat about the various literary and archeological information that has been discovered about Nordic pagans, and try to parse through the challenge of if -- and how -- such knowledge can be applied to a living pagan religiosity today. Much of Nordvig's wo...

Today we cover a recent essay I co-wrote with Ed Hamann offering a speculative hypothesis on the origins of consciousness in shooting, with some added commentary and background. Referenced works: "The Aim of Agency" https://ph2t3r.com/2023/05/14/the-aim-of-agency-shooting-as-an-origin-of-consciousness/ The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes https://www...

Today we jump off the diving board of gun law straight into Kantian ethics. Does the second amendment have anything to do with dignity? (see Episode 3 ), and if so, what  is dignity anyway? We go over the ideas of honor and dignity as competitive frameworks for ascribing human value, and the political dangers that arise if we reject  both of these frameworks... which is a danger we seem to be faci...

And we're back to discuss Bronze Age Minset by the pseudonymous Bronze Age Pervert. First, who is Bronze Age Pervert, and why should we care about an anonymous author? We dive into the philosophical content of  Bronze Age Mindset , but perhaps more importantly, delve into the style of writing and presentation, and find perhaps a stylistic congruency between content, form, and anonymity in this str...

Today we take a critical look at one of the most prominent teachers of philosophy: Ryan Holiday. Famous for his book "Trust Me, I'm Lying," Holiday transitioned from a life of self-described "media manipulation" to a life of philosophy and stoicism... or did he? We go over some of the features and characteristics of Holiday's life and work, including his interpretation of Stoicism. And in the end,...

After a fairly long vacation from the podcast, we return to discuss the academic spelunking of James Lindsay, agent of the "Greivance Studies Affair," mathematician, martial artist, and tireless critic of Marxism and other forms of progressivism. We go over some of the major who's-who in the academic progressive world, including: Georg Hegel Karl Marx Herbert Marcuse Paulo Freire Kimberle Crenshaw...

Today we dive into one of the oldest and greatest games: chess. But is it worth playing? Is there any value or utility in playing chess? Is it any better than modern video games, or perhaps worse? In this expisode, we go over Contexts of perfect vs imperfect information How people think playing chess Does chess transfer in any way to "real life?" The beauty of chess How to develop higher appreciat...

Today we get (even more) controversial and explore the political complexities of abortion Discussed: What is the "right" and the "left," politically? Why is the right pro-life and the left pro-choice? The parental sovereignty argument The family and the state If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a rating and review, it really helps others to find the podcast. Find more Caffeine and Philosophy...

Today we dive into the subject of "expertise." How do we identify an "expert," or otherwise delegate legitimate knowledge? Can we trust experts? To try to answer these important contemporary questions, we examine three books: The Death of Expertise  by Tom Nichols https://dmpi.pasca.radenintan.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2018/11/The-Death-of-Expertise.pdf Kindly Inquisitors by Jonathan Rausc...

Today I'm joined by Sierra to dive into the question of marriage: to get married? Or not to get married? We go over some of the arguments against marriage, and attempt to address them as best we can in an informal, somewhat rambling conversation. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a rating and review, it really helps others to find the podcast. Find more Caffeine and Philosophy content onlin...

And we're back to conclude the Christianity and Masculinity subject. Today we're joined by Sierra to address the second counterargument to the original claim that "Christianity is not Masculine", which is the ontological claim that God is necessarily masculine because he is the source of masculinity (the first counterargument addressed in episode 26 was the historical claim that Jesus' actions and...

Today I recap some drama I started regarding whether or not Christianity is masculine, which was itself a response to increasingly assertive traditionalist revivalists. Judge for yourself how I did! Among the many subjects addressed in this podcast: Defining masculinity Defining Christianity Was Jesus Masculine? Was Jesus a model for Christians to follow? Does Christianity make men masculine? and...

Today we take a look at an interesting and controversial contemporary philosopher named Vox Day. Vox Day is a economist, political philosopher, musician, video-game designer, fantasy writer, science fiction editor and publisher, historian, and Christian intellectual, among many other things. We take a look at some of his more interesting arguments, including: A mathematical argument against evolut...

Today we answer questions from Instagram! Favorite inspirational phrase? The law of attraction My personal history with religion "Red Pill Praxeology" Is the demiurge real? How much time do you have to spend studying philosophy to become "knowledgeable?" If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a rating and review, it really helps others to find the podcast. Find more Caffeine and Philosophy conte...

Today we explore the dangers and defenses of pornography as we contemplate whether or not it would make sense to ban it. Among the issues discussed: The dangers of addiction generally The personal, relational, and social harms of pornography Possible defenses of legal pornography The challenges of maintaining freedom in the face of addictive pressure A possible compromise If you enjoyed the podcas...

Today we flesh out what "the freedom of speech" is all about, especially as described by the first amendment of the American Constitution, where it is somewhat ambiguously enshrined. We discuss: The English origins of the "freedom of speech" (thanks largely to John Milton) The transformation of this freedom between 1918 and 1919 (thanks to Harold Lasky and Learned hand, via Oliver Wendell Holmes J...

Today we explore the nature and morality of hatred, the subject of my first book  In Defense of Hatred . Due for some revisions and some scientific validation, we go over the basic arguments and points, including: Hatred as "disgust towards mind" Hatred as an expression of love Hatred and harm Anti-Hatred as hatred Justified vs Unjustified hatred "Hot" and "Cold" hatred The risk of castrating love...

Today we take a quick look over one of the most controversial philosophers in history: Friedrich Nietzsche. With a special attention on  The Genealogy of Morals ,  The Gay Science , and  The Antichrist , we take a look through Nietzsche's views on: Morality, "Good and Bad" vs. "Good and Evil" Health and its effects on philosophy Christianity and its relationship to health and morality You can find...

[EDIT: I have been corrected, and indeed, a character in Plato's "Symposium" does assert that Achilles and Patrokles are lovers. Given Plato's tendency to put multiple contradicting arguments in the mouths of different characters, and to explore ideas without holding them, this view should not be taken as Plato's position, and the linguistic argument made here still stands.] Today we go over a new...

Today Sierra and I dive into the question of "sacrifice": what is it? Is it only sacrifice if you're killing virgins, or does any rational trade-off make an opportunity cost into a "sacrifice?" Is it a gateway to barbarity and irrationality, or is it something inescapable and a part of human existence? Or is it better not to think of it through a list of false binaries? Check out Sierra's podcast...

Today we dive into the movement known as "transhumanism." Beginning with what it is, is not, its origins, and some of its more notable thinkers, I try to make the case that transhumanism is essentially bad, but not before trying to explain the arguments for the movement. Some of the bigger themes: Transhumanism is about humans, not technology Contributions of Nietzsche, Kurzweil, and Bostrom to th...

Today we take a look at a favorite contemporary philosopher named Matthew Crawford. Crawford is a political theorist-turned-motorcycle technician, writer, and (I argue) model pagan. I go over Crawford's three books and what they're all about: Shop Class as Soulcraft   - a polemical defense of manual competence The World Beyond Your Head - an exploration of our crisis of attention and how we might...

In today's episode, we begin by addressing the age-old question "can you be good without God?" and springboard into a broader discussion about the relationship between autism and contemporary Western Morality: Most moral theories don't require God The annoying traps of equivocation in moral discussions Jonathan Haidt on autism and morality Utilitarianism, Deontology, and Christian moral ontology a...