The Caffeine Stream

Today I talk with Clinton McMillan, a linguist and the high priest of Waldgang in the Pacific Northwest. In this episode, we discuss a variety of topics, including: The relationship between religion and language The origins of "Yaweh" The limitations of etymology Anthropomorphism in religious myth Some of the problems with polytheistic "paganism" And more than can be totally summarized in bullet p...

Today I sit down with Gregory Nagy, renowned philologist and classicist. to talk about art and the relationship between man and art, especially with the advent of AI-generated images. Among the subjects we go over: What is philology? The reader's relationship with myth and epic Comparative linguistics and etymology Solar mythology and spirituality And much more Greg Nagy's writings can be found at...

In which Sam Harris forces my hand and makes me talk about Utilitarianism, and not only because it is moral to care whether dead children are in Hunter Biden's basement. After going over the 5 major moral theories (divine command, virtue ethics, deontology, utilitarianism, nihilism) and some general Sam-bashing, we dive into the the meat of Utilitarianism and its various problems, including: the p...

After a mildly inebriated ramble about what it means to be "seasonal," we emerge with slightly more wisdom about living in time with our surroundings and each other. Among the bigger topics we tackle: What does "seasonality" mean? The relationship between seasonality and the heroic Seasonality for men and women The purpose of seasonal holidays and more Leave a rating and review, it really helps ot...

Today we dive into Scorsese's 2016 film "Silence," a story about Jesuit priests traveling to medieval Japan, and some of the themes brought up in that film: Silence and the "hiddenness" of God Icons and superficialities Compassion and Empathy Submission and "Korobu" The "Weak Man" Leave a rating and review, it really helps others to find the podcast. Find more Caffeine and Philosophy content onlin...

Today we take a look at a contemporary political philosopher named Curtis Yarvin, sometimes better known by his early pseudonym "Mencious Moldbug." A highly influential writer of the political right, understanding Yarvin can provide a window into some common phrases of contemporary political conversation, including: "Red-pill" "The Cathedral" "Ultra-Calvinism" Yarvin's writing covers a wide range...

Today I sit down with Jonas Weaver to drink and ramble about what makes Rammstein so special. Over the course of our wandering, we discuss: The cultural context of Rammstein and Till Lindemann Juxtaposition and paradox in art Filth in art: catharsis or degeneracy? Identifying sincerity and purpose in art Freud, Lacan, Joyce, Nabokov, Jung, GG Allin and Homer And much more You can find Jonas on Ins...

In today's episode, we scratch the surface on arguably the greatest artist in the history of the West: Homer. In addition to exploring the depth of Homer's influence on our culture, I offer some recommended readings for understanding Homer, which include: "Why Homer Matters" by Adam Nicolson "The Hero and the Man" by C.B. Robertson (me) "The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours" by Gregory Nagy We also...

Today I sit down with author Jack Donovan to talk about art and the relationship between man and art, especially with the advent of AI-generated images. Among the subjects we go over: The importance of creativity and art for man What *is* art? The importance of purity and intention in art The dangers and oppportunities for art in artificial intelligence And much more You can find Jack's work on In...

Today we dive into the internet phenomenon of "post-physique," where online guys ignore other online guys who don't post pictures of themselves while or after working out. We go over two arguments for posting physique: Ethos (demonstration of shared values) The aesthetic commons and try to address two arguments against posting physique: Vanity Shaming Leave a rating and review, it really helps oth...

In this episode, I'm joined by Ben Brower, a blacksmith and former activist in the anarcho-primitivist movement. In a fairly wide-ranging conversation, we go over: The cultural origins of anarcho-primitivism The disparate political and philosophical "sides" of anarcho-primitivism The academic-anthropological back-and-forth at the center of the anarcho-primitivist worldview What it was like being i...

Continuing on the semi-morbid subject of guns, we dive into the surprisingly simple legal history of the second amendment... and its significantly less simple challenge of interpretation. In this episode, we talk about: Supreme Court case law surrounding the Second Amendment (Miller, Heller, McDonald) A steel-man case for legal restrictions on gun ownership An argument for an alternative purpose f...

Can paganism be wholesome? In my book, Letter to Anwei, I outlined the beginnings of a religious practice centered around family and the lineage. Since then, my wife and I have been putting this idea to the test as we grow our family. Most of the paganism we might be familiar with is esoteric, dark, or occult. But could there be a practical pagan faith that is more family friendly? In this episode...

Whenever there is a major shooting in the news, various pundits and experts jump into the fray to dissect the many causes (and of course, the purported cures) for these events. SSRIs, involuntary celibacy, and American gun culture are commonly invoked as causes, but in this episode, I focus on a different, more religious frame that might help explain why these mass shooting events keep happening....