Embrace The Void

My guest this week is Jesse Dollemore (@Dollemore), host of the Dollemore Daily on youtube and cohost of the I Doubt it Podcast with Brittany Page. We discuss his experiences growing up in a conservative anti-governmental household, joining the military, and his transition from conservative to liberal activist. Convocation: Hunter S. Thompson YouTube feed: https://www.youtube.com/user/dollemore I...

My guest this week is Jacy Reese Anthis (@Jacyanthis), a PhD student in machine learning at the University of Chicago, and the co-founder of the Sentience Institute. We discuss his recent paper arguing for a semantic solution to the hard problem of consciousness. Convocation: Tom Robbins Consciousness Semantics paper: https://twitter.com/jacyanthis/status/1507400426869694476?s=20&t=7ZHx-cYZvz9...

My guest this week is Sarah Miller, Executive Director of Camp Quest. We discuss the camp's goals of providing outdoor summer experiences free of religious indoctrination, and how that project looks in a post pandemic world. Convocation: Aaron's personal experience Camp Quest: https://campquest.org/ Music by GW Rodriguez Sibling Pods: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Filmed...

My guest this week is David Fuller (@fullydavid), a journalist who’s made documentaries for Channel 4 and the BBC and co-founded the Rebel Wisdom content platform. We discuss sensemaking and rebel wisdom, both the positives in terms of personal growth and the negatives in terms of potentially higher risk of conspiracism. Rebel Wisdom: https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/ Discussion with Aaron and Jim Rutt o...

My guest this week is Mandisa Thomas (@mandy0904), founder and president of Black Nonbelievers. We discuss her recent American Atheist convention talk and the backlash it received. Black Nonbelievers: https://blacknonbelievers.org/ Convocation: Audre Lorde Music by GW Rodriguez Sibling Pods: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Filmed Live Musicals Pod: https://www.filmedlivemus...

My guest this week is Jonathan Jarry (@crackedscience), a science communicator with McGill University’s Office of Science and Society, and cohost of the independent podcast The Body of Evidence. We discuss his article about common problems with meta-analyses and how to approach trying to understand controversial science claims. We also discuss anti-COVID Jade amulets and in the VIP room we talk th...

My guest this week is Seth Andrews (@SethAndrewsTTA), host of the thinking atheist podcast and author of several books including most recently Christianity Made Me Talk Like an Idiot. We discuss freedom of expression and concerns about woke cancel culture in secular communities. Seth's podcast: https://www.sethandrews.com/ Impossible Conversations episode: https://www.thethinkingatheist.com/podcas...

My guest this week is Martin Rooke (@DrMRooke), a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School who’s currently studying the evolution of the far-right “cultural collapse” narrative. We compare notes on the role of movement secularism in the recent rise in those narratives. Martin's Substack: https://eftr.substack.com/ The Center for Technology and Social Change: https://shorensteincenter.org/prog...

My returning guest this week is Chris Kavanagh (@C_Kavanagh), a cultural anthropologist and co-host of the Decoding the Gurus pod. We discuss competing accounts of how to define "religion" and their implications for church and state conflicts. Decoding the Gurus: https://decoding-the-gurus.captivate.fm/ Chris's article about defining religion: https://aeon.co/essays/can-religion-be-based-on-ritual...

My guest this week is Callie Wright (@calliegetsit). We discuss the recent history of movement secularism and why it's struggling with a reputation issue amongst LGBTQ communities. Callie's podcast: http://www.queersplaining.com/ Convocation: Julian Ayala Music by GW Rodriguez Sibling Pods: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Filmed Live Musicals Pod: https://www.filmedlivemusi...

My guest this week are Tom and Cecil of the Cognitive Dissonance podcast (@dissonance_pod). We discuss their new book, The Grand Unified Theory of Bullshit, and how to apply their GUT check approach to reduce our risk of absorbing misinformation. The Grand Unified Theory of Bullshit: https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Unified-Theory-Bullshit/dp/B09TDW7RSR CogDis podcast: https://dissonancepod.com/ Convo...

My guest this week is Corinna Cohn (@heterodorx), a gender critical activist, self identifying transsexual and cohost of the Heterodorx podcast. We discuss her views on gender and policies regarding bathrooms, sports, and gender affirming care. Heterdorx pod: https://www.heterodorx.com/ Convocation: George Takei Music by GW Rodriguez Sibling Pod Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.c...

My guest this week is Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta), co-host of the Friendly Atheist and host of the friendly atheist youtube channel. Hemant is also a contributor at OnlySky, a news and commentary website aimed at nonbelievers, as well as the author of several books including the Young Atheist’s Survival Guide and I Sold My Soul on eBay. We discuss nonbeliever communities, image problems with movem...

My guest this week is Jeff Sebo (@jeffrsebo), director of the NYU animal studies MA program and author of Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves. We discuss his new book, what sort of progress non-human animal ethics is making and what it means for the rolling crises of COVID and climate change. Jeff's website: https://jeffsebo.net/ Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves: https://global.oup.com/academic/produ...

My guest this week is Mike Hall (@mikehall314), co-host of Skeptics with a K and one of the directors of the UK skeptic magazine. We discuss common misconceptions about the placebo effect, the possibility that it's just an artifact of flawed science, and the implications for things like alternative medicine. Skeptics with a K: http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/category/podcast/skeptics-with-a-k...

My guest this week is Rochelle DuFord (@rochellehd) assistant professor of philosophy at university of Hartford and author of Solidarity in Conflict. We discuss her new book and the implications for organizing. Solidarity in Conflict: https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=33817&bottom_ref=subject Convocation: Deeyah Khan Music by GW Rodriguez Sibling Pod Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosop...

My guest this week is TracingWoodgrains (@tracewoodgrains) editorial assistant for the podcast blocked and reported and an online writer who focuses on education and cultural issues. Tracking article: https://web.archive.org/web/20200102171922/http://slatestarcodex.com/2018/09/04/acc-entry-does-the-education-system-adequately-serve-advanced-students/ Convocation: Kristen Olson Music by GW Rodrigue...

My guest this week is Jack Symes (@_JackSymes), cohost of the Panpsycast podcast and editor of the new book in the talking about philosophy series, entitled Philosophers on Consciousness. We discuss his new book and the competing views on consciousness presented in the book. Philosophers on Consciousness: https://www.amazon.com/Philosophers-Consciousness-Talking-about-Philosophy/dp/1350190411/ref=...

My guest this week is Philipp Markolin (@PhilippMarkolin), a former data analyst at ETH who writes on the role of technology in our epistemic crisis. We discuss why all issues inevitably get co-opted by commenters and what might short circuit the process. Algorithmic curation article: https://protagonist-science.medium.com/85e9cde79189 Convocation: https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2020/10/monster-island...

My guest this week is Charles Boyd (@MinorityOfOne75), a historian, writer, and activist who teaches at Georgia state university and host of the Minority of One podcast. We discuss the chapter from Sowell's Black Rednecks and White Liberals about the history of slavery. The real history of slavery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWrfjUzYvPo Convocation: Sowell Music by GW Rodriguez Sibling Pod Ph...

My guest this week is Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, assistant professor at Georgetown university pan african community action. We discuss his new book Reconsidering Reparations and the scale of change needed to bring about global justice. Reconsidering Reparations: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/reconsidering-reparations-9780197508893?cc=us&lang=en& Convocation: Cedric Robinson Music by GW R...

My guest this week is Heather Redmond Leise, my civics teacher from Atlee High School. We discuss her 2+ decades teaching high school and her experiences with the rise of the CRT moral panic in Virginia. Convocation: Langston Hughes Aaron's non-believer stereotype workshop: https://evergreen.humanitru.com/web/campaigns/the-innerwork-center ~winter-spring-2022?attend=id%3A4465&sharer_id=3509&am...

My guest this week is Kai Whiting (@KaiWhiting), a researcher on sustainability and stoicism at UC Louvain and the author of Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In. We discuss what skepticism brings to the activism table. Convocation: Seneca Kai's work: https://stoickai.com/ Aaron's non-believer stereotype workshop: https://evergreen.humanitru.com/web/campaigns/the-innerwork-center ~wi...

My guest this week is Brittany Talissa King (@KingTalissa), a freelance writer, journalist, and writing instructor at Indiana University host of American Shade. We discuss black heterodoxy in politics and the work she's doing to provide a genuine perspective at American Shade. Convocation: Brittany Talissa King American Shade: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQVlAwsrGCKLA-3pUudSRjQ "Free Black Th...

My guest this week is Brandon Bradford (@BrandonLBradfor), a political consultant, ghostwriter, and columnist. We discuss the black conservative economist Thomas Sowell and try to reconcile his actual work with his reputation. Convocation: Thomas Sowell Four types of black conservatives: http://ivoexplains.com/the-four-types-of-black-conservatives/ Editing by Lu Lyons, check out her amazing podcas...