Embrace The Void

My guest this week is Daniel Estrada (@eripsa), a Lecturer at the New Jersey Institute of Technology where he teaches on engineering ethics, AI, and philosophy of mind. We discuss his critiques of the Chinese room and why he prefers Lady Lovelace's objection to Turing. Daniel's Website: https://www.madeofrobots.com/ Invocation: Aaron's Chinese Room Editing by Brian Ziegenhagen Music by GW Rodrigue...

My guest this week is James Croft (@CroftSpeaks), host of the Ethics and Chill podcast and the leader of the Ethical Society of St. Lewis. We try to say profound things about coping with the void through pop culture content, but mostly it's a lot of jokes about Animal Crossing and some advice on how to get that cult money. Ethics and Chill: https://ethicsandchill.org/ Ethical Society of St. Lewis:...

My Guest this week is Matt McManus (@MattPolProf), a professor of philosophy at TEC De Monterrey. Matt is the Solo or co-author of Myth and Mayhem: A Leftist Critique of Jordan Peterson and The Rise of Post-Modern Conservatism. We discuss his understanding of postmodernism and how he thinks it can sometimes fruitfully be applied to the right as well. Myth and Mayhem: A Leftist Critique of Jordan P...

My guest this week is Simone Webb (@SimoneWebbUCL), a PhD student in gender studies at UCL. We do another of our many many parts better know a philosopher series. We focus on the early conservative feminist philosopher Mary Astell, with a little Foucault appetizer. Simone's website: https://simonewebb.weebly.com/ Invocation: Rishi Sanghani Editing by Brian Ziegenhagen Music by GW Rodriguez Sibling...

My guest this week is Alison Gill, vice president for Legal and Policy at American Atheists (@AmericanAtheist). American Atheists recently completed the largest survey to date compiling and analyzing the experiences of nonbelievers living in America. The results were pretty shocking on the discrimination and stigmatization fronts. Content Waring: Discussions of violence and abuse. Reality Check: B...

My guest this week is Kevin Bolling, executive director of the Secular Student Alliance (@SecularStudents). We discuss the role of secular student groups in the lives of young nonbelievers, and how they especially play a vital community role in the lives of nonbelievers who come from faith based families. This is a particularly fortuitous conversation given what I'll be discussing next week with A...

My guest this week is Neil Polzin, a long time patron of the void, director of the So Cal Campquest session, and Board Chair for the national Campquest organization. We discuss the joys of combining science and philosophy with the outdoors to help young individuals learn and grow. Campquest: https://www.campquest.org/ Invocation: https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_Young_of_Shub-Niggurath Editi...

Something new this week! Some friends put together a roundtable discussion on left/liberal relations and related pressing issues. Hope you enjoy! Video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPI02PAv3GQ Participants: Political Philosophy Podcast: https://www.politicalphilosophypodcas... https://twitter.com/PolPhilPod Chrisiousity: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn1b... https://twitter.com/chri...

My guest this week is Krista Thomason (@kkthomason), an associate professor at Swarthmore college who studies negative emotions and their role in ethics. We discuss her challenges to the traditional views of shame and how people can integrate a healthy relationship with shame into their lives. Naked: https://www.amazon.com/Naked-Dark-Side-Shame-Moral/dp/0190843276 Invocation: Bhagavad Gita Editing...

My guest this week is Emerson Green (@waldenpod), host of the Counterapologetics Podcast and Walden Pod. We continue our discussion on Panpsychism and focus in particular on the argument agains strong emergence, a concept that may be present in common conceptions of how consciousness arises in the world. The Right to Reason Discussion with Emerson: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/panpsychism...

My guest this week is Michael Bench-Capon (@MikeBenchCapon), a philosopher turned librarian with an interest in Dialetheism, the view that some things both are and are not P. We discuss this counterintuitive theory and how it applies to paradoxes, aesthetics, and ethics. Michael's Blogpost on Dialetheism: http://michaelbenchcapon.blogspot.com/2019/11/dialetheism-duchamp-and-deloreans.html Priest i...

My guest this week is Jamie Woodhouse (@JamieWoodhouse), a community organizer for Sentientism, the view that all sentient life matters morally. We do a deep dive into the strengths and weakness of Sentientism. Jamie's Homepage: https://jamiewoodhouse.com/ Jamie's FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sentientism Editing by Brian Ziegenhagen, check out his pod: http://youarehere.libsyn.com/s02...

My guest this week is the well timed Phil Torres (@@xriskology), an expert on existential risk. We discuss the field of existential risk and several top contenders for what might kill us all. Phil's website: https://www.xriskology.com/ Editing by Brian Ziegenhagen, check out his pod: http://youarehere.libsyn.com/s02e02-rex-manning-day?fbclid=IwAR2L2_YIJvQpcw0nx6nTSfz0GmyJ1DtWsF--vvdI9W1ug3XW7IAtU6...

My guest this week is Andrea Lewis (@AndreaLynnLewis), host of Andrea with the Bangs on Youtube and the She Wonders Why podcast. We discuss the culture wars from her centrist vantage and what distinguishes her position from progressivism. Andrea with the Bangs: https://t.co/Ijqo7IoaM5?amp=1 She Wonders Why: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/she-wonders-why-by-andrea-with-the-bangs/id1456695004...

My guest this week is Nick Fish (@AmericanAtheist), president of American Atheists and longtime organizer within the atheist community. We discuss our weirdly similar paths to community organizing and the hopeful direction of movement atheism. Invocation: Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy American Atheist Convention: https://convention.atheists.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhojzBRC3ARIsAGtNtHX4...

My guest this week is Iona Italia (@IonaItalia), cohost of the Two for Tea podcast and a frequent contributor at sites like letterwiki. We discuss her book on Argentinian Tango, our shared belief that free will is an illusion, and our divergent views on intersectionality. Invocation: David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest Iona's book: https://www.amazon.com/Our-Tango-World-vol-1-Community/dp/19997551...

My guest this week is Jason Lee Byas, a PhD student in political philosophy at University of Michigan. We discuss Libertarianism as a form of radical liberalism, how it has lost its way in the Trump era, and what can be done to turn it around. Invocation: Jindrich Styrsky, Emilie přichází ke mně ve snu Radical liberalism: The Soul of Libertarianism: https://c4ss.org/content/49939 Editing by Brian...

My guest this week is Elizabeth Barnes, a professor of philosophy at the glorious University of Virginia. We discuss her book The Minority Body and the challenges she has encountered when engaging with other philosophers on the lives of disabled individuals. We also break new ground in the emerging sub-discipline of doggo metaphysics. Elizabeth's homepage: https://elizabethbarnesphilosophy.weebly....

My guest is Donnchadh O'Conaill, a post-doc researcher at the University of Frizbourg. We discuss a new project he's working on called "The Subject of Experience: The significance of its Metaphysical Nature in the Philosophy of Mind". We discuss how the project aims to give an account of the self as a substance, which means this episode joins our controversial views library alongside logical posit...

My guest this week is Jesse McWilliams, who reached out to discuss his work on Black Metal philosophy and environmental harm assessment. We look at the day to day work of environmental preservation and why Scandanavians love Black Metal so much. Jesse's Black Metal work: http://amoeba.blue/research/voyd_mms_2_2_2016.pdf Jesse's Environmental work: http://amoeba.blue/research/ascfk_wrstsd_13_4_2017...

My guest this week is Ron Purser (@ronpurser), author of McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality. We discuss the commodifying of mindfulness and the Invocation: A life in Vain by Ono no komachi (translation by Peter MacMillon) http://www.thehypertexts.com/Ono%20no%20Komachi%20English%20Translations.htm Editing by Brian Ziegenhagen, check out his pod: http://youarehere...

My guest this week is Buster Benson (@buster), author of Why Are We Yelling?: The Art of Productive Disagreement. We discuss discussions and Buster's preferred methods for untangling confusions. Invocation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassandra Editing by Brian Ziegenhagen, check out his pod: http://youarehere.libsyn.com/s02e02-rex-manning-day?fbclid=IwAR2L2_YIJvQpcw0nx6nTSfz0GmyJ1DtWsF--vvdI9W1...

My guest this week is Brenda Goodman, a mediator with a Masters in Gerontology and a lifelong interest in aging and death. We work through some of the practical and personal questions Brenda would use in her services as a death doula. Invocation: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47652/because-i-could-not-stop-for-death-479 Death Doula Resources: https://www.inelda.org/category/inelda-article...

My guest this week is Brenda Goodman, a mediator with a Masters in Gerontology and a lifelong interest in aging and death. We discuss how she became interested in these culturally taboo issues and what she learned from her Death Doula training course. Part two will involve her asking me some of the preparation questions about death. Invocation: Death from Sandman Death Doula Resources: https://www...

My guest this week is Bryan Van Norden (@BryanVanNorden), a prolific author and advocate for developing Western philosophy departments beyond their Eurocentric habits. We talk about the value of non-western philosophy generally and dive into Confucianism in particular. Invocation: Confucius Editing by Brian Ziegenhagen, check out his pod: http://youarehere.libsyn.com/s02e02-rex-manning-day?fbclid=...