Fascinating!: Deconstructing Conventional Wisdom to See the World with New Clarity

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Rik from Planet Vulcan draws a straight line from the mindset and the actions of white European colonialists in the 19th Century to the mindset and the actions of would-be intelligent designers in our own time, particularly within the Progressive movement that began in the late nineteenth century and continues to this day.  Rik notes that in these two cases, and i...

Send us Fan Mail Does Warren Buffett truly pay less income tax than his secretary?  In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan questions the narrative that high earners do not pay their fair share of the income tax by proposing a different perspective, while also arguing that on another level the argument is moot anyway, because income ought not to be taxed in any case - there are alt...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating! Rik from Planet Vulcan discusses the substance and the history of modern anarchist thinking, from its beginnings in the nineteenth century where opposition to the state was combined with opposition to capitalism, to twentieth century developments in anarchist thinking, where opposition to the legitimacy of the state is combined with free-market capi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating! , Rik from Planet Vulcan dissects the belief that taxing corporate income is a fair and just way to hold corporations accountable. With wit and sharp analysis, Rik unpacks the misconception that corporations are somehow separate entities that can be taxed without consequence. Instead, he explains that corporations are merely legal constructs—a “nexu...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan takes us on a deep dive into the life and enduring influence of John Maynard Keynes, one of the most significant figures in modern economics. From his privileged upbringing in upper-middle-class England to his groundbreaking work during the Great Depression, Keynes shaped what we now know as macroeconomics. But was Keynes’ in...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan delves into the brilliant mind of Nobel laureate James M. Buchanan, whose Public Choice theory flips the romanticized view of selfless government on its head. Buchanan argued that politicians and bureaucrats, just like market participants, are driven by self-interest—because, let’s face it, they’re human too. With sharp wit a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan examines one of Earth’s most intriguing phenomena—religious conversion—through a lens you didn’t see coming: Marxism. Inspired by tales like Saul’s blinding light on the road to Damascus, Rik dives into how the radicalized vision of Marxists mirrors religious awakening. With Vulcan wit and dry humor, we explore how moments of...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan explores the concept of secularism as Earth’s most intelligent meme—a rare idea that just might help this planet’s diverse inhabitants peacefully coexist. Secularism, often misunderstood as a rival religion, is more like a cosmic DMZ, where everyone can practice their faith without insisting others join their club. But alas,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan takes us on a journey through the marginal revolution—a seismic shift in economic thought led by the likes of Carl Menger and his brilliant contemporaries. By introducing the concept of marginal utility, these economists buried the labor theory of value and sparked a revolution that still shapes how Earthlings understand mark...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan delves into the genius of blockchain technology—the decentralized, self-organizing system that powers cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. As Rik explains, blockchain’s ability to function without a central authority echoes the natural phenomena seen across the universe, much to the dismay of Earth’s central planners. With a nod to...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan turns his attention to the ill-fated Biosphere II project, also known as the Biodome—a grand attempt to create a closed ecological system that could sustain life independently. With dry wit and Vulcan logic, Rik dissects the project’s ultimate failure, highlighting the limitations of intelligent design thinking when confronte...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan dissects the life and legacy of Karl Marx, one of Earth’s most influential yet controversial figures. Marx’s ideas, which sparked revolutions and shaped the 20th century, were rooted in his belief that all of history is a history of class struggles. With characteristic wit, Rik explores Marx’s fixation on the labor theory of...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan, along with guest editor Otto Didact, flips the Necker Cube on the debate around Universal Basic Income (UBI). While many noble minds perched on high proclaim UBI as the solution to end scarcity and reduce societal stress, Rik and Otto ask a fundamental question: Is UBI just a softer, friendlier version of slavery? Or as Otto...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan, along with senior editor Prego de Nada, unpacks yet another disastrous social engineering project: the student loan crisis. With dry humor and keen analysis, Rik walks us through the history of student loans, which began as a small, well-intentioned but panic-driven initiative under the National Defense Education Act. Origin...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan takes a critical look at a recent discussion between Sam Harris and legal scholar Cass Sunstein on the role of government in combating misinformation. With his signature dry wit, Rik explores the unsettling idea that government agencies should suppress “misinformation” on social media, pointing out the slippery slope of trust...

Send us Fan Mail It's high time Earthlings threw off the shackles of unearned guilt which makes them vulnerable to moral blackmail.  Recognize it for what it is, and DO NOT PAY - it only encourages them.

Send us Fan Mail A review of the essays published during Season 3 of Fascinating!  

Send us Fan Mail Some academics have taken the idea of social construction to some pretty flaky places, but that doesn't mean we should ignore it entirely.  Properly understood, and reconciled with evolutionary thinking, this idea can produce valuable insights.

Send us Fan Mail Conventional thinking tells us that the self is something that mostly gets in the way of ethical behavior.  The argument that ego is illusory seems to be an attempt to support the widespread notion that right-thinking Earthlings must deny the self in order to be moral.   Let's examine this conventional thinking in light of evolutionary thinking.

Send us Fan Mail How concerned should we truly be about the increasing use of machine technology to amplify human intelligence? In this essay, senior contributing editor Prego de Nada argues that in spite of widely publicized concerns, the news is mostly not just good, but very good.

Send us Fan Mail Evolutionary thinking is the scientific alternative to intelligent-design thinking.  Most Earthlings, however, are still not aware of the nature and the scope of evolutionary thinking, and of how pervasive intelligent-design thinking still is. Have a look.

Send us Fan Mail "Ardnassac" is Cassandra spelt backwards.  In ancient Greek mythology, Cassandra made accurate prophesies but nobody believed her.  We now have Ardnassac, aka Paul R. Ehrlich, who makes mistaken prophesies, but everybody continues believing him.

Send us Fan Mail A comparison of the Celtic Way of Golf with the Buddhist Way of Golf, and some discussion of the practice of meditation.

Send us Fan Mail What exactly was redlining supposed to do, and how did it get started?  Another sad lesson from an attempt at social engineering.

Send us Fan Mail A proposal for how we ought to view the morality of capital punishment.