Lost in Thought

In light of the recent (proposed) price increases for humanities degrees in Australia, I thought I'd make an episode to reflect on what this could actually mean. Can the price increases be justified? Are they a waste of time? (What the f do you think!?) Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/join/alekslistens — for more of my work, visit https://www.aleks.co...

Aleks Listens turned ONE yesterday. So, I decided to sit down and think about what I've discovered about myself, and about others. Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/join/alekslistens — for more of my work, visit https://www.aleks.co — or follow me on instagram @alekslistens https://www.instagram.com/alekslistens — or subscribe on YouTube ~~~~ sending lo...

Today I talk about normativity and what it means and what it is and why you should know about it and why you should care about it. That's pretty much everything.

Today I discuss whether or not we can draw a clear line between morality and the act of giving. Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon — or follow me on instagram @alekslistens — or subscribe on YouTube — for more of my work, visit https://www.aleks.co ~~~~ sending love your way, Aleks x

I reflect on the past three weeks and its cognitive curveballs. This episode isn't very political, and I don't reflect on acknowledge the impact of world politics on my wellbeing (I'm saving that for my next interview). Instead, this episode is a meditation on what can go wrong when you're overwhelmed, and some things that I've been doing to stay afloat. Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it...

Today I spoke with Greg Restall, Professor of Philosophy and Logic at The University of Melbourne. The conversation began with me asking Greg to explain what 'Philosophical Logic' even is. Then, we moved onto some stuff about how we ought to think about the relationship between logic and belief, why thought and social progress is at risk of (if it isn't already enduring) a steep decline, where we...

Existentialism is one of the most important elements of Being a person. Whether we like it or not, we are constantly grappling with existential questions — What does it mean to be? Who am I? How free am I? What impact does history/culture/society have on me? These are the kinds of things I talk about in this episode. The amazing artwork is by my friend Jericho. You can find him @jericho_marcel or...

Today I spoke with Steph. Steph is one of my closest friends. We talk about power dynamics in relationships, what it's like having Dads who want to tell you What and Who to Become, why we think freedom is good, and what value we have drawn from meditation. You can find Steph on instagram @gutgrenade. Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/join/alekslistens —...

Following up on the conclusion that I reached at the end of my last episode (that free will exists as a strange conscious illusion), I try to answer questions of being morally responsible, having personhood, and making decisions in light of our apparently illusory free will. Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/join/alekslistens — for more of my work, visi...

Day 6.02x10^23 of iso and I'm seeing pretty colours and talking about free-will and its philosophical foundations. I try to define free will and determinism (and fatalism (and don't fkn get them confused!)). I also try to talk about bananas and showering in a way that is novel, exciting, fruitful and replenishing. I also ask myself whether I have any freedom to talk in the way that I do. Enjoying...

Today I sat down and reflected on the relationship between preventable human suffering, wealth, and doing the right thing. This episode is based on an essay by Peter Singer called "Famine, Affluence, and Morality" written in 1972. Essentially, Singer claims that it is a moral requirement for us to minimise preventable human suffering if we are in a position where donating to effective charities wi...

Today I sat down (over Zoom haha!) with comedian/presenter/podcaster/coolguy Tom Ballard. We spoke about the way the West has responded to profound changes in its structure (9/11, the Global Financial Crisis/Great Recession, Covid-19), the ways in which various lefty/socialist policies can promote freedom and idleness, and the ways that we can think engaging with people who have different beliefs...

Today I sit down and think about the ethical ambiguity of being or not being born into wealth and privilege. What does it even mean to have had a super elite education (mommy and daddy paying $20k a year for the first 18 years of your life (+a VW Golf for your 17th birthday!...)? What does it mean to know that you have a permanent financial safety net? And finally, what does it mean to have none o...

Today I analyse one of the most important essays of the 20th century - Bertrand Russell's "In Praise of Idleness". Russell's essay speaks volumes about the way we privileged people (with time, freedom, money (relative) and choice) ought to reflect on the way we use our money, the way we consume, the way we use our idle/free time, and the way we think about labour. I analysed the essay through vari...

Hey. Today I ruminated on the way we are when things get weird. What the hell does that mean? Ok. Well. It means that I have realised that we act in a particular way until things are on our doorstep. It also means that I have realised that we have a particular relationship with to our bodies/other bodies and this has been radically changed in recent times. Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support i...

Hello. Have you thought about your dating life recently? Do you have a dating life? Does coronavirus mean that we (single people) have to enter into a weird kind of celibacy? Today I sat down and thought about this kinda stuff. I also spoke about how we ought to think about Being indoors and what this will mean for the future of work. Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon, https://...

Hey. Today I had a long conversation with my friend Jeff. We spoke about what it's like coming from a family who from 'elsewhere' and the personal, social and economic implications this has. We spoke about our difficulty aligning ourselves with the 'Australian' national identity. We then moved onto some kinda philosophical/existential stuff - are we living in a simulation... can consciousness be u...

*Trigger Warning - this ep contains heavy mental-health themes* Hey. I was very hesitant to release an episode like this (coz I'm also paranoid about my privacy??????) but here it is anyway. Today I talk about my experiences with depression, antidepressants, isolation, psychiatry, and establishing a strong support network. Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon, https://www.patreon....

Hey. So, I sat down and tried to clarify some of the most fundamental questions about consciousness: What is consciousness? What are the requirements for something to be said to be conscious? Is our knowledge restricted to what we know of our own experience? How can we communicate our subjective experiences of consciousness to others? Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon, https://...

In this episode, I had the honour of speaking with the world's foremost authority on cults, sects, and minority religions - Prof. Eileen Barker OBE FBA of LSE (London School of Economics). Eileen has been studying cults etc for 50 years (wow!!!!!!!!). We spoke about why people join 'cults' (and other related groups), what function they serve in society, whether there will always be cult-ish groups...

This is a rerun of a conversation my dear friend Liam and I had with Australian comedian, TV host, and activist Tom Ballard (March 2019). We spoke about the weird mix of trying to be conscious of your participation in a neoliberal model but also relying on it for support. We also spoke about the importance of taking risks and being transparent with your politics on the platforms you have access to...

Hey. Today I sat in front of the microphone with no guidance or plan. What materialised was an exploration of the purpose of this podcast, a criticism of Linkedin and all those slippery corporate-climbing characters, and then a rumination on the shortcomings of various nut milks. Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/join/alekslistens — for more of my work,...

Hey. In this episode, I explore the relationship between productivity, capitalism, social media, and purpose. Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/join/alekslistens — for more of my work, visit https://www.aleks.co — or follow me on instagram @alekslistens https://www.instagram.com/alekslistens — or subscribe on YouTube ~~~~ sending love your way, Aleks

Hey. This podcast is also on YouTube with my face and all. Today I spoke about hedonism. I discussed what it means for something to constitute wellbeing, I explored the phenomenology of pleasure, and I made a conclusion about freedom being a core component of all hedonistic theories. Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/join/alekslistens — for more of my w...

Hey. This was originally recorded as a video, watch it on Youtube if you like. Anyway, Day 4 of self-isolation for me. I've been doing a lot of thinking about what the impact of Coronavirus has been so far. I asked and explored a few questions in this episode: What has Coronavirus meant for us as individuals? What has it meant for our sense of belonging? Why do we struggle so much to be apart from...