Alexander Schmid Podcast

In this first segment, Mr. Wesley Schantz and I enter the professional development arena. Inside we offer (a) a tandem-reading of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven," (b) a robust analysis of the mythological and psychological symbolism within the poem, and (c) an honest offer of analysis and guidance through this poem for teachers young and old.

In this episode of Consilience Conversations, Dr. Matt Roos and I discuss (a) Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff's "The Coddling of the American Mind," and their list of cognitive distortions; (b) we consider concept creep, the figure of Medusa in mythology, and how both relate to trauma as well. We conclude with (c) a discussion of how much more sophisticated our general educational, social, and political discourse can be based on current data in science as well.

In this episode of Potter's Pockets, Ms. Sarah Miller, Mr. Wes Schantz, and I delve into Chs. 4, "The Leaky Cauldron," and 5, "The Dementor." We discuss (a) the transforming social and individual dynamics between Harry, Ron, and Hermione; (b) the necessity of facing one's own darkness during one's education, and (c) the value and use of communal dining to the expansion and stabilizing of a community/society.

In this episode of Side-Quests, Mr. Wesley Schantz and I (a) talk about the necessity of a shared "bounded space" to develop a meaningful and fun game. We then consider (b) the path of the hero and relate that to the symbolic nature of materia, and (c) finally we consider the changing and blending nature of Eastern and Western technologies, stories, and thus mythologies (manifestations of being in embodied form).

In this new episode, Ms. Sarah Miller, Mr. Wes Schantz, and I continue into the third volume of the Harry Potter collection: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban! Today, we consider (1) new beginnings, owls, and birthdays, (2) differing family dynamics, types of families, and the goals of families, and (3) how is Harry still acting similarly to Lord Voldemort? What is the Knight Bus? And is there more diversity produced within in-groups or between them?

In this episode, Mr. Wes Schantz and I consider: (a) The Midgar Zolom (serpent), and its Christian/Anti-Christian mythological significance; (b) the image of the "crucified dragon," and (c) symbols of transformation (Zolom, Chocobo, Condor, Sea-Serpent) manifesting along Cloud's new path.

In this new segment, Neuroscientist Dr. Matt Roos and I discuss the newly emerging relationship between hard science and the humanities, the relationship between story, emotion, and the ancient brain, and the evolutionary/neuroscientific reasons for the existence of the confirmation bias.

In this episode of Potter's Pockets, Ms. Sarah Miller, Mr. Wesley Schantz, and I follow Harry Potter into the Chamber of Secrets. We consider (a) the meaning of talking monsters, (b) the differences between the path of the hero and villain, and (c) conclude with a consideration of the fundamental differences between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Abel and Cain, and Christ and Lucifer!

In this episode of Side-Quests, we lose a party member, but strive forward. (a) We talk about the reminiscences of Cloud in Kalm, (b) the unreal power of Sephiroth, and (c) the power of anomaly to change the course of one's existence and role in the world, fictional or otherwise.

In this episode, Mr. Vincent Reese, Mr. Wes Schantz and I talk about the ascent up the Shinra building; the appearance of Sephiroth, and the escape from Midgar. Broad connections between Gnosticism, Buddhism, and Christianity abound!