Episode 2! In this episode, Gordon and Rachel dive into the squish and form that is the subject matter of this entire series – EXISTENTIAL. (So this episode is entirely meta-existential, tbh).

They start at the intersections of neurodiversity/neurodivergence and existential, exploring the relationship between academic philosophers, embodied subjective experiences, and fundamental questions of existence. They also dive into frameworks of intelligence and living processing (meaning-making), touching on the relationship between direct experience, symbolism and language, and structure/certainty. Along the way, they drive by and nod to uncertainty, safety, and identity, as well as expectations of others related to questioning and existential inquiry.

That's not all, though! They talk about existential health and the importance of auto-exploration of meaning, developing awareness practices, uncertainty tolerance, and the exploration of one's own "emotional interface." Bringing up the end of the convo is a jam on co-creating mutual understanding as necessary skillset, and the invitation to explore meaning via regular "existential hygine" for better relationships – self with self and self with others.

(Just a few) takeaways

• Neurodiversity paradigm and neurodivergence in relationship to existential intelligence and healthy
• The embodied subjective experience
• The exploration of existential questions as a fundamental aspect of the human experience
• Existential hygiene is the process of updating the operating system and its contents

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Neurodiversity and Existentialism
• 07:02 Exploring Meaning and Subjectivity
• 15:04 Fundamental Questions of Existence
• 22:48 Uncertainty, Safety, and Identity
• 51:02 Existential Hygiene