Into the Absurd

An analysis of David Foster Wallace's "E Unibus Pluram", a thorough critique of US fiction and televisual culture written in the early 1990's. 

Outro provided by Brock Tanya.

"All men are created equal." Sure, under the eyes of the law, this decree is necessary in creating a just, fair, and civil state. However, if taken literally, we are ultimately defining all people as the same--with no differences. This alienates the individual from themselves and gives them no reason for the pursuit for self-knowledge. In this episode, we will dissect the claim that "All men are created equal" and its implications. This will serve as an introduction for some later works on mass media and televisual culture as well as self-knowledge. 

Outro provided by Brock Tanya 

An analysis on Sturgill Simpson's "Make Art Not Friends" from his album Sound and Fury. I bring up Jung's ideas on weights and measures as it relates the the value and desires of the individual versus the herd and Nietzsche's ideas on art and being misunderstood. 

Check out Sturgill's "Make Art Not Friends" here: https://youtu.be/U0-mjAB_Mig

Outro provided by Brock Tanya. 

Dr. Terry Soule is the computer science department chair at the University of Idaho, as well as a professor and video game designer. We discussed the ethical implications of artificial intelligence/automation, consciousness and the development of such, and evolution from a technological standpoint. 

Outro provided by Brock Tanya.  

For every solution, there is but another problem.

Ted Kaczynski was a philosopher, psychologist, mathematician, and unfortunately, domestic terrorist of the late 1900's, who destroyed the lives of multiple people in an attempt to start a revolution against techno-industrial society. His essay, "Industrial Society and its Future", though quite radical, contains amazing insights as to why our society is so broken, why mental health disorders are the norm, and why technological progress will continuously strip away our freedoms as individuals so long as it exists. Though I do not advocate for violence, I do advocate for the understanding of problems and the ability to open one's mind to their potential causes and solutions. With that said, I hope--for a moment--you can open your mind and consider Crazy Uncle Ted's description of industrial society and its future! Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not promote the use of violence, nor justify Ted's violent acts in any way, shape, or form. Additionally, I do not believe, what so ever that leftism is wrong, but rather seek to give people a better understanding of some reasons why leftism, in its extreme form, can lead to grave consequences for humanity--at least in Ted's view.

Outro provided by Brock Tanya.

Information on Ted's life: https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/unabomber

"Industrial Society and its Future" by Ted Kaczynski

For every solution, there is but another problem. 

Ted Kaczynski was a philosopher, psychologist, mathematician, and unfortunately, domestic terrorist of the late 1900's, who destroyed the lives of multiple people in an attempt to start a revolution against techno-industrial society. His essay, "Industrial Society and its Future", though quite radical, contains amazing insights as to why our society is so broken, why mental health disorders are the norm, and why technological progress will continuously strip away our freedoms as individuals so long as it exists. Though I do not advocate violence, I do advocate for the understanding of problems and the ability to open your mind to their potential causes and solutions. With that said, I hope--for a moment--you can open your mind and consider Crazy Uncle Ted's description of industrial society and its future! Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not promote the use of violence, nor justify Ted's violent acts in any way, shape, or form. Additionally, I do not believe, what so ever that leftism is wrong, but rather I seek to give people a better understanding of some reasons why leftism, in its extreme form, can lead to grave consequences for humanity--at least in Ted's view. 

Outro provided by Brock Tanya.

Information on Ted's life: https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/unabomber  

"Industrial Society and its Future" by Ted Kaczynski

They tell you to "be yourself", "listen to yourself", "express yourself"...yet, what happens when you do? Do they scorn you? Do they attack you? Do they tell you that you're acting strange or rude? Indeed, how can one be themselves in a world that wants you to lie--that wants you to be an actor? In this episode, Mynaa Miesnowan and I dive deep into the art of "absolving unto yourself", where we revisit the central themes of Emerson's "Self Reliance" in order to recap on our 8-part series on the essay all about "being yourself" in the most radical way possible. 

Outro provided by Brock Tanya 

Emerson's "Self-Reliance": https://math.dartmouth.edu/~doyle/docs/self/self.pdf 

Express Yourself: https://youtu.be/u31FO_4d9TY