Lost in Thought

L. A. Paul is a Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science from Yale University. Laurie (or, 'L') and I talk about her recent work on the 'Transformative Experience'. The Transformative Experience interrogates the question of whether we can make 'informed decisions' about things that we have not yet experienced. (For example, can I know that I want to visit city A if I have not yet visited city A? Can I know that I want to eat food B if I have never eaten food B?).We then examine the roles of meditation and of her studies of philosophy in her life. We also consider the role that the Transformative Experience can play in convincing and communicating, and we discuss whether or not Philosophy is worthwhile (intellectually, financially, spiritually, emotionally, and so on). You can learn more about Laurie on her website. Thanks for listening.Love,Aleks

Madison is an activist, poet, producer and writer from Melbourne. She has been published in places like VICE, The Guardian and SBS. Madison and I spoke about our experiences in Melbourne as people of colour, as people raised by migrant parents, as people who sometimes felt as though they existed on the outside. We spoke about cancel culture and social media and their shortcomings. We also spoke about how mental health fits into all of this. Naturally, we ended by having a laugh about online dating. You can find Madison's work here: VICE, The Guardian, SBS, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram. This is a raw and honest conversation. We touched on delicate and upsetting themes of racism, mental health and suicide. If you are concerned about your own health or someone else's, or if you need someone to talk with, visit:Lifeline (24hrs): 13 11 14 - www.lifeline.org.auKids' Helpline (24hrs): 1800 55 1800 - www.kidshelp.com.auBeyondBlue (24hrs): 1300 22 4636 - www.beyondblue.org.auThanks for listening.Love,Aleks

So, what even is 'Aleks Listens'? Aleks Listens will be an interview-based and semi-autobiographical podcast through which I hope to be able to answer questions that have bugged me for a long time. After having spent much time trying to answer these questions myself, I turn to experts and friends to help me find clarity. I will also see what's going on inside me every now and then.The questions that I will ask are mostly about purpose, race, ethics and being, but I'm sure there will be other questions too. I hope you enjoy the show. Thanks for listening.