Lost in Thought

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 @delicatessen____. Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/join/alekslistens — or follow me on instagram @alekslistens https://www.instagram.com/alekslistens — or subscribe on YouTube — for more of my work, visit https://www.aleks.co ~~~~ sending love your way, Aleks

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 — or follow me on instagram @alekslistens https://www.instagram.com/alekslistens — or subscribe on YouTube — for more of my work, visit https://www.aleks.co ~~~~ sending love your way, Aleks

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, 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

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 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

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 will not jeopardise a reasonable level of comfort in our lives. I investigate how realistic and applicable this claim is. 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

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 to us. For more about Tom, visit http://tomballard.com.au — For more about ME (coz I'm a narcissist so I couldn't forget MYSELF ha!), visit MY website https://www.aleks.co — Enjoying Aleks Listens? You can support it on Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/join/alekslistens — or follow me on instagram @alekslistens https://www.instagram.com/alekslistens — or subscribe on YouTube ~~~~ sending love your way, Aleks

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 of these things? 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

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 various lenses. I explored the ethics of consumption and automation, the role of education, Nietzsche's master/slave dichotomy and the necessity of idleness as a mode of connecting with our innermost authentic selves. 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. 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 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

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://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