Death! Dread! Meaning! In the latest installment of “Books You Haven’t Read,” Eric leads Trevor through a discussion of some excerpts from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Idiot on awaiting executions, having epileptic seizures, and doing good in the world.

Full text of The Idiot available for free below; we discuss Part 1 Chapter 5 (p. 73), Part 2 Chapter 5 (p. 324), and Part 3 Chapter 6 (p. 580).

https://www.planetebook.com/free-ebooks/the-idiot.pdf

“The Unreality of Time” by J.M.E. McTaggart - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unreality_of_Time

Are Space and Time interchangeable?

https://www.physicsoftheuniverse.com/topics_relativity_spacetime.html

How long does the head remain conscious after beheading?

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/decapitation-survive-speak-anne-boleyn-henry-viii-conscious-brain-a8886126.html

DMT - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N,N-Dimethyltryptamine#:~:text=N%2CN%2DDimethyltryptamine%20(DMT,ritual%20purposes%20as%20an%20entheogen.

Dostoyevsky’s epilepsy - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/for-dostoevsky-epilepsy-was-a-matter-of-both-life-and-literature

Counterpoint - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpoint

Terrence McKenna Wired article = https://www.wired.com/2000/05/mckenna/

Neurons changing their DNA - https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/landmark-study-shows-brain-cells-revamp-their-dna-make-new-proteins-perhaps-sparking#:~:text=Scientists%20have%20seen%20hints%20that,than%20the%20cells%20around%20them.

Existentialism - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaDvRdLMkHs

The Stranger - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stranger_(Camus_novel)

Intro Music - "Sum Over Paths" by Eric Mulhern

Bumper and Outro Music - "In the Embers of Existence" by Eric Mulhern

Are we living in a simulation? If we are, do we have free will? Are simulations the same as dreams? We explore the Simulation Argument presented in the paper by Nick Bostrom.

References:

Simulation Argument: https://www.simulation-argument.com/simulation.pdf

Outro Music — Moss by Eric Mulhern: https://soundcloud.com/faero/1-moss-1

Is science based in intuition?  Can we trust logic?  What do psychedelics have to do with culture and feminism? We explore the ideas of renowned ethnobotanist & psychonaut Terence McKenna.

References:

McKenna on intuition: https://youtu.be/YTOZn7ZMacU

Transistors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor

A computer cannot simulate itself: https://wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/2014/09/15/could-scientists-perfectly-simulate-the-entire-universe-in-a-computer-down-to-the-last-atom/

Inteligence is compression of information:

Emergence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergence

Slime Mold: https://www.ted.com/talks/heather_barnett_what_humans_can_learn_from_semi_intelligent_slime?language=en

NP-Complete: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/210829/what-is-an-np-complete-in-computer-science#:~:text=NP%2DComplete%20means%20the%20problem,solution%20to%20all%20NP%20problems.

ASI Singularity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity

What it's like to be a bat episode: https://www.post-wave.com/11-whats-it-like-to-be-a-bat

Quantum field theory: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/quantum-field-theory/#:~:text=Quantum%20Field%20Theory%20(QFT)%20is,matter%20physics%20and%20statistical%20mechanics.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwhere_(novel)

Paul Stamets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Stamets

Outro music — Dreaming of Zeno by Trevor Villwock: https://soundcloud.com/trevor-villwock/dreaming-of-zeno

How can we have the greatest impact on the world? Does it even make sense to try? We explore the concept of Effective Altruism through Will MacAskill's groundbreaking book 'Doing Good Better'.

References:

Doing Good Better by Will MacAskill: https://www.effectivealtruism.org/doing-good-better/

Animal Liberation by Peter Singer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Liberation_(book)

Aidan Cook - Harris mic grab: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/06/02/three-years-after-rushing-bernie-sanders-event-animal-rights-activist-takes-mic

80,000 Hours: https://80000hours.org/

History of Fine Dining: http://donlehmanjr.com/Restaurant/Dining%20History/hfd3.htm

Joe Rogan: http://podcasts.joerogan.net/ 

Ayn Rand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayn_Rand

Happiness across income brackets: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-exactly-how-much-money-you-need-to-be-truly-happy-earning-more-wont-help-2018-02-14

Mark 10-25: https://biblehub.com/mark/10-25.htm

Outro music: Moss by Eric Mulhern

What is Ultimate Reality? We react to an interview by PBS' Closer to Truth with Dr. Lothar Schafer, accredited Quantum Chemist and philosopher. 

References:

Lothar Schafer Interview on Closer to Truth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwkCXjRn2NA

Hyperspace by Michio Kaku: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperspace_(book)

Electrons jump between orbitals instantaneously: https://wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/2014/06/18/how-can-an-electron-leap-between-atomic-levels-without-passing-through-all-the-space-in-between/#:~:text=An%20atomic%20electron%20spreads%20out,wave%20shapes%20called%20%22orbitals%22.&text=But%20the%20electron%20does%20not,it%20does%20not%20instantaneously%20leap.

Alan Watts on the Big Bang: https://youtu.be/ZYffSEV7pdw

Ben Gortzel: https://youtu.be/6pcSKBrsDPw

Bill Clinton Scandal "Is": https://slate.com/news-and-politics/1998/09/bill-clinton-and-the-meaning-of-is.html

Predicting random coin flips: https://cocosci.princeton.edu/tom/papers/LabPublications/WilliamsPeopleBadRandom.pdf

Boltzmann brain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boltzmann_brain

Infinite monkey theorem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_monkey_theorem#:~:text=The%20infinite%20monkey%20theorem%20states,complete%20works%20of%20William%20Shakespeare.

Outro music — From Fireflies to Thunderstorms by Eric Mulhern: https://soundcloud.com/faero/from-fireflies-to-thunderstorms

Does free will exist? How do you even define it? We take on this long-debated topic as it relates to volition, perfect vs. imperfect worlds, determinism vs. indeterminism, musical improvisation, moral responsibility, consciousness, and more.

References:

Free Will - https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/freewill/

Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics - https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-manyworlds/

A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawking - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Brief_History_of_Time

Perpetual Motion Machine - https://www.britannica.com/science/perpetual-motion

Heat Death of The Universe - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_death_of_the_universe

Counterfactuals - https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/counterfactuals/

Libet experiment - https://www.informationphilosopher.com/freedom/libet_experiments.html

Gut feeling - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-second-brain/

The Lick - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krDxhnaKD7Q

                  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lick

Intro, bumper, and outro music - lattice for climbing, composed and performed by Trevor Villwock (trumpet and electronics)

Why do we read? What makes us feel like we 'should' read? Why do we leave books unread & unfinished? We talk with librarian Marco Daniels about books and reading.

References:

Oak Bluffs Public Library: https://oakbluffslibrary.org/

Mortal Questions by Thomas Nagel:https://books.google.com/books/about/Mortal_Questions.html?id=7T1dAAAAQBAJ

Skinner Box: https://psychology.uiowa.edu/comparative-cognition-laboratory/glossary/skinner-box#:~:text=A%20Skinner%20Box%20is%20a,the%20chamber%20as%20a%20reinforcer.

The Man Without Qualities - Robert Meusel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Without_Qualities

Incompleteness by Godel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del%27s_incompleteness_theorems

Godel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstadter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach

Principia Mathematica by Bertrand Russell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principia_Mathematica#:~:text=The%20Principia%20Mathematica%20(often%20abbreviated,1910%2C%201912%2C%20and%201913.&text=PM%20is%20not%20to%20be,1903%20The%20Principles%20of%20Mathematics.

I am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_a_Strange_Loop

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_Jest

The Idiot by Dostsoevsky: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Idiot

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Heaven_(novel)

Outro Music — Coalfire by Eric Mulhern: https://www.instagram.com/marthas_vineyard_music_lessons/

What can our dreams tell us about ourselves? We discuss dreams — lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis and more, and share some of our experiences with them.

Refrences:

Mind Reading Visuals: https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-invented-a-mind-reading-machine-that-can-visualise-your-thoughts-kind-of

Ben Goertzel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Goertzel

Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_LaBerge#Lucid_dreaming_education_and_facilitation

David Blaine Ascension: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwzvNAAqH3g

Acid f=Flashback: https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-08/fyi-can-acid-trip-really-give-you-flashbacks/

DMT Released When Dreaming: https://www.beckleyfoundation.org/2017/07/05/do-our-brains-produce-dmt-and-if-so-why/

Psychedelics & Default Mode Network: https://psychedelicstoday.com/2020/02/04/psychedelics-and-the-default-mode-network/

Intrinsic by The Contortionist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89vxiQ46MLk

Bill Hicks - Positive Drug Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdatGhm_WE4

Inception: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/

the i.l.y's - Articulate (Im Going So Far Into You): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVauoeybuzs

Eric's Dream Journal: https://dreamingwithfaero.blogspot.com/

We talk about some of the ways that the current Covid-19 pandemic has impacted our lives as musicians and teachers as well as the performing arts industry in general.

References: 

Esquire article - https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a32360709/coronavirus-music-industry/

Spotify CEO comments - https://musically.com/2020/07/30/spotify-ceo-talks-covid-19-artist-incomes-and-podcasting-interview/

Mastering for Streaming - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiRMYoqU3ys

Loudness Wars - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war

Cygnus… Vismund Cygnus by The Mars Volta - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnw7Hi6iIKE

It’s a Wonderful Life - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Wonderful_Life

Backwards Causation - https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-backwards/

Breakfast of Champions - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakfast_of_Champions

Inversion Ensemble - http://inversionensemble.com/

Tom Scott - https://www.youtube.com/user/enyay

Parasocial Relationships - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasocial_relationship

webcomic name - https://webcomicname.com/

Dorris McComics - https://dorrismccomics.com/

Covid-19 and herd immunity - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/health/coronavirus-herd-immunity.html

Joe Rogan and Spotify - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZKWTXEX2YY

Music - Excerpts from "On Breathing" by Trevor Villwock, performed by:

Kelly Lovelady, conductor

Full performance here: https://soundcloud.com/trevor-villwock/on-breathing

We share our experiences with psychedelics and talk about how they've affected us.

Disclaimer: We do not endorse nor encourage the use of any illicit substances. Psychedelics should be approached with extreme caution and respect.

References:

Ram Dass: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Dass

erowid: https://www.erowid.org/psychoactives/psychoactives.shtml

Post Wave Time: https://www.post-wave.com/episode-2-time

Eric's First Acid Trip: https://erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=114774

Sierra Center for Spiritual Living: http://www.sierracenter.org/

Terence McKenna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eGdKztd4TE

We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbWZjlZ-znU

De-Loused in the Comatorium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De-Loused_in_the_Comatorium

Les Espaces Acoustiques: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXQ5c8GUsUM

The Princess Bride: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093779/

Shostakovich Symphony No 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4feLVLg46k

Language by The Contortionist: https://thecontortionistband.bandcamp.com/album/language

Bon Iver 22, A Million: https://boniver.bandcamp.com/album/22-a-million

Leonard Bernsein Mass: https://leonardbernstein.com/works/view/12/mass-a-theatre-piece-for-singers-players-and-dancers

Microdosing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microdosing

Alex Grey: https://www.alexgrey.com/art

Douglass Harding: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Harding