The Labyrinth: critical theory, culture, and politics

Plastic Pills episode mentioned: Here

A few sound bites… from my episode.

“We spend life learning how to lose everything. And then we die. Where we’ve truly lost everything.”

“Life is like watching a show where we never get to see the f*****g end.”

“And in the end, we spend our life telling ourselves that everything is going to be fine.”

“Man has built up the rational world by his own efforts, but there remains within him an undercurrent of violence. Nature herself is violent, and however reasonable we may grow we may be mastered anew by a violence no longer that of nature but that of a rational being who tries to obey but who succumbs to stirring within himself which he cannot bring to heel.” — Bataille, Eroticism

“The relationship between capitalism and eco-disaster is neither coincidental nor accidental: capital’s ‘need of a constantly expanding market’, its ‘growth fetish’, means that capitalism is by its very nature opposed to any notion of sustainability.”—Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism

“Capital is an abstract parasite, an insatiable vampire and zombie maker; but the living flesh it converts into dead labor is ours, and the zombies it makes are us.” — Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism

“It’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.”

“The role of capitalist ideology is not to make an explicit case for something in the way that propaganda does, but to conceal the fact that the operations of capital do not depend on any sort of subjectively assumed belief. It is impossible to conceive of fascism or Stalinism without propaganda — but capitalism can proceed perfectly well, in some ways better, without anyone making a case for it.”—Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism

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The essence of the theme for this episode: If we begin seeing that the system or the political is what produces the individual or our concept of the personal...then we realize the personal or the individual has never really existed.

Plastic Pills stream mentioned: here

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This is an episode of the podcast where I use this clipped discussion by the podcast Lex Fridman and the author of Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind by Annaka Harris (partner of Sam Harris) to open a discussion around the self, the idea of it being an illusion, and our sense of will.

Anyway, I’ve always been hesitant in using the language of “illusion” around the sense of self, as I think it can have an unintended spiral effect that is not always helpful for the person coming into a certain “realization.”

Why?

The self is a default mode of being. The self is what we use to operate within the world. Our “self” is interacting with billions of other-selves…it might not always be best to call this an illusion, especially with our understanding of illusion in a modern context.

I discuss more in the episode:)

* The self becomes you that is created by the subjective experiences of an individual.

* The self exists in some essence and interacts with the universe and the world around us, thus it is constantly moving and flowing and being influenced by our inner state and the external reality. The self flows with the tides of experience.

“Our experience of consciousness is so intrinsic to who we are, we rarely notice that something mysterious is going on. Consciousness is experience itself, and it is therefore easy to miss the profound question staring us in the face in each moment: Why would any collection of matter in the universe be conscious?” — Annaka Harris

The clip the audio is from: here

A Philosopher’s Stone Letter

Stay curious, Brenden

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"I would say that in my scientific and philosophical work, my main concern has been with understanding the nature of reality in general and of consciousness in particular as a coherent whole, which is never static or complete, but which is in an unending process of movement and unfoldment." — David Bohm

“That in language our message comes to us from the Other, and—to state the rest of the principle—in an inverted from. (Let me remind you that this principle applied to its own enunciation since, although I proposed it, it received its finest formulation from another, an eminent interlocutor.)” — Jacques Lacan

“Now this register—I dare think I need not go back over this—is situated somewhere else altogether: at the very foundation of intersubjectivity. It is situated where the subject can grasp nothing bu the very subjectivity that constitutes an Other as an absolute.” — Jacques Lacan

Stay curious.

A Philosopher’s Stone

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For more posts, dream journals, dream analyses, and weird fiction...https://aphilosophersstone.substack.com/

“Everything exists; nothing exists. Either formula affords a like serenity. The man of anxiety, to his misfortune, remains between them, trembling and perplexed, forever at the mercy of a nuance, incapable of gaining a foothold in the security of being or in the absence of being.” — E. M. Cioran

“It is our discomforts which provoke, which create consciousness; their task accomplished, they weaken and disappear one after the other. Consciousness however remains and survives them, without recalling what it owes to them, without even ever having known. Hence, it continually proclaims its autonomy, its sovereignty, even when it loathes itself and would do away with itself.” — E. M. Cioran

Although things exist external from our perception (probably), I cannot help but fixate on the endless question of how our interpretations influence our every interaction we have in this world, from our political beliefs, our relationships, our views on God, and how a society ought to be run. And yet, we cannot become endlessly fixated on those interpretations, as when we face this great mystery, we often find ourselves feeling lost and alone. We worry about the future and dwell on the past. We strive for success and fear failure. We yearn for love and dread rejection.

Maybe the consciousness we have knows only itself: everything outside of it becomes but matter for its exercise. Part of it does that, yes, however, our consciousness still falls back into only being able to know itself. So, it disdains all that is not strictly necessary for this exercise, and forgets the doubts as soon as possible…

We come into awareness of being conscious, yet we seek to become more conscious still…

For in the endless riddles of life, there is always something new to learn, some deeper truth to be discovered…some new dichotomy to be found and inevitably overcome.

The eternal becoming continues.

Also, I would love to hear from you…what are your questions? What do you think of the ambient sounds included in the episode? And anything else you’d like to say…I’ll include a link to submit this: here

With love.

Stay curious.

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In this one, I try to use Teal Swan as a background for a conversation around memory, trauma, created narratives, pain, and the spiritual experience, and gurus…I hope you like it:)

Who is Teal Swan?

“The best way to describe Teal Swan is as an American spiritual leader. Though she maintains in The Deep End that she never sought to become a leader, her current career started around 2011. That’s when she published her first book, The Sculptor in the Sky, and launched her YouTube channel. From there, her popularity soared. Today, Teal Swan’s YouTube page has 1.25 million followers, her Instagram has 607,000 followers, and she has hosted numerous events for her followers. She is not a licensed mental help therapist.”

“Gizmodo also uncovered that Swan actively targets people online who are struggling with their mental health. While Swan does encourage people who are struggling with suicidal thoughts to reach out for help, she also teaches about suicide it in a way many feel is dangerous to people already in crisis.”

— Decider

For your further deep dive…

Psychologist Analyzes Swan’s Trauma Treatment

The Deep End (Documentary about Teal Swan)

The Gateway: Teal Swan

“"What it boils down to is that I'm teaching truth. I'm the one that'll tell you how it is whether or not you're able to handle it," Swan herself explains. "I lack the capacity to stand on the stage and be like, 'This is wonderful, just soak up the good vibes!' when I'm like, 'You are literally in a chain of addiction right now. But if you come to me, you will watch transformation take place.'" —Teal Swan. Source: Salon

“Some of the childhood abuse Teal says she experienced was Satanic Ritual Abuse, repressed memories she uncovered while working with therapist Barbara Snow, a central figure in the Satanic Panic of the 80s. Snow has been accused of employing scientifically unsound techniques to inspire children to testify they’d experienced Satanic Ritual Abuse and popularizing the concept, a situation that lead to the wrongful imprisonment of many (like these four Latina lesbians in Texas). To add insult to injury, the fact that doctors like Snow were found to have summoned false memories through questionable practices (like offering children candy to agree they’d experienced certain things) has since been weaponized by people attempting to discredit survivor’s true allegations of abuse when their memories of what happened aren’t crystal-clear.” — Autostraddle

A Quote I found thoughtful…. “Everything exists; nothing exists. Either formula affords a like serenity. The man of anxiety, to his misfortune, remains between them, trembling and perplexed, forever at the mercy of a nuance, incapable of gaining a foothold in the security of being or in the absence of being.” — E.M. Cioran

For more paid subscriber benefits, see—

* Chapter 4: The Deer and The Boy | The origins of Our Inner Will

* Chapter 3: The Theater of My Doppelgangers

With love,

Stay curious.

If you enjoyed this letter…leave a heart and comment your thoughts…let’s chat:)

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Bonus content...

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Bonus feed on Apple Podcasts

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendenslabyrinth.substack.com/subscribe

Bonus content...

Writing: https://aphilosophersstone.substack.com/

Bonus feed on Apple Podcasts

Patreon Bonus Feed: https://www.patreon.com/thephilosophyguy

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendenslabyrinth.substack.com/subscribe

Bonus content...

Writing: https://aphilosophersstone.substack.com/

Bonus feed on Apple Podcasts

Patreon Bonus Feed: https://www.patreon.com/thephilosophyguy

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendenslabyrinth.substack.com/subscribe

Bonus content...Writing: https://aphilosophersstone.substack.com/Bonus feed on Apple PodcastsPatreon Bonus Feed: https://www.patreon.com/thephilosophyguy

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendenslabyrinth.substack.com/subscribe