Exploring the indeterminate nature of truth in the Zhuangzi, the usefulness of uselessness, the foolishness of seeking office, and the advantages of xiaoyaoyou. Mixing translations from Watson, Palmer, Giles & informed by readings/commentary from Ziporyn, Ge Ling Shang & Wing Tsit Chan.

For a general introduction to Spring and Autumn period Chinese philosophy, see the previous regular episode, #127.

I still live, I still think. I still have to live, for I still have to think. Sum ergo cogito, cogito ergo sum.

Updates on the future of the podcast and plans for the New Year. Brief reflections on the past. Official announcement for my course at Acid Horizon Research Commons. Sign up here:

https://www.acidhorizonpodcast.com/2026-classes/p/nietzsches-experiment-with-truth

CONTRIBUTORS:Andrei Georgescu (Artexius)Website: https://andreigeorgescu.ca/

Weltgeist

Craig (Acid Horizon/Lepht Hand)Website: https://www.acidhorizonpodcast.com SIGN UP FOR MY CLASS ON NIETZSCHE (Limited Seating): https://www.acidhorizonpodcast.com/2026-classes/p/nietzsches-experiment-with-truthKarl Nord

Neil (Gnostic Informant)

PF Jung

Tony (1Dime)

Vivienne

Mynaa Miesnowan

Introducing "dao" as a concept in Chinese philosophy. We'll explore the the social & historical context of the Spring and Autumn period. We'll follow A.C. Graham's assertion that the basic question of Chinese philosophy is "where is the way?", and consider the answers given by Confucius, Laozi, Mencius & Xunzi
Sources:
Wing Tsit Chan - A Sourcebook in Chinese Philosophy
A.C. Graham - Disputers of the Tao
Robin Wang - Yin Yang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture
Ge Ling Shang - Liberation as Affirmation: The Religiosity of Zhuangzi and Nietzsche
Holmes Welch - Taoism: The Parting of the Way

Goethe's novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, was Napoleon Bonaparte's favorite novel. In recent years it has become the subject of memes, and the "sensitive young man" archetype. How are we to understand this puzzling development? What is the connection between the Caesarist strongman and the hopeless lover? In this episode, we'll consider the historical background of the work: its inspiration in the story of Karl Wilhelm Jerusalem, the "fever" that swept Europe following its publication, and its controversies. We'll analyze the novel and try to understand Goethe's character as something more than simply a victim of unrequited love. And we'll consider Napoleon's meeting with Goethe and their conversation about the story, as well as some of Goethe's comments about it in conversations with Eckermann.

The first of a series of lectures examining Turchin's work in Ages of Discord, a structural-demographic analysis of American history.
Topics in this episode
- Imperiopathosis: the current situation, its underlying dynamics
- Basics of secular cycles
- Population-elites-state as fundamental factors
- Political Stress Index (PSI) = Mass Mobilization Potential x Elite Mobilization Potential x State Fiscal Distress
- Symptoms of political instability
- Examining symptoms in a past "age of discord": The Gilded Age - The Violent Teens
-Examining symptoms in our own "age of discord": The Turbulent 2020s

Weltgeist's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@WeltgeistYT

In Untimely Reflections #39, we discuss Schopenhauer's view of history, love of fate, and the meaning of life.

My review of Kaag's book about Nietzsche, the Swiss Alps, and the many other philosophers who have spent time in Sils Maria. Overall a good experience, but more of a beginner read. John Kaag provides a relatively faithful analysis of Nietzsche's philosophy in his book, which will not contain many new insights for the advanced Nietzsche reader. There are some interesting parallels he provides between thinkers, however, and some more obscure anecdotes from Nietzsche's life discussed. The work is primarily valuable as a character study of John Kaag himself, as a man who wishes to live dangerously, while married to a Kantian modern world.

The Will to Joy podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0iWF6YMMEriFZ0cE0xhnFN?si=e7ee705bb1814f89

Jimmy's linktree: https://linktr.ee/willtojoy

Jimmy Burke just gave a presentation this past September at the Nietzschean Society, which met this year in Belfast. We discussed his lecture, entitled, "An Economy of Bodies", as well as his work in evidence-based behavior change. According to Burke, Nietzsche's insights have proven incredibly valuable in this field, and by drawing on Nietzsche's conceptions of drive, we can improve our chances in making transformative life changes. At the end of the episode we discussed his expansive, ontological view of will to power. Great conversation! I really enjoyed this one.

Our series on Pierre Klossowski concludes with a look at some of the later chapters concerning Nietzsche's state of mind leading up to his breakdown in Turin, what Nietzsche's juvenalia reveals about him, and what insights we can glean from his family history. Above all, in this episode, I wanted to reverse our focus, and instead of understanding Nietzsche's valetudinary states as a window into his philosophy, here we will consider how Nietzsche's philosophy is a window into his madness.