Alexander and I discuss the various chains that might be holding us back from achieving our potential and when in life it might be necessary to tether ourselves to a pole.

Topics:

Damnation need not punishment in the afterlife.

Don't hold onto anything too tightly, otherwise your hand will get burned.

We were not meant to do the same thing for the entirety of our lives.

Death is the greatest motivator.

On your bike ride, you'll always be looking for the next hill but don't forget to enjoy the ride itself.

Stop blaming external forces.

Create an 80 year map of your life, not a five year plan.

Developing your own unique sense of service.

Don't ignore the call.

Stoicism that meets the demands of the occasion.

Read The Archer:

https://www.amazon.com/Archer-Paulo-Coelho/dp/0593318277/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Archer&qid=1606310421&sr=8-1

Luke and I continue our discussion about morals, discussing what exactly constitutes a proper punishment and what the end goals of punishment should be.

Topics:

Retributive versus rehabilitative justice.

Murder the ultimate test of justice.

The line test.

Two sentences; one that is retributive, the other that is rehabilitative?

No cruel and unusual punishment.

Preventing ex felons from getting a job on the outside creates an unnecessary negative feedback loop.

Should prisoners be given some type of moral system before leaving prison?

Is prisoners reading Kant the answer?

Life imprisonment and the death penalty.

Are there individuals that cannot be rehabilitated?

Is technology a solution in rehabilitating people or simply masking the darker sides of human nature?

*Check Out Luke's Book: Songs of Isolation*

 https://www.azurelorica.com/

After a life of some pretty rough and ugly encounters, Sam and I try to make sense of the past, analyzing the people and institutions that have wronged us, but at the same formulate rules for not living with a chip on one's shoulder.

Topics:

Removing yourself from tyrannical organizations.

Trusting your initial intuition before long-term resentment can build.

It's not that Millennials are lazy, we simply strive for purpose in what we do.

Unpacking: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."

Always keep a running tally but be open to new situations and people.

In the aftermath of the election and in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, Dallas and I discuss strategies for dealing with people that are highly disagreeable or sensitive in their points of view.

Topics:

Separator or mediator?

Are we inherently tribal?

The dangers and perks of cliques.

Unnecessary exclusion versus forming genuine friendship based on common interests.

Being careful when cliquish preferences are denying people opportunities.

Focusing on commonality more so than differences.

I am joined by Christopher who shares his story about giving up television back in 2014.

Topics:

Starting to sound like the people on TV....

Intellectuals tend not to be shown in a good light.

Should one go cold turkey or gradually phase it out?

Why early TV shows were better written than today.

Oh...the things you could if you gave up TV...

Utilizing media that has a specific application.

The effects of a society with a low verbal IQ

TV...the beginning of the end of original thought?

The stunting of emotional growth.

If you got to watch, watch with purpose.

Check out the full scientific paper down below:

https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article/25/5/1188/311796

Kenny and I discuss why only an 'elect' few of us can resist social conditioning but the vast preponderance of us cannot.

Topics:

You don't have to be 'special' to break free.

America's prosperity has made us weak.

We like the appearance of education but not actually learning.

A lot of noble causes are simply motivated by the desire to earn money.

When we make things easy and fun, we compromise their inherit utility and value.

Tragedy begets true awakening.

The true anecdote to depression.

We need to overcome the sedation model.

An alliance between philosophers and scientists?

Check Out Kenny's Work:

https://www.amazon.com/Nigerian-Prince-Kenechukwu-Chidi-Nnoli/dp/B08B384J8N/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kenechukwu+nnoli&qid=1604092789&sr=8-1

https://www.kennynnoli.com/

Joe and I try and understand the concepts of 'socialism' and 'capitalism' and what these concepts look like in their absolute form and the various shortcomings each of these systems has.

Topics:

"I won't milk the cows."

Liberty versus equality.

Both systems can lead to extreme tyranny.

Are we entitled to baseline rights, to pursue freedom?

The answer for now is really a mixed economy...but just how mixed?

Government and businesses are an unwritten form of checks and balances.

The two buckets of socialism...needed and unneeded benefits.

What is the maximum that we can give to people without killing incentive?

The rising tide of sufficiency.

How to correctly redistribute....(to be continued)

Alexander and I discuss, why exactly we tend to value people less when there are more of them both at a party or even in cities such as New York, that have high population densities.

Topics:

Society forces us to try and network a bit too much.

We sometimes gamble away good conversations.

The power of changing just one person.

We tend to value expansion over quality.

Two is a magic number.

How a place such as New York can impede one's thinking.

In life, there is no safety in numbers.

I am joined by Pegor who talks about his journey as an atheist and some of the ways that rigorously testing his beliefs and keeping an open mind have helped him test his worldview.

Topics:

The consequences of not challenging yourself for too long.

If you never leave your cave, how do you know what's on the outside?

The importance of in-person debates and encounters.

Recognizing a hole in your worldview is sometimes the precursor to growth and change.

Don't let your belief system become an immune system against new ideas.

How we approach people and ideas sets the tone for those interactions.

Strawmanning and Steelmanning...impediments to developing understanding.

True dialogue versus indoctrination.

Kenny and I examine everything from technology to parenting in trying to uncover why we as a society can no longer pay attention to just about anything for the more than two minutes.

Topics:

We like to blame technology, but never the people giving their kids technology.

Parents are now afraid of their children...

Getting away from 'child oriented' teaching and parenting.

America's desire to create 'magical moments'.

We need to figure out ways to rebuild delayed gratification.

The glories of looking things up in a good ol' dictionary.

Why are the masses fed technology but the elites don't partake?

It's not the number of holes that you dig.

Check Out Kenny's Work:

https://www.amazon.com/Nigerian-Prince-Kenechukwu-Chidi-Nnoli/dp/B08B384J8N/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kenechukwu+nnoli&qid=1604092789&sr=8-1

https://www.kennynnoli.com/