Ivan Ilyich is a man. All men are mortal. So Ivan Ilyich is mortal. Sure absolutely, that’s true for Ivan Ilyich and for all men. But we’re not Ivan Ilyich and we’re not ‘all men’- so what does this have to do with us? Right? David and Tamler confront their mortality as they discuss Leo Tolstoy’s brilliant and chilling short story “The Death of Ivan Ilyich.”

Plus the ‘Why I am leaving academia’ essay has become its own genre. But is this profession really that much worse relative to others?

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• Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?
• Why You Need To Leave Academia - Cheeky Scientist
• The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Wikipedia — . I cannot now help seeing day and night going round and bringing me to death. That is all I see, for that alone is true. All else is false.
• Val Plumwood - Wikipedia

David and Tamler explore the many variations of simulation theory, the view that our universe is just a computer generated model created by an advanced civilization that has reached “technological maturity.” What does the growing popularity of simulation theories reveal about contemporary life? Are any of the arguments for simulation theory compelling or are they just post-hoc ways of justifying what you already believe on faith? If we are living in a simulation, does that mean we can go around killing people? Would it change anything about how we should live? Rodney Ascher’s (Room 237, The Nightmare) excellent documentary "A Glitch in the Matrix" gets the discussion going.

Plus the return of the VBW does conceptual analysis segment - a careful, rigorous, systematic inquiry into the concept “cringe.”*

*Note: if you think the opening segment is itself cringe, that’s because we’re doing seventh dimensional Zoomer meta shit and you just didn’t get it.

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• A Psychological Perspective on Vicarious Embarrassment and Shame in the Context of Cringe Humor
• Elon Musk should stop making that stupid sex joke about Tesla's car names - The Verge
• Indian Joker / Rizxtar | Know Your Meme
• A Glitch in the Matrix (2021) - IMDb

We welcome Paul Bloom to talk about the first season of "Severance," the new mind-bending and mind-splitting TV series on Apple TV+. What happens when you separate your home life from your work life? Do you create a completely different person? Is it a form of self-slavery? How important is autobiographical memory to your identity? And what’s the deal with the break room… and the goats?

Plus, what happens when you combine the obsessions of evolutionary psychology with the methodological problems of social psychology? You (finally) get an explanation for the female orgasm.

Special Guest: Paul Bloom.

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• The female orgasm may have evolved as a mate-selection tool, according to new research
• Severance (TV Series 2022– ) - IMDb

Panpsychism didn't give us river spirits or mischievous sootballs, so this time we go straight to the source - a defense of animism, and in a top 10 analytic philosophy journal. Could a failed argument for the existence of God establish the existence of trees and mountains with “interiority” and “social characteristics”? Tamler wants to believe, but is the argument that'll push him over the edge? 

Plus – speaking of top journals, a doozy of social psych article: Is forgiveness better than revenge at rehumanizing the self? Let's check the voodoo dolls to find out. Tamler is delighted by David’s reaction to this one. 

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• The Common Consent Argument for the Existence of Nature Spirits by Tiddy Smith
• Peoples, H. C., Duda, P., & Marlowe, F. W. (2016). Hunter-gatherers and the origins of religion. Human Nature, 27(3), 261-282.
• Ingold, T. (2006). Rethinking the animate, re-animating thought. Ethnos, 71(1), 9-20.

David and Tamler conclude their discussion of "The Trial," Franz Kafka's darkly comic vision of an opaque and impenetrable bureaucracy that comes for us all in the end. Plus we interrupt our previously scheduled opening segment because apparently something happened at the Oscars last week.

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• BetterHelp: You deserve to be happy. BetterHelp online counseling is there for you. Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment. Our listeners get 10% off the first month by visiting BetterHelp.com/vbw. Promo Code: VBW
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• The Trial - Wikipedia
• Kafka's "The Trial" (translated by Breon Mitchell) [amazon.com affiliate link]
• Break Music | You Will Not by peez

David and Tamler wander through the bewildering dream-like world of Franz Kafka’s "The Trial." In part one of a two-part discussion we discuss the circumstances of its publication, the various interpretative approaches that can be taken to the novel, and all the ways that Kafka’s prose gets under your skin, making you feel what’s happening even if you don’t fully understand it. Recorded in the decidedly un-Kafka-esque location of Nosara, Costa Rica – thanks to the Harmony Hotel for having us back!

Plus – Social Psychologists for Peace send an open letter to Vladimir Putin urging him to reverse course on the tragic invasion of Ukraine. Putin seems intent on toppling the Ukranian government but has he considered Sherif et al (1961), Tajfel (1977), Festinger (1954), and Brewer (1991)?

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• Psychologists want to talk Putin out of war with open letter - Raw Story - Celebrating 18 Years of Independent Journalism
• The Trial - Wikipedia
• The Trial by Franz Kafka (translation by Breon Mitchell) [amazon affiliate link]

It’s the topic voted on by our beloved Patreon patrons, panpsychism! David and Tamler delve into the resurgent debate over whether consciousness is the fundamental stuff that makes up the universe. We hoped we might be entering Miyazaki land - river spirits, benevolent radishes, a universal mind. But is this just the same old philosophy of mind debate with different words? Are there any stakes to this debate or is it purely terminological? Plus – we answer some last-minute questions from listeners on dissertations, Ukraine, pseudoscience, and the music from "The Shield."

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Links:

• "The Shield" Opening Music [YouTube]
• Strawson, G. "Realistic monism: Why physicalism entails panpsychism"
• Chalmers, D. "Panpsychism and Panprotopsychism"
• Exchange between Galen Strawson and Daniel Dennett on the 'denial' of consciousness.

Many of us think that art is subjective, but at the same time it seems like some artistic judgments are better than others. Do you think Crash deserved to receive an award for Best Picture? Did you like Season 2 of Ted Lasso? Well you’re wrong. So how do we reconcile these two conflicting attitudes about art? David and Tamler turn to David Hume’s classic essay Of the Standard of Taste (link in notes) for help. Will Pizarro finally see the error of his ways on Straw Dogs?

Plus a doozy of a medical ethics paper – should we allow people to change their legal age if it doesn’t match their "biological" and "emotional" age?

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Links:

• Räsänen, J. (2019). Moral case for legal age change. Journal of medical ethics, 45(7), 461-464.
• Of the Standard of Taste by David Hume (pdf)
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy section on Hume's Essay

David and Tamler sink deeper and deeper into Melancholia, Lars von Trier’s harrowing and stunningly beautiful depiction of depression, anxiety, and a wedding reception that just won’t end. They bring Freud’s “Mourning and Melancholia” into the conversation and confront the question: what if the depressed and anxious people are right?

Plus Whoopi, M&Ms, baby brain waves, Rogan – we empty out the opening segment Slack. 

Note: We recorded the opening segment before the latest development in the Joe Rogan story, but we briefly address that in the promo segment right after the break.

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• The impact of a poverty reduction intervention on infant brain activity | PNAS
• Landmark Poverty Experiment Shows Extra Money Changes Babies' Brains
• M&Ms characters redesigned for a "more dynamic, progressive world," Mars announces - CBS News
• Mourning and Melancholia - Wikipedia
• Melancholia (2011 film) - Wikipedia

We think racism is wrong but what about “lookism” – a bias that favors attractive people over unattractive ones? If it’s wrong to judge people by the color of their skin, what about judging people for something that is only skin deep? We talk about two pieces today, a forthcoming philosophy article by William D’Allesandro “Is it Bad to Prefer Attractive Partners” and the Ted Chiang story “Liking What You See: A Documentary.”

Plus we select the topic finalists for our beloved Patreon listener-selected episode. Interesting list this time around!

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• William D'Alessandro, Is It Bad to Prefer Attractive Partners? - PhilPapers
• Liking What You See: A Documentary - Wikipedia