On the 128th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I’m delighted to welcome our guest, Shai Tubali, Ph.D. Shai is a philosopher, author, and teacher whose work bridges mysticism and academic philosophy. He explores how expanded states of consciousness can transform individual lives and influence our collective future.

Shai holds a doctorate in the philosophy of religion and his academic publications include The Transformative Philosophical Dialogue (Springer, 2023) and Cosmos and Camus: Science Fiction Film and the Absurd. As the author of numerous books on inner transformation, his writings have reached readers in 14 languages. He has also developed several original, meditation-based methods for psychological transformation, including the medically researched Expansion Method.

In this conversation, we explore profound questions about the nature of existence, the power of inquiry, and the tension between knowing and not knowing. Shai reflects on his journey of self-discovery, the absurdity of life, and the importance of embracing both reflective self-consciousness and the interconnectedness of all beings.

This episode emphasises the significance of living an examined life, where questions lead to deeper insights and a more profound understanding of what it means to be human.

For more of Shai's work, check out the following:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaitubali/
Website: https://shaitubali.com/
Books: https://shaitubali.com/books/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ShaiTubali/featured

Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my 5-week What is a Good Life? group courses, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
- Exploring one-on-one coaching: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/one-on-one-coaching
- What is a Good Life? Course: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/the-what-is-a-good-life-course

00:00 The energy and tension of the question

03:00 What is it to be human?

05:15 The aliveness of not knowing

09:20 Being a distant observer of life

16:30 Embracing life fully from nowhere

21:30 Exploring absurdity, meaning & transcendence 

32:55 The beginning of a spiritual path

38:20 Longing for reality

43:55 The interplay of absurdity and transcendence 

50:53 The existential suffering of personalised existence

55:45 The grand feeling of universality through science

59:00 Summary of the conversation

1:02:00 What is a good life for Shai?