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John rebuts the argument that the economy matters more than people by pointing out the hypocrisy of All Lives Matter. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

John talks about the state of the public discourse. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

John returns with his thoughts on COVID 19 and it’s what it tells us about our societies. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

Visit melaniebragg.com for more on today's guest. Melanie Bragg is the author of Defining Moments: Insights into the Lawyer’s Soul, which is available at amazon.com and the ABA website. Support the podcast at https://anchor.fm/johnspaldingpodcast/support --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

In this episode I discuss Happy Nihilism with a friend named Peter. The conversation took place in London. You’ll have to forgive the sound quality. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

In this episode of the podcast I talk about three meditation apps. Having purchased premium subscriptions to each, and having spent at least six months using these apps, I have a pretty fair sense of them. But there's a lot more to the business of meditation apps than personal preferences. These are businesses, and not all of them are as zen as they think. I should point out that I do not discuss money in this podcast. When it comes to something like meditation, money should not play a role. Yes, some are more expense than others, but a cheaper price (as is so often the case) can mean a cheaper experience. Then again, sometimes the least expensive option is the best.  I do discuss "bang for your buck," and this pertains entirely to the idea that if you are going to spend money on only one meditation app--regardless of price--then you might extract the most value from a particular app. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

I sit under a tree in sunny London and pontificate on the role "feel good" chemicals play in how we eat. This is a bit of a departure from the usual subjects, but relevant never-the-less. This episode is also notable for the amount of birdsong in the background. I decided not to edit out these lovely chirping noises, nor the sound of the cityscape either--instead, I've merely done some standard podcast filtering. I think the ambience of the setting survive. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

Ever wonder what makes someone a complete asshole? Sometimes it can be explained by how they "otherize" others--that is, they employ language and attitudes to distance a person (or culture) from themselves. Sometimes otherization is found in immigration policies, sometimes in cafes. So what is it? How do we fix this? Can we fix it? Interesting, otherization can be traced back to the idea of the illusory self. In that sense, otherization is yet another example of how self-misapprehension causes unnecessary suffering. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

John reads Immanuel Kant's electrifying essay about enlightenment. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

In this episode, I provide an introduction to Schopenhauer, as well as a reading from his Essays and Aphorism. Here, Schopenhauer provides a description of consciousness that lands squarely in the realm of panpsychism and Buddhism. Schopenhauer is generally considered a pessimist, which is surprising in light of the existence of Nietzsche. At any rate, what Schopenhauer has to say about consciousness is fairly interesting, and worth a listen. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

Encore presentation. This episode is one of the most listened-to episodes over the past year. Also, there will be a second part coming soon. Nietzsche was Nihilist-in-Chief of the nineteenth century. He viewed consciousness as "superfluous" and rather overrated. Today I will present a brief reading from The Will to Power --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

In this episode, I state my belief about the idea of a creator. The purpose is to provide a reasonable defence of non-belief that does not necessary rely on religious bad-faith, or some other negative premise.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

I read from Russell's Religion and Science, particularly from the chapter on Determinism. What does Russell make of the arguments for and against free will? Let's just say he isn't agnostic, but he does not come down firmly against free will either. I will discuss why this is, and comment in a more general way about Russell's analytical framework. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

In this episode, I talk about what the implications are our ability to meaningfully anticipate future events. This is not a trait baked into all life, yet seems to emerge in all enduring species (from a rose with her thorns, to a man with his wall). I argue that the fact of our ability to anticipate the future, when combined with the reality of our conscious experience, means that notions of identity, the self, and will are not baked into human existence. In this episode: Daniel Dennett's analogy of the smartphone and its screen I answer the question of why NFL Endzone dances exist. I explain why war and rape are merely cousins of song and dance. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

Last year Canadian Running ran a story about an athlete on the low carb diet. Their story presented sweeping conclusions even though their source study was based on a deeply flawed methods. We are re-airing this study for those of you who missed it the first time. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

It's useful to consult Nietzsche on the topic of artificial consciousness because Nietzsche isn't very impressed by consciousness. In fact, one gets the feeling that Nietzsche rather thinks our conception of consciousness is yet another form of self-mythology. Is it? If so, what does that  mean for artificial intelligence? Could it be that AI will be nothing more than a really smart automaton?   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

John reads from Nietzsche, specifically Nietzsche’s take on nihilism (from Will to Power). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

Last year I talked about the idea of rebooting our concept of reality. Right now the western world is at an interesting crossroads between centuries of hyper individualism and future survival. How we proceed forward depends upon how we reimagine our principles. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

How does our conscious experience affect our diet? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support

Trump is claiming victory now that the Mueller Report has been summarized by Attorney General Barr. The New York Times reports that the FBI, acting on the orders of a federal prosecutor, arrested former Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti. Today I will about about what this all means. Citation  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/sports/michael-avenatti-extortion-nike.html  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/johnspaldingpodcast/support