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 mark@whatisagood.life 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?