Larry Shapiro, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at University of Wisconsin, joins these Fools to talk about why it’s essential for philosophy to play a central role in other disciplines. In particular, as science attempts to answer some of the “big questions of philosophy” - free will, consciousness, and happiness - philosophy has a great deal to offer. Larry introduces ideas from his upcoming book and shares some of his own perspectives on these big questions - and every other question these Fools throw at him. Enjoy!
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When you think about it, forgiveness is pretty weird, and these Fools have some questions: What does it really mean to forgive? What happens inside of us when we forgive? Can we show someone kindness without forgiving them? Does forgiving make us better? Must the other person have a role, i.e., repentance? What is the relationship between forgiveness and justice? These fools discuss. Hope you enjoy!
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How much is it our choice to belong, versus the situation being right? An interesting topic, especially for two Fools who, growing up, didn’t feel they belonged. A discussion of fate, destiny, karma, and the story of Oedipus Rex follow as we explore aspects of belonging, autonomy, the relationship between religion and mysticism, and other aspects and implications of being in the very human predicament of experiencing existence as both an individual, and a part of a collective. Thanks for listening!
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Dr. Michael Wolfe, tutor at St. John’s College and leader of the Middle Eastern studies program there, joins these Fools for a great discussion. Since discovering him in graduate school, Dr. Wolfe was and remains captivated by the great 12th-century Sufi mystic Ibn-al-Arabi, and we go pretty deep into his views on the nature of God, consciousness, and reality (is it a dream? Could synchronicity exist if the universe is essentially material?) These fools loved this conversation and can’t wait to have Dr. Wolfe back - hope you enjoy it as well!
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Professor Steven Nadler of the University of Wisconsin joins these Fools to talk about the life and work of Baruch Spinoza, who was expelled from Judaism in the 1600s for his radical views on God and Nature. We discuss Spinoza’s view on living a successful life, the ideas of Freedom and Passion, whether Free Will can exist, and also other areas in Nadler’s realm of expertise such as medieval Jewish philosophy and its relationship to theology. It was a pleasure hosting Dr. Nadler and we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed the conversation!
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Erik Erikson, renowned psychoanalyst and student of Sigmund Freud, says we have these innate drives around which ego and consciousness are formed. This brings up a discussion of the ego and its relationship to free will, that elusive philosophical question. Also arising is the Herculean task we are all given - to bind the internal and external world in our attempt to make sense. Enjoy the journey!
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See the Fools and Sages show notes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GVCVW1h2_-4JOU22KREzTO0lVDiN3icg?usp=drive_link
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
05:25 The Intersection of Psychology and Philosophy
08:07 Freud: The Pioneer of Psychoanalysis
17:38 The Roots of Virtue
21:22 Hope, Will, and Purpose
38:20 Love and Care
45:42 Wisdom
52:49 Ethics and Responsibility
In the Fools and Sages One Year Anniversary Episode, these fools discuss various aspects of the nature of “madness” and the role it plays in society, and in human creativity and evolution. Threads of the conversation include “transgenerational trauma,” comparing the cognitive models offered by shamanism and western psychology, and the relationship between madness and the idea of a collective mind. We hope you enjoy this episode, and that we’ll all be together for another year at least, evolving our thinking together.
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Glenna Gerard has been involved in education, business, and consulting for over 30 years, much of that as a practitioner, facilitator, and teacher of “Bohm Dialogue,” a method for creating shared understanding, and even shared meaning, developed by the Nobel Prize-winning quantum physicist, David Bohm. Glenna joins these Fools for a far-ranging conversation that touches on many topics, including her experience working with David Bohm, Dialogue and its role in organizations and institutions, the nature of concepts such as emergence, fragmentation and coherence, the unique role of language as a framework for reality, and of course consciousness itself, and meaning. It was truly a joy to host Glenna and we know you will enjoy this very special episode. Thanks for tuning in!
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Glenna Gerard
05:24 The Importance of Dialogue
08:48 David Bohm's Influence on Dialogue
16:10 Understanding Fragmentation and Wholeness
19:57 The Role of Language in Dialogue
26:05 The Interconnectedness of Human Experience
32:21 Exploring Bohm Dialogue in Depth
38:14 Creating a Container for Meaningful Conversations
43:58 Letting Go of Outcomes
48:29 Transmission of Wisdom in Dialogue
54:46 Navigating Conflict as a Resource
01:04:35 Facilitating Self-Sustaining Dialogue
01:10:58 Power Dynamics in Work Environments
01:14:04 Leadership and Organizational Change
01:24:05 Dialogue as a Way of Being
01:27:21 New Dialogic Practices
It seems we see the world through a somewhat warped perspective. Where everything is interconnected, we see individual elements. As a result, human beings can uniquely manipulate the physical world, which helps us evolutionarily. But, just like quantum physics applies different rules than Newtonian mechanics, we need a different way of seeing reality if we want to apprehend its wholeness, rather than its parts. These Fools touch on Iain McGilchrist’s work, “Master and Emissary,” along with Henri Bergson’s analysis of evolution and the hierarchy of matter and consciousness, and explore the possible means and implications of experiencing wholeness. Enjoy!
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The sentencing of Brian Kohberger in the infamous University of Idaho murders triggers a discussion of justice. What is justice, even? How have our concepts of it evolved? How can justice be achieved? What is the relationship between justice and morality, and does serving justice require the commitment of immoral acts? What is the relationship between justice and “social justice?” How are justice and civic responsibility intertwined? And, as always, so much more.
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Does consciousness arise from matter, or does matter arise from consciousness? Or, wait: what about both??? These Fools discuss the often-revisited philosophical idea of “The Great Chain of Being” along with the French philosopher Henri Bergson’s idea of “creative evolution,” and explore the implications of whether consciousness is an epi-phenomenon (a byproduct, as of brain activity,) or central to existence. This, of course, leads them down some rabbit holes.
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These Fools examine humanity’s relationship to Truth - our desire for objective truth despite its subjective nature, and our love and reverence for it, and how philosophy attempts to make sense of the mysterious and unknowable.
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Brian reads the short poem, The Second Coming, by WB Yeats, written after WWI, and these Fools discuss its imagery, historical context, and philosophical implications.
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These Fools examine anger through psychological and philosophical frameworks. Is it a “secondary emotion?” A signal of other internal material? What does it mean to not be a victim of our own anger, and how do we go about living in healthy relationship with our anger?
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These Fools go into Brian’s history and discuss key teachers he had in his formative chapters learning fighting and later, internal martial arts. Brian shares stories from his early days learning from Peter Lee, and offers some glimpses into martial arts theory not often available to the layperson.
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These Fools are thrilled to welcome special guest Krishnan Venkatesh, a philosophy professor at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM and formative member of St. John’s Eastern Classics Graduate Program. A rich discussion starts out with whether there are core differences between Eastern and Western philosophy, and touches on many topics, including the influence of Eastern thought on American thinkers like HD Thoreau, fragmentation of society, the meaning of having a “philosophical practice” and the mind-body connection, the advent of artificial intelligence, the value of listening well and how that skill is developed, and the role of language in meaning-making and reality itself.
These Fools chat about the significance of hats, from their roles protecting us from weather in various climates to the role of the head itself as the seat of consciousness. This leads to a discussion of meditation, the relative merits of standing and sitting for it, and insights about the mind-body connection, drawing on Brian’s deep experience in martial arts.
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https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GVCVW1h2_-4JOU22KREzTO0lVDiN3icg?usp=drive_link
This week these Fools discuss the advent of cryptocurrency. What does it represent in the evolution of Marshall MacLuhan’s “extensions of man?” How do ideas like local currency relate to crypto? How do currencies and economics relate to nature itself? How is crypto relevant to the rest of a new chapter unfolding?
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See the Fools and Sages show notes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GVCVW1h2_-4JOU22KREzTO0lVDiN3icg?usp=drive_link
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Fools and Sages
02:48 Crypto and Macro Trends
06:07 Media Evolution and Hybridization
08:55 Understanding Money and Currency
12:10 The Rise of Cryptocurrency
15:02 Local Currencies and Community Economics
17:55 The Psychology of Crypto Investment
21:05 The Future of Money and Globalization
24:01 Tokenization and Real-World Assets
27:03 Market Dynamics and Human Behavior
30:07 The Role of Technology in Trading
32:52 The Intersection of Nature and Economics
36:10 Emerging Trends in Crypto and Consciousness
38:57 The Future of Banking and Currency
42:12 Reflections
These Fools explore the idea of the “Self” and how various thinkers have conceptualized it. Does the Self only exist in a religious context? Who are we in a secular world? The need to know the Self and understand its relationship to subjects such as consciousness and time, may be the most important catalyst of philosophy itself. Join these Fools for the journey!
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https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GVCVW1h2_-4JOU22KREzTO0lVDiN3icg?usp=drive_link
These Fools explore the link between individual psychological tendencies and mass consciousness. Are ideologies the outcome of individual dysfunctions projected into the group? Modernism and post-modernism get a look through the lens of materialism and spirit, as these Fools consider how societies create the environment for individual freedom and healthy collaboration. Enjoy!
