Unsolicited advice

The Terrifying Ideology of 1984

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 01:00:00 -0000

George Orwell's 1984 is one of the most famous and infamous books in history. But for all its fame and glory we rarely stop to ask what the underlying philosophical messages are. But here we will unpack Orwell's masterpiece to uncover the political, philosophical, and existential horrors that lie beneath.

Uploaded 30-03-24

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00:00 Orwell's Nightmare
01:26 1984: A Brief Synopsis
07:31 The Impersistence of Memory
12:50 Language and Thought
18:41 Punishing Passions
24:46 The Abolition of Privacy
31:01 The Deathless Drive
37:51 Empty Joy or Painful Truth
45:38 Helplessness and Hopelessness
52:38 What's the Point of 1984?

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The Rise of Bulls**t Neuroscience | Tommy Blanchard

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Why is it that every wellness guru seems to cite neuroscience? Is it relevant, or is it all just misleading bunk? I am woefully unfit to answer such questions, but Tommy Blanchard most certainly is not! And here I sit down with him and ask how we can avoid BS neuroscience.

Uploaded 10-02-26

You can find Tommy on Substack here: https://substack.com/@tommyblanchard
Tommy's YouTube is here: https://www.youtube.com/@TommyBlanchardable

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00:00 Why can't neuroscience give you wellness advice?
13:45 What are the limits of our neuroscience knowledge?
26:30 How do findings get misrepresented?
36:35 How can we spot neuroscience garnish?
47:05 Our current way of understanding the mind is weird
54:18 Where does philosophy go wrong in thinking about Neuroscience?
1:15:12 How Neuroscience can teach us about the mind
1:37:30 Shifting our vocabulary around consciousness
1:45:34 How can philosophy and science work together?

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The Internet is All Ragebait Now. Here's Why

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 00:00:00 -0000

It has become almost cliche to observe that the internet often seems to bring out the worst in us. Yet the question of why remains elusive. So today we are going to check out a number of philosophers who, in my view, can help us understand our current internet predicament, and hopefully try to solve it.

Uploaded 22-06-26

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00:00 The Dehumanizing Human
15:04 Echo Chambers and Rationality
29:06 Anonymity and Manners
40:18 The Task of Love and the Future of The Internet

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How Nihilism Destroys You | Tolstoy's Confession

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 23:00:00 -0000

An Existential Crisis is a uniquely painful experience. It robs all the joy out of life and leaves us a heaping mess on the floor. But luckily, we can turn to some of the greatest minds in history to guide us through. And foremost among these is Tolstoy's Confession, where he outlines how he fell into existential despair, and how he eventually started to dig himself out of it.

Uploaded 14-07-24

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00:00 Tolstoy's Existential Crisis
01:34 The Brutality of Nihilism
08:13 Four Futile Paths
14:27 Faith, Reason, and Conflict
20:57 Finding Normativity: An Open Challenge

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Dostoevsky's Warning to the Self-Destructive

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the most brilliant and eclectic writers in history. And here we will examine one of his most personal books - The Gambler. It is a masterclass in how to ruin your own life through self-destructive acts, and we will look at it in detail today. Get ready to learn how noble intentions can set us on the path to misery, and how we keep ourselves there. Let's dive into Dostoevsky's Guide to Self-Destruction.

Uploaded 05-07-24

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00:00 How to self-destruct
01:29 Money, Self-ignorance, and self-sabotage
08:52 The Hedonic Roulette Wheel
13:51 The Existential Threat of Compulsion
22:55 The Eternal Hope

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How to Win Any Debate (Without Being an A**hole)

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 22:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 09-08-24

Philosophers have always been pretty sceptical about debate, and for pretty good reason. Underhanded tactics can be used to manipulate, sway, and mislead. But Aristotle wanted to know how we could rehabilitate debate for someone who did not just want to do these things, but wanted to strive for an honest persuasive approach. So here is how to win a debate, without being a nefarious so-and-so.

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00:00 The Art of Persuasion
02:10 Why Learn Rhetoric
06:50 Reasons and Persons
13:01 I've got a feeling (woo-hoo)
18:28 Knowing me knowing you (aha)
22:49 A Touch of Style

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Debating Free Will with a Cambridge Philosopher | Dr. Nathan Hawkins

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 22:00:00 -0000

Freewill is a hot-button issue both in philosophy and in popular discourse, so I sat down with Dr. Nathan Hawkins, who has written extensively in defence of Freewill, to have a friendly discussion and debate about it. I hope you enjoy!

Uploaded 24-04-26

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00:00 How do Philosophers Debate about Freewill?
09:04 The Case Against Determinism
18:45 Problems with Setting up Determinism
30:22 The Branching Futures Model of Freewill
41:35 Yes, we could have acted otherwise
52:45 Are we just redefining our terms?
01:02:51 My own Compatibilism
01:11:44 Why is Nathan an Idealist?
01:25:25 Can we make Idealism Naturalistic?
01:44:02 What is "The Absolute"?
01:54:25 What is the most interesting idea you've come across and why?

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Why You Hate Modern Work

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 21:00:00 -0000

Why do we all hate work so much? And why does it seem to have only got worse in the modern era? Well, according to philosopher Byung-Chul Han, our psychological attitude towards work and productivity has fundamentally shifted in a disastrous direction for our mental health, our happiness, and our long-term fulfilment.

Uploaded 23-07-24

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00:00 The Burnout Society
01:27 Discipline and Achievement
08:07 Isolation and Individualism
14:53 No Rest for the Wicked
20:33 Means, Ends, and Self-Hatred

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Reject Hustle Culture. Become a Renaissance Man

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 21:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 17-01-26

There has been much talk recently about the concept of a "Renaissance Man". Friend of the channel @ParkerNotes recently talked about it on his channel, and it got me thinking. So today, I want to talk about one of my favourite thinkers in history - Michel de Montaigne, and how he embodied the archetype of the Renaissance man.

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You can watch Parker's video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izvA2RCVdcA

00:00 The Renaissance Attitude
12:53 The Aim of Study
24:31 The Dilettantish Attitude
35:57 Knowing Thyself

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The Argument Atheists Always Get Wrong

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Out of all the arguments for God's existence, there is one that is consistently misunderstood by almost every atheist. The 5 ways of St Thomas Aquinas are complex and mutli-faceted beasts, found in his Summa Theologica. And this is a shame, because in learning about it we gain new insights into Aristotle, Theology, and what work "God" does in a metaphysical system.

Uploaded 27-04-24

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Article on Forms: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-metaphysics/

00:00 St Thomas Aquinas
02:08 He Likes to Move it Move it
06:00 Why? Just Cause
10:13 Is That Really Necessary?
14:45 Goodness, Perfection, and Plato
19:21 Oh the Finality!

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How to Live a Meaningless Life | Albert Camus and Absurdism

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 20:00:00 -0000

Few thinkers are talked about as much online as Albert Camus, and few works are discussed as much as The Myth of Sisyphus. But for all that, I haven't seen a video that does a long, chapter-by-chapter guide to the text. So I thought I would fill the gap, and ask - how can Sisyphus actually be happy?

Uploaded 28-04-26

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00:00 Life is Absurd - What Now?
14:04 Absurdism: Opening Principles
26:10 Meet the Absurd Men
39:28 Absurd Creation and Play
55:00 Imagining Sisyphus Happy
01:14:04 A Tale of Two Camus(-es)

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The Most Dangerous Idea in History | Nihilism

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 19:00:00 -0000

There are few philosophies as famous and infamous as nihilism - the belief that nothing really matters. But we rarely stop to ask what nihilism actually is, or give a detailed analysis of its properties. And this is a shame because it prevents us having clear and precise conversations about what is perhaps one of the most important philosophical issues of the past 200 years. So today we are going to try to specify the idea of nihilism. It may not be a perfect system, but I am hoping it will bring some clarity to this often nebulous philosophy.

Uploaded 07-04-24

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00:00 Nihilism
01:42 The Total Nihilist
07:13 The Moral Nihilist
11:40 The Conventional Nihilist
15:51 The Dimensions of Nhilism

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The 7 Levels of Logical Thinking

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 19:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 29-06-26

Logic and Logical thinking is one of my favourite topics, and also one of the most interesting and important fields of study out there. But it is quite difficult to give a broad view of what the field is or what it is all about. So today we are going to look at the seven levels of logic, taking us all the way from little-to-no logic at all, all the way to more advanced logical areas.

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00:00 Pre-logic
01:32 Fallacy-Mongering
08:16 Basic Formal Logic
14:50 First-Order Logic and Friends
20:49 Specialized Logical Systems
29:00 Using Maths to Study Maths
41:54 Modern Logic Research

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Why You Hate The Modern World | Kierkegaard's The Present Age

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Kierkegaard's "The Present Age" or "On The Present Age" is his attempt to make sense of the changing world of 19th century Denmark, and the dawn of what we would now call modernity. And In this brilliant piece Kierkegaard takes us through so many issues we now view as major and established - predicting them over 150 years ago. So here is his guide to why you hate the modern world.

Uploaded 11-05-24

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00:00 The Present Age
01:21 A Passionless Present
06:29 Information Overload
11:51 The Pitiless Public
16:27 Levelling and The Individual

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9 novels that are better than any self-help book

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 18:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 22-05-26

I have often said that I think reading good fiction and novels can improve your life, as much if not more than books written with that purpose in mind. So here is a list of phenomenal works of fiction to get you started, each of which I am confident will improve your life more than any self-help book out there.

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Here is a good production of Othello (I can't find the one I had in mind but it has Ian McKellen in so chances are it is fantastic): https://youtu.be/oX0cbcrMAdo?si=2aPO4BsUsK0lB6_n

00:00 A Hopeful Apocalypse
05:56 An Envious Tragedy
10:18 An Existential Affliction
16:03 Some Fabulous Fables
20:34 Some Satanic Scribbles
25:50 A Pessimistic Psychology
31:31 Some Ancient Epics
36:12 A Fraught Romance
39:13 A Religious Experience

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How to DESTROY Anyone in an Argument

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 17:00:00 -0000

Philosophers are often thought of as truth-seekers, but often people are more interested in the mucky world of simple debate, and there is a sardonic, sarcastic essay by Schopenhauer that can help us out here - "On the Art of Being Right". In here he compiles a series of tactics used (often highly dishonestly) to secure victory in an argument even when one is misinformed, or just downright wrong. And this is just what we will look at today, so that we can learn how to destroy anyone in an argument. And also, why we probably shouldn't

Uploaded 22-04-24

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00:00 The Art of Being Right
01:32 "So What You're Saying Is..."
03:43 "What I'm Saying is..."
06:02 Endless Questions
09:09 Control the Metaphors
13:05 The "Strength" of Common Sense
15:36 Interru-
17:14 Make Your Opponent Angry
19:04 Toss a Word Salad
21:14 Miscellaneous Pointers
23:18 The Lessons of Deceit

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Why you NEED to read great fiction | JRR Tolkien

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 17:00:00 -0000

JRR Tolkien is one of the most celebrated authors of the past century, and for good reason! But he also was an accomplished essayist and literary critic, and one of his most interesting essays is called "On Fairy Stories" and the insightfulness of its observations far outstrips the modesty of its scope, to encompass the value of storytelling itself. So I am very excited to talk about it with you today.

Uploaded 25-02-26

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00:00 Making the World Afresh
10:04 Stories of The Self
20:50 Alternative Stories
34:28 Storytelling and Joy

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The Philosophy Everyone Fears | Live Talk and QnA

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 16:00:00 -0000

We are told that we are in a meaning crisis, but what is it and how do we solve it? This is the question I want to pose (and give some sketch answers to) in this talk. I hope you enjoy. So let's get to the bottom of why everyone is so nihilistic now.

Uploaded 03-04-26

Addendum 1: I actually don’t think this as much anymore - I’ve read a few of Nietzsche’s letters since this talk that indicate he placed more argumentative importance on the origins-based points than I had interpreted at first.

Addendum 2: Watching this back I give the wrong impression - Ann Blair does argue there was a big shift in the way we manage information here, but I accidentally make it sound like there was less continuity than Blair argues (see chapter 1 of her book for more details)

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Thank you to Discourse Collective for welcoming me to their event and to @elliotbewick for filming and running the QnA

00:00 Talk
44:51 QnA

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Dostoevsky's Radical Philosophy of Love

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 16:00:00 -0000

Dostoevsky is considered a great thinker on many topics. His ideas about God, Theology, Morality, and Social Reform are famous throughout the world. But I want to take a step back from all that and examine what I take to be a cornerstone of his philosophy: his ideas about love. Because all at once his ideas on love are hopeful, optimistic, demanding, and terrifying. And I am excited to look at them with you today.

Uploaded 27-05-24

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00:00 Dostoevsky on Love
01:20 The Unloving Life is Not Worth Living
08:11 The Love of the Egoist
16:08 Love and Sacrifice
23:36 The Universal Lover

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Philosophy Can Save Your Life | The Consolation of Philosophy

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 15:00:00 -0000

Philosophy is often conceived as a way of making sense of a flawed existence. And perhaps no work is better for this than Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy. He writes this book while awaiting his painful death and imprisonment for standing up for the Roman Senate in the face of corruption, and for that, he has been condemned. His insights can help any of us, whether we are dealing with something as significant as an unjust imprisonment, or simply making our way through the endless tiny sufferings of life itself. This is how philosophy can save your life.

Uploaded 02-05-24

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00:00 The Consolations of Philosophy
01:18 The Problem of Pointless Suffering
06:49 The False Idols
12:03 The Constraints of Value
18:56 What Makes a Meaning?

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The War On The Humanities

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 15:00:00 -0000

It is no secret that the humanities are under threat. This is for many reasons, but among them is the idea that the humanities are "useless". But at the same time, I am a bit dissatisfied with many of the ways we currently defend these fields. So today we re going to look at the war on the humanities, using Eric Adler's book "The Battle Of The Classics".

Uploaded 22-07-26

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00:00 The Decline and Fall of the Humanities
07:48 Critical Thinking is Not Enough
15:57 What's the Point of The Humanities?
24:27 How to Actually Defend the Humanities
37:14 A Defence in Practice

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Analyzing Unhinged Am I The A**hole posts with Philosophy

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 14:00:00 -0000

People from all over the internet flock to ask a very important question: Am I The A**hole? Today we are going to look at some of the most interesting finds from that subreddit, and see where philosophy is eminently applicable.

Uploaded 05-05-26

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00:00 Honouring Dead Brother's Wishes
12:25 Fake Memories of a Tragedy
21:23 Telling a Friend She is Awful
30:57 Not Caring About a Baby

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The Terrifying Philosophy of Edgar Allan Poe

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 14:00:00 -0000

Out of all gothic horror, the name "Edgar Allan Poe" towers as one of the most significant writers of the genre. His exploration of every and any dark aspect of the human psyche is phenomenal to behold. And today we will whet our appetite with three of his short stories, to explore this man's tortured genius.

Uploaded 15-06-24

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00:00 The Dark Heart of Man
01:33 Science, Sanity, and The Rest
07:17 Ravenous Grief
13:38 Cats, Axes, and Rule-Breaking
19:48 The Impotent Rationality

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These dumb philosophy takes stole my kidneys

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 13:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 18-04-26

There is great philosophy, and then there is this. I am going to have a go at defending deliberately bad or dumb philosophy takes, because I like making life less pleasant.

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00:00 Luck is fair
08:20 Agnostics don't exist
14:26 Lies are good for you
21:20 Existential crises don't exist
24:52 Consciousness is an illusion (but not illusionism)
26:40 Nepotism is good, actually
31:21 This is confusing, therefore it must be deep
36:38 Don't return your shopping carts

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Dostoevsky vs. Nietzsche | Philosophy Fight

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 13:00:00 -0000

DISCLAIMER: This is an old video and my understanding of Nietzsche has moved on considerably since I put this out. I am deeply unhappy with my treatment of ressentiment and of Nietzsche’s account of psychology here.

Uploaded 09-06-24

When it comes to 19th century philosophy, and especially 19th century existentialism, two names are never far from the conversation. Dostoevsky and Nietzsche are two unbelievably fascinating philosophers, and they are wonderful to read together partly because of how much they vehemently disagree on almost everything. And this is just what we shall explore today.

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00:00 Nietzsche and Dostoevsky
01:46 The Divine Tragedy
07:56 Equality and The Ubermensch
14:29 Resentment and Power
21:01 The "Optimist" and the "Cynic"

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"There is No Gen Z Christian Revival" | Religion For Breakfast

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 -0000

We are often told we are in the midst of a Gen Z religious revival, but is that true? I spoke to scholar of religion Dr Andrew Henry (@ReligionForBreakfast) to find out if the data backs up the hype.

Uploaded 14-03-26

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Subscribe to my Substack here for the book club: https://josephfolley.substack.com/

00:00 What's going on with Gen Z and religion?
13:30 What makes religions sticky?
20:50 Why is there so much hype for a Christian revival?
26:05 What is atheist religion?
37:30 Why do some people just not care about religion?
40:30 Why can't we be religious like a medieval peasant?
48:11 How do we get Eastern religions wrong in the West?
56:23 Why are so many things called "religions" now?
01:06:22 Does religion fill a gap?
01:18:25 Why pigs?
01:22:15 How does religious cultural exchange work?
01:36:40 What is the best idea you've heard in the past year?

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So, what is actually in the Book of Mormon? | Heliocentric

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 -0000

I have a soft spot for the weirdest and most wonderful aspects of religious life, and someone who shared my adoring attitude here is @HeliocentricOfficial. I was lucky enough to have Jared stay at my house recently, and I knew I had to have him on the podcast.

Uploaded 03-08-26

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00:00 Who is Sweet Daddy?
07:10 How did you come to Atheism?
11:45 What is actually in the Book of Mormon?
33:51 What was it like being in a Jehova's Witness Church?
54:42 What is Christian Science?
01:12:50 Why are you a nihilist?
1:27:35 Why are conversations about God and morality so difficult?
01:56:46 What is the most interesting idea you've come across in the past year and why?

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How to Turn Suffering Into Art

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 11:00:00 -0000

Though many philosophers throughout history have talked about beauty and suffering, very few have done this to the same extent as Friedrich Nietzsche. In his book The Birth of Tragedy he explores how the sufferings and pains of life can be rendered beautiful through art, and this ties in interestingly with his wider philosophy. So let's see what this great thinker can teach us about the life of art and the art of life.

Uploaded 23-06-24

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00:00 A Tragic Life
01:30 Apollo, Dionysus, and Unbearable Truths
07:30 Beware Greeks Bearing Scripts
13:40 Humanity as Art and Artist
19:59 An Excess of Apollo

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We need to talk about Wuthering Heights

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 11:00:00 -0000

Learn for free on Brilliant for a full 30 days: https://brilliant.org/Unsolicitedadvice/ . You’ll also get 20% off an annual Premium subscription.

Uploaded 08-03-26

Wuthering Heights has been getting a lot of publicity recently, largely because of the new film, but also just because it is brilliant! And today I wanted to share some of my own observations about what I think is one of the greatest novels of all time.

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Subscribe to my Substack here for more of my writings: https://josephfolley.substack.com/

00:00 Revenge, Strength, and Futility
16:27 Eldritch Love
35:27 Perspectives and Forgiveness
50:37 The Film
01:03:45 Final Thoughts

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The Philosopher who Hated Everyone | Diogenes the Cynic

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 10:33:29 -0000

Few Philosophers have gone down in history quite like Diogenes the Cynic. He was a rebel, a vagabond, a beggar, and a hero. And today we will explore his deeply critical philosophy to see what lessons it can teach us about our own lives.

Uploaded 27-03-24

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00:00 Diogenes the Cynic
01:02 Renunciation
05:57 The Anti-Society Man
10:54 Shamelessness
15:35 The Critical Instinct
19:53 Practice and Preaching

Image of statue of Diogenes used from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diogenes-statue-Sinop-enhanced.jpg

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Does Society Need God?

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 10:00:00 -0000

What do we do about God? The question of the day for many people, even many atheists, is whether religion should be maintained for the good of everyone, even if we think its tenets are, ultimately, false. An argument for religion's necessity has been put forward by many recent voices like Jordan Peterson, and at points has even been touched upon by hardline atheist Richard Dawkins. But today we are going to step back in time and look at the essay which mirrors so many of these modern debates - Arthur Schopenhauer's dialogue on religion, and see what the great German has to say about God.

Uploaded 01-06-24

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00:00 Atheism and Society
01:35 Schopenhauer: A User's Guide
07:39 An Existential Necessity
14:17 The Moral Lessons of Religion
18:06 Allegorical Truth

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Judging insane Am I The A**hole posts with moral philosophy

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Learn for free on Brilliant for a full 30 days: https://brilliant.org/Unsolicitedadvice/ . You’ll also get 20% off an annual Premium subscription.

Uploaded 06-01-26

Reddit is home to a pretty famous forum, called Am I the A**hole, where people ask for feedback on whether they are in the wrong in a given situation. It struck me recently that some philosophy might be helpful here. So here goes!

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Subscribe to my Substack here for more of my writings: https://josephfolley.substack.com/

00:00 AITA for pointing out to my friends that they are not famous
14:13 AITA for telling my friend he was getting cheated on
25:35 AITA for giving my partner an ultimatum over his eating habits
33:53 AITA for taking selfies with my male friend

This video was sponsored by Brilliant

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"Responsibility is a Myth" | Robert Sapolsky's Determinism

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 09:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 15-04-24

There have been few public intellectuals who are quite as well-respected as Robert Sapolsky. He is clear in his argument, precise in his speech, and persuasive in his claims. Here we will look at his most recent book: Determined: Life without Freewill. It is one of my favourite popular philosophy books I have ever read, and while I don't entirely agree with Sapolsky's conclusions, he is a brilliant writer and I really hope he decides to try his hand at more philosophical debates. He argues that if determinism is true, then despite all appearances, we are not responsible for our actions.

Thank you once again to Skillshare for sponsoring this video.

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David and Choi paper referenced: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25655385?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

00:00 Determined
01:35 The Freewill Debate
07:07 Determinism and Moral Responsibility
16:52 Freewill and The Law
23:33 Conceptions of Will and Responsibility

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How a Society Collapses

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 09:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 01-08-24

Among the work of Albert Camus, there is one work that stands out as the bleakest story he has ever written. The Plague documents a pestilence that devours the town of Oran in French Algeria. It is a disturbing tale that explores the depths of human despair, as well as the heights of heroism that can thrive under the worst possible conditions. So let's explore how the world collapses, at the behest of a ruthless plague.

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00:00 Plagues and Pestilence
02:26 Denial and Illusion
08:40 The Grief of Disaster
16:12 The Banality of Goodness
23:43 Temporary Peace

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Pleasure Will Destroy Society | Brave New World

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 08:00:00 -0000

To learn more than ever from important non-fiction books, join me on Shortform: https://shortform.com/joseph. You’ll get a 5-day free trial and a discounted annual subscription. One of my favourite books on Shortform is Thinking Fast and Slow (NB - this is an affiliate link, so at no extra cost I will get a small percentage of your sign up)

Uploaded 19-06-24

Brave New World is one of the most fascinating books in history. It is simultaneously an exploration of the human mind, a critique of Plato and Utilitarianism, and a treatise on how prioritising pleasure may rob us of the very things that matter most to us. And behind it all is one simple yet profound idea: is there something more important than happiness? And if so, what is it?

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00:00 Huxley's Nightmare
02:37 A Brave New Overview
09:30 Alone in Public
15:46 Plato, Class, and Gratitude
22:42 Creativity and Consumption
28:27 Love and Free Love
34:08 Isolation and Shame
39:49 The Necessity of Sacrifice
46:07 The Right to be Unhappy
52:15 The Warnings of Brave New World

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The Biggest Problem with Social Media Nobody Talks About

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 08:00:00 -0000

Social Media. It is something everyone seems to agree has some pretty negative consequences, along with some positives. But we rarely stop and ask what it is about this simple collection of words and images that seems to cause so much distress. And in The Transparency Society, Byung-Chul Han aims to answer this very thing. So, let's learn how we killed privacy, and why you hate social media.

Uploaded 27-08-24

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00:00 The Transparency Society
01:39 The Society of Exhibition
07:47 Forced Intimacy and No Intimacy
14:15 The Uninformative Deluge
20:14 Transparency and Control

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Evaluating Jordan Peterson's Strangest Religious Argument

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 07:00:00 -0000

Jordan Peterson is one of the most prominent public intellectuals in the world today, and one of his favourite things to talk about is religion. But in recent years he has given a series of arguments that I find endlessly fascinating because of their crossover with a view on philosophy that threatens to turn the whole field upside-down (in a good way!)

Uploaded 02-04-24

If you want to work with an experienced study coach teaching maths, philosophy, and study skills then book your session at josephfolleytutoring@gmail.com. Previous clients include students at the University of Cambridge and the LSE.

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Links to Jordan Peterson videos used:

The Greatest God Debate in History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nQUg4QeI_Y

The Problem with Atheism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwi9Q9apHGI

You Are Closer to Believing in God Than You Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2Sp40OgUio

Alex O'Connor's video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-yQVlHo4JA

Books on Philosophical Pragmatism:

Cheryl Misak - Cambridge Pragmatism (this is an amazing introduction): https://tinyurl.com/2n4h45nf

Works of Charles Peirce: https://tinyurl.com/yckd4jxd

Huw Price Expressivism, Pragmatism and Representationalism: https://tinyurl.com/3h8a6wv9

00:00 Peterson on God
01:17 Peterson's Wager
08:42 The Demons of Dostoevsky
15:41 "You Already Believe in God"
23:31 A Pragmatic Philosophy

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The Philosopher the Modern World Needs | Simone Weil

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 07:00:00 -0000

Simone Weil is one of the most interesting thinkers of the twentieth century. Yet she remains tragically underrated and underread. This is a shame, because she is a truly fascinating and original thinker, with a lot specifically to add to our understanding of the modern world.

Uploaded 10-08-26

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00:00 The Needs of The Soul
14:32 Suffering and The Poem of Force
29:11 Social Prestige and the Power of Words
41:49 Friendship, Necessity, and Hatred

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Why you NEED to read Franz Kafka

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 06:00:00 -0000

There are few authors who speak as clearly to the problems of modernity as Franz Kafka. But in him, we also find reassurance that our problems are not unique, or pathetic, but have been felt and understood by those who came before us. And, above all, are dignified enough to fashion great art out of them. So here let's look at Franz Kafka, and how he is the perfect philosopher for the modern age.

Uploaded 19-08-24

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Loneliness sources:

https://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/facts-and-statistics/
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/24/health/lonely-adults-gallup-poll-wellness/index.html
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/nov/16/who-declares-loneliness-a-global-public-health-concern
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/unlock-loneliness/loneliness-young-people-research-briefing#:~:text=BBC.,new%20BBC%20Radio%204%20survey.

Video on Kafka and TikTok: https://youtu.be/JuaWj0GVU9o?si=ErfYiLqGWy7-gyYF

00:00 Kafka Populi
01:13 A Question of Identity
08:11 Isolation in Public
14:45 Mundane Helplessness
21:24 A Portrait of Fear

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Reacting to the most insane philosophy papers ever written

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 06:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 20-03-26

Sometimes philosophers want to tackle the big questions, and other times they want to find out why flatulence is funny. So today we are looking at the most ridiculous philosophy papers ever, courtesy of Philpapers.

00:00 Why Flatulence is Funny
10:43 Sometimes there is nothing wrong with letting a child drown
17:39 Dad Jokes and the Deep Roots of Fatherly Teasing
26:32 The Mind of Santa Claus
34:49 The Unreality of Time

Papers:
Why Flatulence is Funny: https://philpapers.org/rec/SPIWFI
The Mind of Santa Claus: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781444325386.ch8?msockid=198d1558d66f6f573e7f0327d7406eaa
Dad Jokes Paper: https://philpapers.org/rec/HYEDJA
Sometimes there is nothing wrong with letting a child drown: https://academic.oup.com/analysis/article-abstract/75/2/204/165347
The Unreality of Time: https://philpapers.org/archive/MCTTUO.pdf

Check out Nathan Hawkins' excellent channel here: @drnathanhawkins

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Why We're Obsessed with Identity (and why we should stop) | Dr. Alexander Douglas

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 05:00:00 -0000

In the modern world we are obsessed with identity - including the idea of "being yourself". I have expressed some scepticism of this idea in the past, but haven't quite been able to put my finger on why. So today we are talking to the wonderful Dr. Alexander Douglas all about his latest book - Against Identity - a critique of the very concept of a fixed identity. I hope you enjoy!

Uploaded 08-07-26

You can find Alex's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DT1K9W2N/?bestFormat=true&k=against%20identity&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_16_de&crid=2I1NZ64U6309U&sprefix=against%20identity

And his Substack here: https://substack.com/@alexxdouglas

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Subscribe to my Substack here for more of my writings: https://josephfolley.substack.com/

00:00 What's wrong with being yourself
08:45 How does Daoism question identity?
22:33 Should our identities be more fluid?
31:20 Identity as social technology?
36:45 Spinoza and identity
50:00 The pressure of a fixed identity
55:04 What is Girard's theory of mimetic desire
1:17:20 Girard's Christianity
1:24:55 What was the most interesting idea you came across in the past year and why?

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Debating Philip Goff on Consciousness, God, and Drugs

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 05:00:00 -0000

I am a naturalist, and Philip is a panpsychist, and as a result we disagree an awful lot on questions to do with consciousness and God. So we met up to chat about both of these topics, as well as the subject of religious experiences, and see what common ground we share. This was a very fun conversation, and I hope you enjoy!

Uploaded 10-05-26

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Subscribe to my Substack here for more of my writings: https://josephfolley.substack.com/

Check out Philip's reply to my fine-tuning argument here: https://open.substack.com/pub/philipgoff/p/i-was-wrong-on-fine-tuningor-was?r=2ohjsz&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer

Here are Philip’s links - please do check them out :)

‘Why? The Purpose of the Universe’: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Purpose-Universe-Philip-Goff/dp/0198883765/
‘Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness’: https://www.amazon.com/Galileos-Error-Foundations-Science-Consciousness/dp/1524747963
Philip’s channel https://www.youtube.com/@philipgoffphilosophy
Philip’s X: https://twitter.com/Philip_Goff

00:00 Why Panpsychism Doesn't Help Explain Consciousness
09:35 Why Panpsychism Does Help Explain Consciousness
23:35 My Problems with the Panpsychist Argument
40:05 Can we know the nature of consciousness intrinsically?
59:56 Are the physicalist and panpsychist at argumentative bedrock?
1:23:22 Philip's Religious Experience
1:33:31 Are religious experiences reliable?
1:40:10 Religious experiences and Orthodox Christianity
1:50:16 Debating the fine-tuning argument
2:14:06 What is the most interesting idea you've come across in the past year and why?

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The Dostoevsky Tier List

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 04:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 30-01-26

I love Dostoevsky, and I love tier lists. So today I thought I would combine these loves into the Dostoevsky Tier List. We'll be ranking almost all of his major works, so I hope you enjoy!

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00:00 Poor Folk
08:47 The Double
13:43 White Nights
17:27 The House of The Dead
23:11 The Gambler
28:10 Notes from Underground
32:29 Crime and Punishment
37:38 The Idiot
45:27 Demons
49:21 The Brothers Karamazov

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The Most Terrifying Story Ever Written | I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 04:00:00 -0000

There are many post-apocalyptic tales. Some are hopeful, some are hopeless, some are funny, and some are tragic. But few are as bleak as Harlan Ellison's I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. A terrifying warning about AI, Existential Terror, Hatred, and More, Ellison's story remains one of the greatest post-apocalyptic tales of all time. And is, perhaps, the most disturbing story ever written.

Uploaded 06-06-24

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00:00 Ellison's Nightmare
01:48 Trapped in Identities
08:22 Hate and Hatability
14:45 Love and Sacrifice
19:16 Powerlessness and Reflections

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The Secret Behind Dostoevsky’s Genius

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 03:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 31-08-26

Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of my favourite authors, and almost universally recognised as one of the greatest writers of all time. He left behind not only his novels and published works, but a plethora of journals and notes that some very interesting scholars have used to investigate his writing process. We are going to look at just some of their work now.

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00:00 A Timely Timeless Man
16:54 Breaking News
25:25 A Prisoner and a Prophet
37:01 The Process of Creation

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The Problem with Modern Love

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 03:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 27-07-24

It seems like there is only one thing everyone can agree on at the moment - there is something wrong with modern love. Though people may disagree with exactly what it is or what the solutions might be, no one is happy, and everyone has a bone to pick. So I hope you'll join me in exploring the philosophy behind the problem with modern love.

LINKS AND CORRECTIONS

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00:00 The State of Love
02:36 The Terrifying Power of Love
08:28 Lofty Expectations
14:59 The Cult of Eros
22:02 The Mysteries of Compatibility
27:45 The Aesthetic Stage of Love
33:24 The Terror of Beauty
39:30 The Expectation of Self-Love
46:07 Dissonance and Harmony
53:05 Romantic Nihilism

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Answering your personal and philosophical questions | 900k QnA

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 02:00:00 -0000

Thank you so much for 900 thousand subscribers! I am so grateful and I look forward to answering your questions!

Uploaded 29-05-26

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00:00 How am I?
05:58 What would I do if not philosophy?
09:45 What are my non-philosophical hobbies?
12:18 What do I want to be when I grow up?
15:12 Why is emotional sincerity cringe?
23:13 What defines philosophical literature?
29:46 Where am I in the consciousness discussion?
39:34 Favourite author style-wise
42:27 How to not take disagreement personally
47:22 do I journal?
50:33 Which philosopher would I bring to the modern day?
56:47 Did I like philosophy as a kid?
1:01:38 Who is the smartest philosopher of all time?
1:06:37 What do you think about Byung-Chul Han?
1:11:17 Will I do videos about logic?
1:17:04 What have I changed my mind on since starting the channel?
1:22:43 What makes me angry?
1:26:55 Should philosophers have beards?

Here is a Frank Ramsey paper: https://www.fitelson.org/probability/ramsey.pdf

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How To Think Like a Philosopher

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 02:00:00 -0000

Throughout history, philosophers have tackled a number of questions, but on the side they have provided something almost as valuable - an implicit guide on how to think like some of the brightest minds in history. And that is what we shall be exploring today. So here is how to think like a philosopher.

Uploaded 27-06-24

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00:00 The Philosophers' Guidebook
01:07 Let's Get Specific
06:29 Originality and Creativity
12:08 Courage and Inquiry
18:03 Doubt and Dubitability
22:39 Theory, Practice, and Habituation

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One star reviews of classic books that actually understood them perfectly

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 01:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 14-07-26

You know the drill! Here are some one-star reviews of classic books. But this time I wanted to do something a little bit different. Rather than simply look to them for entertainment, I wanted to pick those reviews that, even though they were uniformly negative, actually had a very good point, and perhaps understood these works better than most other people.

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00:00 The Great Gatsby
12:29 American Psycho
21:18 Kafka: The Complete Stories
28:52 Albert Camus' The Fall
37:28 Montaigne's Essays

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Debating William Lane Craig, Philip Goff, and Jessica Frazier on God and Morality

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Earlier this year I had the absolute privilege of sitting down with some enormously clever people and talking about God, goodness, and meaning, and I am delighted to share it with you now. Thank you to Premier Unbelievable for filming it and for allowing me to post it here.

Uploaded 27-07-26

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0:00 The Story of Everything
1:00 William Lane Craig: Where Did Reality Come From?
5:34 Can Life Have Meaning Without God?
10:07 Hinduism, God and the Universe
14:57 Philip Goff’s Mystical Experience
24:04 Craig Challenges Goff on Mystical Experience
27:38 Does Meaning Need God?
45:04 Creation, Brahman and Christian Theism
51:05 Is God Separate From the Universe?
1:00:02 Good, Evil and Ultimate Reality
1:14:38 Have We Moved Beyond Objective Meaning?

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When is Ignorance Bliss? | Professor Jimmy Licon

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Ignorance is one of the most maligned concepts out there. For many of my videos I take it for granted that knowing more is always better. And yet the philosopher Jimmy Licon offers a different perspective. His work highlights where ignorance is beneficial, both ethically and epistemically.

Uploaded 16-06-26

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Professor Licon's Substack: https://substack.com/@syntheticsocrates
Professor Licon's Youtube channel: https://youtube.com/@uncommonwisdomllc?si=0gAAWQjEY9oNn8WG

00:00 What are the benefits of ignorance?
14:53 What are the benefits of not thinking?
24:52 When is virtue signalling good?
45:11 Should politics be less transparent?
1:07:35 Should our politics be less rational?
1:27:45 Will AI kill philosophy?
1:43:13 What is the most interesting idea you've come across in the past year and why?

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Nietzsche's Most Misunderstood Idea | God is Dead

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 23:00:00 -0000

Perhaps Nietzsche's most famous phrase is "God is dead and we have killed him". But we rarely stop to think about what Nietzsche actually meant by this. And it is a worthy task, because this simple statement has been misinterpreted over and over again in a myriad of different ways, and we could do with separating the wheat from the chaff.

Uploaded 11-04-24

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00:00 God is Dead
01:09 Enlightenment Problems Require Existential Solutions
07:04 God is Dead and So are We
12:42 God is Dead so Become a God
19:59 Atheism Taken Seriously

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Why Crushes are So Painful

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 22:00:00 -0000

Crushes are a fascinating aspect of human life. They have a tendency to reduce even the most rational person to a neurotic mess. But what exactly is it that makes a crush so powerful and so painful, and why do we get them? Well, this question is explored in detail in Stendhal's magnificent book On Love. And we will explore this very topic in this video.

Uploaded 31-08-24

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00:00 A Touch of Irrationalism
01:43 Crystallisation and Fantasy
08:24 Love's Labour's Lost (and Won)
15:09 Identity, Vanity, and Ego
21:26 Dignifying the Crush

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Taking Philosophy Memes Seriously

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 21:00:00 -0000

Ancient Greece had the philosophical dialogue, ancient Rome had the hexameter poem, the enlightenment had the essay, and the Romantics had the philosophical novel. But today, we will look at the modern choice for communicating philosophical ideas: memes. And rather than simply laugh or mock them, we are going to take them seriously to see what we can learn from them.

Uploaded 05-08-24

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00:23 The Myth of Sisyphus
03:03 Shopping Trolley Problem
06:19 Frustrated Originality
08:21 God and Freedom
10:00 The Fear of Being Seen
12:13 Philosophy is Annoying
14:38 Partying in Absurdity
18:08 Moral Monsters
19:56 Relativism and its Issues
21:44 Philosophy and Self-Help
24:29 MC Hammer

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The Hidden Problem with Religious Arguments

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 20:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 23-08-24

Debates about God are almost always pitched as between atheists and theists. But we do not give very much thought to the middle position. What about the skeptic's position on the issue? What are the strong arguments in favour of agnosticism?

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Image: Square made of Two Triangles. Credit to Michael Angelkovich. Licenced under CC 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

00:00 Agnosticism and Scepticism
02:02 The Limits of Analogy
07:32 The Problem of Understanding God
14:12 Possibilities, Plausibility, and You
20:05 Knowledge, Belief, and Doubt

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The World is Becoming More Parasocial. Here's Why

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 19:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 04-02-26

The term "Parasocial Relationships" has become quite the hot button issue lately. With the rise of social media, they are seemingly growing at a rapid pace. So what is the future of parasocial relationships, and what harm can they do?

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00:00 Sociality and Parasociality
13:29 Parasocial Relationships: The Good and The Bad
21:42 The Parasocial World
36:58 The Future of Parasociality

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Self-improvement has sold us a lie

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Self-improvement is a noble aim, but can it go too far? I think it can, but I also think that in our rush to condemn self-improvement and self-optimisation, we often forget that obsession is sometimes a wonderful thing, and we ought not to condemn it wholesale.

Uploaded 20-09-26

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00:00 The cult of self-optimisation
07:54 Keeping Score
22:41 The existential temptation of optimisation
38:14 In defence of obsession

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No, not all relationships are transactional

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:00:00 -0000

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Uploaded 14-05-26

I am often told that "all relationships are transactional". I think this is not only a lie, but a pernicious lie, and here is exactly how I respond to it. Moreover, the popularity of this phrase points to a wider set of cynical attitudes that have gripped our collective psyche, and I want to unpack them.

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00:00 The Presumption of Transaction
12:14 Egoism and the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
21:52 The Seduction of Cynicism
34:49 Cynicism within Limits

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