Self-improvement has sold us a lie

Like anyone, I have favourite books, and many of them are classics. And I sometimes like to go on Goodreads and read one star reviews of them, to torment myself a little. Today, I will share this with you.Uploaded 01-03-26Support me on Patreon here (you lovely person): https://patreon.com/UnsolicitedAdvice701?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkSubscribe to my Substack here for more of my writings: https://josephfolley.substack.com/Lord of the Rings Song: https://youtu.be/I3g6mFI4Fug?si=XVzH4kNs4ENVsQhg00:00 Wuthering Heights07:42 No Longer Human13:10 Pride and Prejudice20:49 The Idiot24:33 The Apologia30:54 The Lord of The Rings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Orwell is widely seen as a prescient author. This is often applied to his thoughts about totalitarianism and surveillance. But it applies just as much to his ideas about propaganda, which are surprisingly up-to-date, and mirrored in the book How Propaganda Works by Jason Stanley.Uploaded 26-03-26Support me on Patreon here (you lovely person): https://patreon.com/UnsolicitedAdvice701?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkSubscribe to my Substack here for more of my writings: https://josephfolley.substack.com/00:00 What even is propaganda, anyway?09:50 Epistemology and Ideology21:30 The Influence of Language36:32 Propaganda and You Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is an old video on Nietzsche and does not really reflect my current views on him. Sorry about that.Uploaded 20-07-24There has been increasing discourse online about the concept of a "Christian Revival" or otherwise a general religious revival. And I find this very interesting because almost exactly the same debate took place over the course of the 19th century. And chief among the critics of religion as an answer to nihilism was the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. So it is worth hearing him out - even if we end up disagreeing with him. Let's find out if a religious revival is really the answer.Support me on Patreon here (you wonderful person you): https://patreon.com/UnsolicitedAdvice701?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkSign up to my email list for more philosophy to improve your life: https://forms.gle/YYfaCaiQw9r6YfkN700:00 Religious Revival - A Dilemma01:48 Lived Religion07:05 Religion and Nihilism: A False Dichotomy14:08 Religious Authority and its Critics21:11 Nihilism and The Will Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are few experiences as terrifying as feeling totally alone. Being lonely and feeling alienated from everyone else around you. And nowhere is this explored better than in Albert Camus' landmark novel, The Stranger. So get ready to dive into this wonderful novel, and maybe answer the question of why we are so lonely.Uploaded 12-06-24Support me on Patreon here (you lovely person): https://patreon.com/UnsolicitedAdvice701?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkSign up to my email list for more philosophy to improve your life: https://forms.gle/YYfaCaiQw9r6YfkN700:00 The Ultimate Outsider01:29 Indifference and Difference07:08 Judgement and Condemnation13:18 Confusion and Chaos20:22 The Comfort of The Absurd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first 500 people to use my link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare https://skl.sh/unsolicitedadvice07241Uploaded 01-07-24Why does it seem like BS is around every corner in the modern age? Wherever we go there is usually someone trying to fool us, hoodwink us, or manipulate the truth to serve their own ends. But what exactly is Bulls****, and why should we care about it? Well, today we will look at Harry Frankfurt's essay on that very topic, and dive into the surprising philosophy of Bulls****Support me on Patreon here (you wonderful person): https://patreon.com/UnsolicitedAdvice701?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkSign up to my email list for more philosophy to improve your life: https://forms.gle/YYfaCaiQw9r6YfkN700:00 A Philosopher's Guide to BS02:32 A Theory of BS08:43 Honest and Dishonest15:17 The Tenacity of BS20:48 The Smell of BS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What has gone wrong with reading? This is one of the main questions on everybody's lips today, and very few people have written about it as thoroughly as Jared Henderson (@_jared). So I had a chat with him about the modern reading crisis, and what we can do about it.Uploaded 12-01-26You can find Jared's Substack here: https://substack.com/@jaredhendersonYou can also find my Substack here: https://substack.com/@josephfolley00:00 What is the reading crisis?07:05 How is this over-simplified?00:25:12 The gap between non-readers and hyper-readers00:34:05 Byung-Chul Han00:43:55 What's Happening with Our Attention Spans?00:51:42 Enjoying Reading01:08:51 Performative Readers01:16:27 The Effects of the Internet on Reading01:23:34 Favourite Books01:28:34 What's the Point of Fiction Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are few philosophers more sought after than Albert Camus. His thoughts on absuridsm and living in a meaningless world have gone down in history for their insight and their radicalism. But today we are going to examine Camus's final published novel, where he gives a deep analysis of an existential crisis in the modern age, and how we might inadvertently be lying to ourselves about almost everything.Uploaded 20-05-24Support me on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/UnsolicitedAdvice701?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkSign up to my email list for more philosophy to improve your life: https://forms.gle/YYfaCaiQw9r6YfkN700:00 The Fall of Man01:58 A Supposedly Idyllic Life08:34 Innocence Lost15:55 Rebellion and Cynicism21:33 The Judge-Penitent Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I sat down with @lanceindependent to talk morality, metaethics, and moral relativism. We particularly focused on the mistakes people tend to make about moral and metaethical relativism.Uploaded 08-12-25Support me on Patreon here (you lovely person): https://patreon.com/UnsolicitedAdvice701?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkSubscribe to my Substack here for more of my writings: https://josephfolley.substack.com/Lance's Blog: https://www.lanceindependent.com/Lance's Website: https://lancesbush.owlstown.net/Lance's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@lanceindependent00:00:00 Comparing Ethics and Metaethics00:00:56 Introducing The Moral Realist/Anti-Realist Debate00:11:58 Misconceptions About Moral Relativism00:19:16 The Overcomparison Fallacy00:28:01 How to Know if Someone is a Moral Realist/Anti-Realist00:48:08 How Reliable Are Our Moral Intuitions? 00:52:01 Multiple Meanings of “Intuition”00:53:50 Advancing Our Understanding Through Moral Disagreements01:00:02 Everyday Disagreements01:01:49 The True Function of Disagreements01:13:48 Moral Relativists in Society01:18:15 Social Goals Causing Fluidity in Moral Stances01:20:49 Experimental Philosophy and Metaethics01:37:20 Arguments from Formalism01:48:52 Logical Positivism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An argument that has become increasingly popular in apologetic or cultural apologetic circles is arguing for the cultural influence of Christianity through the "Tom Holland Argument". I talked to a prominent Christian critic of that argument to see why he thinks Christians should not take this route.Uploaded 26-08-26Also check out Matt’s Substack here! It is really good!: https://substack.com/@thisisleisfullofnoises?r=2ohjsz&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=stories&shareImageVariant=imageSupport me on Patreon here (you lovely person): https://patreon.com/UnsolicitedAdvice701?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkSubscribe to my Substack here for more of my writings: https://josephfolley.substack.com/00:00 What is the "Tom Holland Argument"06:20 Why shouldn't Christians use it?16:46 The trouble with defining Christianity29:15 The difficulty of writing history through ideas41:15 Your morals aren't self-evident50:30 History, Epistemology, and Storytelling55:35 What are some good arguments for cultural Christianity?1:03:15 When are historical arguments persuasive?1:12:46 Secular Ethics and Self-Help Bros1:22:30 What I envy about religious people1:27:40 Can everyone go to Heaven?1:39:07 What was the greatest idea you came across in the past year and why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Head to https://squarespace.com/unsolicitedadvice to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code UNSOLICITEDADVICEUploaded 17-12-25Gavin Ortlund (@TruthUnites) has recently argued that atheism as a philosophical position implies despair and nihilism. I disagree with him on this point, and would like to say a few words as to why.Support me on Patreon here (you lovely person): https://patreon.com/UnsolicitedAdvice701?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkSubscribe to my Substack here for more of my writings: https://josephfolley.substack.com/00:00 Is Atheism Unliveable?13:22 Christians have a point!22:09 Atheism Strikes Back38:31 Reconstructing the Argument Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices