Happy Nihilism Explained

John rebuts the argument that the economy matters more than people by pointing out the hypocrisy of All Lives Matter.

John talks about the state of the public discourse.

John returns with his thoughts on COVID 19 and it’s what it tells us about our societies.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

John reads Immanuel Kant's electrifying essay about enlightenment.

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.