35. Vagaries of Understanding

For this episode, Oliver and Ante are delighted to connect with their good friends, Oleg Kostyuk, Assistant to the President for Mission at AdventHealth University, and Torben Bergland, a psychiatrist from Norway. Building on their previous discussion of fear, they use this conversation to deepen their understanding of fear, particularly as it relates to the dynamics of memory, trauma, and authoritarian structures.* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations about life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show’s title suggests, we approach these topics “in the middle of things”—grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. As for who we are: we are friends, verbal sparring partners, and colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

Fear is an incredibly complex emotion, differing in expressions as it does in its causes. Ante and Oliver try to tackle it from different angles, including its neurobiology, connection with human identity, personal and social manifestations, negative effects, strategies for addressing them, and place in the life of Christians.* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

Doubt shows up in many different guises. What accounts for the variety of such human experiences? What is its relation to faith? What are the different causes and expressions of doubt? What is it about our cultural moment that makes doubt such a widespread phenomenon? Can doubt sometimes be an expression of laziness? To what extent is doubt central to intellectual and spiritual growth?... These are some of the questions that Ante and Oliver tackle in discussing this important topic.* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

This time, the starting point for the conversation is Oliver's upcoming article, "A Critical Look at Modern Graduate Education Through the Lens of Ancient Texts." They explore some strengths and weaknesses of contemporary education, how some of those weaknesses are engendered and reinforced through the use of modern textbooks, the kind of cognitive (fore)closure these texts encourage, what the relationship between knowledge and understanding might be, how ancient texts encourage understanding through personal struggle and intellectual openness, what role "texts" of life should have education, etc.CONNECT WITH USEmail* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

Back in November 2024, Ante presented a paper at the Society of Adventist Philosophers titled The Anthropotechnics of Freedom: Training in Objectivity and the Ethics of Epistemic Authenticity. In this episode, Oliver and Ante take up that topic to explore the meaning and possibility of objectivity—so often a term of derision. They ask: Why does truth matter? Can we ever attain objective knowledge? What is the "view from nowhere"? What does it mean to see objectivity as a moral imperative? And how does this ethical reframing of an epistemological category shape human intersubjectivity? Ultimately, they consider a deeper question: What does it mean to die to oneself in the pursuit of truth?  CONNECT WITH USEmail* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

In this episode, Oliver and Ante delve into the enduring legacy of Homer's Odyssey. They explore its profound impact over the centuries, discussing why this epic poem remains so significant today. The conversation covers a breadth of existential themes presented in the Odyssey, such as destiny, homecoming, virtue, identity, and the human condition. Additionally, they examine the benefits of studying the Bible alongside classical works like the Odyssey, highlighting both the resonances and distinctions between these two cornerstone texts of Western culture.  CONNECT WITH USEmail* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

This time around, Ante and Oliver have a free-ranging conversation on a number of issues. After a brief life debrief and some discussion of AI tools, they delve into a US presidential election post-mortem, questions of objectification in relation to human subjectivity, how objectification leads to alienation and conflict, how the deepening of relationships with people who are different from us requires moving beyond such tendencies, and how working and playing together might connect us some deeper way of living than focusing on issues that cause friction.CONNECT WITH USEmail* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

After a longish break, Oliver and Ante are back recording new IMR episodes. In this one, they tackle different aspects of understanding, ranging from problematic self-perceptions, to evaluations and surveys, to the problem of objectification, and much more.CONNECT WITH USEmail* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

In recent years, "manifesting" has gained significant traction in pop culture and social media. It is the idea of willing the universe to bring into being our desires, in the sense of already possessing them in the act of wishing. As this rides on many interesting ideas and has a lot to say about our current cultural moment, Oliver and Ante have decided to discuss the issue to wrap their minds around it somewhat. What is this phenomenon about? Why is it so popular at this time? Should we understand it psychologically or sociologically? Does it contain some kernel of truth? What are its darker aspects? How is it related to anxiety and narcissism? What are some of its religious permutations, and what has the Bible to say about it?...CONNECT WITH USEmailWebsite* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

In recent weeks, all across the country, students have received countless awards, recognitions, and trophies. That state of affairs prompted Ante and Oliver to examine the participation trophy phenomenon to probe the underlying forces that fuel it. For instance, what does it say about how we view parenting, psychological development, personal well-being, growth and resiliency, self-esteem, and motivation? To what extent is all that connected to shame and anxiety? What sociological and economic forces lurk in the background here? While, as usual, by their recognition, they bite more on what they can chew, they manage to crystallize some critical areas of concern beyond parenting and educational issues.CONNECT WITH USEmailWebsite* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!