Intro of what this episode is about… So, there's this trend in the influencer and guru world of trying to make God cool again. You've got your Petersons, your Hubermans, your Rogans, all preaching their own brand of spirituality, self-improvement, and self-optimization. And I've noticed this trend where they’ve moved more towards this acceptance of God or more open to a Jesus like figure. Not a problem on face value. I’m not here today to critique the flaws of religion. It’s over done or at...

Some highlights… * "The most outspoken members of society shape opinions and shift the center significantly." * "Twitter is often a cesspool of stupidity, yet it's also where the most opinionated gather to shape culture, art, politics, and philosophy." * "Our current commentary culture encourages edgy takes supported by selective evidence, yet fails to challenge the deeper complexities of truth." * "The alt-right's fixation on certain idols as a response to the perceived instability of the...

There’s this clip of Sam Harris discussing consciousness and free will that went a bit viral on Twitter. I wanted to comment on it… so here it is. I hope you enjoy it. Stay curious. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendenslabyrinth.substack.com/subscribe

The quote that motivated this episode…. “Central to Hermetic thought was the tenet: ‘As above, so below.’ Everything is connected, from the movement of the stars and the planets to the internal workings of an insect. Understanding these secret connections, and harnessing them, was the key to a successful magician’s art. Central, too, was the occult nature of the mage’s knowledge. The mage saw things, and connections, that ordinary or uninitiated people could not. Whoever shapes the perception...

This is the audio version of my previous essay and I’ve also linked the Youtube version as well. “But now I'm not so sure I believe in beginnings and endings. There are days that define your story beyond your life. Like the day they arrived.” “And "purpose" requires an understanding of intent. We need to find out, do they make conscious choices or is their motivation so instinctive that they don't understand a "why" question at all. And-And biggest of all, we need to have enough vocabulary...

This has a few changes and rewording but this is an audio and podcast version for my recent essay. Stanley Kubrick's cinematic masterpiece, 'A Clockwork Orange', paints a vivid picture of orchestrated aggression. But what's the real message behind the film? From the Korova Milkbar to the depths of psychological conditioning, 'A Clockwork Orange' is a journey into the human psyche. Article it’s based on… Stay curious. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other...

Some excerpts… "We pull from the external world to formulate our own narratives, yet they're never truly our own." "Narratives become our masks, and over time, we become consumed by them." "In the vast digital landscape, we're both the authors and the characters of our stories, constantly shaping and being shaped." "The uncertain interplay with the external world continuously evolves us, forcing us to navigate and find our place anew." "Stories, myths, narratives—they act as symbols that...

(Transcript edited for readability.) Amidst dusk, I stood alone in a sprawling, chaotic marketplace. Stalls stretched endlessly, selling sleek, high-tech smartphones. The crowd was full of anticipation. I grabbed a device. Its screen lit up, flooding me with flashes and buzzing alerts. Each ping of my phone further itching my curiosity. But it was a hollow thrill, only to be replaced by a curiosity for more. I found a tent with shifting, shimmering fabrics. The sign above read, "Future...

(Transcript edited for readability.) Barbie. The new film is set to come out on July 21st, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Director, Greta Gerwig is the writer and director, who has been Oscar-nominated for her work. This fact is likely part of the reason for some of the increased hype around this film, as her name behind this indicates it's likely not a simple cash grab. But this is Hollywood we're talking about...in some sense, all their work is a bit of a cash grab. But we will...

(Below is the transcript for the episode but edited for readability) We've reached this moment in time where technology has become sublime. We are advancing so fast that we do not understand the mechanisms and workings of the things we use every day. While it's not necessarily a negative thing, there is a lack of understanding even among those who are developing, innovating, and maintaining these technologies. This means they may not fully comprehend the implications of their work. This is...

“Fantasies are fate defining in the sense that they determine the “content” of the repetition compulsion, giving our desire its inexorable direction, and making us single-minded lay preoccupied by, and doggedly faithful to, certain existential designs and preferences even when these undercut our well-being. To the degree that they endow us with a misleading sense of the role we occupy in the world, they delimit what we consider psychically and existentially possible, predetermining the range...

“The elevation of the love object to the dignity of the Thing can result in intense aggression towards the object. As Lacan tersely observes, “I love you, but, because inexplicably I love in you something more than you—the objet petit a—I mutilate you.” — Mari Ruti, The Singularity of Being This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendenslabyrinth.substack.com/subscribe

Here are some helpful videos for further research and perspective that I find to be well-thought out and from people of the transgender community… (Philosophy Tube) Identity: A Trans Coming Out Story ContraPoints: Pronouns The episode of Dualistic Unity that I was commenting on: here This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendenslabyrinth.substack.com/subscribe

Plastic Pills episode mentioned: Here A few sound bites… from my episode. “We spend life learning how to lose everything. And then we die. Where we’ve truly lost everything.” “Life is like watching a show where we never get to see the f*****g end.” “And in the end, we spend our life telling ourselves that everything is going to be fine.” “Man has built up the rational world by his own efforts, but there remains within him an undercurrent of violence. Nature herself is violent, and however...

The essence of the theme for this episode: If we begin seeing that the system or the political is what produces the individual or our concept of the personal...then we realize the personal or the individual has never really existed. Plastic Pills stream mentioned: here This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendenslabyrinth.substack.com/subscribe

This is an episode of the podcast where I use this clipped discussion by the podcast Lex Fridman and the author of Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind by Annaka Harris (partner of Sam Harris) to open a discussion around the self, the idea of it being an illusion, and our sense of will. Anyway, I’ve always been hesitant in using the language of “illusion” around the sense of self, as I think it can have an unintended spiral effect that is not always helpful for the...

"I would say that in my scientific and philosophical work, my main concern has been with understanding the nature of reality in general and of consciousness in particular as a coherent whole, which is never static or complete, but which is in an unending process of movement and unfoldment." — David Bohm “That in language our message comes to us from the Other, and—to state the rest of the principle—in an inverted from. (Let me remind you that this principle applied to its own enunciation...

Through this podcast, I hope to further my journey into ideas, philosophy, spirituality, psychedelics, and science by utilizing everything around us from our culture, myths, religions, films, tv shows, books, poetry, music…and anything else you can think of. My intention is to create a space to question our belief structures and present ideas through an entertaining, empowering, and thought-provoking method. I do this by explaining my own struggles, and interpretations, and bringing in...

In this one, I try to use Teal Swan as a background for a conversation around memory, trauma, created narratives, pain, and the spiritual experience, and gurus…I hope you like it:) Who is Teal Swan? “The best way to describe Teal Swan is as an American spiritual leader. Though she maintains in The Deep End that she never sought to become a leader, her current career started around 2011. That’s when she published her first book, The Sculptor in the Sky, and launched her YouTube channel....

Bonus content... Writing: https://aphilosophersstone.substack.com/ Bonus feed on Apple Podcasts Patreon Bonus Feed: https://www.patreon.com/thephilosophyguy Get full access to A Philosopher's Stone (Brenden's Labyrinth) at aphilosophersstone.substack.com/subscribe

Bonus content... Writing: https://aphilosophersstone.substack.com/ Bonus feed on Apple Podcasts Patreon Bonus Feed: https://www.patreon.com/thephilosophyguy Get full access to A Philosopher's Stone (Brenden's Labyrinth) at aphilosophersstone.substack.com/subscribe

Bonus content... Writing: https://aphilosophersstone.substack.com/ Bonus feed on Apple Podcasts Patreon Bonus Feed: https://www.patreon.com/thephilosophyguy Get full access to A Philosopher's Stone (Brenden's Labyrinth) at aphilosophersstone.substack.com/subscribe

Bonus content...Writing: https://aphilosophersstone.substack.com/Bonus feed on Apple PodcastsPatreon Bonus Feed: https://www.patreon.com/thephilosophyguy

Bonus content...Writing: https://aphilosophersstone.substack.com/Bonus feed on Apple PodcastsPatreon Bonus Feed: https://www.patreon.com/thephilosophyguy