Nick Riggle (Ex-pro skater, philosophy professor at the University of California, YOLO expert) has become known for dissecting contemporary phenomena in a distinctly Socratic manner. In this chat, we delve into the philosophical significance of awesomeness (and its antonym, suckiness), the existential imperative of YOLO (!) and the aetiology of the high five. Nick’s theses on these cliched expressions ultimately lead to a wonderfully wild answer to the quandary of what makes life worth living in such a fraught era. To flesh it all out we draw on sporting analogies, the poetry of Mary Oliver and each other’s really rather near-death experiences.  We mention philosopher Kieran Setiya, here you can listen to Kieran’s Wild episode featuring his take on how to love living a hard life. You can read more about Nick via his website and follow him on Twitter Nicks books can be purchased via the below links: On Being Awesome This Beauty: A Philosophy of Being Alive If you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" page Subscribe to my Substack newsletter for more such conversation Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious Life  Let’s connect on Instagram! It’s where I interact the most Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.