Crazy Wisdom

Christian Langalis is the co-founder and C.E.O. of Tirell Corporation What is Orbis Tertiary? What is the Orbis Ledger? Are there any cyberpunk references for Urbit business? What is the distinction of cyber-punk? Dystopia. What is cypher-punk? Who are Timothy May and Satoshi Nakamoto What is the overreach of instrumentalization? What is the atomization of the social? How did computers atomize humans even further? In what ways has studying culture informed your world view? What is the ultimate holy grail for Tirrell? What is an interregnum? What is the role of Urbit in the Web 3.0 ecosystem? How do you maintain legacy systems on an entirely new system that is censorless? What is a Spot ETF and why is it important? What is Bitcoin’s fifth pillar? (15 minutes) What is a cantalon insider? What is the New World Order that George H. W. Bush setup and how does it work now? What is the Minsky Moment? What is the Austrian tendency when it comes to economics? Who are Larry White and George Selgen? What is synthetic commodity money? What is the New Wyoming Bank Charter? What are Full-Reserve Cryptocurrency Banks? What is the difference between a bank and a bitcoin wallet? What are interbank clearing systems? What is the difference between a deferred system and a credit card settlement? What is unchained capital multisig? What is an FBO? What are extant regulations? What is the Nick Land quote (“in the mouth of madness”) (25 minutes)? How did science fiction inform your life? Who is Phil Monk? Urbit strives to have a system that is human scale, that will never require the long-term intervention of a specialized third party. Why do people call Curtis Yarvin an authoritarian? What is peer discovery? What is the contained podcast and who is Barret (36 minutes)? What are your favorite exclaves? How do I use Tirrell? Download the thing (find the thing). What is landscape (groups) programming language? What is the future of NFTs when it comes to fan groups? NFT’s can be digital cellophane wrappers for an album. How many people are in the Tirell corporation? What should someone know about the Urbit foundation? What is Hoon School? Do you have any insight into the people aspect of doing business? How is Tirell corporation set up? What church do you belong to (55 minutes)? What is the correct view of Urbit? What is the Jungen? What is Cottage Core? What is the relationship between Solipsism and being a Luddite? Who is Junger? What is the naming scheme? ~tirrel ~pindet-timmut ~tirrel corporation tirrel.io

Erik Newton is the C.O.O. of tlon.io which is the web development service for Urbit. Urbit is a place where you can speak your mind without worry of being censored. He used to be a lawyer, researching how humans can be removed from the execution and enforcement of contracts. He also had a podcast which attempted to pinpoint the causes of conflict in human relationships. Urbit is 3 pieces of technology: A virtual server built from the ground up; very secure, durable, and simple. A peer-to-peer encrypted network connecting all of the servers. A decentralized verification system. Data is not harvested on the Urbit network as it is on other social media networks. Humans can’t put genies back in their bottles. Get ready for Web 3.0! urbit.org tlon.io

If you are interested in the info on the podcast please make sure to verify yourself the information that is presented You are on your own now for determining what is true. No trusted groups are now responsible for it. You can't outsource it. The best way that I have found to find what is true is to ignore what the mind wants to be true and relentlessly attack your own notions of what is true. Ask is that true? Over and over again until you find out If you verify it yourself please find Steve Kirsch on Substack here: https://substack.com/profile/40661664-steve-kirsch For reference from the audio on the debate between two trained experts: James Lyons-Weiler on Substack: https://substack.com/profile/40349055-james-lyons-weiler

Jonathan Harrison's work is in learning to become more realistic. The more we connect to what’s really happening as opposed to what we think, we realize that what we think is our creativity operating, but the real world is just happening (including our thinking which is part of the real world). Then from this more realistic viewpoint, what we think ceases to disturb us because we realize it has no particular validity or meaning whatsoever, other than expressing our state of mind at the point that we may express it. The Unconditioned Mind: With a direct view of reality as it is, in which things that aren’t real don’t disturb you. You might call it a gentle adjustment or correction to our faulty education. Anger is a physical and mental state which we sometimes get into. When we’re angry, it’s temporary insanity and our judgment isn’t as good at that time. People who attack with anger are generally in the greatest need. Happiness is a biological drive that can cause anger. There’s always pain hiding behind anger. Listening to an angry person can diffuse their anger. Confusion is a common reaction to this work, along with fear and the whole spectrum of emotions. Ultimately there is no terminology in this work, and it doesn’t depend on any theory. For these reasons, it can get strange very quickly. We are all scientists. Nobody understands anything, but this doesn’t stop us from trying. The process of learning is updating our expectations according to the evidence. If you can accept that what’s happening now is not what you think, you immediately may face an open space of pure awareness in which you don't know what to be aware of, you don’t know who’s aware, you don’t know what awareness is, and it really doesn’t matter anymore. The goal is awareness of things as they are, as opposed to things as you think they are. In this work we don’t start from the assumption that a problem exists so there’s nothing to heal or solve, and we don’t start with the assumption that a problem doesn’t exist so everything is open. If there’s a problem and you have a solution, no need to worry. If there’s a problem and you don’t have a solution, there’s also no need to worry. Be wary of any teacher who is claiming to be enlightened, they may have missed the point.

Michael Batrano is the founder of Libertis Horizon, a private society event happening in San Diego that is focused on freeing individuals around the world from the control structures that keep us living scared, disconnected lives and restrict our personal agency. In this episode, we discuss control systems, how the elites have deceived us into giving away our agency, and much more. You can find him on his website www.libertishorizon.com and on the associated Telegram group. 1:16 - 15:46 -The two systems US citizens are living under. -Why knowing yourself is important to navigating yourself out of the negative system to the positive one -How the negative system has caused us to overintellectualize our lives. -How propaganda distracts you from the damage done by the negative system -Everything we use is owned by a few private groups. How do they maintain control? 16:00 – 17:55 -What is democracy? Is it useful? Does it offer any protection? -The REAL difference between a Democracy and a Republic. 17:56 – 19:27 -The unique opportunity modernity has presented for enabling individuals to build their own private worlds 19:30 – 25:09 -How we get trapped in the elite’s world without our consent. -Why you need to understand the contracts that keep us bound to these control structures -Everything in society is fiction. -How the idea of the US is now upside down. 25:27 – 34:23 -Examples of governments that have enforced control systems on their citizens -Does the US constitution offer more protection from autocratic systems than other constitutions? -Facebook and Google have been compromised. -Why guns are the last bastion of freedom in the US. 34:25 – 46:21 -A bit about Michael’s past -Lessons learned from fatherhood -How Disney implants the wrong ideas about love in us -How to keep yourself open to love despite the risks -Human nature is not innately destructive - we’re influenced from even before birth to have baggage. 46:50 – 53:25 How to find out more about the Libertis Horizon event.

Particularly what technologies will help us remove ourselves from systems of waste and hopefully inequality of opportunity. Many people think that we are in a dark age but what if in fact the last few years have been a civilizational level psych-out and we are on the cusp something truly great and transformational. Listen for more by Ben Magelsen (you can find him on Twitter at @benmagelsen

James O'Shaughnessy is the founder, chairman, and co-chief investment officer at OSAM (O'Shaughnessy Asset Management). In this episode, we discuss the changes that have come about in the world post-COVID, mainstream media, politics, navigating the future as a society, the law of attraction, and much more. You can catch Jim’s podcast, Infinite Loops, at www.infiniteloopspodcast.com. Enjoy. 1:58 - How covid accelerated the evolution of work meetings 6:47 - What is quantitative analysis? And how is it different from hedging bets? 13:36 - The world, especially after covid, has changed with respect to investing and decision-making, what do these changes look like? What will they result in? 19:08 - The crazy thing about Silicon Valley 21:24 - A rule of thumb for filtering who to have political discussions with 22:07 - How mainstream media in America is committing suicide 31:12 - How to deal with self-deception and how it is easier for intelligent people to fall prey to self-deception. 36:47 - How do you navigate the differences between eastern and western philosophy? 48:04 - The dangers of premature certainty 48:43 - The truth behind the law of attraction 54:01 - What is negative compounding and why should you be wary of it? 1:00:50 - Why free societies do better than unfree societies. 1:12:31 - Why you should see life as a “choose-your-own-adventure” game 1:20:44 - Why the atomization of society, the destruction of geographical boundaries by the internet, and addiction to social media outrage all work to serve a healthy purpose. 1:31:20 - Why marketing is the bedrock of all of humanity’s greatest institutions.

Steven is trying to discover the next culture that’s emerging to replace conventional western culture and is also trying to be part of its formation. In this episode, we talk about order, blockchain, decentralization, media, information, eastern spirituality, and much more. You can reach out to Steven on Twitter @_StevenFan 1:30 - What is the relationship between top-down and bottom-up influences when it comes to the formation of culture? 1:59 - Is the universe itself inherently bottom-up? Is order built up or pressed down? 6:44 - What is a cultural membrane? How do they influence a culture? 13:15 - As the world becomes more of a global village, is the decentralization of the internet possible with the current model of the internet? Should decentralization even be a goal? 18:15 - In the quest for decentralization, are languages like Solidity (Ethereum’s programming language) useful for creating large-scale applications, like Twitter, for example? 26:49 - How centralized technology can trap us in an information bubble. 28:57 - What is meant by the phrase, “the medium is the message?” 34:32 - What is the salience network and how does it influence how we perceive and process information? 36:35 - How paying attention to the salience network can lead to spiritual experiences 41:58 - Does consciousness exist beyond the brain or body? 48:07 - How does the brain create the unitary perception of reality? Is the brain even the actual mechanism behind this unitary perception of reality? 51:48 - What is information?

Daliso Ngoma is the founder and Managing Director of African Technopreneurs which is focused on providing the best AR/VR/360 camera hardware in South Africa. In this episode we discuss NFTs, Crypto, blockchain, trust, thinking for yourself, avoiding self-deception, and much more. You can find Daliso on Twitter and Instagram at @djngoma. Enjoy. (5:24) What is the connection between VR and crypto? Is it possible that they’re going to merge into one? (7:41) What exactly is an NFT? What does it actually mean to own one? (14:55) Is there a difference between shame and guilt? What is it? (17:14) Can you trust centralized social media platforms? Is crypto/blockchain a stepping stone to freedom of expression on the internet? How should you navigate decisions with contradicting information? Such as deciding whether to take the vaccine or not? (19:46) Do you really think for yourself? (23:33) Why you should be skeptical of how internet platforms (e.g., social media and websites) use the data you give them. (30:49) Self-deception: How Daliso tries to avoid bullshitting himself. (35:00) Why do people get so emotional when arguing on Twitter? (37:55) How South Africa is handling lockdowns. (47:57) What’s the crypto space in Africa like? (53:34) Can you pay for stuff with bitcoin in South Africa?

Keia is a Medicine Woman who organizes ceremonies for ancestral medicine. Her aim is to help people transform their lives life into empowered and abundant experiences through facilitating awakenings and supporting healing. In this episode, we discuss plant medicines, what it means to heal, the relationship between fear and healing, the goal of healing, and much more. You can find Keia on Twitter at KLMedicinewoman, and on Instagram at keialavine. Enjoy! (3:29) What is healing? What does it mean to heal? How can you tell when someone, in front of you, is healing from something deep? (6:14) What is the relationship between fear and healing? Is it possible to be afraid of healing? (14:14) The role of pain in healing. (15:05) How much of your decision-making is based on fear? (17:57) The place we must get to, on the inside, if we’re to face the fear of healing. (24:57) Why healing isn’t for the faint-hearted. (32:20) What are “being needs” and “having needs”? How can they help us find meaning? (41:07) What was it like to grow up in an indigenous tradition?

Nikhil Verma is a medical doctor who specializes in treating and managing spinal health, mobility, chronic pain, and athletic health among others. In this episode, we discuss chronic pain, the various ways chronic pain is managed, transhumanism, muscular tension, and the possible future interventions in managing chronic pain. You can find Nikhil Verma on Twitter at VermaN21 and on Instagram at dr.nvsportandspine. Enjoy! (5:44) What is a notochord? (10:18) What portion of pain is subjective and what portion is objective? How much do we know about each of these components? Nociceptive vs Neuropathic pain. (14:40) What do we know about the memory component of subjective and chronic pain? And why is it so misunderstood? (18:02) Why opioids are terrible widespread methods for treating chronic pain. (19:54) How can we get better in touch with our endogenous opioids? (24:50) Is there such a thing as too much mobility? (26:44) Is there evidence that weightlifting helps manage chronic pain? (29:56) How does the brain create a unitary picture of experience? (33:10) Transhumanism, the ways people apply it to managing chronic back pain, and the problems with it. (41:45) Is there a relationship between muscular tension and chronic pain? Why are float tanks so effective? (48:55) What is the potential of stem cell regeneration for chronic pain? Do psychedelics or ketamines play any role in the future of treating chronic pain? (55:53) Will exoskeletons ever become mainstream? Are there any disadvantages to this?

Courtney is passionate about helping children with cancer and in this episode, we discuss the shortcomings of the medical industry, their misinformed directives, their indirect undermining of human endurance and adaptability, living off the grid, achieving independence from the system, and much more. Enjoy 2:07 The patient advocate: how Courtney helps children who have cancer and their families. 6:31 Why do kids get cancer? Do you know that in adults 90% of cancers have environmental causes? 8:45 How the medical industry, in its current form, prevents people from understanding how durable and capable their bodies are 11:44 How current medical protocol prevents doctors from paying deep attention to patients’ needs. 16:55 What does it mean to be “sensitive”? Does the word have multiple interpretations? 21:00 How do we “tear down” the “system”? 24:38 The largest political ingroup in the U.S is not who you think it is. 29:19 A big thing you can do to reduce your dependence on, and participation in, the system. 31:19 Is it possible to be in a codependent relationship with flowers and plants? 34:30 For quality planting tips revisit my episode with 35:32 How important is it to make money doing the things you love? Is it always doable? 39:49 Does free will exist? Do you really have agency over your choices? 45:52 The neuroscience of internal resistance 49:40 Tools for dealing with fear

A collaborative episode with Woody Wiegmann, host of Courage over Conviction podcast. In this episode, we discuss the existence of free will, and try to determine where choice ends and determinism begins. We discuss psychology, making the unconscious conscious, the pitfalls of human hubris, hedging against terrible fiscal policies and much more. Enjoy. (1:22) What is free will? How do we decide our actions? Do we really decide? Does free will actually exist or are we slaves to determinism? (10:12) The Iboga mystery. Why is it so effective with heroin withdrawals? What can Iboga, and plant substances in general, teach us about Biochemistry, and in turn free will? (13:58) Should psychology be a science? We don’t really understand qualia; all information comes to us through a subjective filter and we don’t fully understand that filter, so should psychology be seen as hard science? (17:24) Would it actually matter if our feeling of free will was actually a delusion? What if we just need to feel strongly like we have free will, what if it’s a mechanism that prevents us from drowning in the complexity of the world? (18:33) Woody’s answer to the mystery of free will (19:43) Stewart’s approach. (21:38) Does a deterministic approach make you more compassionate? (36:15) How much of our unconscious can we make conscious? How aware can we be of our own shadow? (42:20) How learning and knowledge-sharing have evolved and sort of given humans the ability to become books, and how this could lead to human evolution (45:48) The role of wealth in human evolution (48:21) The potential pitfalls of engaging in genetic engineering (53:58) Is it possible to resolve all of your inner biases? Is it possible to be free of bias? Or does bias have a role in humanity? (57:48) Why you should be wary of financial planners with fancy graphic presentations (1:00:08) How the separation between the treasury and the feds seems to be lessening and the risks associated with this phenomenon. (1:06:07) Can crypto serve as a hedge against inflation and horrible fiscal policies? (1:07:42) Alternative hedging options to Bitcoin

Joshua Morrison Cooper is the creative coordinator at Happiness and in this episode, we discuss gardening, the healing power of plants, how to get started with planting, how big agricultural practices deplete the quality of soil, government initiatives to help people interested in planting, and much more. We also spoke about Joshua's unique type of music, which you can listen to here: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/1QTKWSH9FVPks1M3A Enjoy. (1:53) Do you know you can make music with plants? Find out how (6:11) How working with plants helps you heal. Do you know that your body generates a certain kind of electricity, that under the right circumstances, can heal you? (10:49) How commercial farming techniques have depleted soil quality and nutrition (11:29) Some healthy alternatives to pesticides you can use in your home garden (21:00) What do you need to understand about plants and the planting process, if you want to work with them? (23:47) What are some things to be aware of in terms of how the government might be able to help you grow stuff if you’re interested? (25:55) What is vertical farming and how is it useful?

Matt Parlmer is the founder of General Fabrications, a firm devoted to democratizing production and the supply chain across a lot of industries. In this episode, we discuss his company's products, fabs, and delve into how they're going to revolutionize the manufacturing system and the various ways and fields in which they could be applied, such as in homesteading, moulding, and so on, as well as the possibilities they could unlock for humanity. You can find Matt on Twitter as @mattparlmer and General Fabrications as @genfabco. Enjoy!

Rodney Gainous is the founder and CEO of Safe, a company dedicated to providing more easy-to-use privacy tools for individuals and businesses. In this episode, we discuss the changes Corona has wrought, the importance of sending cold emails, the importance of location for networking, and much more. Enjoy! You can reach Rodney on Twitter at Rg2official. (7:59) Do you need to move to the Bay area, or tech hubs in general, to be able to fully chase your dreams of working in tech? What are the merits of doing so? Can you run a tech startup from any location? (11:09) Even if you choose to run your tech startup from outside a tech hub, is an experience of the tech hub necessary or helpful to have? (15:01) The difference between knowing a lot about a place and actually living in a place. (16:56) How to build a network in today’s Post-Covid world, despite all the restrictions posed by lockdowns. (19:58) Why you should learn to reach out to strangers, founders and people you admire, online more often. (Hint: a lot of them are more open than you think) (20:41) What is the value of being open in the business world, especially as a founder? (25:15) Is it good to be upfront about what you want when interacting with a stranger you want something from or are you better off building a relationship first? Where is the line? What is the right way to go about it? (29:43) A tip to help increase the open rates for your cold emails. (37:02) As a tech founder, how should you treat hype? Both hype of your company and external tech-related hype that generates FOMO? (47:51) Why is Miami receiving so much hype? Apart from it potentially being the new base for Silicon Valley.

Bruna Paese is the CEO of Iubi, a social robot that helps people improve their health. We had a marathon of an interview -my longest ever- at three hours. And in this episode, spoke about language, decision making, learning, drug use in Brazil, Banks, health, poverty, wealth, and so much more. Enjoy! (1:55) The nuances of language, how different slang can develop among different cultures sharing the same language. Can AI learn to note the differences in accents across non-native speakers of English? Is this current inability of AI to account for accents a failure of technology or is it a result of cultural bias? If even humans can’t appreciate all the nuance that exists in spoken language (i.e., tonality, pitch, etc.) can computers be expected to do the same? (7:25) Why do people go to therapy? Are actions similar to thoughts? We understand how people act and react to stuff, but do we understand how they think? Why is it important to understand how people think? (9:29) Why is Big Tech so concerned with the exploration of Mars? (13:42) How does Brazil rank in the AI revolution? What does the AI scene look like in Brazil? How does it work? What are its rules? (16:39) Brazil has half the population of Latin America and is the country with the largest landmass in South America, yet Chile, a much smaller country, manages to accumulate the same number of yearly tourist visits as Brazil, why? (22:54) Brazil’s big advantage; what is Iubi about? What does it do? How Bruna got the idea to start? (40:34) Is Iubi a robot, a human being, or a combination of both? (45:40) Conspiracy theories. Was COVID manufactured? Did China have a game plan? How do conspiracy theories form? Are conspiracy theories the result of using particular modes of communication? Where did the term “conspiracy theory” come from? How human nature makes it easy for us to accept unverified information. (58:16) What tests or markers can you use as a measure of fitness? (1:08:18) The global asset that is in demand but has very little supply (1:08:56) Drug history in Brazil; the value of history and how it shows the connection between everything. (1:19:27) The general argument is that drugs are a means to escape reality, but what if the opposite can also be argued? What if drugs actually support reality? What would that look like? (1:32:18) Why does cannabis have such a negative association, compared to other plant-based substances, like ayahuasca or psilocybin? (1:39:54) Why Iubi is focused on children (1:42:39) The unseen impact of environment on health (1:46:03) Given the access to nature people in the United States have, why aren’t we as nature-centered, especially in the materials we use to produce medicine, compared to countries like Brazil and India? How does culture limit or improve the overall health of a population? (1:49:26) Why language is more about connection than discovering truth. (2:07:50) Is the impact of COVID-19 on poverty and thus crime rates universal worldwide? (2:10:27) What is the truth about mental health? Is it an inborn pathology or a result of the environment you grew up in? Does expecting a person diagnosed with mental health issues to act crazy make them act crazy? And thus, what are the ways we treat patients diagnosed with mental health issues that cause them to respond negatively? (2:18:20) What is the future of pharmaceuticals? Where will technology take it? (2:22:32) How to create an ecosystem for innovation to thrive. (2:26:13) What is Brazil’s take on cryptocurrency? How deeply is it integrated into their financial system? How international transactions between banks actually work. (2:38:55) Why is it still possible to transfer money illegally between countries? Is it all because cash runs everything? And the governments can't actually see everything happening? (2:42:44) The lines between corporations and the state are thinning in many countries; CEOs or megacorps are gaining greater ability to influence government policy; can this new system still be called capitalism?

This episode focuses on self-sufficiency through living off the land and growing your own food, agroecology and restorative farming, escaping the control of governments worldwide, and basically living a life that allows you to thrive physically, all of these in light of the events of the pandemic. Enjoy! (2:50 - 3:40) The difference between city and rural life, and how that contrast, unwittingly, showed Gabriel the difference between learning about a course in college and actually living the reality of said course. (4:33 – 6:10) Now that the world as we know it has ended, what shifts in thinking and culture will have to be made to enable people thrive in the coming age? (7:42 - 8:34) The ethical, nutritional, and environmental benefits of oysters and growing oyster farms. (10:52 – 12:56) How Gabriel restored a portion of land that had been severely degraded from years of serving as pasture for horses and was unable to grow grass and made it rich, fertile farmland with more than a hundred varieties of plants, including fruit trees and cash crops, all within a year. (14:19 – 19:29) How human activities affect ecology; how pests and insects interact to contribute to nature’s ecology (22:22 – 27:01) Will more people embrace retiring to the country to farm their own lands and grow their own foods? Will the events and fear-mongering by governments worldwide, during the pandemic, cause the shifts necessary to make people seek self-sufficiency? Brazil as an example of how culture, if strong enough, can influence government directives; Are we currently living in an Orwellian world or a Huxleyan world? (27:45 – 30:01) There’s nothing wrong with vaccines, but given everything we know about COVID, does everyone have to take it? Given that we don’t know the long-term effects, is vaccinating everyone, including those who have already had covid and those who haven’t had it, worth the risk? (30:37 – 37:19) Organic vs inorganic farming; given that there are harmful organic pesticides, is organic farming really all the PR surrounding it makes it out to be? How do practitioners of agroecology cope with abstinence from the use of pesticides? How does this affect their crop yield and their ability to make a living? How do we incentivize restorative agriculture on a large scale? (46:48 – 53:09) How some commercial farmers are implementing regenerative agricultural practices. How money can help the incentivization of restorative farming. Are conscious consumers really making a difference or are they just being ripped off by capitalists trying to take advantage of their guilt? Does knowing the process of how food is made really change consumers’ relationship to food? Or is convenience the driving force?

In this episode, Isabelle and I discuss psychedelics, the differences between organic and synthetic psychedelics, the differences in how drugs are viewed in Brazil as opposed to the United States, psychology, the history of psychedelics, the death of God in the West, and the resultant coping mechanisms, her experience with Ayahuasca, and much more. Enjoy. (1:40-5:08) Unexpected differences between the laws governing drug and psychedelic use in the U.S. and in Brazil, and how funding is granted for the study of psychedelics in the U.S. and in Brazil. The intriguing methods Brazilian academics use in their study of psychedelics. (5:08-9:03) Should psychology be treated as an objective science? Some historical examples of what has happened when subjective metrics become taken for objective measures. Are there universalities in human behavior? Or is psychology a totally subjective endeavor? (9:18-15:39) The death of God in the west; the new wave of spirituality rising; the role psychedelics have to play in this rise; the danger inherent in throwing the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to rejecting the nihilism of western scientific rationality; are psychedelic ceremonies really ancient? How did humans discover psychedelics? How have psychedelics been used across history? Is there a difference in the experience between trips on organic psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin, iboga) and trips on artificial psychedelics (LSD)? (18:50-21:21) Isabelle describes her experience with ayahuasca (23:02- 25:50) Are plants sentient? Are they agents? Is it possible that plants like psilocybin and the ingredients found in ayahuasca may have motivations of their own that are in conflict with the motivations human beings have for themselves? If they are sentient, can we really say they’re our friends? Or is it the other way around? Is civilization killing us and plants trying to rescue us? (29:03-33:08) Why the switch, by many Westerners, to the teachings of eastern philosophies may not be such a good idea and why Western society may need to come up with its own answers to life’s existential questions. (50:09) An interesting observation on the effects of cold on cognitive ability.

This episode is different! Here, I'm interviewed by Alex Levy for an episode for his podcast "Through Conversations" which I also decided to publish here. Enjoy! 3:30 - Stewart's approach to interviews 6:00 - How should we use Twitter? 7:30 - Are we curious by nature? 8:34 - "Question asking is one of the most courageous things we can do" 10:00 - Are we able to cope with uncertainty? 13:19 - The best thing we can do is to awaken. 15:35 - The benefits of living under uncertainty. 17:45 - The ego from the Eastern Tradition. 18:55 - There are no sufficient words to answer the question of "Who am I?" 19:55 - Facebook as a place to portray the idealized self 21:30 - Some of the consequences of the pandemic. 24:30 - Are our leaders the reflection of ourselves? 27:00 - THE MATRIX OVERLORDS INTERVENED IN OUR CONVERSATION. 29:45 - Does natural selection favors organisms that are truth seekers? 31:05 - Assortative Mating on Ideology Could Operate Through Olfactory Cues 32:00 - Is there something beyond conditioning? 34:15 - The Matrix: Red Pill or Blue Pill? 37:00 - Can we cope with our death? 44:25 - If we live for eternity, how long would it take for us to become crazy? 45:45 - Has the pandemic made us afraid of life? 48:16 - Are we in a meaning crisis, as John Vervake says? 50:30 - Exercise on awareness - pointing towards awareness. 52:32 - Why do I want to know the truth? 56:00 - Finding the truth may make you more antifragile. 1:00:00 - Technology, made by humans, is growing exponentially, why are we having a hard time coping with its repercussions? 1:03:00 - The paradox of paradoxes.

Zura Guerra is a digital nomad that’s building a startup. In this episode we discuss technology in Latin America, the pandemic, decentralizing currency, and much more. You can find her on Instagram at zuraguerra, and on her blog at apolune.com. Enjoy. (2:23 - 4:15) Surviving the pandemic in Argentina, the country with the record of the longest stretch of lockdowns. (8:21 - 13:02) What will the startup ecosystem in Brazil and Mexico look like in the next few years? Will there be more buyouts by larger, more established companies? Does Latin America have the systems and infrastructure for that type of evolution? (13:03 - 14:16) A year ago, the biggest opportunities for technological innovation were to be found in payments, online education, and healthcare among others. Is that still the case today? Why innovators should integrate cash into future payment solutions. (14:40 - 20:49) How rural Mexicans (which make up the majority of the population) have adopted and utilize cryptocurrencies in their day to day lives. How Brazilians use QR codes to send and receive money. (21:31 - 24:08) Will the evolution of technology and decentralized currency lead to the weakening of nation-states? Is it already occurring? Are there examples of this happening? (32:02 - 36:15) The biggest thing Zura has learned about startups, so far, on her journey to build one. (36:17 - 41:38) What needs to happen for crypto to be adopted in more countries? And what are the risks involved with these happenings? What is money really? Should you still trust the dollar? (41:41 - 46:12) Why crypto should be more about wealth establishment than actually breaking away from nation-states or establishing independence for a small group of people and how Etherium set an example for this. Why we should think of ourselves more as global citizens

Here are some other questions we discuss: What is alternate reality cinema? How did COVID19 change the usage of social media? How did the online world change the meaning of fiction? How did COVID19 change the way that cognition is distributed on the internet? How do you build habits to affect the structure of human society? How did social media change psyops from central governments? Did we forget the important lessons that the initial internet taught us? How does Facebook think about second-order engagement? Check out an event that Michael is hosting this Friday: https://www.facebook.com/events/238478103910064/

The second entry in my solo podcast detour! In this episode, I talk about my attempts to experience the cultures I encountered, in my travels across Southeast Asia, more deeply, and my quest to find cultures that had not been as thoroughly exposed to the internet and its effects, as the West and similar modern societies. In the course of my travels, I spent some time on an island called West Timor and participated in the most awkward custom I'd ever experienced up till then. Listen to hear more. Enjoy!

I've decided to go on a detour with the style of my episodes. I'm currently not as motivated to interview anyone at the moment and so I decided, on suggestion from a friend, to share a few stories from the various experiences I've had in my life. This episode is the first iteration, it's about my time in Shangai back in 2006. Enjoy!

Francis is the CEO of Invisible Technologies; a business outsourcing and automation company. On his third appearance on the Crazy Wisdom podcast, we discuss AI, the ideal society, individualism, whether or not AI will conquer humans and so much more. You can reach out to Francis via mail by [email protected], or on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn at Francis Pedraza (@francispedraza) (1:24 – 10:53) A quick summary of what Invisible Technologies is about, how it works, its incentives, and what it seeks to achieve, as well as a quick narrative of the company’s rocky history, how it evolved into its current form, and how it is able to offer its USP. (11:09 – 13:05) The surreal nature of thought; how a single thought can be extremely complex and hold a world of information; why Francis thinks classifying emotions as ‘irrational’ is wrong. (14:10 – 23:51) Why experts tend to be blind; why AI isn’t going to kill us and can never replace humanity, and why you should read Nick Bostrom’s ‘Superhuman’ with your ‘whole brain’ (i.e. Ian McGilChrist style); can we teach a computer to just be? Are AI information processing and human thinking the same process? Does AI think? (23:53 – 28:50) Examples of the human inability to predict the future; why AI needs thinkers; a theory of what the singularity may look like, as opposed to the merging of tech and consciousness view; what is the constantly increasing connected nature of society doing to individuality? (28:51 – 37:42) Why enlightenment isn’t the destruction of the individual; why a society that thrives is a paradox and what this looks like; why Utopia is ultimately fascism and why we should go for another idea instead- as presented by Francis; why none of our mechanisms- not the constitution, and not AI- can save us. (37:45 – 43:34) Can a community become an individual? It is possible for a large group of people to be fully united in goals and aims? How to get a society of 500 million people to agree to a basic social contract. (45:30 – 50:39) What an ideal society looks like in Francis’ view; why he’s anti-utopian; why progress is a tricky metric to measure; why societies should constantly readdress their ideas of progress; why technocracy is a sham, and why society shouldn’t be left in the hands of ‘experts’. (50:58 – 1:01:11) Why enlightenment is a politicized term; why there isn’t just one ultimate enlightenment. Back to progress, why it’s a narrow concept in light of the vastness of being and the knowledge humanity as a whole has lost to time in the death of ancient civilizations. Why non-violence is the core rule of an ideal society and why this rule makes the ideal society inherently unstable. Why the fear of death is the major hindrance to building the ideal society. (1:01:12) Why the individual is greater than society, even though society is bigger; where do ideas come from?; why immortality won’t solve the dilemma of being a human being in our vast universe; What the real aim of meditation is; why you can never fully understand existence. Alternate interpretations of old bible stories; Francis’ summary of what the ideal society is.

Emily Splichal is a podiatrist and the founder of Evidence Based Fitness Academy (EBFA). In this episode, we discuss somatosensation, how awareness of interoception can help manage stress, stem cells, sound and vibration healing, breathwork, chronic pain, functional fitness, and much more. Emily is working on a book titled “Own it: Offensive Techniques to Owning your Health.” You can find her at her various websites namely, dremilysplichal.com, ebfaglobal.com, and neboso.com, or on Instagram @dremilydpm. Enjoy. (Note: This podcast deals heavily with anatomy and uses a lot of medical terms; you may want to skip if that doesn't pique your curiosity.) (2:34) Why don’t other animals have ruffini receptors/ruffinian endings found in humans? (5:53 – 7:18) The relationship between breathing and stress, and somatic responses and stress; an interesting definition of stress in terms of energy. 7:50 – 12:49) Sound healing: how sound and vibration can be used to influence muscular activation and relaxation (it may be possible to sing your way into a high); a possible theory of how breathwork helps manage stress (12:56 – 18:59) Our perception of the inside affects how we view the outside, even before we’re born; how we learn about the world from our mothers while in the womb; the importance of being able to regulate emotions and maintaining a relaxed state of mind during pregnancy, and while raising children. (18:58 – 25:53) Most of our agitation and chronic pain issues result from unconscious cognitive and emotional processes, preventing us from being able to effectively deal with them consciously; how psychedelics and alternative therapy methods can give us access to these aspects of ourselves and help us work through them. (27:34 – 29:43) Stem cells: do they work? Emily shares how she uses them in her treatments and the wrong ways doctors apply them in treating patients. (29:45 – 31:33) Growth factors, what are they? What do they do? Are they different from hormones? (31:39 – 33:56) Functional fitness vs artificial fitness; hammers and axes vs dumbbells and barbells. (33:57 – 35:07) The relationship between the feet and the brain; why the feet are so neurally important; what running barefoot, in nature, can do for memory.

Tuto Assad is the founder of Vitau, an online subscription pharmacy for patients with chronic diseases, specifically targeted to Latin America. In this episode, we discuss entrepreneurship, philosophy, his diabetic conditions, and Tuto gives us a glimpse of what the medical and pharmaceutical industry in Mexico are like. You can find Tuto on all social media platforms at Tuto Assad or on his website at tutoassad.com. Enjoy! (3:13 – 6:28) Seeing beyond the sheen Silicon Valley has placed on entrepreneurship; why you must contextualize when trying to replicate a business model that worked in an environment different from yours; the differences between the healthcare systems in Mexico and the U.S. (6:31 – 8:00) The one thing every entrepreneur needs to keep in mind when it comes to knowledge. (9:10 – 13:21) The major problems patients with chronic diseases in Mexico face; how most local pharmacies fail to address this issue; the solutions Vitau aims to enact in this space. (13:24 – 16:30) An interesting definition of strategy; the two rules that guide Vitau’s focus; why falling in love with a problem is more important than being fixated on a solution. (16:32 – 19:58) Tuto discusses his diabetic condition, how it inspires him to live a healthy lifestyle, and the encouraging words from a priest, when he was first diagnosed at 13, that laid the foundation for his current drive to help people with chronic conditions. 25:00 – 27:14 What is your life philosophy? Tuto discusses his beliefs about what life is and what we’re here to do, and how that relates to doing business. (27:15 – 28:36) How to navigate the hiring process, and relationships in general; how to navigate the search for someone with similar values such that you don’t end up with a clone of yourself. (29:54 – 33:04) Does it make sense to believe in God? If today’s mythology is yesterday’s religion, doesn’t it make sense to think that today’s religion will be tomorrow’s mythology? Hear Tuto’s views on religion and how his search for truth led to him abandoning his Christian faith. (33:48 – 35:15) Why are we trying to understand why we’re here? Why do we try to define life? Tuto offers his opinion on the issue. (39:21 – 42:21) If you had no fears at all, would you have beliefs? A discussion of how fear has shaped most of our religious beliefs and the deepest fear most people have. (42:23) A question to ponder: What do you believe about your business/market that most people don’t and why?

Claire Tiwald is a painter, illustrator, sculptor, and comic book artist, and Fb friend of mine. We talk about wilderness camping, bears, mountain lions, camping in the winter, r-value and why it is important and much more. You can find Claire on her website clairetiwald.com and on her Instagram page @grimlemur. Enjoy! (5:04 – 7:52) What to actually do when you encounter a bear up close; surprising information on which bears are the most dangerous (has little to do with size). (8:07 – 9:25) Countryside vs city, which has scarier people? (I should run a poll on this); why animals are easier and more straightforward to deal with compared to human beings. (10:04 – 12:27) Bears vs Mountain Lions, which should you be warier of? When and where you should watch for mountain lions; how a donkey got between Claire and a bear. (13:29 – 14:45) Do you know you can take a donkey on the Pacific Crest Trail? The pros and cons of doing so; Claire’s experience with one. (16:00 – 18:54) How emotional struggles, her dad, and the healing effects of nature cultivated Claire’s love for the wilderness. (19:00 – 26:50) Tips on camping during winter; r-value: why you should pay attention to the r-value of your camping gear; why you should be wary of synthetic liners, blankets, pants, and clothing in general; why cotton is worse than synthetics for camping during the winter. (26:50 – 30:11) Do you know it’s possible to get hypothermia in the summer? Under special conditions of course; why listening to your body and being in the moment during wilderness hikes is a must; and, going back to camping during winter, how stacking claories up can stave hypothermia off, and why you shouldn’t take any alcohol when camping during the winter. (31:51 – 36:06) Weather forecasting and navigational precautions to take when deciding to go camping during the winter; courses to take on wilderness navigation and how to improve your ability to navigate in general. (37:00) Do you know it is illegal to have a drone in national forest airspace?

Today’s guest is Ruth from ‘The Temple of Truth,’ an underground guide for death and surrender practice who 5-MeO-DMT as a tool to induce mystical states that mimic dying, and helps her clients integrate these experiences. In this episode we discuss death, the fear of death, letting go and surrender, 5-MeO-DMT, and much more.While she currently doesn’t have an online presence, Ruth is working on a body of work that will be made available to the online public. That said, there’s always the chance you can find her in person. Enjoy!(1:34 – 2:52) What does it mean to help people experience death and rebirth? What does surrender mean? Does it simply mean to give up? Does it simply mean to lay down and die? Is death such a bad thing?(4:11 – 6:39) How an uncanny penchant for vivid dreams, at a young age, brought an onslaught of anxiety and neuroses, and drove Ruth to eventually confront her fear of death(7:45 – 11:57) Living in fear is a feedback loop that’s perpetuated by the body and mind; it’s a ‘chicken and the egg’ situation; the mind signals the body to generate hormones which signal the mind to further signal the body to generate more stress hormones; it’s a survival mechanism gone wrong; Ruth explains how facing our fear of death helps us reconfigure this loop into a positive one.(13:54 – 17:32) 5-MeO-DMT’s role in cultivating wellbeing and overcoming the fear of death, and the dangers of using it as a distraction from the important work of integration.(17:37 – 26:05) What is 5-MeO-DMT? Where does it come from? How is it different from regular DMT? Why is it called the God/Source molecule? How is Ruth able to use it to help people heal? Are there any differences between natural and synthetically produced 5-MeO?(27:43 – 32:05) The perils of seeking ‘oneness’ out of egoic desire, ignorance, or a means to control life, as opposed to deeply investigated intentions; the true cost of meeting ‘God.’ (Hint: There may be some screaming involved)(32:07 – 36:15) How skepticism can make the process of death and rebirth difficult, and the various reactions Ruth has witnessed skeptics have to 5-MeO-DMT.(36:17 – 38:50) You will never be free of the ego; why this isn’t a bad thing; how you can train the art of letting go.

Kelsey is working on a book that discusses both conscious-consumption and how to change reality from the inside. In this episode, we discuss creativity, perception, meaning, conditioning, circumstance, and how all these come together consciously and unconsciously to create our reality. Kelsey also shared some ideas from her upcoming book: “Mood Food.” You can find Kelsey on Instagram @luscious_alchemy. (1:32 – 2:51) The nature of reality; how our senses create reality, and how our choices, conditioning, and circumstances, in turn, influence how we perceive reality. (4:42 – 8:25) What a trip to Thailand taught Kelsey about how we can use our creative abilities, as human beings, to create an inner fulfillment that transcends experiences, whether good or bad; how seeking to create meaning in this way, as opposed to compiling a bunch of experiences is the key to this fulfillment. (Pro-tip: Getting good at it requires a fine balance). (8:50 – 15:22) How circumstances and conditioning create unconsciously unhealed wounds; trapped emotions and damaging inhibitions, especially as it relates to personal growth and creativity; how our conditioning creates narratives that keep us limited to certain behavioral patterns; suppressing our natural forms of expression; some techniques we can apply to dissolve these behavioral patterns. (16:27 – 19:38) The nature of being; what is being? What is the purpose of life? Is there a true purpose? How do we integrate the fact that we don’t actually know nor are we required to do any of the things we actually do as a society, save issues dealing with direct survival? How do we interpret emotion in a world that isn’t entirely objective? What does this mean for our ability to navigate and influence our experience in life? (19:40 – 23:14) Realms of reality; The various levels of consciousness that human beings experience, and how we can use this to grow through our pain. (23:14 – 28:37) Alchemy; the history of yoga; how the east inspired Carl Jung’s spiritual system; how culture moves through space and time and creates rifts among us when we see its practices as being more than what they are. (28:45 – 40:20) Kelsey shares themes from her book; how it was influenced by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; how we can navigate the path it charts (in no particular order) to better and more aligned states of consciousness and being; both in an individual sense and at a collective level.

Ray Alejandro is the Access to Finance Leader, Endeavor, Mexico City. He’s passionate about figuring out better ways to signal skills and talent, optimizing for the things you want, inequality of opportunity, properly contextualizing ideas, improving the education system, navigating upward and social mobility in emerging regions, philosophy and ideas, and economics and that forms the basis of this episode’s discussion. You can catch Ray thinking out loud on Twitter and medium @rayalcas. Enjoy. (1:52 – 10:54) Why you should treat life as a videogame; How Ray’s fundamental beliefs have been shaped by death, limitation, living in an emerging market, self-awareness, and trying to accomplish his goals via experimentation. (12:11 – 19:49) The role of credentials in emerging regions, such as Latin America, for aspects of life like mobility and social freedom; how these credentials are limited to certain aspects of the population and how knowledge of this limitation should guide your optimization process, such that you neither end up stuck nor end up enslaved by the glamorization of credentials. (20:12 – 21:56) How Ray learned to avoid the hype offered by credential-based thought leaders; the importance of contextualizing and idea-debugging. (23:15 – 27:40) Why the movement to liberate the lower class and create opportunities for social mobility of people of all classes should be supported just as strongly as movements such as feminism. (31:50 – 35:50) Mexico City in 15 years: Ray’s projections on the effect of urbanization on the city, based on the current trends. (Hint: large tech companies currently have very little impact on the lives of the majority of individuals.) (37:00 – 41:17) Why the education system is a cultural monopoly and how it holds the middle-class ransom to maintaining narrow forms of credentialing and signaling if they’re to experience any forward mobility; how this credentialing system is maintained by the inability, in most fields, to measure competency. (46:46 – 53:04) Creating your own life philosophy vs copying the playbook of people who have what you want; how to navigate this tension, and having the self-awareness to define success for yourself. (53:42 – 58:18) How Ray navigates consciousness, the sense of self, and personal identity and how he uses the insights he’s gained from studying this to deal with the struggles of life.

Norland Tellez is an artist and teacher, with a degree in film animation from Cal Arts, and a student of mythology and mythological history with a master’s and a doctorate degree in mythology from Pacifica Institute. In this episode, we discuss the Jungian idea of individuation, the nature of the individual, the two-ness of nonduality, and much more. You can reach Norland on Twitter @mythistorian or via his website: norlandtellez.com (3:47) Asking “who am I?” is a narrow approach to self-discovery; a better trail of inquiry as suggested by Norland. (5:10) Are the worldwide instabilities and widespread crises of meaning that are occurring in today’s world a sign that the religious and philosophical movements that were inspired in the axial age are coming to an end? If so, what attitudes should we take in response? Does the Popol Vuh say anything about this? (11:25) An interesting breakdown of the term ‘image,’ in the context of the religious idea (found across a variety of religions; not just Christianity) that “God/the gods attempted to make man in their own image” (13:12) What Carl Jung failed to see about the human psyche and why his psychological worldview is incomplete. (15:49) What exactly is Western Civilization? What is it and is it really behind the ‘hyper-individualistic’ psyche that dominates the majority of human society in today’s world? That said, are we just cogs in society’s machine? Or are we individuals with free will? Or is it both? (28:10) Individualism is a relational concept; an individual is a collective process. (31:50) How the concept of twinship, from the Popol Vuh, correlates with the structure of consciousness; the primordial archetype of ‘two-ness’; why the ‘One’ is actually a ‘twinship.’ (47:45) How we can deal with ideological traps.

Today’s episode is brought to you from the top of Shasta Mountain where I’m holding a virtual conversation with Woody Wiegmann, founder of the Woodside Investment Counsel. Our discussion focuses on gaining the courage to be disliked without losing your connection to community. You can find Woody on Twitter @woodywiegmann, or check his ideas out at woodsideinvestmentcounsel.com. Enjoy. (4:23) Navigating the balance between being okay with being disliked and being an asshole; Woody shares his daily attempts at navigating this spectrum. (Quick hint: you have no idea what anyone else is thinking.) (8:37) How our genetic programming to attempt to fit into an ingroup has led to the polarization of society and the steady disintegration we’re currently witnessing, especially in the political sphere, and once again, a metaphor we can use to parse the boundaries between seeking acceptance and living true to your core. (16:38) The downsides to identifying with the social identity, especially at the corporate level. (21:15) A suggestion we can practice to maintain our individual sovereignty without losing the attachment to community that gives our lives meaning, and what countries like Israel can teach us in maintaining this balance. (24:38) Have cities made us more ungrounded? What do you think? Have you ever lived outside the city? What was the experience like for you? Leave me a comment on twitter @stewartalsopIII with your thoughts on the matter and tag your post #episodewithwoodywiegmann (28:30) Woody’s interpretation of the US’ response to COVID-19; how America is becoming less and less habitable for the average householder. (31:43) What is America’s future in light of the various institutional and wealth inequality crises that are steadily nearing critical mass? (37:06) How America’s response to COVID-19 is killing capitalism and entrepreneurship in many places all over the country. (44:50) A solution to tackling the issues we face in today’s world. (47:43) Learning to deal with the unknown and a brilliant quote by Nicholas Nassim Taleb.

Ryan Delk is the CEO of Primer, a company that seeks to revolutionize and rebrand homeschooling, and his mission is to revamp the education system so that children grow up more ambitious, creative, and able to think for themselves. In this episode, we discuss homeschooling, education, what to aim for with education, and much more. You can visit Primer’s website at www.withprimer.com (6:03) Why preparing to homeschool a child can be more difficult than the day to day lessons themselves. (9:20) The various approaches parents take to homeschooling, and why this makes it difficult to create a one-size all fits app (12:33) What is the right way to educate a child? What are the factors involved? How people are responding to the changes needed to be made in educational goalposts and how Primer intends to provide a viable alternative. (16:00) Does AI have a role to play in the future of education? Ryan’s opinion on technology’s role in education. How technology is aiding the reformation of learning as a whole. (24:11) The biggest misconception people have about homeschooling, and the top reasons people opt for homeschooling rather than more conventional options. (26:49) How the increased popularity of remote work can afford more parents the time to prepare effective homeschooling experiences. (34:10) Will the alterations that COVID has wrought in the educational sector last? What will be the effects post-COVID? (36:11) The current immovable barrier to homeschooling, and Primer’s plans to tackle that. (41:01) How the incentive structures for teachers in public schools divert from the outcomes we want to see in society.

Ashton is a martial artist and yoga instructor dedicated to the exploration of human consciousness. He spent six and a half years traveling the world and has spent even more time practicing with various yoga instructors. In this episode, we discuss tantra yoga, the nature of bliss, meditation, escapism, wisdom traditions, and so on. Ashton's forte is tantric yoga and you can interact with his ideas at his website: yogawithashton.com, on his podcast: The anatomy of living, and on Instagram @yogawithashton. Enjoy. (3:48) Tantra is not what pop-culture has made you think it is. (7:04) Do you know you can pick out caves in North India for meditation retreat purposes? (8:21) Is your meditation practice really a tool to help you better handle the world or are you just using it as an escape from the world? (10:10) The wrong way to approach Yoga. (13:27) Why we can never fully rely on our beliefs (17:10) What Tantra can teach us about navigating differences (21:44) The goal of tantra (Hint: it has very little to do with the sexual or supernatural stuff) (27:22) How tantra avoids the fall into escapism (31:36) The point of tantra is how you reintegrate the insights you gain from states of samadhi into your daily life, rather than falling back into autopilot. (37:00) Is integration a practice or an attitude? (38:52) Freedom isn’t really about being able to do whatever your impulses dictate (43:32) Bliss isn’t happiness or pleasure

John Vervaeke is a professor of philosophy and cognitive science. He’s the mastermind behind the lecture series: ‘Awakening from the meaning crises.’ We explore, in this episode, the wonder of the human cognitive system; why our greatest strengths are our greatest weaknesses and how we’ve lost the society-wide ability to resolve this. You can find John on Twitter @vervaeke_john, check his ‘diologos’ series, called ‘Voices With Vervaeke,’ out, join his ‘Cultivation of Wisdom’ course, and community, or join his Discord community server. (4:07) Do you pass through deserts often? Does it feel like they play tricks on your cognition when you pass through? (5:26) Why the world feels alien to us. (11:12) The potential role of the virtual world (social media and internet culture) in bringing an axial age about. (16:22) Why everyone is actually seeking wisdom, even though it seems our society sees wisdom as irrelevant. (19:51 – 27:25) The most exhaustive description of wisdom, from a sensemaking perspective, you’ll hear this week (28:00) The mythos of crazy wisdom: what neural network techniques and transformational psychotechnology have in common. (38:41) The relationship between psychedelics and insight. (40:40) Why drugs should be decriminalized and yet treated with sacred respect. (43:27) Psychedelics and cognition cannot be reduced to the reductionist view that life is just the movement of atoms; how having an open mind towards the mechanics of these phenomena honors the ideals of science. (51:58) How do most people get postmodernism wrong? (57:52) Opponent processing: Why you always appear to be at war with yourself and why this is a good thing. Contradictory acceptance of self and others. (1:02:54) Spirituality is not just about the inside; inside and outside are one and the same; minds are group efforts

Jude Gomila is the CEO and co-founder of Golden; a firm dedicating to mapping all of human knowledge. As you’ve come to expect a lot of topics were touched in this episode. Do enjoy. You can find Jude @judegomila on Twitter. (5:50) The hidden limitations of modern-day supply chains, despite their ultra-efficiency, with examples, and a better metric to work with. (7:51) The wonders of synthetic biology, and the possibilities (and hazards) it holds for the revolutionization of manufacturing and food production. (12:17) What is construction theory? And is there a connection between it and synthetic biology? (17:02) Are there contradictions between what is possible in quantum mechanics and not possible in classical dynamics? (24:22) How cats got a sweet deal by optimally navigating of the curiosity-survivability loop. (31:00) Modeling COVID-19 as a network problem; how this can allow for more flexible solutions; the uncertainties involved. (35:47) Atoms, bits, biotechnology and the dawn of a new Information Age (38:45) Why is science, which is one in actual reality, so fragmented in theory? (41:02) Why Jude believes our educational system, in its current form, is suboptimal. (46:06) A theory of U.B.I. as a means of making ownership, rather than income, more widely available; how making capitalist incentives and access to ownership widespread in a transparent market can make an economy flourish. (54:27) Is the loss of labor (increase in automation) leading to the loss of sovereignty among individuals? Is there anything we can do about it? (57:24) What can we do to steer the future in a different direction? How do we build a vision of where we want to go? (1:03:41) Does our generation have the courage to make the changes necessary to face our coming future? (1:12:31) Why social distancing should have been called physical distancing instead.

Thomas, like any other human being, is a lot of things and is working on a lot of stuff. He loves to code, play the bass guitar, and is devoted to truth and beauty, among others. You can interact with his ideas on life on his blog at thosmos.com. In this episode, we discuss identity politics, the battle between the left and the right, consciousness, plants, inequality, and of course, much more. Enjoy. (3:25) The strangest podcast intro you’ll listen to this week. (7:35) The consequences of modifying government policies to help the rich get richer (9:07) Is upward mobility possible for everyone? (12:44) Some business models that allow for more equality between employees and employers. (18:13) Why facts don’t change our minds (21:00) How are we to transcend identity politics? (24:55) What indigenous tribes can teach us about establishing a harmonious society (29:09) Are plants conscious? A scientists’ interesting experimental report on communicating with a plant. (30:25) Where do thoughts come from? And what exactly is consciousness? Is it produced from the brain or do we receive it? (39:17) The fundamental polarity at play in human relationships and cooperation (42:14) The 99% vs the 1% isn’t really a battle between the lower-class and the elite or at least it doesn’t have to be; there’s a better way to unify. (45:34) How Bernard Lietaer connected economics, psychology, and archetypes; how suppressing important archetypes creates a dysfunctional society, and how modern society incentivizes greed and fear (53:15) The government is reflective of the collective psyche of the people.

Enzo is an investment professional at Dalus Capital, Mexico City, and an Angel investor as well. He has holdings in companies like Talently, and this episode discusses investing in Latin America, his unlikely journey to becoming an investment professional in Mexico City, his philosophies, the investing dynamics in different Latin American countries, his passion for the education sector, and a lot more. You can find Enzo on twitter @enzocavalie. Dive in! (3:37) His introduction to entrepreneurship, startups, markets and investing (5:05) How his desire for more and a job application with no expectation to be hired led to him ending up in Mexico City, all the way from Peru. (7:42) How market-size in Latin America affects where startups launch and how investment companies choose to fund these startups. (13:49) How college ignited his passion to reform the educational system. (16:00) Why are some people contrarians and others not? And why Enzo thinks it’s a trait that’s beyond choice (19:19) A difference between entrepreneurs in Latin America and those from places like Europe, or the U.S., that should be noted. (34:03) What types of backgrounds do the majority of the most successful founders in Latin America possess? (36:43) A lesson Latin American angel investors should learn from investors in San Francisco. (38:53) The value of social media, writing online, and building a reputation on the web; how it helps forge genuine connections; how it has helped in building his career and network, and how entrepreneurs can benefit from it. (43:36) The scarcity of original content in Spanish by Latin American venture capitalists and the opportunity it provides. (52:22) How Enzo comes up with content for his blog

Yoshua and I explore the world of plants (Do you think they’re conscious?) We discuss the wide-ranging influence they have on our lives- from being food sources to medicine to tools for spiritual awakening and, weaving a winding path, we branch into topics like death, awakening, Yoshua’s You Enjoy Life project, what it means to be enlightened, dealing with emotional trauma and a bunch of other random topics because, of course, I don’t believe in themes. To see more of Yoshua’s content google his project: ‘You Enjoy Life’ (podcast, YouTube channel, and Instagram page) and his book ‘Conversations with Your Best Friend’ (4:52) A brief description of permaculture (10:17) What dies when we die? Is there something in us that doesn’t die when our connection to our senses go? (13:13) What is ‘You Enjoy Life?’ (13:54) How Yoshua learned to communicate with plants (15:55) Learning from ayahuasca and psilocybin; his beliefs about how these plants work, and how they helped his inner work. (Do you know that there’s a religion that integrates ayahuasca and Christianity?) (25:55) Innocence: why pursuing childhood innocence is the wrong thing to do and what to look for instead. (28:10) A common misconception a lot of us have about enlightenment; what waking up to truth is really like; navigating this reality to continual growth and evolution (34:17) Is ‘science vs religion’ a valid debate? (36:08) Why depression is the most powerful tool for awakening and how it led to Yoshua’s experience of awakening. (41:05) Why Yoshua decided to ditch his ADD medication. (51:20) How we can all learn to be less wasteful without needing to be radical about it.

Pamela Valdez is the CEO and founder of Beek.io; one of the top-rated audio platforms in Latin America, known for its original, high-quality audio content, produced in Spanish. In this podcast we discuss the details of creating high-quality audio content in the Latin American market, the unique opportunities and experiences being the founder of the first Mexican company to be sponsored by Y Combinator have brought her, the challenges of growing a start-up and dealing with investors in Mexico, her philosophy and much more. You can find Pamela on Twitter on @pamevls and visit her company website: beek.io (4:38) The current big opportunity available for content creators in the Spanish speaking market. (10:30) What she learned from Netflix about localizing international content. (16:18) How she navigated investors and raising funds and what she feels investors who can afford less should focus on. (20:56) Getting into Y-combinator. (22:13) The major benefit of being part of the Y-combinator network for companies based outside Silicon Valley, asides the investments, and how Pamela takes advantage of it. (26:19) The one skill a founder needs that no one tells him or her to cultivate; the huge part it plays in helping Pamela refine her ideas for her company, and how she knows she’s used it effectively. (33:56) What meditation and God mean to her; how surfing helps her meditate, and what it has taught her about life.

What is the tripartite soul? What do we call people who thinking about thinking? What is the etymology of philosopher? What does it feel like to be unified by a scientific belief? What happens when we have disputes about the meaning of the truth? Is logic our instrument of finding the truth? What is polyproyism syndrome? How do we ensure equal opportunity? Why do people not like to ask questions? What is a stupid question?

Here are some other questions we discuss: What is the best way to take drugs? What is the relationship between creativity and drugs? What is the relationship between What is the ego? What is the difference between civilization and culture? What are accuator impulses? What is the control state? What is the motor state? What is the effect of the abundant virtual environments and how will that change evolution?

Here are some more questions we discuss: How did Ochem break you? Why is organic chemistry so hard? What is the neuroscience of cross country skiing? What living environment can you not stand (geographical)? How do you pick a career? Did academia stifle you? What is the model in neuroscience right now that you suspect is wrong yet everyone still believes? What is the system of memory that helps us build physical skills? What about other skills? Why does it help someone learn to give them a visualization? What is the emotional flavor you experience when you learn something new? Why is it important to learn Ochem? What's the deal with false memories? What is the neuroscience of it? Has anyone started to do virtual dissections on Zoom? Which is the school that is most open hearted when it comes to teaching cognitive science? This gets into mimetics How have you adapted to homeschooling your kids? What's the deal with abstraction from a neuroscience perspective? How have small liberal schools adapted to the recent change in higher education practices? Why is it important for your education to be intimate? What are the parts of studying neuroscience that you have to do in person? Are liberal arts colleges going to survive COVID 19? What things need to be abstracted away to teach someone something online? What is the difference between neuroscience and neurophilosophy? What is the divide between philosophy and psychology? What does it mean to be a reductionist? What is it we don't understand about neuroscience? Can we change the fact that scientific papers aren't written for the general public? Is that a good idea? Why does someone (or myself) need an editor? Read "the fourth draft" or "on writing well" What is missing in this thing I just wrote?

Here are some questions we discuss: What is Iboga? Why did Gabon get so much bwiti or Iboga rather than its neighbors Cameroon? What is different about hunting at night versus at hunting at the day? How does TCM use Ibogaine related plants? What is it like to have a waking dream state? What is the main receptor that iboga interacts with? Why is the mind so good at compartmentalizing?

Here are some questions we talk about: How do people in the woods hurt themselves? How does poor decision making manifest itself in the survival situations? What is the connection with survival situations and mindfulness? How important is knowing how to move in different environments essential to survival? Why is travel so different? What are the core components of wilderness therapy?

We also talked about the following questions: How does education work different in different countries? How has internet connectivity changed in Myanmar? How does an authoritarian government affect education and creativity? What does it take to learn? What does it mean to learn? What was it like to grow up in a dictatorship that is based on Buddhism?

Here are some of my favorite questions: What is the lifespan of an average system? Why does a system prioritize its own existence? How do adaptable systems manage inertia? Why is real estate so stable? Why are corn and soybeans such a good investment in the mid-west? What is regulatory capture? Why humans are so crazy about curiosity? How does consciousness help us eat, have sex, poop, and sleep better? What is the point of subconsciousness? What does it mean to be a system engineer? Can the systems of technology and the systems of nature coexist? Is a human pushing a rock off a cliff an example of technology? How would you describe the intention of a tree? What percent of services are automated now? What percentage will be in five years? Follow Matt on Twitter: @thatmatt

Here are some other questions we discussed: What is 3D trading technology? What is an idea market? What are the broken structures of the corporate media environment? How do you battle systemic corruption? How has the internet affected nuance? How can decentralized finance help to reshape the broken structures of modern institutions? How do you align interests without building monopolies or duopolies? What are the interests of corporations? What about the shadowy ones? How long is the average lifespan of an institution? How is attention like a currency? In what ways is it similar? In what ways is it different? Follow Mike here: https://twitter.com/harmonylion1

Here are some other questions we discuss: What did socrates say about the unexamined life? What would it mean to have free will? Is there a specialization in studying interdisciplinary studies? What does the university of the internet look like? What are the three components of effective education? What does excellence look like? How do you think more clearly? Where does originality come from? Follow Richard: @richardprice100 on Twiter