Shows
Central Indiana Sports ReportGreg & His Friends Talk Sports (Today's Friends Kevin Helfrich & Grant Shouse, 2.158.2)On Friday's "Greg and His Friends Talk Sports" ...
•Oak Hill won its record 10th CIC Girls Basketball Championship Thursday with a win at Alexandria. Grant Shouse & Kevin Helfrich of the Action Sports Network called the game and Greg got their reaction following the game.
• Purdue's, Indiana's and Notre Dame's women all took big losses Thursday.
• 85-year-old Bud Wright has a new head coaching job after 6 decades at Sheridan.
• National Headlines ... including another amazing Novak Djokovic victory.
• A look ahead to Friday, including a busy day of Boys Basketball, headlined locally by the Elwood Panthers at the Frankton Eagles.
2026-01-3020 min
The PROPERTY DOCTORS, Sydney Australia Novak PropertiesEP. 1484 RENOVATING? GET YOUR DOCS RIGHT OR RISK WEEKS WITHOUT RENT!🏠 NSW Landlords & Investors: Big Changes You Need to Know!If you're planning major renovations and need vacant possession, new tenancy laws now require:✔️ 60–90 days’ notice to tenants✔️ Submission of detailed plans to NSW Fair Trading✔️ Owners Corporation approval if you're in a strataFailure to follow the process can cost you time and money—think weeks without rent or even legal consequences.Greg from Stedman Williamson & Heart breaks it all down.👉 Full guide and links at: www.stedmanwilliamsonheart.com.au#PropertyManagement #NSWLandlords #TenancyLaw #StrataLiving
2025-08-0414 min
How Leaders Lead with David Novak3 More Questions (Greg Johnson) with David Novak and Koula CallahanOn this episode of 3 More Questions, you'll hear David Novak's answers to:
How can leaders empower their people to own decisions while still ensuring they deliver on what matters most?
How can leaders avoid over-indexing on data and still keep people at the heart of decision making?
What are the most important ways a leader can set the right tone?
———
GO DEEPER
Scale up your leadership skills in 2 minutes a day with the How Leaders Lead app — Download today in the App Store
Get coaching from David by signing up to receive his Weekly Leadership Plan...
2025-06-0210 min
How Leaders Lead with David Novak#241: Greg Johnson, Owner of the San Francisco Giants – Let people take ownershipIf your smartest people aren’t stepping up, maybe it’s time to look in the mirror.
In this episode, David sits down with Greg Johnson, the Chairman of Franklin Templeton and principal owner of the San Francisco Giants. Greg shares why ownership—not control—is the key to building high-performing teams and retaining top talent.
Whether you lead in finance, sports, or anywhere in between, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to give your people more agency and unlock their full potential.
You’ll also learn:
Why you really shouldn’t wait to fix t...
2025-05-2948 minThe PROPERTY DOCTORS, Sydney Australia Novak PropertiesEP. 1371 BAD STRATA? BIG DRAMA! HOW TO PICK THE RIGHT STRATA MANAGER FOR YOUR BUILDINGUnlock the secrets of effective strata management with Greg Williamson, a seasoned expert from Stedman Williamson, as your guide. You'll gain valuable insights into selecting the right strata management company and the critical factors every owner and executive committee should consider. From assessing experience and mediation skills to understanding the hidden costs that can arise, this episode promises to equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions and avoid common pitfalls. Greg shares his firsthand experiences, highlighting the importance of proactive engagement and asking the right questions to ensure your management company aligns perfectly with your building's unique...
2025-02-1115 minThe PROPERTY DOCTORS, Sydney Australia Novak PropertiesEP. 1352 PETS IN PROPERTIES: BIG CHANGES SHAKING UP STRATA RULES YOU NEED TO KNOWCan pets truly be considered family in the ever-evolving landscape of strata living? We engage with Strata specialist Greg Williamson to uncover the significant legislative changes in Australia that have reshaped tenants' rights concerning pet ownership. Through the lens of the groundbreaking 2020 Cooper's case, we explore how the New South Wales government amended the Strata Schemes Management Act, ensuring tenants can no longer be unreasonably denied the companionship of their beloved pets. Greg provides invaluable insights into the transition from cumbersome pet applications to straightforward notification documents, signaling a dramatic shift in the dynamics between tenants and landlords.
2024-12-0821 minThe PROPERTY DOCTORS, Sydney Australia Novak PropertiesEP. 1340 THINKING OF RENOVATING IN STRATA? WATCH OUT FOR THESE COSTLY PITFALLS!Unlock the secrets to a seamless strata renovation process as Greg Williamson from Stedman, Williamson Hart shares his expert insights on navigating the complex world of strata living. With projections indicating a significant rise in strata arrangements by 2035, understanding the nuances of cosmetic, minor, and major renovations has never been more crucial. Discover why clear communication and proper approvals are vital to avoiding costly legal pitfalls, and learn from real-case scenarios that highlight the consequences of unauthorized work. Greg's valuable advice ensures you're equipped to handle evolving legislation and maintain harmony with strata managers.Our conversation also...
2024-11-2025 min
The Cunning of Geist081 - The Fermi Paradox - Are We Alone in the Universe? Can Rationality Ever be Alone?It is estimated that over 2 billion stars in our own Milky Way galaxy have planets orbiting them that could sustain life. Are we on planet Earth a lottery winner, a one in 2 billion chance for establishing life and intelligent beings? The odds suggest life exists elsewhere. However, although it took billions of years to life on Earth to evolve to where we are today, there are stars are much older that our own sun. Several billion years older in fact. Why no evidence of extraterrestrial life? No radio signals, no unmanned probes, no hard evidence of visitations. Why not...
2024-04-1429 min
Hangar 46Hangar 46: Commander, Space Command Major General Greg Novak, AM100 Days, Space Command, and Structuring for Success. Join us in the hangar as we chat to Commander, Space Command Major General Greg Novak, AM; about his role and career experience, how the space domain is a domain in its own right and not an enabler, and what he has planned for Space Command.
This episode was hosted by Group Captain Michael Sleeman and co-hosted by Captain Peter Rice.
2024-04-1134 min
ECO SPEAKS CLEEco Meet CLE: Weaving a Sustainable and Local Textile EconomySend us a textIn this episode, we bring you the conversation from Eco Meet CLE, a Cleveland sustainability event on February 20 featuring local innovators reinventing northeast Ohio textile production. Rather than today's exploitive and resource-intensive system, we can grow a regional, circular system that fosters economic integrity, ecological stewardship, and connection to people and place. Listen and hear from those working towards this goal - Jess Boeke, the co-founder of Rust Belt Fibershed, a non-profit developing a bioregional textile community; Aidan Meany, a designer and the owner of Found Surface, a...
2024-03-0541 minThe Cunning of Geist080 - Is There a God? - Creation, Becoming, and the Fate of the Universe"Creation ex nihlilo (creation out of nothing) or "Ex nihilo nihil fit" (from nothing comes from nothing)?The notion of a creator God is fundamental to Western religions. But is it true? The opening of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, studied so long and hard by the Kabbalists suggests so, and the Big Bang theory gave reason for many to believe the cosmological argument for God (everything that began to exist has a cause). But the newest scientific data suggests something preceded the Big Bang. And in our secular age, many prefer to follow the science, rightly so...
2024-02-2622 minThe Cunning of Geist079 - Using Hegel's Triad as a Model for SuccessHegel's "triad" of Being, Nothing, and Becoming are central to his ontology. And it can also be used as a framework for personal achievement. This episode explains how. The Being/Nothing/Becoming dialectic comes first in Hegel's Science of Logic, but it also presents the pattern for his overall project of Mind (Idea), Nature, and Spirit (Geist). And it is just this framework that one must use in pushing to new heights of success in life. The basic approach is goal setting (Mind), assessing the path to take, including the obstacles to overcome (Nature), and boldly...
2024-01-2821 minThe Cunning of Geist078 - Jung's Synchronicity: Demonstrating the Mental/Physical Unity of the CosmosHegel famously said in his Phenomenology of Spirit, "Everything turns on grasping and expressing the True, not as Substance, but equally as Subject." (Miiler trans., ¶17). That the true - truth - is equally substance and subject. He makes this explicitly clear in the following statement, “What seems to take place outside it, to be an activity directed against it, is its own doing, its own activity; and substance shows that it is in reality subject” (Ibid, ¶37).Meaningful coincidences, Jung's synchronicity, are a demonstration of this truth. And the mediation of the mental and material takes place in t...
2023-12-2824 minThe Cunning of Geist077 - The Journey Not the Destination: The Case for Universal Purposeful EvolutionDoes Spirit evolve? How about God?And what exactly does the term panentheism mean?This episode takes a deep dive into process philosophy, process theology, and the evolutionary nature of "becoming." The pioneer work of Charles Hartshorne, Alfred North Whitehead, Charles Sanders Peirce, and of course Hegel, all in a way process philosophers, is addressed. Support the show
2023-11-1920 min
Mystery Radio XS1 Ep. 33: Carter Brown Mystery Theatre and Pat Novak For HireMystery Radio X brings you "Swimsuit Sweetheart," from Carter Brown Mystery Theatre, and "Rita Malloy," from Pat Novak For Hire. Enjoy!
All audio has been extensively remastered for your listening pleasure.
2023-11-1555 minMystery Radio XS1 Ep. 28: Mystery Playhouse and Pat Novak For HireMystery Radio X brings you "Lady In The Morgue," from Mystery Playhouse, and "Wendy Morris," from Pat Novak For Hire. Enjoy!
All audio has been extensively remastered for your listening pleasure.
2023-10-2952 minThe Cunning of Geist076 - Language Games: Wittgenstein, Hegel, and the Split in PhilosophyWittgenstein is often mention as the most influential philosopher of the 20th century. His focus on the meaning of words became an integral part of the so-called "Analytic" branch of the discipline. The later Wittgenstein contended that words are but tools, defined by their use within the context of the “language game” of the arena they are used, which is societally based and can evolve. One of these sandboxes is philosophy, as well as science and religion. And the language of one space does not necessarily hold water in another. That there is not one underlying true meaning of...
2023-10-2221 minThe Cunning of Geist075 - A Matter of Life & Death: How Philosophy Underpins Politics, Law, Science, and Morality.Is philosophy just mental masturbation? Nothing but air?Many today see no value in philosophy because there seems to be little agreement among philosophers on anything, and much of what they say seems to have little or no impact on one's life, or society in general. Is this the case?An examination of the major pillars upon which society stands - political systems, the law, science, and its moral base - shows just the opposite. Holding each of these institutions up is a philosophical position. In most cases, these are stances that have been analyzed for...
2023-09-2332 min
Lifetime at Work: Finding the Meaning in Our CareersInvestment Banking, to Tech, to Community with Zachary NovakEpisode 41. It’s hard to know what you want to do in your career long-term. Often times you start somewhere and see where it takes you. If you ask Zachary Novak, he says you have to find your thing, and it just takes time.With host Greg Martin, Zachary shares his beginnings in investment banking to how he discovered the idea of getting into the field of technology. Before jumping into the tech world, Zachary was hesitant to go into a field he wasn’t an expert in. That is, until he realized that you don’t need t...
2023-09-1849 min
Three Angry Giants Fans (and a Jets Fan)S4 - Cowboys opener - Complete DebacleSend us a textScott, Cardone , Giant Mike and Novak talk about the Dallas game. the historic ineptitude showed by the Giants, and where does this go from here. we also talk about the devastating injury to Rodgers and what it means for the Jets. We'll preview both the Cards game and the Jets-Boys game, give our Pet Peeves, and get an epic rant from Novak on the Jets existence and the "Namath curse". It is fantastic!! We will also have Greg Cardone on talking about the atmosphere in MetDeath and an encounter with obnoxious Dallas fans
2023-09-141h 46The Cunning of Geist074 - Is the Unconscious Mind Real or Fantasy? - B.F. Skinner, Freud, & HegelThe behaviorism of B.F. Skinner took the psychology world by storm. His 1971 book "Beyond Freedom and Dignity" was hailed as the most important psychological publication of the 20th century. And this was from someone who denied mind and free will. It was an attempt to dignify psychology as a hard science, based on experiments and what can be observed, rather than what people think or feel, a direct contradiction to the root meaning of word psychology - "a study of mind." He claimed that reason, values, concepts, judgment, and purpose simply do not exist. To him, all ac...
2023-08-2722 minMystery Radio XS1 Ep. 8: Pat Novak For Hire and Nick Carter Master DetectiveMystery Radio X brings you "Go Away Dixie Gillian," from Pat Novak For Hire, and "The Case of the Forgetful Killer," from Nick Carter Master Detective. Enjoy!
All audio has been extensively remastered for your listening pleasure.
2023-08-2056 minThe Cunning of Geist073 - Who Needs Philosophy? - You Do!Developing one's own philosophy of life can be one of the most rewarding experiences. ll can serve as the basis for a productive and happy experience in this world. What many don’t realize is that our beliefs, values, and actions are based on a grounding in a particular philosophy, whether we understand it or not. Examining the underpinnings of our concept of self and the world can be a fruitful exercise. It is better to actively choose one's philosophy of life rather than have it handed to us by others, or by unconsciously absorbing it from the...
2023-07-3131 minThe Cunning of Geist072 - Pillars of the Collective Unconscious: How Jung's Feminine & Masculine Archetypes Manifest in the Psyche and BrainThis episode explores psychologist Carl Jung's conception of the psyche, from the ego and the persona it shows to the world, down through the personal and collective shadow, finally reaching the two core archetypes of the collective unconscious - the anima and the animus. This fundamental polarity is seen in myths and narratives throughout the ages, including the yin/yang symbol, heaven and earth of the Bible, Hegel's being and nothing, and even the left and right brain hemispheres, with it two distinct approaches to thinking.While this polarity is often expressed as masculine/feminine, it...
2023-06-2733 minThe Cunning of Geist071 - Perception & Memory - the Mind/Body Link: A Look to Bergson, Jung, & HegelThe duality of Mind and Body has been debated for millennia. This has resulted in two polarized camps - Realists vs. Idealists. Realists contend that there is a world existing out there whether we are here or not, whether we are observing it or not, whether we are thinking about it or not. Idealists contend that ultimately only Mind exists, and the physical world around us is just an illusion, an unreal fantasy of the Mind.But there is a third camp. Many mistakenly classify Hegel as an Idealist, However, he actually proposed a tripartite system with Mind...
2023-06-0230 minThe Cunning of Geist070 - The "I" in Me & You: Identity, Freedom, and OnenessCan't we all just get along? The world today is increasing fractious. The Electronic Age has fueled a return to tribalism, as the individualistic linear emphasis of the print age gave way to finding identity though emotionally connected groups. And these groups are often based more on hatred of the "other" than on what they stand for themselves. What can be done? As Hegel and others have pointed out, it starts with a recognition of Spirit within us all. A freedom that humans alone can call their own. And without this recognition in others, we cannot know it is w...
2023-05-0725 minThe Cunning of Geist069 - Artificial Intelligence (AI): Oxymoron or the Next Level of Consciousness?Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google parent company Alphabet, has said that artificial intelligence (AI) could have a more profound effect on humanity than fire and electricity. Quite a statement.New AI technologies are being produced, Including ChatGPT, that are conversational and can write better and communicate more clearly than most people. And they provide fast, almost immediate, answers to any question. While it is has not yet been perfected, and flaws have been noticed, the question has been raised as to whether such programs can self-learn on their own, and program themselves. And importantly, when fully developed, wheth...
2023-04-1933 minThe Cunning of Geist068 - Jung's Personality Types & Hegel: Operating Manual for the MindThe great psychologist Carl Jung was a leading pioneer in psychological type analysis. In fact, he coined the terms "extrovert" and "introvert." His work spawned a whole industry of personality analysis which is as strong today as ever. And key to his psychological type system was his recognition of Intuition, or the "small still voice within." This function has direct correspondence to Hegel's notion of Spirit. In a 1933 lecture on proto-psychologists in philosophy, Jung thought that had a scientific study of psychology existed back in Hegel’s time, Hegel would probably have been a psychologist. This epis...
2023-03-2723 minThe Cunning of Geist067 - Dawkins' Selfish Gene vs. Hegel's Geist: No Contest!Biologist Richard Dawkins is the poster child for the materialist doctrine and the new atheism. His paradigm boils down to a mechanical replicator, that somehow appeared by chance, which no one can explain how (a miracle?), that goes by the name "gene." He sees us all as mere robots, zombies, propagating the gene's replication. The materialist doctrine stands on three assumptions - that all is matter, that the laws of nature are fixed, with us from the beginning, and that there is no inherent purpose in matter. While this may be true for matter, what about Mind?
2023-02-2632 minThe Cunning of Geist066 - Kierkegaard vs. Hegel: The Existentialism/Absolute Idealism Debate19th century Danish theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard was a towering figure not only in philosophy and religion, but in psychology as well. He is commonly considered to be the father of Existentialism, with the importance he place on individual subjectivity in finding meaning and truth. He was also a fierce critic of Hegel. By examining the differences between the two, one can hopefully see the distinctiveness of each. This podcast episode will examine two main themes of Kierkegaard, that of subjectivity and the "leap of faith," to show where some commonalities exist, where their difference was a...
2023-02-0828 minThe Cunning of Geist065 - America's New Thought Movement and HegelAmerica went through a profound spiritual awakening in the 19th century, most commonly referred to as "New Thought." Many leaders at this time credited Hegel for laying the groundwork. This episode explores several of the early developments in America, but such movements have also occurred across the globe at different times in various cultures. And there are many themes of this movement that echo Hegel, including: - There exists Infinite Intelligence, or the Absolute Idea as Hegel calls it, - There is divinity or Spirit within each person, - Mind and Nature are linked in Spirit...
2023-01-1525 minThe Cunning of Geist064 - Free Speech & Society: the Internet Age & HegelFree speech is of course linked to freedom. And freedom is the cornerstone of Hegel's philosophy. Today free speech is an issue with respect to social media platforms, which are used by literally billions of people over the world. Yes billions. And who exactly controls what can be said on these platforms? Up to now it has been a handful of executives. And some claim that free speech has been curtailed to a degree favoring the views of these executives. Most nation-states have laws that govern the limits of free speech, such as libel, fraud, incitem...
2022-12-1727 minThe Cunning of Geist063 - Spirit: Hegel's God? An Exploration.The word "spirit" has so many connotations. Per the thesaurus: character, courage, energy, enthusiasm, essence, heart, humor, life, mood, morale, quality, resolve, temperament, vigor, vitality, warmth, and will. Hegel had a different interpretation: God. And he said it as clear as day. He defines God as the timeless Absolute Idea, the idea of ideas, self-thinking thought. But it doesn't end there. The Absolute Idea freely others itself in Nature, and enters this finite world as Spirit. It does so to become actual, real, not just abstract truth. This episode reviews the etymology of the wor...
2022-11-2228 minThe Cunning of Geist062 - What's Your Paradigm? Comparing Kuhn's Philosophy of Science with HegelThe term "paradigm "and "paradigm shift" were made famous by Thomas Kuhn in his landmark 1962 book, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions". Steven Covey describes a paradigm as "frames of reference, worldviews, . . through which we see everyone and everything, including ourselves. . They affect the way we interpret what we see and experience, and how we interact and relate with others.”The current naturalistic materialism paradigm of science (and much of the educated world) is beginning to show anomalies, particular in physics where the micro does not jibe with the marco. And quantum physics itself does not have...
2022-10-3126 minThe Cunning of Geist061 - Is the Universe Cyclical? - The Big Bang, Penrose, & HegelHegel saw the Absolute metaphorically as a "circle of circles" (SL, pg. 842, Miller trans.). He also said philosophy itself "forms a circle" (PR, Wood, ed., Nisbet trans., pg. 26, ¶2).Yet religions sees a creation event in our past, and modern science has embraced the Big Bang as the beginning of it all. The universe is expanding and current theories show an eventual fizzle out into a "heat death." Nothing will survive. The end. Full stop. Yet there is another scientific theory, proposed by Nobel prize winning physicist Roger Penrose, that suggests that this is all part of a cyc...
2022-10-1125 minThe Cunning of Geist060 - Bergson, Duration, Time, and HegelIt is said that French philosopher Henri Bergson was the best known philosopher in his day during the early 20th century. In fact, when giving a lecture in New York City, he caused the first traffic jam the city had ever seen. Although presently he is less prominent, there was much reason for his positive perception back then in philosophy circles. His concepts of duration, intuition, élan vital, and memory took on the established determinism of the day. And Bergsonism is just as relevant as ever, as unfortunately naturalistic materialism remains the solidly entrenched dominant position. H...
2022-09-1828 min
TheBrianLennonShowPodcast: Episode 10 - The One with Greg NovakOur next guest is a man who has the distinct honor and privilege to have lived with both Brian and Gary, although at separate points. A graduate of Misericordia University, he has worked in the mental health field for more than 20 years. He has also served a brief stint as a teacher.A native of Archbald, Pennsylvania, he now resides in Florida with his wife and three children. A Mets fan and Cowboys fan, he is also a poet and a multiple-time EA Sports NCAA Football National Championship winning head coach. A man also known by the ni...
2022-08-311h 10The Cunning of Geist059 - Meditation, Nothingness, Buddhism, and HegelTo me, the goal of meditation is to escape the left-brain world of analyzing, breaking things down, either/or judgmental thinking, and to get in touch with life itself. Thoughts tend to come to the foreground, but there remains a background. In meditation, thoughts can be viewed like passing clouds in the sky, and the goal is to experience the sky, and not get hung up on the clouds. The notion of Being and Nothing is central to Hegel's philosophy. And Hegel is clear - focusing on just "being" and not "nothingness" as well, misses the point. Becom...
2022-08-3022 minThe Cunning of Geist058 - Hegel's Becoming: What it Means, Why it's Unique, and Why it Matters"Becoming" is addressed very early in Hegel's Science of Logic. And it provides a foundation for all that follows in his project. But the concept of becoming is much more than an abstract philosophical term. It is the foundation of growth, evolution, and all development processes. Nietzsche recognized how important Hegel’s concept of becoming was. Hegel of course preceded Darwin, and Nietzsche knew that Hegel, with his notion of becoming, had planted the seed for the idea of evolution among European thinkers when he claimed “No Hegel, no Darwin” (Gay Science §357), And Nietzsche goes on in same pag...
2022-08-1622 minThe Cunning of Geist057 - Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People, & Vice-Versa? - Hegel's Theodicy"Good and evil" is a core philosophic and religious issue. Perhaps the most important issue. Where did this concept originate? Why do we often see God, or Karma, as seeking retribution and causing our misfortunes?The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is one of the oldest, if not the oldest myth out there to explain what is going on. And there are two different takes on this. Traditional religion says, in the Old Testament, that our eating of the forbidden fruit is the cause of our separation from God; and if one believes in the Ne...
2022-07-2520 minThe Cunning of Geist056 - Is There a Storehouse of Memory? Exploring Plato, Hegel, and JungIs it easier to do Sunday's crossword puzzle on Monday morning? If so, the Collective Memory may be the reason. Many believe minds are joined at a very deep level. Hegel taught that "Substance is Subject." Not only minds but matter as well. But Hegel's project is more: subject is also Spirit, and Spirit is an historical process. Enter Memory.This episode explores memory from several standpoints in addition to Hegel 's - Plato's reincarnation and anamnesis, Jung's collective unconscious, Theosophy's Akashic records, and Rupert Sheldrake's morphic resonance. Support the show
2022-07-0722 minThe Cunning of Geist055 - Will Computers Ever be Alive? - Hegel, Self-Reference, and A.I.In the film "2001: A Space Odyssey," H.A.L., an artificial intelligence character, loses its mind and begins killing people. Did H.A.L. act on his own accord? Interesting question.Everyday we hear more and more how artificial intelligence programs will soon be the equivalent of human beings and perhaps even smarter. Is this true?Some theorists believe Hegel's dialectical approach, when added to a computer's binary operation, can provide a degree of self awareness to the machine. But is this true self-awareness or just simulated self-awareness?This episode explores these questions and...
2022-06-1824 minThe Cunning of Geist054 - Can Hegel Save Us from a Brutal Return to Tribalism?The Electronic Revolution has dramatically changed how the world receives and processes information. The previous print revolution helped usher in the Enlightenment, the Scientific Revolution, nation-states, and individual rights through its emphasis on visual, linear thinking, i.e. left-brain thinking.However, the Electronic Age reintroduced the audio factor to mass communications beginning with radio. This was followed by television bringing a return of both audio and visual in one package. And this resulted in a step toward a nouveau-tribalism, harkening back to ancient tribal societies where the spoken word interacted with nature in one environment.The...
2022-05-3135 minThe Cunning of Geist053 - Do We Have Free Will? Reason and Evolution Suggest "Yes" (with Qualifications)A question for the ages - are we free?A recent survey of over 1,700 philosophers worldwide found that over 50% hold a compatibilist view, that both determinism and free will co-exist. Hegel was a champion of freedom and made it the cornerstone of his philosophy. He also recognized that much of our lives are also pre-determined. In this episode I will argue that free-will occurs in the present moment, where we have some degree of freedom to choose between alternative paths that we can envision. Only humans have this capability of thought to look to the future...
2022-05-1526 minThe Cunning of Geist052 - Is Meaning Fundamental to the Universe? Synchronicity, Semiotics, Logotherapy, & HegelWe all have experienced synchronicity, where causally unconnected events have a unique meaning to us. Psychologist Carl Jung proposed that there was indeed an acausal connecting principle behind such occurrences. In fact, "meaning" may indeed be fundamental to the cosmos. American philosopher C.S. Peirce believed it was so. And Hegel did as well, epitomized by his famous dictum, "Substance is subject." Even on an existential basis, many have argued that one must create their own meaning and purpose in life in order to thrive. One such example is the best-selling book "Man's Search for Meanin...
2022-05-0124 minThe Cunning of Geist051 - Realizing Reason in History - Not by Proclamation but by ActionHegel was clear: history is a slaughter-bench. Depressing? Of course. But does history also allow the increase of rationality and freedom? Indeed it does. This is often accomplished by world historical figures who inspired great battle victories such as Alexander, Washington, Lincoln, and Churchill. And it was often unknown to themselves just what great forward progress they enabled.This episode discusses war from the standpoint of conflict resolution resulting in a better outcome. The opposite being a regression, not a progression. .Freedom is not something to just shout from the mountain tops, It must be...
2022-04-1524 minThe Cunning of Geist050 - Say Goodbye to the End of History: Clausewitz, Hegel, and WarThe tragic events in Ukraine have brought to the surface many old quandaries of war. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 caused some to believe that a new world order had arrived. A few scholars even claimed it to be the "end of history." Francis Fukuyama published his book "The End of History and the Last Man," in 1992, where he presents the thesis that humanity had reached "not just ... the passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: That is, the end-point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of...
2022-03-2925 minThe Cunning of Geist049 - Conscious & Unconscious Mind: the Shadow, Jung, and Hegel"Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of men? . . . The Shadow knows" began a famous U.S. radio show from the 1930s and 40s. The Shadow is also a psychological term used by Carl Jung to describe those parts of us that we do not want to recognize in ourselves and in effect, bury. While it is most associated with our baser instincts and unattractive parts of our personality, we can repress worthy aspects as well. This can lead to projection of these traits on to others. The notion of the Shadow involves an unconscious part of ou...
2022-03-1322 minThe Cunning of Geist048 - Recognition: E-Tribalism vs. the Nation-stateHegel foresaw a problem with the advanced liberal democracies of his day. It is when the self interests of groups within the nation become more important than the principles that uphold the state itself. He called it a "knot" that will need to worked out in the future.Well the future has arrived and the problem remains. In fact it is much worse than in Hegel's day. The Internet has fostered a return to tribalistic identity groups that threaten the very concept of the nation-state.Media scholar Marshall McLuhan also saw this trend occurring, as the...
2022-03-0220 minThe Cunning of Geist047 - Is There a Method to Hegel's Philosophy? No. And Yes.Does Hegel have in mind a systematic procedure, technique, process, or plan underlying his philosophy? Some say yes, others say no.It is my belief that there is in fact a method; and it is the movement, the life, the evolution of thought itself. Hegel referred to this as dialectics. And his important notion of sublation plays a crucial role in dialectical thinking. Some say Hegel's method develops as his logic unfolds, but that at the beginning of his Science of Logic Hegel's philosophy is presuppositionless. While this is true in a certain sense this beginn...
2022-02-1424 minThe Cunning of Geist046 - One Love: Freedom, Randomness, Peirce, and HegelThis episode explores three elements of Charles Peirce's philosophy and how it relates to Hegelianism.Peirce held that Firstness, Secondness, and Thirdness are core functions of the Cosmos itself, three "worlds" if you will. This has obvious parallels to Hegel's triadic approach of Logic, Nature, and Spirit.Peirce's notion of Tychism is also examined, that the universe contains a degree of pure randomness, foreshadowing the findings of quantum physics. How this relates specifically to Hegel's core concept of Freedom is covered.And lastly, Peirce's Evolutionary Love is discussed, which teaches that the universe i...
2022-01-3028 minThe Cunning of Geist045 - Zombies, Bats, & Chinese Rooms: The Hard Problem of Consciousness and HegelPhilosophers and scientists speak of the "hard problem of consciousness." But what exactly is the problem? The issue seems to be more with the narrow view of naturalistic materialism, that excludes "everything mental - consciousness, meaning, intent or purpose" (Nagel). At the center of the disagreement is what is now termed "qualia" (a variation of this term was first used by Charles Peirce). This is the experience of seeing the color red, hearing a robin sing, or tasting a glass of wine. This actual quality is difficult for the pure physicalist to explain, when they have removed "mi...
2022-01-0924 minThe Cunning of Geist044 - St. Paul, Hegel, and the Symbolism of ChristmasAs author Og Mandino states, Paul the Apostle was perhaps the "Greatest Salesmen in the World" in bringing the "good news" to Jew and Gentile alike. And what is very interesting is that Paul's views correspond in several respects to Hegel's unique take on Christianity.This episode discusses one of the "New Perspective of Paul" interpretations by Pauline scholar N.T. Wright. And that both St. Paul and Hegel recognized that Spirit's work is to be done here on Earth, and not in some separate domain. To round out the episode, the unique symbolism of the...
2021-12-2617 minThe Cunning of Geist043 - Evolution is Everything: Charles S. Peirce and HegelHedge fund head Ray Dalio, in his book "Principles" states, "To be 'good,' something must operate consistently with the laws of reality and contribute to the evolution of the whole; that is what is most rewarded. Evolution is the single greatest force in the universe; it is the only thing that is permanent and it drives everything." Dalio is not a trained philosopher but has plenty of street smarts. And street smarts should never be discounted. American pragmatic philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce put evolution at the core of his philosphy. Regarding Peirce and Hegel, the Stanford En...
2021-12-1323 minThe Cunning of Geist042 - True Infinity: The Ought, Society, Innovation, & GratitudeOnce again Hegel's "true infinity" is the focus an episode. This time, there is new attention paid to several areas, including:- a better definition of "bad infinity,"- how true infinity corresponds to right-brain reasoning, - how bad infinity corresponds to left-brain understanding, - how true infinity relates to societal issues at large,- how business innovation develops through true infinity,- how gratitude can serve as a lever for true infinity.Also covered in this episode are "Hilbert's Hotel," an exercise in bad infinity, the creative mind versus the com...
2021-11-2822 minThe Cunning of Geist041 - Betterment: How Hegel's True Infinity Provides a Rational Basis for AchievementOne of the original self-improvement books, "The Science of Getting Rich," (Wattles, 1910), was based on Hegelian principles. And no, it is not about money, but about achieving what one needs so one can accomplish what one is capable of in contributing to the goal of life itself. Wattles states, "The object of life is development; and everything that lives has an inalienable right to all the development it is capable of attaining." And also, "the man who owns all he wants for the living of all he is capable of living is rich." The hugely successful 2006 book, "The S...
2021-11-1532 minThe Cunning of Geist040 - Is There a Soul Personality that Survives Death? - A look at Jung, Sheldrake, Smolin, and HegelReincarnation is one of the most widely held beliefs in the world today. It is quite logical, and it explains much about why some suffer. It offers a reasoning and reward for moral and ethical behavior. But is it true? Does one have a separate soul that moves from body to body over time?This episode will explore this question from the standpoint of Hegelian philosophy regarding the finite and true infinity, and the historical movement of Spirit within the world. In addition, the important concept of memory will be examined from a psychological standpoint. Humani...
2021-10-3124 minThe Cunning of Geist039 - Was There an Actual Creation Event? - God, the Big Bang, the Ouroboros, and HegelThe Creation of the Cosmos by God is fundamental to Western religions. And the scientific Big Bang event has been pointed to by some as evidence that this did in fact occur.But did it? New scientific evidence shows that something did precede the Big Bang. And In the East, a different notion holds, that of the cyclical nature of reality. And there are different interpretations of whether Hegel believed a creation event occurred or not. This episode shows support for the cyclical position from a scientific as well as Hegelian standpoint. In addition, Lurianic Kabbal...
2021-10-1828 minThe Cunning of Geist038 - Why Philosophy? Why Reason? Why Hegel? - Some Practical AnswersFor many people, philosophy is of little interest. Some see it only as thinking about thinking, and who needs that? Others compare it to contemplating one’s navel. And few people understand how philosophy can actually have any meaning in one’s day-to-day activities.This episode takes the other side. It first shows why philosophy is needed for a rigorous, articulate, systematic, logical, and critical examination of the big questions in life. Next reason itself is discussed, and how it is often downplayed today. But reason cannot be used to denigrate reason, leading to a contr...
2021-10-0325 minThe Cunning of Geist037 - It's Not Only Rock but the Roll as Well: Exploring Hegel's Vernunft & VerstandThis episode looks again at the left brain/right brain dichotomy, and how so much is missed when the left brain view dominates, which it does in today’s world almost exclusively (polarization, either/or, us versus them type thinking). With left brain thinking alone, one misses the big holistic picture. The right brain sees relations, movement, processes, and life. While the left brain creates a map, the right brain is living in the territory. Right brain thinking understands that every stick has two ends, and that without the stick neither end can exist. Both types of...
2021-09-2222 minThe Cunning of Geist036 - Sublation: The Driving Wheel of Hegelian DialecticsHegel called sublation one of the most important concepts in all of philosophy. Hegel scholar Stephen Houlgate calls it "the absolute immanent 'method' of speculative philosophy."The English word "sublation" is a translation of the German work "aufhebung." But the English term is more or less a placeholder for the Hegel's German word, as there is no direct equivalent term in English. That is because it has two definitions: to preserve, to maintain, as well as to cease, to end. How does such apparent contradiction get resolved into a key concept of all philosophy? This podca...
2021-09-0622 minThe Cunning of Geist035 - Is Belief in Spirit Warranted? A Look at Alvin Plantinga's Work vis-à-vis Hegel.Is there a difference between a belief having been proven correct versus a belief that while not proven, is still warranted, and not irrational? Contemporary philosopher Alvin Plantinga believes there is. And his method of establishing this speaks directly to Hegel's Spirit (Geist).Plantinga is also known for his controversial theory the "Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism" (EAAN). It goes like this: If our thinking is a product of blind naturalism, how can we trust it? Putting this in Hegelian terms, unless one believes in Spirit, can one fully put stock in thought? It can't, because thought from blin...
2021-08-2227 minThe Cunning of Geist034 - The Quaternity Symbol & the Horse-Drawn Carriage Metaphor: Jung, Gurdjieff, and HegelPsychologist Carl Jung identified the quaternity (union of four) as a symbol of wholeness. He used it in portraying his four primary cognitive functions: intuition, sensation, thinking, and feeling (emotions).Similar to this is Russian esotericist George Gurdjieff’s system of harmonious development, called “The Fourth Way,” His “Work” centered on simultaneously developing the body, the emotions, and the mind so one can develop a fourth function - the soul. He used the quaternity metaphor of the horse-drawn carriage to visualize this, with a carriage, horse, driver, and a master inside the carriage.This podcast episode explore...
2021-08-0928 minThe Cunning of Geist033 - What is Reality? The Real, the Actual, and the Rational According to HegelHegel famously stated that "What is real (actual) is rational, and what is rational is real (actual). What does this statement mean? The question of just what constitutes "reality" will be examined from four different standpoints - from a scientific viewpoint, from the perspective of one strand of Eastern philosophy, from a particular New Age tome, and, of course, from an Hegelian point of view.Hegel postulates Absolute Spirt as the ultimate reality. This does not refer to some static, separate condition or separate being, but it is an ongoing, active, rational process that works itse...
2021-07-2620 minThe Cunning of Geist032 - Race & Racism: The Dark Side of the Enlightenment vs. Hegel's Notion of FreedomThe great enlightenment document, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, pronounced that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Yet the United States also kept portions of its population enslaved at that time. How were these ideals and the facts at hand kept compatible?New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie has an the answer, “Racism as we understand it now, as a socio-political order based on the permanent hierarchy of particular groups, developed as an attempt to resol...
2021-07-1130 minThe Cunning of Geist031 - Scientism vs. Hegelianism: Which World-View is Correct?The Scientific Revolution brought tremendous benefit to humanity. But when the scientific method becomes more than a defined procedure of rational inquiry and prediction, and morphs into an ideology with its own set of dogmas, problems can appear. And this is precisely what has happened in today’s world. Scientism is the name given to this world-view. It holds that nature is wholly material and mechanical, with no purpose - and that life itself is a mistake that occurred when a RNA molecule accidentally mutated and was able to replicate itself. Where is mind in this...
2021-06-2724 minThe Cunning of Geist030 - Synchronicity, the I-Ching, and HegelPsychologist C. G. Jung coined the term 'synchronicity,' which is a powerful psycho/physical concept that ties together causality with meaning. In comparing the Western and Eastern mind, he states "While the Western mind carefully sifts, weighs, selects, classifies, isolates, the Chinese picture of the moment encompasses everything down to the minutest nonsensical detail, because all of the ingredients make up the observed moment" (Foreward, The I-Ching or Book of Changes, Wilhelm/Baynes translation).Jung is saying that a moment not only has 'causal' relations, but 'meaning' relations as well. He compares this to th...
2021-06-1326 minThe Cunning of Geist029 - "Why is There Something Rather than Nothing?"- A False Dilemma?Martin Heidegger called this question the most fundamental of all metaphysics: Why is there something rather than nothing? As author Jim Holt states, "It's a question so profound it would only occur to a metaphysician, yet so simple it would occur only to a child."Yet is the question valid? Is something/nothing an either/or proposition? Or as contemporary philosopher Robert Nozick states it, "So why is there something from nothing? There isn't. There's both."This question can be addressed in four different ways: 1) It's the will of God (Leibniz) 2) Existence is a brute fa...
2021-06-0124 minThe Cunning of Geist028 - The Quandary of Quantum Physics: Materialism vs. MysticismPhysicist and Nobel laureate Richard Feynman famously said, “I think I can safely say that nobody really understands quantum mechanics.” His teacher, John Archibald Wheeler, took the meaning of quantum physics to be that "no phenomenon is a real phenomenon until it is an observed phenomenon." On the other side of this view stood Albert Einstein, who expressed his concerns with quantum physics by saying "God does not play dice." He maintained a 40 year debate with Niels Bohr, one of the founders of quantum physics, on how it should be interpreted.Which view is correct? Are Life...
2021-05-1624 minThe Cunning of Geist027 - The Truth of Nature: The Historical Movement of SpiritSpirit is an overused and often misused word. It also plays a prominent role in Hegel's philosophy. What is it supposed to mean? Is any talk of Spirit just fuzzy fairy-tale thinking? Or is Spirit, in its actual meaning, the driving-wheel behind Nature?The German word for Spirit is Geist, which translated into English has two meanings, Spirit and Mind. It is also similar to two Greek words, Nous (Mind) and Pneuma, (Spirit/Breath ). Pneuma in turn corresponds to the Hebrew word Ruach (the breath of life), which is used in the biblical term Ruach HaKodesh, (the...
2021-05-0223 minThe Cunning of Geist026 - Teleology, Evolution, Aristotle, and HegelThis episode discusses how the materialistic neo-Darwinian conception of evolution does not tell the whole story of what is going on here. As Thomas Nagel states, “Mind, I suspect, is not an inexplicable accident or a divine and anomalous gift but a basic aspect of nature that we will not understand until we transcend the built-in limits of contemporary scientific orthodoxy.” What is missing from naturalistic materialism's view of evolution is purpose. Aristotle put purpose at the center of his idea of eudaemonia, the Greek term for the greater good or happiness, that of having a mean...
2021-04-1823 minThe Cunning of Geist025 - The Resurrection According to Hegel: Physical Fact or Spiritual Story?Hegel's unique and non-traditional understanding of the resurrection of Jesus echoes his overall system of Logic, Nature, and Spirit. According to Hegel, God others himself in Jesus; and in Jesus' death, Spirit becomes fully finite. As a result of this, Spirit is then reborn in the community. Similarly, in Hegel's overall approach, Logic others itself in Nature; and Spirit is then reborn in Nature through a historical process of individuals in society coming to recognize Spirit through art, religion, and philosophy. Hegel did not consider the historical accuracy of the resurrection to be important to the C...
2021-04-0526 minThe Cunning of Geist024 - Substance is Subject: Hegel's Rose in the CrossThe notion that substance is subject is perhaps the major tenant of Hegel's philosophy. Hegel said "Everything turns on grasping and expressing the True, not as Substance, but equally as Subject" (Phen. of Spirit, Miller trans. ¶17). Hegel explains that the self, the subject, is the process of creating a void, a negation, which allows for the purposeful movement of reason. This process is identical in both thought interrupting pure being and the void interrupting the material world (the space between atoms or the void in which space-time is expanding into). Thought and world intersect here, in this inter...
2021-03-2126 minThe Cunning of Geist023 - Nonduality: A Look at Advaita Vedanta, A Course in Miracles, and HegelIs the world an illusion? Are we part of a computer simulated reality as in the Matrix movie? Are we actually brains in a vat dreaming of an external world? Was the world created by a devil when God was not looking, as Bertrand Russell thought was plausible? Was the world created in error by a lesser deity as in the Gnostic scripts? Or, as in the allegory of Plato’s cave, is there one true reality that underlies all and everything?This episode explores the concept of nonduality from three different ages: a major school...
2021-03-0729 minThe Cunning of Geist022 - Group Ethics vs. Individual Morality: Hegel and MacIntyrePhilosopher Alasdair MacIntyre, in his 1981 book "After Virtue," argues that moral discourse since the Enlightenment is not rational and therefore empty. He believes the reason for this is that the morals of the Enlightenment lack purpose - teleology. The scientific revolution, armed with Darwinism, brought an end to "purpose." One was left to define morality on their own terms. This led to the moral relativism of the individual. But now a new tribalism has returned, with the left-brain, visually oriented individualism of the Enlightenment giving way to the right-brain, auditory tribalism of the Global Village. And with it...
2021-02-2121 minThe Cunning of Geist021 - The Rise/(Return) of Tribalism: Technology, McLuhan, and HegelAll technological advances involve extensions of the human body/mind, argued Marshall McLuhan. As such, no matter how disruptive a breakthrough may be, it is based on our own consciousness and its needs. Hegel knew that a primary motivator in life is recognition. But how is this need met in the interconnected world of the Internet? We see this in the profound shift occurring today from individual recognition to group recognition. According to McLuhan, this is due to the electronic revolution overturning the individualistic orientation of the previous print/visual left brain society and moving to (returning to) the...
2021-02-0727 minThe Cunning of Geist020 - Hegel: Realizing the Purpose of HistoryHistory is a key element of Hegel’s philosophy. Although he called history a “slaughter-bench,” he believed it to have purpose. This purpose, which can only be recognized after the fact, is greater freedom. This episode traces the increase in human freedom from the totem ritual of the prehistoric primitive horde through the male genetic bottleneck in the agrarian revolution to the Hegelian “knot” in liberal democracies. This knot, which needs to be worked out, is more prominent today than ever. It is when individual and identity group demands come in conflict with principles that uphold the state. Su...
2021-01-2529 min