Shows
Conversations and MeditationsThe Masks We WearIn this episode, Virgil goes into the idea of wearing masks to hide our real feelings and our true selves. In this discussion, we will investigate the concept of masks and why we choose to wear them. Masks can hurt our relationships and, ultimately, our lives. Masking our emotions is a coping mechanism that stops us from genuinely processing them and integrating them into our character. People who wear masks are driven by trauma, and we all experience different types of trauma in our lives. A mask covers up wounds and doesn’t allow those wounds to heal. It hi...2019-12-2047 minConversations and MeditationsWhat is Postmodernism?In this episode, Vigil and his returning guests, Danny and Matt, discuss the topic of postmodernism. This episode focuses on the differences between modernism and postmodernism and why talking about this topic is essential. The show then goes into whether postmodernism exists only in the realm of art and literary theory, or is it also a social phenomenon. We then discuss if postmodernism leads to cultural and moral relativism and whether that point of view can lead to a generally skeptical view of the world. We also cover the concern if postmodernism can cause science denialism, because of the...2019-12-191h 50Conversations and MeditationsWhat are Logical Fallacies and Why they are HarmfulIn this episode, Virgil goes over the concept of logical fallacies and the different types used in discourse. Logical fallacies work on people because they make messages feel more persuasive. Ultimately fallacies hurt the trust and credibility of a person making an argument; therefore, the truth isn't the focus. This episode focuses on what logical fallacies are, the negative aspects of using them, and their overall effect on the way we interact with others.2019-12-1051 minConversations and MeditationsWhat is High and Low Culture?In this episode, Virgil and his previous guests Danny and Matt, discuss the concepts of High and Low culture. This episode will focus on discussing why these cultural forces and cultural divisions are important. Through these discussions, we can learn more about our culture, which gives us a more nuanced view of our society. High culture is a collection of cultural products, mainly in the arts, held in the highest esteem by a culture. Low culture is a collection of cultural products not held in the highest esteem by a culture. High culture is the culture of the elites w...2019-10-281h 48Conversations and MeditationsBuilding Self-Confidence in Times of Self-DoubtIn this episode, Virgil goes over the tools and strategies that we need to build self-confidence in times of self-doubt. Self-confident individuals build trust in their abilities, have a sense of control of their lives. Self-confident people believe they will be able to do what they wish, plan, and expect. Self-confident individuals have realistic expectations, and even if those are not met, they continue to be positive. Individuals who lack self-confidence find it challenging to be successful and ultimately happy. When self-esteem is the norm for an individual, their talents and skills have the chance to shine and be n...2019-09-241h 01Conversations and MeditationsCan You Separate Art from the Artist?In this episode, Virgil and his friends, Awkward Hermit, Matt, and Auguste discuss the concept of separating art from the artist. Is it ever possible for us to be able to separate a talented individual and their pieces of art from their harmful, immoral, and at times, criminal behavior? Should we banish all artwork created by individuals that may be talented but are evil people? Should we try to find nuance and look at the concept and issues case by case following the facts and victim testimony before canceling the artist's work entirely? This discussion will cover...2019-08-231h 58Conversations and MeditationsWhat is the Left and Right: A Conversation About the RightIn this episode, Virgil continues the discussion about the left and right with his guests D and Matt. In this podcast, we go into more detail of what the term “right” is, particularly in respects to the cultural, moral, social, economic, psychological aspects of the various groups on the right and how they might or might not have something in common with the left. This episode includes a discussion on the Moral Foundations Theory and what the moral psychology of people traditionally on the right is. When then contrast the rights morals foundations to liberals and libertarians to better under...2019-08-171h 59Conversations and MeditationsWhat is Foreign Policy: Part 1In this episode, Virgil and his two previous guests, Matt and Mischa, come on the show to discuss foreign policy. This podcast will focus on the general aspects of foreign policy, U.S. adventurism, the anti-war movement. The main element of this discussion will focus on whether or not Libertarians and Socialist can have an alliance against the current establishment foreign policy. With this potential alliance, can we move the nation towards a more peaceful and rational approach to engaging with other nations? The podcast starts out identifying what foreign policy is and why it's essential for us to...2019-07-271h 00Conversations and MeditationsWhat is the Left and Right: Past, Present, and FutureIn this episode, Virgil and his friends discuss the topic of what is the left and right. This podcast is part one of two dive into the political spectrum and political philosophy. In this podcast, former guests D, Pseudo, Danny, and Matt join us to discuss the left and right in respects to their origins, present, and future. We discuss the ideological roots of the left and right and try to unpack its connection to government and society. We talk about the difference between authoritarianism and libertarianism and its connection to the political spectrum. We then talk a bit...2019-07-172h 06Conversations and MeditationsOn the Intersection of Class and TasteIn this episode, Virgil and his previous guests, Danny and Matt discuss the intersection of class and taste and how both connect to culture. We each give our ideas on what a social class is and how its represented in our world. We then discuss the concept of taste, its connections to aesthetics, and whether or not its something connected to our evolutionary history, social construction, or perhaps both. The conversation moves into whether or not a class system impacts and shapes our tastes. This episode is meant to explore who we are in a society and why we...2019-06-2057 minConversations and MeditationsWhat Do We Really Know For Certain?In this episode, Virgil and his two guests, Danny and Matt discuss the topic of knowledge, how we can attain it, and how we can, if possible, be sure of anything. This podcast features three different yet compelling theories of knowledge. We then apply our approaches to the world around us, especially concerning the nature of the universe, Truth, and morality.2019-05-2957 minConversations and MeditationsConsciousnesses: From Past to Present to FutureIn this episode, Virgil and his friend Matt delve into the concept of consciousness. This podcast will is about the origins, development, and future of consciousness. Throughout the podcast, we discuss consciousness and its connection to the world around us and the potential future of how we will alter our consciousness by directing our evolution whether through the integration of technology with our bodies or experimentation with chemical substances and meditation. This episode will feature two opposing viewpoints that offer a very different interpretation of what consciousness is and how we as humans interface with the world around us t...2019-05-241h 00Conversations and MeditationsBuilding Resilience Through Stress ManagementIn this episode, Virgil goes over the concept of stress management and building resilience to stress in general. This podcast will define what stress is and distinguish the types of stress and the triggers that induce and exacerbate the problem. We also cover the cognitive, behavioral, and physical symptoms of stress in order to better identify how stress is affecting our lives in the present and future. The podcast then goes into different methods and tactic of how to build resilience for the everyday stressors and the major stressors that influence our lives. Managing our stress is essential to o...2019-05-241h 01Conversations and MeditationsMotivation and LeadershipIn this episode, Virgil goes over the concepts of motivation and leadership. This podcast is about better understanding the relationship between leadership and motivation and its basis in psychology. This episode also goes into different types of motivational theories, leadership theories/styles, and the qualities of successful leaders. With this knowledge, we can learn to become better leaders and learn to motivate others and ourselves.2019-04-2854 minConversations and MeditationsJordan Peele's Us and the Significance of FilmIn this episode, Virgil and his friend Jay give a film review of Jordan Peele's new film Us. This episode focuses and the films central themes and symbolism that tell a much deeper tale that many people have overlooked. This podcast is about viewing films literally and metaphorically, which offers a deeper message by connecting the two. The episode then moves on to a discussion of the significance of film within our culture, our lives, and why viewing film makes for a fun and engaging experience. Films teach us about the world and the people in it, especially us.2019-04-1859 minConversations and MeditationsHow Government Affects Economic ProgressIn this episode, Virgil goes into detail about how government affects economic progress for individuals. The government ideally should be promoting economic progress by protecting the rights of individuals and supplying a few goods that are difficult to provide through markets. Government spending is now more than a third of our economy. This fact highlights why it is important to understand how the political process affects allocating resources effectively. As government spending, subsidies, income transfers, and regulatory favors grow, businesses and other well-organized groups will expend more rent-seeking to obtain government favors that will grow their organizations. This podcast is...2019-04-181h 01Conversations and MeditationsStop Being Your Biggest Critic and Become Your Biggest FanIn this episode, Virgil goes into the concept of self-criticism and how at times it prevents us from achieving our goals and taking the necessary risks to get there. Being our biggest critic is important insofar as the criticism is based in reality and it's used to make things better and not to put one's self-esteem down. With this rational approach to our failures, we can better learn to make the right choices that will lead to our flourishing. Through these right choices and flourishing, we can learn to truly love ourselves for all the bad and good that we i...2019-03-2852 minConversations and MeditationsEconomics of Progress and PovertyIn this podcast, Virgil goes into detail about the economics of progress in our society and how certain well-intentioned counterproductive economic policies that hurt those who are impoverished more than help. The desire to help the poor isn't enough for things to change in a meaningful way. We need a society that encourages and incentivizes the right behavior in a market in order for growth. The focus of this episode is to review the incentive structure that discourages an individual's ability to help themselves and others escape the cycle of poverty. The episode also spotlights how economic freedom, private prope...2019-03-1444 minConversations and MeditationsNew Year, Better YouIn this episode, Virgil and his friend and previous guest, Pseudo, talk about the concept of the phrase "New Year, New Me" and its importance in the zeitgeist of today's world. This show picks up where the last episode left off. On the previous episode, Past Year Review, Virgil described his method of how to go through the previous year and determine which people, activities, and commitments in the last year were positive and which were negative. This episode Psuedo and Virgil go over their methods of removing the negative the people, activities, and commitments for the new year and...2019-01-2956 minConversations and MeditationsPast Year Review: A Meditation on 2018In this episode, Virgil goes over the idea of a Past Year Review. A Past Year Review (PYR) is a tool used by many famous and successful people such as Oprah, Tim Ferris, and Bill and Melinda Gates. A PYR is an alternate way of achieving what you want in the next year contrary to New Years Resolution. Virgil builds upon Tim Ferris method of conducting a PYR and goes into detail on how to perform one and where our focus should be. PYR offers us a chance to evaluate what happened last year, pinpoint the lessons of last ye...2019-01-0949 minConversations and MeditationsThe Shadow and the Self: Light in the DarknessIn this episode, Virgil goes over the fundamentals of Jungian psychology. This discussion is a very basic introduction to Carl Jung and his ideas. In particular, this conversation will focus on a few main themes of Carl Jung's analysis of Archetypes and the Self, including the Ego, Persona, Shadow, and Anima/Animus. The episode then focuses on the concept of the Shadow and its importance in our culture, art, and within ourselves as an aspect to our personality. With this understanding of this dark side of ourselves, we can learn to confront our Shadow and learn to integrate it healthy...2019-01-0941 minConversations and MeditationsEconomics in One PodcastIn this episode, Virgil goes in the fundamentals of basic economics and its function within our society. Economics is broadly the study of causes and effects. This episode will try to convey the message that economic policies are essential to judge by their consequences and incentives, rather than their goals and motivations. This episode describes how a market economy works and how it leads to human flourishing. We hope this episode can explain what economics is and what it isn't. 2018-12-181h 01Conversations and MeditationsJustice, Rights, and FreedomIn this episode, Virgil goes into the various ideas of what justice is and how it relates to our everyday lives and the government that rules us. When talking about justice, we are really talking about two interconnected categories: the personal and political. Justice brings up questions of how should we treat one another? What should the law be? How should society be organized? How should we distribute the things we value? These questions will be answered using the tools these philosophers have given us and we will take a look at the different ideas that comprise the concept of...2018-12-051h 00Conversations and MeditationsStoicism as an Operating System For LifeIn this episode, Virgil goes over the philosophy of Stoicism from past to present. In this episode, Virgil goes into the history of stoicism and some of the major philosophers within the tradition and their contributions to the philosophy. Virgil then goes into the basic fundamentals of stoicism and its application for life and how it can be used as a modern day guide to living a good life. The episode concludes with a look into how stoicism has influenced other people in history to use the fundamentals of stoicism to create something that can help all types of peop...2018-11-1658 minConversations and MeditationsArt and the Human ConditionIn this episode, Virgil has an intriguing discussion with his friend Awkward Hermet about the importance of art and its place in our society. Awkward Hermet has done all of the artwork for Conversations and Meditations and continues to add value to our brand. In this discussion, they talk about what interested her in creating art as well as some of her major influences. Later on, they cover the significance of art to the individual and how art can increase your overall enjoyment of life. 2018-10-3047 minConversations and MeditationsDebunking Myths About EconomicsIn this episode, Virgil and his friend D debunk common myths about economics, capitalism, and socialism. They both discuss the facts and fallacies of the economics and the history of how we got here today. 2018-10-251h 01Conversations and MeditationsDo You Love Yourself?In this episode, Virgil and his friend and former guest, Pseudo, get into the concept of self-love. They discuss their personal difficulties and doubt concerning love for one's self and its importance in self- actualization on the world. Join them while they discuss their continuing journey on the road too self-love. 2018-10-0257 minConversations and MeditationsFinding Harmony Through Cognitive DissonanceIn this episode, Virgil discusses cognitive dissonance and its effect on our everyday lives. Cognitive dissonance is the state of having inconsistent thoughts, actions, beliefs, or attitudes, most importantly relating to behavior and attitude. Virgil talks about his experience with cognitive dissonance, how it manifests in our lives, and how it can be a catalyst for a change in our worldview when confronted with new evidence. With the chaos of our world today, we should expect to feel the discomfort of cognitive dissonance, but always to remember that it's our choice of what to do with it. ...2018-09-251h 00Conversations and MeditationsWhy Conspiracy Theories are ToxicIn this episode, Virgil goes into detail about the conspiracy theorist worldview and the dangers of viewing everything through a conspiratorial lens. Virgil details his prior history with conspiracy theories and his motivations for being a conspiracy theorist in the past. Virgil discusses the turn from the more harmless conspiracy theories to the more pernicious, bigoted, and hate-filled theories about the state of the world and the people responsible for the ills of the society. In this talk, we hope we can address the reasons why someone would turn to conspiracy theories in a time of chaos and uncivility an...2018-09-051h 03Conversations and MeditationsThe Six Pillars of Self-EsteemIn this episode, Virgil goes over the psychotherapists Nathaniel Branden book, The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem. Nathaniel Branden has been the leading authority on the science of self-esteem and his book has been a significant influence on Virgil and his worldview. Virgil goes into detail what is self-esteem, why its vital, and gives an overview of the six pillars that Branden described in his book. This overview discusses why we all have issues with self-esteem and the work needed in order to become better people who have a better relationships with themselves. 2018-08-071h 01Conversations and MeditationsA Conflict of VisionsIn this episode, Virgil goes over the Thomas Sowell book A Conflict of Visions and its main themes on why we as a society have major disagreements on politics and philosophies. He goes over the Sowell's concepts of the "Constrained"(Tragic) Vision and the "Unconstrained" (Utopian) Vision of humanity and our nature. Virgil also covers civility and its importance in todays inflammatory political climate and the things we all can do to reintroduce a little civility back into our lives. 2018-07-271h 00Conversations and MeditationsCapitalism and Human ProgressIn this episode, Virgil goes into detail on his statement from the last episode, in where he stated that Capitalism has been the greatest tool to help alleviate poverty and suffering in the world so far. Virgil goes into detail on why and how capitalism is allowing people from all over the world to escape extreme poverty and move into the middle class and pursue a better life for themselves and their families.2018-07-101h 02Conversations and MeditationsDemocratic Socialist of AmericaIn this episode, Virgil interviews his friend and former guest Mischa about his political standings and his new membership to the Democratic Socialist of America and what that means to him. They both discuss what Democratic Socialism is and what it isn't. Virgil asks questions and they both get into some principles and policies of Democratic Socialism. As you know, we want to make sure that on the show we can have conversations with people with whom we disagree with respectfully and with the intention to learn from them.2018-06-2757 minConversations and MeditationsR.I.C.E.- Race, Identity, Culture, EthnicityIn this episode, Virgil has an interesting conversation with his good friend Auguste on the issues of race, identity, culture, and ethnicity in America. They both utilize their own experiences and identity to speak on the issues we face as a society. They also discuss mental health, suicide its impact on identity and society.2018-06-1256 minConversations and MeditationsAn Antidote to Nihilism and ResentmentIn this episode, Virgil gives a more detailed breakdown of nihilism its effects on our lives and the damage it can do to society. Virgil decided to further unpack the concepts he discussed in the last episode on Anxiety and Depression. This is a critical examination on nihilism its connection to pessimism, resentment, and how it causes suffering in our everyday lives. Virgil ends the podcast with some antidotes to nihilism and gives his take on how we can find meaning in the darkest moments in our lives.2018-05-2856 minConversations and MeditationsAnxiety and Depression Feeds Your SuppressionIn this episode, Virgil and his two friends Mischa and Pseudo have a conversation about anxiety and depression. This conversation is deeply rooted in all of their personal experiences and some foundational ideas that connect us all. Each guest gave a detailed view of their experiences and the mindset that they have in relation to anxiety and depression. They discuss the prevalence of mental health issues and whether or not there is an increase in these issues. They also discuss the effects of social media on mental health and many other import things that are relevant to todays issues w...2018-05-1449 minConversations and MeditationsIndividualism vs CollectivismIn this episode, Virgil goes over the concepts of Individualism and Collectivism. This episode explores the historical, sociological, and psychological effects of Individualism and Collectivism.This episode also explores the cost and benefits on of both the principles. Virgil gives his personal outlook on what it means to be an Individualist or Collectivist in todays world. 2018-05-0558 minConversations and MeditationsSocratic Questioning and First PrinciplesIn this episode, Virgil goes over Socratic Questioning and its relationship with critical thinking. Virgil explores the origins of the Socratic Method and how it was used and its purpose in finding truth. He also goes over modern applications of First Principles and the Socratic Method that are used.2018-04-2859 minConversations and MeditationsHow to Disagree... KindlyIn this episode, Virgil goes over an Article by British entrepreneur Paul Graham called "How to Disagree" and explains the hierarchy of disagreement that Graham came up with. Virgil also goes over American psychologist Marshall Rosenberg and his creation of Nonviolent Communication and its importance in our world today. Through this conversation, we hope to have helped provide meaningful tools that we can all use in our disagreements on little and/or big issues that we face as a society. 2018-04-2159 minConversations and MeditationsA Conversation With a FriendVirgil sits down with an old friend to discuss new and old problems that we are facing as a society. 2018-04-1438 minConversations and MeditationsIntro to Conversations and MeditationsIn this episode, Virgil describes who he is, what are his opinions, what the show is all about, and what he hopes it can become. 2018-04-0752 min