My returning guest this week is C. Thi Nguyen, a professor of philosophy at the University of Utah, and author of the new book The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game . We discuss the nature of games, why it's problematic to build a society based on keeping score, and whether or not the real monster is always capitalism. Enjoy! The Score: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735252/the-score-by-c-thi-nguyen/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in S...
Jan 13, 2026•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 314
My guest this week is Matt McManus, an assistant professor in Political Science at Spelman College, and author of The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism. We discuss his new book and why both liberalism and socialism are essential to move towards a flourishing society. The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism: https://www.routledge.com/The-Political-Theory-of-Liberal-Socialism/McManus/p/book/9781032647234 Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0g...
Dec 12, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 313
My guest this week is anarchist activist William Gillis, author of the book Did the Science Wars Take Place? The Political and Ethical Stakes of Radical Realism. We cover the many flavors of anti-realism Gillis lays out in his book, and which ones seem harmfully prevalent on the left. Enjoy! Did the Science Wars Take Place? https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/william-gillis-did-the-science-wars-take-place Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0...
Nov 19, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 312
My returning guest this week is the most pleasant of bureaucrats ever to serve the the blood god, associate professor of philosophy at the London school of economics and political science Liam Kofi Bright. Folks might not know this, but when Liam isn’t verifying verification or whatever epistemologists do, he writes some hilarious fanfic about philosophy and logistics in the world of 40k. Since I’m convinced that 40k is somehow central to understanding modern politics, I’ve asked Liam on to help...
Oct 29, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 311
My guest this week is Alastair Lichten (@humanistdad.bsky.social), a humanist organizer who is particularly interested in the intersection of neurodivergence and secularism. We discuss the theory that being autistic or neurodivergent makes one more likely to be non-religious. Alastair's website: https://humanistdad.uk/2025/09/09/professional_update/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheV...
Oct 03, 2025•58 min•Ep. 310
My guest this week is Kevin Bolling, executive director of the Secular Student Alliance, the largest organization in the country representing secular and nonreligious students. We discuss how things are going on the youth secular organizing front, including community moderation and coping with the resurgence of White Christian Nationalism. Enjoy! Secular Student Alliance: https://secularstudents.org/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosop...
Sep 13, 2025•59 min•Ep. 309
My guest this week is Matthew Facciani (@matthewfacciani.bsky.social), a social scientist at Notre Dame and author of the recent book Misguided: Where Misinformation Starts, How it Spreads, and What to Do about It. We discuss all three topics at length! Enjoy! Misguided: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/misguided/9780231555814/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the sho...
Aug 20, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 308
My returning guest this week is Jonathan Church (@jondavidchurch.bsky.social), a chartered financial analyst, and author of books like Reinventing Racism: Why White Fragility is the Wrong way to think about racial inequality, and Virtue in an age of identity politics: A stoic approach to social justice. He’s also a contributing editor and podcaster with Merion West. When we last we talked he was primarily critical of woke social justice, though also skeptical of some forms of anti-woke overreac...
Jul 25, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 307
My guest this week is James Kimmel Jr., a Yale Psychiatry lecturer, lawyer, and founder of the Yale Collaborative for Motive Control Studies. He has a new book out, The Science of Revenge, that overlaps heavily with my own work on luckpilling, so I was excited to have him on to discuss the problem of revenge addiction. The Science of Revenge: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/739999/the-science-of-revenge-by-james-kimmel-jr-jd/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philos...
Jul 04, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 306
My returning guest this week is William Paris, an Assistant Professor in the department of philosophy at University of Toronto, as well as one of the cohosts on the wonderful What’s Left of Philosophy Podcast. He’s got a wonderful new book out called Race, Time and Utopia: Critical Theory and the Process of Emancipation and he is very much my guy for all things Utopian so I was very excited to read and discuss. Race, Time, and Utopia: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/race-time-and-utopia-...
Jun 13, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 305
My returning guest this week is Will Gervais (@willgervais.com), a professor who studies evolutionary and cultural psychology at the Centre for Culture and Evolution at Brunel University London. He recently published a book called Disbelief: The Origins of Atheism in a Religious Species and it’s genuinely a must read for anyone who either believes in god or doesn’t, so I’ve brought him on to pick his brain on what makes some people theists and others atheists. Disbelief: https://www.prometheusb...
May 24, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 304
My guest this week is Arden Hart (@ theardenhart.bsky.social ), host, producer, and editor of The Line on YouTube, a call-in show that focuses on issues around atheism and social justice. She recently gave an excellent talk about transphobia in atheism and skepticism at the American Atheist Conference which we discuss along with her broader work. Arden's American Atheists talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxOAh20qo84 The Line: https://www.youtube.com/@qnaline Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 303
My guest this week is Mark Marveggio (@unluckywanderer.bsky.social), a PhD candidate in Psychology at the University of Adelaide and co-lead author on a paper called Fatalism, Evolution, and Interpersonal Attractiveness: Psychological Theories and Emotions in Incels’ Constructions of Ingroup Identity and Outgroup Hate. We discuss the three major identity discourses they observed in their study, and how we see those playing out in our current social landscape, and the important difference between...
Apr 14, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 302
My guest this week is Jonathan Jarry (@jonathanjarry.bsky.social), a science communicator at McGill Office for Science and Society. We discuss his recent expose on how Joe Mercola, millionaire friend of RFK Jr., is completely enthralled to a man claiming to channel a higher dimensional being. It's a wild ride so buckle up! Jonathan’s Expose Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRps3VQ-0BE Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn....
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 301
My guest this week is Sarah Tulien (@sarahtulien.bsky.social), executive director of the Creator Accountability Network and together we tackle all the best questions and patron names a show could possibly hope for. Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, ...
Mar 18, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 300
My guest this week is Ursa Wright, my giant C Captain and co-host from Philosophers in Space. We discuss the sophisticated masterpiece that is Shorsey and how it can help us work through the current discourse around meaning making for men in the modern world. Shorsey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoresy Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Re...
Mar 06, 2025•Ep. 299
My guests this week are the hosts of the new podcast The Know Rogan Experience, Cecil Cicirello and Michael Marshal. We discuss their backgrounds in skepticism, their goal with starting a podcast about Rogan, and why Rogan is particularly appealing to men who are struggling with modernity. The Know Rogan Experience: https://www.knowrogan.com/ AIPT article on The Know Rogan Experience: https://aiptcomics.com/2025/02/07/know-rogan-experience-podcast-conspiracy/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Ada...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 298
My guest this week is Ed Buckner, a secular organizer, former president of American Atheists. Ed is the author of the book In Freedom We Trust: An Atheist Guide to Religious Liberty , as well as the Substack blog Letters to a Free Country, where he recently posted a piece responding to my article “Biology is not Ethics” about the conflict around FFRF and Jerry Coyne's piece "Biology is not Bigotry". We discuss Ed's objections to my accusing Coyne of arguing for bigotry and discrimination, his re...
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 297
My guest this week is Kat Grant a Wisconsin based attorney, activist, legal educator, and author of the new blog TransingBoundaries, which focuses on the intersections of law, politics, religion, and queerness. Kat recently finished up an Equal Justice Works Fellowship at the Freedom From Religion Foundation, where they exclusively worked on the White Christian nationalist attack on LGBTQIA+ rights. Tragically and ironically, their fellowship was sort of capped off with a revealing debacle origi...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 296
Back to our normal format with returning guest Toby Buckle of the Political Philosophy Podcast. We discuss his recent Liberal Currents article "A Disease of Affluence", where he argues that MAGA is a result of lack of precarity rather than economic anxiety, combined with the human need to feel superior or dominant over others. We also discuss social dominance theory and my recent article on men and the meaning making crisis. Political Philosophy Podcast: https://www.politicalphilosophypodcast.co...
Jan 14, 2025•56 min•Ep. 295
Episode five of our luckpilled series! We discuss the final chapter of my dissertation on pedagogy of luck. We work through the old pedagogy of luck and how it crashes the educational commons, before discussing how to do luckpilling generally and how to integrate it with three other progressive pedagogies: Mindfulness, social-emotional learning, and critical social justice pedagogy. Sarah's Bio: https://creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org/about/leadership/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik ...
Jan 02, 2025•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 294
Episode four of my luckpilling series, where I'm once again joined by Sarah Tulien, executive director of the Creator Accountability Network. We discuss chapter three of my dissertation, which covers the politics of luck, particularly the way that meritocracy dominates modern politics and suppresses social progress by making people appear to deserve their lot in life. I also present an outline of the lucktopian society I think we should be moving towards and an argument for why it is not illiber...
Dec 02, 2024•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 293
Episode three of my luckpilling series, where I'm once again joined by Sarah Tulien, executive director of the Creator Accountability Network. We discuss chapter two of my dissertation, which covers the psychology of luck, particularly the role of luck in how we explain the events in our lives, and the legitimizing myths of the just-world illusion cluster. Sarah's Bio: https://creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org/about/leadership/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers i...
Oct 24, 2024•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 292
Episode two of my luckpilling series, where I'm once again joined by Sarah Tulien, executive director of the Creator Accountability Network. We discuss chapter one of my dissertation, which covers the philosophy of luck, particularly why the (lack of) control account of luck is the best account and why it follows that everything is luck. Sarah's Bio: https://creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org/about/leadership/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0g...
Oct 12, 2024•1 hr 44 min
Hi friends! As promised, I'm back from "sabbathical" with a (five?) part series on my dissertation. Accompanying me in this journey is Sarah Tulien, executive director of the Creator Accountability Network. She's here to save me from the horrors of monologuing and keep me on track and accountable, as well as to discuss the links between luckpilling and the restorative justice principles that CAN is based on. This first episode covers introductions all around. Enjoy! Sarah's Bio: https://creatora...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr 24 min
My guest this week is Joan Braune, a Lecturer in Philosophy at Gonzaga University. We discuss her recently published book Understanding and Countering Fascist Movements: From Void to Hope, which seems increasingly relevant by the day, so enjoy! Understanding and Countering Fascism: https://www.routledge.com/Understanding-and-Countering-Fascist-Movements-From-Void-to-Hope/Braune/p/book/9780367696986 Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy...
Aug 03, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 289
My guest this week is Mark Green, a professional environmental activist and a member of the atheopagan society council. He’s the author of three books, most recently Round We Dance: Creating Meaning through Seasonal Rituals. We discuss the challenges and benefits with his approach to secular paganism. Round We Dance: https://www.amazon.com/Round-We-Dance-Creating-Seasonal/dp/0738775363/ref=pd_sbs_d_sccl_2_2/144-9926013-6799531?pd_rd_w=660Q6&content-id=amzn1.sym.3028f36a-7ee1-4fc7-a7fb-47d71e...
Jul 15, 2024•56 min•Ep. 288
My guest this week is Lance Bush, host of the Lance Independent YouTube channel. Lance has a PhD in psychology and an MA in philosophy, with a particular interest in metaethics and experimental philosophy, so you can guess what we're talking about. Enjoy! Lance Independent: https://www.lanceindependent.com/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and ...
Jun 17, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 287
My guest this week is RJ, host of the youtube channel Absolute Optimist. We chatted a year ago about God in a never to be released recording and he reached out recently to let me know his views have changed on the subject. So I invited him on to talk about how and why his views have changed. Enjoy! Absolute Optimist: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUnBXHg3M6AZ6z-PLLyAmAQ/featured Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Supp...
Jun 01, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 286
My guest this week is Callie Wright, cohost of the Philosophers in Space podcast and the only person I want to be parsing bear discourse with. We discuss the recent dust up around the hypothetical "would you prefer to encounter a man or a bear in the woods". We discuss why people are having such different responses on the hypothetical and whether this is a particularly cursed discourse, or just normal level cursed discourse. Enjoy! Man or Bear Know Your Meme: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/man-o...
May 07, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 285
