Into the Rabbit Hole We Go...Cautionary Tales of Philosophical Fiction
Episodes
Thursday Jun 20, 2019
Thursday Jun 20, 2019
The big question driving Episode EF4 is… How can you know anything? People rarely think about the origins of knowledge. From where does everything we know come from? It does sound a bit stupid to ask until you realize that knowledge rarely changes. Yes, there is the knowledge that's set in stone like that if you have two apples and add another two, you'll have four.
The post (EF19) BTP-EF4: Head Transplantation and Finding Inspiration for Speculative Fiction Behind the Podcast of Episode EF4 appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Tuesday Jun 18, 2019
Tuesday Jun 18, 2019
The big question driving Episode EF3 is… What am I supposed to do? You can’t say we get to choose if we want to live this life or not. One day you’re born, and that’s it – your journey starts with zero preparation. Life is like playing guitar in some super complex jazz band – you have to figure things out as you go. Thus, it’s natural we don’t know what the heck we’re doing, and we get lost. Should I go to college? Maybe pack my bags and travel? Should I leave everything behind and start fresh? Because really, what are you supposed to do?
The post (EF18) AMA-EF3: The Mystical Allure of Converting to Buddhism and Speculating about Quantum Mechanics Ask Me Anything for Episode EF3 appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Tuesday Jun 11, 2019
Tuesday Jun 11, 2019
The big question driving Episode EF3 is… What am I supposed to do? You can’t say we get to choose if we want to live this life or not. One day you’re born, and that’s it – your journey starts with zero preparation. Life is like playing guitar in some super complex jazz band – you have to figure things out as you go. Thus, it’s natural we don’t know what the heck we’re doing, and we get lost. Should I go to college? Maybe pack my bags and travel? Should I leave everything behind and start fresh? Because really, what are you supposed to do?
The post (EF17) BTP-EF3: What Am I Supposed To Do Free Will and Other Everyday Problems Behind the Podcast of Episode EF3 appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Tuesday Jun 04, 2019
Tuesday Jun 04, 2019
The big question driving this episode is … Can you turn disagreements into positive results? And can shutting down your ego can lead you to bigger and better discoveries by opening yourself to other people's opinion (without sacrificing your critical thinking and who you want to be)? In this episode, we go behind the scenes where Scott Ely talks to Antonio Rozich — his creative collaborator and co-writer on most of the episodes — on how they met, what it takes to be a creative writer and other odd background stories from creating Season One of Evolve Faster Podcast. From joint eureka moments to pointless yet heated arguments over if a character should go left or right on a river fork, this interview dissects how creativity can sometimes be better as both a shared and an individual process.
The post (EF16) BTP: On Creative Writing, Video Games and the Future of the Evolve Faster Podcast (About Antonio Rozich) appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Wednesday May 29, 2019
Wednesday May 29, 2019
The big questions driving this episode is … Who controls your narrative? And more specifically, can you evolve the current narrative of your life into a valuable philosophy representing the person you want to be? And are you creating the story of your life? Or letting someone write it for you? What would happen if you made it a point to seek a change to your own narrative? Welcome to the very first AMA episode! This will be exactly as it sounds: these are listener-questions submitted mostly via the evolvefaster.com website. As opposed to the last episode, EF14, which was a “BTP” episode themed around “what makes the Evolve Faster Podcast tick and how it is created, etc”… this was to corral in all the questions about me to rip the band-aid off all at once, since I’m not a huge fan of talking about myself! So I’ve decided if I’m going to do it — let’s really do it — and I’ll offer up details about everything from psychedelic jungle experiences to what I’ve learned from traveling to 75 countries to what it’s meant to have a kid late in life to why I think about death just about every day. So, perhaps this will be an audience weed-out episode!
The post EF15 (BTP): Behind the Podcast — About Scott Ely and Evolving a Philosophy of Life appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Wednesday May 22, 2019
Wednesday May 22, 2019
Pose yourself this thought experiment: What if you could start over with a brain unhindered by evolutionary hangovers? A fresh life with no societal baggage and an aspirational soul with a complete focus towards finding meaning to your existence? In other words, what if that nagging question—what in the hell am I supposed to do?—was easy to answer? It is with this existential question, and this overarching thought experiment, where this philosophy podcast and platform finds its roots.
The post EF14 (BTP): Behind the Evolve Faster Podcast — The Making of a Speculative Fiction Meets Philosophical Nonfiction Podcast appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Tuesday May 07, 2019
Tuesday May 07, 2019
The big question driving Episode EF13 is … What is the source of creativity? Facing serious amnesia, Eric Clemens with the help of Dr. Eden Harper tries to recollect his lost memories. Dr. Harper takes an unconventional road not only to help Eric track his past, but to create a foundation for his future as well. As they dig deeper and deeper, Eric has to face demons he didn’t even know existed.
The post EF13 (S1-E11): The Bloody Fingerprint of Creativity appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Tuesday Apr 23, 2019
Tuesday Apr 23, 2019
The big question driving Episode EF12 is … What defines us? Infuriated by the risk-averse approach of his company, Vihaan Raid decides to design his latest game on his own. A widely renowned game developer known to the gaming world as “Koji,” believes he can entirely change how humans see life with his radical new video game concept. He teams up with a respected psychologist to make sure his vision will manipulate the human psyche as he suspects it will—a critical factor to the game’s potential. As Koji slowly reveals secretive details of his mysterious concept, Isaac becomes more and more suspicious of the game’s true intentions.
The post (EF12) S1-E10: Wired to Fail: Leveling Up in the Game of Life (Season One, Episode Ten) appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Tuesday Apr 09, 2019
Tuesday Apr 09, 2019
The big question driving Episode EF11 is … Can machines think, be creative or fall in love? Aldford Herbert, a famous science fiction writer, is on the brink of finishing his latest novel about a realistic, dark future of artificial intelligence. A stroke of luck provides him with an opportunity to talk to Cynthia Butler, the mastermind behind the world’s most bleeding edge AI company. Aldford sees this as the perfect opportunity to secretly learn how precise his fictional predictions might be. What he doesn’t know is that Cynthia might just have a mysterious, and even more insidious agenda than his own.
The post (EF11) S1-E9: When the Lights Go Out: The Blinding Light of an Artificial Future (Season One, Episode Nine) appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Tuesday Mar 26, 2019
Tuesday Mar 26, 2019
The Big Question driving episode EF10 is ... Does happiness define the good? Coming from a wealthy family, most others would only dream of the life Alex leads. Every moment is another silver platter where he is handed all the best education, can have his pick of expensive items and to experience seemingly infinite joys. Although grateful for everything, Alex can’t shake the reality he isn’t happy or fulfilled by any of this at all—nor could he really even define what happiness would look like for him. But why? What could possibly be missing when having everything you want?
The post (EF10) S1-E8: The Road to Happiness is Inked in Suffering (Season One, Episode Eight) appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Tuesday Mar 12, 2019
Tuesday Mar 12, 2019
The big question driving Episode EF9 is … Can rationality and emotions coexist? Elliott made a terrible mistake that’s been haunting him ever since. As if rafting through Class V rapids without a paddle, Elliott’s sanity is inches away from crashing into sharp rocks of guilt, shame, and sadness. Where do we turn when it feels like our emotions have us hurtling out of control in dangerous waters? And is there any hope for recovery even once you’ve faced the reality of your situation head-on, in light of the power of these emotional currents?
The post (EF9) S1-E7: I Feel Therefore I am: Capsized by the River Emotion appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Tuesday Feb 26, 2019
Tuesday Feb 26, 2019
The big question driving Episode EF8 is … Can you change your identity? You’re the sailor of the ship called you, and yet most people let their boats go into great disrepair and neglect. Feeling moored in the same spot for years with no clear understanding of the direction she needs to go, Lisa gets a unique opportunity to upgrade her identity boat with a chemical compass of sorts—a mysterious drug that will supposedly alter her complete identity—to supposedly better enable her to navigate through life’s rough waters. Could a change in your identity actually turn your entire life around for the better? Or are we destined to live with constant susceptibility to being lost in a sea of meaningless actions and emotions without any sort of compass to steer our ship?
The post (EF8) S1-E6: Without a Compass: All Who Sail the Seas of Identity Are Not Lost appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Wednesday Feb 13, 2019
Wednesday Feb 13, 2019
The big question driving Episode EF7 is … Can we trust reason? Edward, a marketing master and spokesperson for the dark arts of rhetoric and propaganda, is hired to educate a controversial businessman running for an important public office. It’s Edward’s job to bestow the black magic of verbal and written manipulation on the businessman to win the election. Where the tongue is quicker than the mind—and the pen sharp enough to cut—are these skills a well-respected art? Or are they just cheap mental tricks wielded by insincere charlatans?
The post (EF7) S1-E5: Sleight of Mind: The Black Magic of Rhetoric appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Tuesday Jan 29, 2019
Tuesday Jan 29, 2019
The big question driving Episode EF6 is ... How can we acquire wisdom? Paul, a child prodigy who became a leading theoretical physicist in his early 30s, is facing a personal dilemma that is making him miserable—the realization that he might be woefully deficient in the one thing he most reveres. Although filled with endless knowledge, he isn't wise. But how? Isn't harnessing more and more information the key to becoming wise? In his attempt to figure it out, Paul might realize the obstacle he's facing isn't even close to being the final one. And can he feel like a complete person without it?
The post (EF6) S1-E4: Information Mainlining and the Folly of Modern Wisdom appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.
Thursday Jan 17, 2019
Thursday Jan 17, 2019
Truman, an ordinary man with a regular job, is caught lying in a country where lying is illegal. Thanks to his actions, he ends up facing a mandatory Truth Course to get him back on the track. Terrified, Truman slowly realizes the truth is not what we all grew accustomed to believe. Is it possible that facts are nothing more than a piece of clay molded by someone's interests? Time is running out for Truman, and the sculptor of truth might hold the power to mold his future.
The post (EF5) S1-E3: The Truth is Clay in the Hands of a Sculptor appeared first on Evolve Faster with Scott Ely.