NSP030 – Narrativising the Big Bang

How can there be meaning in life if there’s no free will?

In this 30th episode of Narratively Speaking, we travel from the cramped interior of an office elevator to the infinite expanse of the entire universe as we revise some of the through-lines we’ve followed since the podcast began. We cover free will & determinism, the scale of human perspective, and discuss the possibility that our consciousness is a filter for the stuff of the universe.

Big ideas only in this episode! Will you join?

Episode Links

Intro clip (Lucy):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nELxnSK1SHk
Sam Harris – Taking the Redpill on Free Will:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFazP2nBIqQ
Sam Harris on the Illusion of Free Will:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t_Uyi9bNS4
Arthur C. Clarke (quote):
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/arthur_c_clarke_101182

NSP collaborators

Adem Koci: @podcastanon
Doug Wilson: @kundalinirunning
Angus Younga: @angusyoungaofficial
Joel Pearse: @campfirebreath
Rod Evans: @djelevate
Jessica: @jezebelisgone

NSP026 – What’s the Story with Mindfulness?

It seems everyone I respect and listen to meditates. They say, Harvey, have you tried mindfulness and meditation? It changed my life, it’ll change yours too, just give it a try…

ALRIGHT! I feel like I’ve been just fine without it, but here’s your meditation episode you heathens!

Let see if there’s anything to this ancient practice…

Very calm, serene links:

Catharsis Myth, Metaphor or Reality: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/evil-deeds/200909/anger-and-catharsis-myth-metaphor-or-reality

Catharsis Theory and Media Effects: https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/catharsis-theory-and-media-effects

Aggression & Catharsis Dr Brad Bushman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASKXG4kf4n4

What I’ve Learned – Change your Brain’s Default Mode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAVPDYhW_nw

Sam Harris – Mindfulness is Powerful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwac6Uk-zyk

Joe Rogan Experience – Dan Harris on Mediation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB3RGu8Go2s

This is your Brain on Meditation: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/use-your-mind-change-your-brain/201305/is-your-brain-meditation

The Neuroscience of Why Meditation Works: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-meditation-works_n_4702629

NSP004 – We Are The Stories We Tell Ourselves

We’ve talked about the stories we consume, the stories we tell others, and how that contributes to the collective consciousness. But what about the stories you tell yourself?

Let’s discuss…

The Stories We Tell Ourselves: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-gornto/the-stories-we-tell-ourse_b_6120740.html

Gentleman Thinker’s take on Determinism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bwOIE9GXKM

Libet Experiment: http://www.informationphilosopher.com/freedom/libet_experiments.html

Libet Experiment explained by Harry Shearer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjCt-L0Ph5o

Quitting smoking as the cause of cancer: http://cancergrace.org/lung/2009/11/30/can-smoking-cessation-be-a-presenting-symptom-of-lung-cancer/

Cognitive dissonance on quitting: https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1181011-To-think-that-giving-up-smoking-can-actually-CAUSE-cancer

What is determinism? https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/cultural-animal/200902/just-exactly-what-is-determinism-0

Do Libet’s expriments prove Free Will is an Illusion? https://evolutionnews.org/2014/01/do_benjamin_lib/

The Rational Channel on Cognitive Dissonance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLjHFopR8n8

Tony Robbins – Change your Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJxC9k9uT3Y

09 – We are the stories we tell ourselves: https://www.ted.com/talks/shekhar_kapur_we_are_the_stories_we_tell_ourselves/transcript?language=en#t-183738

NSP003 – Exploring Narrative Responsibility

Should a storyteller take responsibility for their effect on the collective consciousness? Do we as humans have a responsibility to share our own stories? And in a world with 8 billion people, are our individual voices really all that important?

Let’s discuss…

Memento clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1nvvaWX4gk

Music is story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpfuE1pgNsc

Photography is story: https://www.weareforward.uk/a-great-story-comes-with-great-responsibility/

Double-slit test explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOcPHOJ7GAQ

Jennifer’s body PCL review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmw0ZYUx_8I

Watchmen PCL Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5Qksvp2C7Y

Sam Harris & Andrew Yang on Universal Basic Income: https://samharris.org/podcasts/130-universal-basic-income/

NSP001 – The Stories We Tell To Get Laid

Today we talk about the narratives surrounding Putin and Russian hacking, Roseanne’s show cancellation and consider the possibility that storytelling is just simple virtue signalling for sexual selection.

Links:

Caitlyn goes rogue on story: https://soundcloud.com/going_rogue/ep-84-narrative-propaganda-and-enlightenment

Putin seems kinda reasonable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8AeBAV4EIY

Roseanne cancelled and it’s really important: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AT-aAFMoMM

More Roseanne Stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEsebOvBInQ

Sam Harris talks with Geoffrey Miller: https://samharris.org/podcasts/128-evolving-minds/