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Into the Absurd
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Twice two equals five! I swear!
Does man live and act out of spite? To defy the odds against him? To prove wrong all those who have subjected him with their calculated doubts? Today, ITA tackles Dostoyevsky's thought experiment/rebel statement "twice two equals five" from his novel Notes from Underground.
References
Radiohead's "2 + 2 = 5"
My Novel:
On Death and God
Social Media:
Instagram
TikTok
Substack
YouTube
Website
Outro provided by Brock Tanya.
Kevin and I sit down to discuss how language is used (both intentionally and unintentionally) poorly in such a way that it is misleading, undescriptive, or down-right wrong. We first react to George Carlin's bit, "On Soft Language" from the CappyNJ YouTube channel. Then we move onto an analysis of George Orwell's essay, "Politics and the English Language"
Other references:
Build back better
Verbatim local news script
My novel:
The Man Who Killed God
MERCH LINKS:
ITA Coffee Cup
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ITA Tank Top
ITA Bottle Opener
Kevin and I sit down for our recurring series "Thought Surfing", where we roam around the inner depths of our consciousness to discover not the truth, not our truth, but some cool ideas that make us smile and think weird thoughts.
What is identity? What is belief? How does your belief affect your identity? And does consciousness affect the way particles interact with the world? Why is everyone so crazy?
Outro provided by Brock Tanya
Novel is out on print with a brand new cover and title:
The Man Who Killed God
MERCH LINKS:
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ITA Bottle Opener
KEVIN'S DAD joins the ITA podcast to discuss his time in the coast guard, some interesting ideas and insight he gained as a truck driver, Robert Kennedy Jr., and raising Kevin.
Outro provided by Brock Tanya.
WE'RE BACK WITH STRANGER PART 2!!!!
It doesn't hurt to be a stranger. The stranger is free to be anyone--including themselves.
You've asked for an analysis on the Stranger, and here you go. Part 2!
The Stranger by Albert Camus
The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
As always, outro provided by Brock Tanya
MERCH LINKS:
ITA Coffee Cup
ITA T-Shirt
ITA Tank Top
ITA Bottle Opener
Dr. Casey Johnson is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Idaho. We discussed MANSPLAINING, the illocutionary force, and a few other brain busters. Enjoy!
Intro and outro was provided by Brock Tanya and Terron Tvrdy, respectively.
Tristan Morehouse is an experienced traveler, student, and a master of going with the flow. We discussed travelling, stoicism, having faith in yourself, and farming.
Background music in the beginning was a courtesy of Brock Tanya; he is the sole owner and distributor of this music.
For any questions, comments, or suggestions, email us at into.the.absurd.podcast@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook (@podcast.into.the.absurd), Instagram (into.the.absurd), Twitter (AbsurdInto), or Reddit (r/Into_the_Absurd). Thank you for listening!
Tyler Moye is an entrepreneur and avid traveler. We discussed the philosophy of self-discipline, the benefits of a gap year, social media, environmental philosophy, and the meaning enveloped in struggle.
The outro background music was a courtesy of Terron Tvrdy, a musician and good friend; he is the sole owner and distributor of this music. Additionally, if you are interested in taking a gap year or want to learn more about gap years, go to Tyler's website at: gaptheyear.com.
For any questions, comments, or suggestions, email us at into.the.absurd.podcast@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook (@podcast.into.the.absurd), Instagram (into.the.absurd), Twitter (AbsurdInto), or Reddit (r/Into_the_Absurd). Thank you for listening!
***CORRECTION: A Man’s Search for Meaning is by Viktor Frankl.
Jamal Lyksett, M.A., J.D, is a philosophy professor at the University of Idaho. He teaches Buddhism, Critical Thinking, Ethics, and Historical Figures of Philosophy. We discussed the ties between early Buddhism and Hinduism, Buddhist philosophy, Nietzsche, and the similarities between Buddhism and western existential thought. The outro background music was a courtesy of Brock Tanya--a music producer and good friend--he is the sole owner and distributor of this music. For any questions, comments, or suggestions, email us at into.the.absurd.podcast@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook (@podcast.into.the.absurd), Instagram (into.the.absurd), Twitter (AbsurdInto), or Reddit (r/Into_the_Absurd). Thank you for listening.
Bryce Blankenship is a senior instructor in the Department of Politics and Philosophy at the University of Idaho. He is experienced in regards to existentialism, the philosophy of alcohol, personal identity, environmental ethics, and feminism. During this talk, we discuss environmental philosophy, authenticity in regards to Sartre, and the philosophy of alcohol. Bryce’s Ted Talk: https://youtu.be/mTa9mSXDM9o
A brief introduction to Taoism. Background music: Terron Tvrdy.
Information about the Yin Yang: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/27/comfort-reading-tao-te-ching-laozi#:~:text=Little%20can%20be%20said%20with,has%20been%20lost%20for%20ever
Lao Tzu: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/laozi/
Taoism: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/daoism/#toc
The Tao Te Ching, as read and translated by Wayne Dyer: https://youtu.be/73_Voet2fnc. You can find the transcript and audio file in the comments of the video.
Kevin Donahue is an avid lucid dreamer and mystic enthusiast. If you are interested in learning how to lucid dream, feel free to contact Kevin at kevindon9119@gmail.com. His ebook should come out within the next three months, at which point we will have a follow-up episode; the link will be posted in the description.
A poem.
Hello! We are back at it again with a brief history of money. The website no longer exists by the way. Instead, go to my Substack profile or the official Substack Into the Absurd page.Background music is a mixed version of Esperanza and You Were Bigger than Life.
A short analysis of escaping the various prison's we find ourselves in and entering a world where we are free. Featuring the Shawshank Redemption, Buddhism, and Christianity.My Novel:On Death and GodSocial Media:InstagramSubstackYouTubeWebsite
Alex Tobert is the author of the book Das Ich-Paradoxon (The Paradox of Self) as well as the writer of the Left Brain Mystic publication on Substack, which I highly recommend checking out.We discussed animism, panpsychism, and the nature of consciousness.My Novel:On Death and GodSocial Media:InstagramSubstackYouTubeWebsiteOutro Provided by Brock Tanya
An analysis of the question, 'Why Live?' with a couple poems, Camus, Nietzsche, Puss in Boots, Suzume, and Nosferatu.SourcesCamus'The Myth of SisyphusNietzsche'sBeyond Good and EvilNietzsche'sThus Spoke ZarathustraHerman Hesse'sSiddharthaPuss in BootsNosferatu (2024)SuzumePeter Zapffe'sThe Last MessiahBackground Music"Esperanza" by Hermanos Gutiérrez"You Were Bigger Than Life" by Shook--both slowed and with pitches modified.My Novel:On Death and GodSocial Media:InstagramSubstackYouTubeWebsite
Dylan and I discuss death and the circumstances by which evil people come to the world.
My Novel:
On Death and God
Social Media:
Instagram
Substack
YouTube
Website
Outro provided by Brock Tanya.
Today, I divulge into why Christmas is on December 25th, then I do an entire analysis of The Sermon on the Mount. For those unfamiliar, The Sermon on the Mount is a speech which, according to the Bible, Jesus Christ gave. It is, more or less, Jesus' magnum opus of philosophy within Orthodox Christianity .
Sources
The Sermon on the Mount - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205-7&version=NIV
History of Christmas - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas#cite_note-Forsythe-27
Other Winter Solstice festivals - https://www.amli.com/blog/7-ways-the-winter-solstice-is-celebrated-in-the-wo#:~:text=This%20Incan%20celebration%20of%20the,Soyal
Other theories - https://www.youthpastortheologian.com/blog/why-do-we-celebrate-christmas-on-december-25th
The Gospel of Thomas - https://www.marquette.edu/maqom/Gospel%20of%20Thomas%20Lambdin.pdf
Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Viktor Frankl’s A Man’s Search for Meaning
My Novel:
On Death and God
Social Media:
Instagram
Substack
YouTube
Website
Outro provided by Brock Tanya.
On this episode, I trace back the usage of fire and light as symbolism for wisdom and knowledge via bringing up Genesis, the myth of Prometheus, animism, the resurrection, Plato's allegory of the cave, and the Zoroastrian religion. This acts as the introduction to begin discussing the first section of 'Zarathustra's Prologue'.
Sources
Genesis - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203&version=NIV
Prometheus - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus
Zoroastrianism - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism
Zarathustra’s Prologue - https://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil394/Thus%20Spoke%20Zarathustra.pdf
My Novel:
On Death and God
Social Media:
Instagram
Substack
YouTube
Website
Outro provided by Brock Tanya.














