The Metagame

Dr. Marc Gafni has been described as a world philosopher, integrating wisdom from across multiple disciplines into what he has called a New Story of Value. He is the president of the Center for World Philosophy and Religion and has authored twelve books including Your Unique Self: The Radical Path to Personal Enlightenment. Today we talk about his latest book First Principles and First Values.Resources:* Amazon page for First Principles and First Values* Download Chapters 1-5 of First Principles First Values* Marc's Socials: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Substack This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Michael Edward Johnson is a philosopher, neuroscientist and entrepreneur. He’s the author of Principia Qualia and the co-founder of the Qualia Research Institute. He’s done pioneering work at the intersection of mathematics and consciousness studies, seeking to systematically map and measure subjective experiences.Resources:* Principles of Vasocomputation: A Unification of Buddhist Phenomenology, Active Inference, and Physical Reflex* Autism as a disorder of dimensionality* Qualia Formalism and a Symmetry Theory of Valence This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Steve Schlafman is a recovering venture capitalist and professional transition coach. In 2017 he made partner at a multi-billion dollar VC firm and then promptly walked away from it all. Now he helps high performers in midlife discover and manifest their next calling. He draws upon a range of disciplines and brings a very sensitive, compassionate approach to the question of how to live well. Steve is also a writer, podcaster and father.Resources* Where The Road Bends (Steve’s Substack)* www.schlaf.co* Steve’s Twitter* The Mind Illuminated* Jhourney (a startup that’s biohacking the jhanas) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Malcolm Ocean is a multitude-containing, wildman systems design expert who founded the productivity app Intend.do. It’s a tool that prioritizes intentionality over task management and provides a compelling counterpoint to David Allen’s Getting Things Done method. Malcolm also writes extensively about goal crafting, trust dynamics and group coordination. He’s great at combining big picture galaxy-brain thinking with uncompromising practicality.You can learn more about Malcolm on his website or follow him on Twitter.Resources:* Malcolm’s article on “Goal Allowing”* “Feral free agent chat” withand others* Malcolm’s thread on the “do nothing” meditation This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Howard Bloom is an author and polymath. He was also a publicist in the 70s and 80s, running the biggest PR firm in the music industry. He helped build or sustain the careers of Michael Jackson, Prince, Bob Marley, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Queen, Kiss, Run DMC, ZZ Top, Joan Jett, Chaka Khan and 100 more. What’s his deal? He’s a student of ecstatic experiences. You can learn more about Howard on his website. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Today I talk to Wolf Tivy, the founder of Palladium Magazine. It’s a San Francisco-based publication that’s low-key coordinating the next generation of elites to do great things.Skip this episode if you don’t want to quit your job.Topics include:* Why you should quit your job.* Why civilization suffers from philosophical problems — not technical ones.* Why American technology basically stopped advancing in 1973.* “Pre-rational commitments” and how they rule your world.* Why today’s elites are uncoordinated and what that means for citizens.* Why psychedelics are haram.* What it takes to live your convictions and be a live player.Resources:* Quit Your Job This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Khe Hy is the Founder and CEO of RadReads, an online education company that helps professionals lead productive, examined and joyful lives. He used to be one of the youngest managing directors at Blackrock, outperforming other teams by teaching his analysts GTD. Now he teaches the popular cohort-based course Supercharge Your Productivity, using productivity as a trojan horse for existential inquiry.Khe is enchantingly candid and conspicuously kind. In this conversation, his presence gave me the permission to be more honest with myself. It will likely do the same for you.Topics include:* How Khe went from high-powered Wall Street MD to professional blogger, teacher and online creator* How “fuck it” moments tend to improve people’s lives (e.g. quitting your job)* How Khe’s team at Blackrock outperformed others because he taught them GTD* Why being a “tinkerer” is an insane competitive advantage* How having kids has radical effects on your experience of time* How samskaras (persistent emotional patterns) dictate your life and what to do about them* How to use the Enneagram test to identify your childhood wounds* Why “emotional solvency” is the real obstacle to financial freedom* Golden handcuffs and the fragility of never seeing your bank account go downCheck out Khe’s blog RadReads.co, his Twitter and his course Supercharge Your Productivity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

“The flinch is your real opponent, and information won't help you fight it. It's behind every unhappy relationship, every hesitation in your business life, every missed opportunity, and every regret you ever had." - Julien SmithJulien Smith is a serial tech entrepreneur and NYT best-selling author of the books Trust Agents and The Flinch. In 2012 he founded Breather a flexible real-estate company that raised over $150M. His latest venture is Practice, a tool for solopreneurs funded by a16z and Tony Robbins.In this episode we discuss Julien’s life and his highly practical, courage-inducing, stimulant-of-a-book The Flinch. Topics include:* On courage and The Big Life* Why people don’t do the things they claim they want to do* What is “the flinch” and how is it robbing you of our dreams?* How Seth Godin challenged Julien to create something he’d be in awe of (and how it made him mad)* The relationship between art and suffering* The primary quality that defines exceptional founders* Silicon Valley’s executive coaching secret* How to choose successful long-term projects and make big bets* How accepting discomfort engenders vitalityCheck out Julien’s Twitter and his company Practice.do. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Daniele Bolelli is martial artist, writer, professor, and host of History On Fire and The Drunken Taoist podcasts. He’s the author of several books on philosophy and he’s disarmingly down to earth.He also has a cool name and very smooth Italian accent.Topics include:* Real Philosophers vs Academic Philosophers.* The story of Ikkyu Sojun. An enlightened monk that loved sake and women.* How to deal with tragedy.* Foundational insights on parenting and being a good spouse.* What is sacred and what is profane? * How rituals can maintain sacredness.* Why kindness is the best measure of one’s philosophy.* Speculations on Nietzsche and his perspective on Love.* On being “life-affirming.” Why is it so important and why is it so hard?* The defiant power of gallows humour. Check out Daniele’s website and his Twitter. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

This is probably the most inspiring conversation I’ve had all year.Fen de Villiers turns blocks of stone into powerful art. Just look at this. He willed it out of stone. With. His. Hands.Fen studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. He’s on a mission to reinvigorate sculpture to its most vital and energetic form. Maybe you’ll be reinvigorated too.Topics include:* How do you even become a fine art sculptor?* What makes art energizing? Why is most contemporary art the opposite?* Cultural vitality and it’s relationship to physical vitality* Modernism, art deco, futurism and vorticism* How western culture forgot how to celebrate life (and became a death cult)* Why now is the best time to create a new artistic movement* The revolutionary act of simply making things* How Fen has been shunned by the current art scene* Why Duchamp’s Urinal was legitimate art at the time (but wouldn’t be today)* How Fen stays motivated to wake up every day and make thingsResources:* Fen’s Manifesto for Aesthetic Invigoration This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Political philosopher and sociologist Daniel Görtz is a leader of "the Nordic school" of metamodernism. He co-authored The Listening Society and The Nordic Ideology under the pseudonym Hanzi Freinacht. Today we discuss his new “self-help” book with the working title “12 Better Rules for Life (and beyond).”Topics include:* The subtle art of sublime mediocrity* Why Rule #2 is “Fuck like a beast”* Why Jesus was right and how secular people can learn from that* What is post-postmodernism?* The life-changing practice of Rogerian listening* A necessary steelman of critical race theory and modern feminism* Why feminist forums descend into language-policing* How to improve your default levels of contentment (from a 7 to an 8)* Where Jordan Peterson went wrong with post-modernism* Why playfulness is essential* A big spoiler on the book (and a key secret to living well)Resources:* https://metamoderna.org/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

A personal hero. David Allen needs no introduction.He’s the undisputed father of modern productivity. He literally created the category with his world-renowned book Getting Things Done: The art of Stress-Free Productivity. This method has already influenced your world by shaping Silicon Valley’s design ethos and products. GTD is also used by Jeff Beszos, Oprah Winfrey, Howard Stern, Robert Downey Jr and others.Topics include:* What David Allen learned from coaching the world’s top performers.* Why you’re probably addicted to ambient anxiety.* A smooth introduction to the 5 steps of GTD.* How Daniel re-discovered GTD when taking 6.4g of psychedelic mushrooms.* Why it’s so important to incorporate input from your subconscious mind.* Why GTD is not actually about getting things done…* How to apply GTD to teams (and David’s upcoming book on the topic).* How David get’s back to GTD when he’s “fallen off.”* The relationship between GTD and mindfulness meditation.* How productivity relates to embodied intuition.* David Allen’s life purpose.Resources:* Want to master GTD? Book a call with Daniel here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Rebecca Fox is a ritualist and artist. She re-enchants modern people through embodied psycho-spiritual practices that level up their lives. She also used to be a literal witch. Then she studied Critical Thinking™️ and dabbled in Atheism. Now she’s something else entirely... Perhaps a shaman for the modern age.Topics include:* What happens when an Atheist takes Ayahuasca?* Rebecca’s journey from Wiccan to Skeptic to Radical Agnostic.* Why radical agnosticism is the best foundation for personal transformation.* What even is a “liminal space?”* What is a ritual? Why are they needed?* Unlocking your creativity be encountering the divine (without beliefs).* More practices for building your will.* Dreams! What to do with them.* Daniel does a somewhat embarrassing live ritual (YouTube version only).Resources:* Book a ritual consultation with Rebecca* A Ritual to Banish Demons (the one we did live) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Sebastian Marshall brings the mentality of an athlete to knowledge work.He’s a cutting edge productivity expert and the CEO of Ultraworking — a company obsessed with making the nature of work better.Topics include:* Why you probably need “weird” practices to live the life you want.* The power of tracking everything you do with your time (and how to do it).* More evidence that everyone needs a gang.* Why religion might be the biggest productivity hack.* Death and its clarifying effects on your to do list.* Sebastian’s near death experiences and how they changed his life.* Why consciously designing your environment is mandatory in modernity.* How to improve the yield of philosophy.Resources:* ultraworking.com* On Heroes, Hero-Worship, & the Heroic in History - Thomas Carlyle* Daniel’s favourite Ultraworking tool for tracking practices This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Zak Stein. Is a writer, educator and futurist. He’s working to bring a greater sense of sanity and justice to education.He has a background in philosophy, educational neuroscience, human development, and the philosophy of education. While a student at Harvard, he co-founded what would become Lectica, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to the research-based, justice-oriented reform of large-scale standardized testing in K-12, higher-education, and business.Topics include:* Why the current moment demands a new kind of civilization.* Why love is an ontological truth and not just random chemicals firing in your brain.* What even is metaphysics? How is it directly related to your daily, personal life?* Why Nick Land, Sam Harris and Yuval Noah Harari are deeply confused.* “Would you teach this to your child?” as a litmus test for true beliefs.* Eros and vitality.* The missing piece of the prisoner’s dilemma.* The major advantage angels always have over demons.Resources:* Love In A Time Between Worlds: On the Metamodern “Return” to a Metaphysics of ErosListen on Spotify or Apple. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Listen on Spotify or Apple.A blistering white-pill of a conversation.Uberboyo is an Irish storyteller and YouTuber who’s “finishing what Nietzsche started.” He’s also a highly practical Jungian who’s operationalized the most actionable insights from Carl’s works on individuation. Topics include:* “The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.” - Thucydides* Practical steps for Jungian individuation.* Building your life around your fears to get unlimited motivation.* A Nietzschean understanding of Andrew Tate and why he’s the most infamous man of 2022.* The burgeoning warrior class of biohacking artists that will reclaim Western culture.* Exhilarating white-pills on the future of humanity.Resources:* Uberboyo’s YouTube Channel This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Listen on Spotify or Apple.Cadell Last is a mensch. An extra-academic PhD philosopher with the mentality of an athlete. He takes embodied integrity seriously and teaches in a disarmingly practical, personal manner. He’ll rarely share a philosophical idea without describing how it personally changed his life.He also has a formal background in anthropology, history and psychoanalysis. He’s on a deep spiritual and analytical inquiry, which includes psychoanalysis, men’s work, circling, and the realization of how sexual energy informs knowing. Topics include:* Why “the personal is universal” and also the best way to learn philosophy.* Why you should never trust a thought you have indoors.* How sexual energy informs knowing.* What Nietzsche meant by The Last Man, why he’s arrived and why you now must take cold showers.* What it means to be an Overman/Übermensch.* Psychoanalytic descriptions of masculinity and femininity. * The Phallus. Wat means? Why is modernity a challenge to phallic energy?* Why the most important thing anyone can do is come to terms with their own death. Right now.* The deep, psychoanalytic similarities between Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson.Resources:* Philosophy Portal. ← Cadell’s online school.* Cadell’s YouTube channel. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Pure magic. This conversation completely re-enchanted my life.Bonnitta Roy is an organizational futurist, meta-modern philosopher and horse whisperer. She teaches insight practices for individuals who are developing meta-cognitive skills. She also served as the President of the National Qigong Association and has lived with horses for the last 30 years.Her teachings highlight the embodied, affective and perceptual aspects of the core self, and the non-egoic potentials from which subtle sensing, intuition and insight emerge.Topics include:* Why the meaning crisis is actually the disembodiment crisis.* The major blindspot common to western philosophy, Buddhism and new-age spirituality.* The spatial metaphors that hold us back from seeing reality for what it is.* Why Nietzsche was right about the body and the “dead-end” of western philosophy.* Why you don’t need to worry about free will.* How thought is actually the animation of the body.* A simple, hopeful solution to the metacrisis.* B’s experience with Qigong and communicating with horses.* How horses can “read your mind.”* The REAL reason why Nietzsche had psychotic break and hugged a horse.Resources* Bonnitta’s Substack This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

The tendency to hedge is a modern disease. This rich discussion re-inspired me to go all-in with my life.Daniel Thorson is dedicated to monastic practices and lives at The Monastic Academy in Vermont — a wisdom institution that trains trustworthy people. At the start of the 2020 pandemic, he became an overnight focus of media attention after he emerged from a silent retreat and tweeted, “I’m back from 75 days in silence. Did I miss anything?” His unique experience was featured by The New York Times. He’s also the host of The Emerge Podcast.This is a conversation about sacrifice, wisdom, dedication, and practice.Topics include:* Why the most important thing everyone can do right now is come to terms with death.* What it takes to create a trustworthy person.* The MAPLE practice model of Wisdom, Love and Power.* Why pure mindfulness practice might lead to “equanimity induced apathy.”* How to change your friendships for life in 30 seconds (a practical exercise).* The critical need for a vibrant network of wisdom institutions.* Why you should be getting emotionally triggered regularly (and what to when it happens).* Where “masculinity” might fit in with wisdom institutions.* The uncomfortable importance of Hierarchy.* Why we need new archetypes to inspire transformation. Philosopher kings and warriors instead of quiet monks.* The significance of going all-in. Stop hedging. Fuck optionality.Resources:* Daniel Thorson’s Twitter. Reach out to him if you’re interested in The Monastic Academy.* The Monastic Academy (aka MAPLE) in Vermont. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com

Layman Pascal used to be a meditation and yoga teacher — but he’s feeling better now. He’s a post-metaphysical spiritual philosopher. That means he has the ability to re-enchant your experience of the world without triggering your inner skeptic. He also philosophizes about metamodernism, Integral Theory, nonduality, theology, shamanism, existential risk and politics.Topics include:* Layman’s extended peak experience that began at a bus stop* How to train your will with dreams, art and synchronicities* Shamanism and the harnessing of subconscious intelligence* The 3 proto-skills needed for an effective life of practice* How to generate a wisdom tradition (hint: you need art)* Why “self-discipline” is a misleading idea and what to do instead* How serving others is the best strategy for building self-esteem* How Andrew Huberman is inadvertently promoting a wisdom tradition* Adi Da’s “motivational hack”* Why so many experienced meditators seem soulless, un-vital and passive* Lucid dreaming* Layman’s daily practices* How to get started on this stuff even though it’s overwhelmingResources:* Layman Pascal’s Substack* The Practice Problem This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetagame.substack.com