What Harris Meant

(Topic: COVID-19, Duration: 16 minutes)  Examines whether recommendations or mandates would be the best approach to increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates, as well as dealing with the likelihood that we will soon, once again, have to wear masks while indoors or in a crowd.     Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant   

(Topic: COVID-19, Duration: 9 minutes)  My parents were killed by COVID-19. If you have not already done so, please get vaccinated. Not only can it help safeguard your health and the health of your family and friends, it can help safeguard your community, especially its most vulnerable members.    Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant   

(Topic: Podcasting, Duration: 13 minutes)  How many downloads should each podcast episode get? I think podcasters obsess about this question, in part because it is very rare to receive any other feedback from your audience. I recommend ignoring the numbers, and instead focus on creating content that is about topics you are most interested in, and you will have the most fun creating.    Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant   

(Topic: Philosophy, Duration: 10 minutes)  Examines the philosophy behind fake news and other misinformation using a few psychological concepts (confabulation, confirmation bias, negativity bias, repetition bias) and the 1962 American Western film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.    Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant   

(Topic: Philosophy, Duration: 9 minutes)  This brief episode uses a short story as an allegory about some of the most important aspects of effective communication.    Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant   

(Topic: Philosophy, Duration: 19 minutes)  This episode was inspired by the United States Fourth of July celebration of the Declaration of Independence, which itself inspired the U.S. Constitution, which I think of as the Declaration of Interdependence.  This episode explores how these two core, and at times conflicting, principles -- Independence and Interdependence, Me the Person and We the People -- underly almost all of our political polarization, social struggles, and cultural conflicts.    Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant   

(Topic: LGBTQ+, Duration: 19 minutes)  This episode seeks to help those, like myself, who are not a part of the LGBTQ+ community, understand it a bit better by briefly explaining some terminology, especially since ignorance-based fear is a common source of conflict, bad behavior, and hurtful communication.    Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant   

(Topic: Politics, Duration: 12 minutes)  Sparked by a recent wave of new state legislation to outlaw teaching it in K-12 schools in the United States, this episode briefly examines Critical Race Theory, racism in America, and why it's important that our next generation be accurately taught history, social studies, and civics without comforting, guilt-free, and whitewashed half-truths.    Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant   

(Topic: Religion, Duration: 22 minutes)  Brief insight into my personal journey, through the secular study of Western and Eastern religions as literature and philosophy, from being raised as a practicing Roman Catholic to becoming what I call an atheistic agnostic -- I am an atheist because I do not believe in a god as defined by any religion, but I am also agnostic because I don't know whether or not there is any god.    Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant   

(Topic: Politics, Duration: 30 minutes)  Inspired by recent efforts by Republican-controlled states to make it harder to vote in the near-future of the United States under the guise of election security, this episode briefly explores the history of voting rights and elections in America, where for the majority of American history, the majority of Americans did not have the right to vote, and the majority of American elections were not free and fair.    Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant    

(Topic: COVID-19, Duration: 24 minutes)   The reemergence of the Lab Leak Theory for the origin of COVID-19 is one of the big news stories this week in the United States. This episode uses it to examine what happens when science, politics, and journalism collide in a partisan politically polarized environment, which often leads to arguments over whose view wins, instead of focusing on the underlying problems needing our attention and action.    Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant   

(Topic: Philosophy, Duration: 14 minutes)  When sharing how you see the world with others, keep the focus on yourself in the sense that you should share your perspectives and opinions, while also allowing other people to share their perspectives and opinions. It's okay to disagree about the perspective, but it's not okay to denigrate the person. It's okay to argue about the opinion, but it's not okay to attack the person. If all you're doing is attacking and denigrating people, then you're being a dick. Don't be a dick!    Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant   

(Topic: This Podcast, Duration: 11 minutes)  Welcome to Episode Zero! Okay, technically it's the first episode, but it's more of a meta-episode introducing the host, explaining what the podcast's name means, and letting you know what to expect from future episodes.  This podcast will cover a variety of topics, including some difficult-to-discuss social and cultural topics, such as politics and religion. However, each individual episode will briefly share Harris's perspective (and definitely non-expert opinion) on a single point about a specific topic.      Follow Harris on Twitter: @whatharrismeant    Email Harris: whatharrismeant.podcast@gmail.com    Other ways to listen: http://bit.ly/whatharrismeant