Trigger warning, this episode includes a discussion around a sensitive topic that you might find distressing. Listener discretion is very much encouraged.

Criticism of the Catholic church, the concept of existence, and whether infinity is real. They are the three big topics for this episode of The People’s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast, the place where you the listener send in questions for co-hosts Stuart ‘The Wildman’ Mabbutt and William Mankelow to discuss, dissect, deliberate, sometimes dispute, but very rarely debate, even though that word is in the podcast’s title!

The first question for this episode comes from Ryszard in Bydgoszcz, Poland - ”If everyone in the world suddenly forgot you existed, did you ever truly exist?”

William notes that countless people have lived and died, and that thousands more are dying at this very moment. Many of them pass without anyone knowing or remembering them.

Stuart considers whether a person truly exists if everyone forgets them. He notes that actions and thoughts create ripples that persist regardless of memory. Reflecting on identity, he suggests “you” may be an illusion, with the soul merely electrical brain activity, meaning existence could be just a consequence of the bodily functions. He concludes the question remains fundamentally uncertain.

William’s action: He reflects on mortality by considering two types of death: the physical death of oneself, and the death of the last person who remembers you. He encourages using this perspective to guide actions in life, aiming to leave a positive influence and be remembered meaningfully. Through the podcast, he and Stuart model this by addressing big issues and challenging listeners to think deeply.

Stuart’s action: whether being unacknowledged or forgotten diminishes a person’s impact, and what the nature of “you” truly is. He struggles with the idea of existence tied to memory and suggests it may be possible to be remembered without truly existing. His focus is on examining the concept of self.

The second question for this episode comes from Zbigniew in Chorzów, Poland - ”Is infinity real, or is it a mental construct?”

William considers the limits of human knowledge about the universe. He notes that the universe’s accelerating expansion and the finite speed of light prevent us from fully knowing its size. Despite observing distant regions with telescopes like Hubble and James Webb, much remains beyond our reach.  We never really know if infinity is real. This could all be a simulation.

Stuart examines the concept of infinity, suggesting it may or may not be real. He emphasizes that what is certain is that our understanding of it is a human mental construct, shaped by our interpretation of what infinity might or might not be.

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com

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This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. 

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