The Opposite Intuition of David Benatar

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I did an anti-natalism podcast, maybe a year ago or maybe that was two years ago. How did that go? It was interesting. I didn't think his arguments in the end. There were some obvious missteps, at least they were obvious to me that he was making and not acknowledging. So the debate kind of broke down in a few places. But it's fascinating to to see people for whom their psychology seems to be rigging their philosophy in a way that is not acknowledged.

Sam Harris returns to the podcast to talk about meditation and his new Waking Up meditation app. What are the goals of mindfulness practice - stress reduction and greater focus, or something much deeper? Can it cure David's existential dread? Tamler's fear of his daughter going away to college? Can sustained practice erode the illusion of self? Is that even something we'd want to do? What if it diminishes our attachment to people we love? And what is the self anyway? Is Sam a defender of panpsychism? So many questions... Plus, the ethics of creating talking elephants by curing them of their autism through bonding and possibly mounting. (Seriously.)

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