John Oakes discusses history and biology of fasting at his book launch event in NYC. Topics include the transformative effects of fasting, extreme diet claims, and the politics and ethics of fasting. The conversation also explores Beckett's influence on the guest's work and personal journey with fasting.
Read more
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
auto_awesome
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
Fasting promotes self-reflection and breaks from routine, fostering insightful considerations.
Fasting serves as a pathway to unity, compassion, and community bonds, transcending consumerist norms.
Deep dives
Fasting: A Path to Self-Discovery
Fasting unveils a transformative journey, prompting individuals to uncover empowering experiences. Delving into the history of fasting, it reflects a mix of philosophy and bodily impacts, intriguingly linking to diverse religious fasting traditions. Embracing fasting can lead to reflection on past sins and self-abundance, emphasizing a break from automatic routines for insightful considerations.
Fasting's Philosophical Insights
Fasting, often associated with opening realms beyond our senses, offers a path to experience non-duality and existential unity. This practice encourages a retreat from the regular consumerist treadmill, posing a consideration of different ways of being and non-being. It serves as a medium to nurture compassion and foster community bonds through shared experiences.
Political Implications of Fasting
The act of fasting extends beyond personal pursuits to assert agency and incite dialogues with authority figures. An ancient practice linked to political movements and spiritual journeys, fasting underlines empowerment and self-affirmation in various cultural contexts. It serves as a tactical tool to pursue justice and showcase unwavering commitment.
Fasting: Transformative Beyond Food
Choosing to explore fasting remains a personal decision, with emphasis on understanding consumption patterns and self-reflection. While fasting can induce a sense of meditative calm and even elevated chemical reactions, contemplating the lessons learned from fasting can offer insights into one's relationship with food and routines, refraining from the need for physical fasting experiences.
Publisher of Evergreen Review and Author of The Fast John Oakes discusses history and biology of fasting at his book launch event in New York City. Recorded live at The Strand on Thursday, February 15, 2024.
About John Oakes
John Oakes is the publisher of The Evergreen Review and co-founder of OR Books, a publishing company recognized as one of “the radical alternatives to conventional publishing” (The Guardian), where he is currently editor-at-large. In his thirty years in publishing, Oakes has worked on more than 600 books with several independent presses, starting with Barney Rosset’s legendary Grove Press.
🌍 You can support Team Human on Patreon to unlock access to a number of great perks including ad-free episodes of Team Human, access to the Team Human Discord community where we record monthly Q&A sessions with Rushkoff, special perks like free tickets to live events, and access to the Rushkoff archive.