Sadler's Lectures
Lectures on classic and contemporary philosophical texts and thinkers by Gregory B. Sadler
I'm that YouTube Philosophy Guy! Find more than 3,000 videos in my main channel. Support my video and podcast work! https://www.patreon.com/sadler or https://www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
Learn more about this podcast channel - https://youtu.be/qRvL0gqlyrw and https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/p/the-sadlers-lectures-podcast
Due to popular demand - and with the work underwritten by my Patreon supporters - I have been converting my videos into MP3 files listeners can listen to anywhere they want!
I have a second podcast, Mind & Desire, publishing original episodes on a variety of topics in philosophy, which you can find here - https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/podcast
Learn more about this podcast channel - https://youtu.be/qRvL0gqlyrw and https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/p/the-sadlers-lectures-podcast
Due to popular demand - and with the work underwritten by my Patreon supporters - I have been converting my videos into MP3 files listeners can listen to anywhere they want!
I have a second podcast, Mind & Desire, publishing original episodes on a variety of topics in philosophy, which you can find here - https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/podcast
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 21, 2025 • 16min
Philip Dick, Ubik - Travelling To And Around Des Moines - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th Century American science-fiction short story writer and novelist, Philip K. Dick's novel Ubik
It focuses specifically on the city of Des Moines, Iowa, where Glen Runciter's body has been transported for his memorial. As it turns out, the team of surviving inertials (since by then Wendy and Al have died) are all there, and Joe Chip has to travel there to meet them. By then, everything, including the city, has reverted from their time-setting in the 1990s to the 1930s. It will turn out that the Des Moines they are experiencing is a projection produced by Jory, while all of them are in cold-pac
To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler
If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
You can find over 3000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get a copy of Ubik here - https://amzn.to/4k8i348

Jun 20, 2025 • 21min
Philip Dick, Ubik - Runciter's Interventions and Manifestations - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th Century American science-fiction short story writer and novelist, Philip K. Dick's novel Ubik
It focuses specifically on the many points in the novel, after the surprise attack on Glen Runciter, Joe Chip, and the entire team of the inertials, where a seemingly dead and in cold-pac Runciter breaks through into the "reality" of those who think themselves survivors. At first this happens through strange written interventions, like a matchbook cover, graffiti, and notes, and through Runciter appearing on currency. As time goes on, the manifestations extend to video and even a meeting between Joe Chip and Glen Runciter.
To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler
If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
You can find over 3000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get a copy of Ubik here - https://amzn.to/4k8i348

Jun 18, 2025 • 20min
Philip Dick, Ubik - Coldness, Exhaustion, and Death - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th Century American science-fiction short story writer and novelist, Philip K. Dick's novel Ubik
It focuses specifically on the experience of bone-chilling cold, exhaustion and fatigue, and eventual death of a particularly gruesome sort that several of the characters experience once they are in cold-pac and in half-life. At first, they think that it is being caused by Pat Conley, who even thinks that to be the case herself, but it is actually the effect of Jory, a young man in half life, who is "eating" the other half-lifers. The main character, Joe Chip experiences this himself, but is saved for the moment by the application of Ubik in the form of a spray can
To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler
If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
You can find over 3000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get a copy of Ubik here - https://amzn.to/4k8i348

Jun 16, 2025 • 20min
Philip Dick, Ubik - Reversion, Obsolescence, and Spoiling - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th Century American science-fiction short story writer and novelist, Philip K. Dick's novel Ubik
It focuses specifically on one main theme of the novel, which is the characters noticing a pattern of objects at first being spoiled or worn out, then reverting to earlier obsolete forms, eventually affecting not just individual objects or even rooms but entire settings in which they find themselves. The examples focused upon include cigarettes, coffee and cream, coins and bills, a tape-recorder, appliances, an elevator, vehicles, and even Ubik itself. This mystery gets a resolution late in the novel when we discover that they are a result of Jory's inability to maintain a consistent phatasmagoric reality for his soon-to-be victims in half-life.
To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler
If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
You can find over 3000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get a copy of Ubik here - https://amzn.to/4k8i348

Jun 13, 2025 • 17min
Philip Dick, Ubik - Stanton Mick, Ray Hollis, and The Trap - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th Century American science-fiction short story writer and novelist, Philip K. Dick's novel Ubik
It focuses specifically on the ambush that Ray Hollis engineers, using Stanton Mick's company, based on the moon, as a potential new client for Runciter Associates. Glen Runciter, Joe Chip, and a team of 11 inertials (anti-psionic talents) fly to the location. They are asked not to take readings, which Joe Chip does anyways, discovering that Mick is actually a bomb in human disguise. It turns out that there is a conspiracy that had been laid for quite a while, involving Hollis and his organization, perhaps Mick, Pat Conley, and Runciter's talent scout Ashwood.
To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler
If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
You can find over 3000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get a copy of Ubik here - https://amzn.to/4k8i348

Jun 12, 2025 • 14min
Philip Dick, Ubik - Runciter's Team of Inertials - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th Century American science-fiction short story writer and novelist, Philip K. Dick's novel Ubik
It focuses specifically on the team of eleven "inertials," that is anti-psionic talents assembled by Glen Runciter to go to the lunar location of businessman Stanton Mick's company, and do a job eliminating the effects of various psionic talents, likely employed by Ray Hollis. The team includes 4 anti-precogs, 4 anti-telepaths, 1 anti-animator, 1 anti-psychokineticist, and the as yet not entirely understood talent of Pat Conley. Runciter and tester Joe Chip accompany them.
To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler
If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
You can find over 3000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get a copy of Ubik here - https://amzn.to/4k8i348

Jun 11, 2025 • 16min
Philip Dick, Ubik - Ella Hyde Runciter - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th Century American science-fiction short story writer and novelist, Philip K. Dick's novel Ubik
It focuses specifically on one of the seemingly background characters who turns out to be very important by the end of the story, Ella Hyde Runciter, who died at just 20 years old and has been in half-life for decades. She and other "responsible half-lifers" created Ubik in order to counteract the depredations of Jory, who consumes the life of other half-lifers, and she provides Joe Chip not only with vital information but also a guarantee of a lifetime supply of Ubik
To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler
If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
You can find over 3000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get a copy of Ubik here - https://amzn.to/4k8i348

Jun 9, 2025 • 18min
Philip Dick, Ubik - Jory, The Malignant Force - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th Century American science-fiction short story writer and novelist, Philip K. Dick's novel Ubik
It focuses specifically on one of the characters who is seemingly minor early on in the novel, but who turns out to be a character of major importance within the plot. Jory Miller is a young man in half-life who "eats" other people in half-life in the moratorium, consuming their life-force, leaving them at the mercy of the cold of half-life. He turns out to be the primary antagonist of the story, consuming the person previously thought to be the antagonist, Pat Conley.
To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler
If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
You can find over 3000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get a copy of Ubik here - https://amzn.to/4k8i348

Jun 8, 2025 • 18min
Philip Dick, Ubik - Pat Conley, A New Talent - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th Century American science-fiction short story writer and novelist, Philip K. Dick's novel Ubik
It focuses specifically on one important character we meet early on in the work, Pat Conley, who has a seemingly new psionic talent, the ability to go back and change the past, which then alters the present, allowing her to nullify the talents of precogs in a different way. She is brought to Joe Chip's apartment for testing of her abilities, and uses her talent when he first submits a report advising not to hire her and then a fake report of her having a high level of talent but also being dangerous. For some time in the novel, Joe and Glen Runciter believe her to be the main antagonistic force causing the deaths of other team members, but it turns out that she is not, and that she herself is mistaken about that
To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler
If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
You can find over 3000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get a copy of Ubik here - https://amzn.to/4k8i348

Jun 6, 2025 • 16min
Philip Dick, Ubik - Joe Chip, Abilities Tester - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th Century American science-fiction short story writer and novelist, Philip K. Dick's novel Ubik
It focuses specifically on one of the most central characters of the novel, Joe Chip, who we get introduced to in chapter 3 and who features in every chapter of the novel subsequent to that. We discuss in particular his role as a "tester" of psionic and anti-psionic talents and fields, his assuming leadership over the Runciter organization after the ambush that leaves Glen Runciter seemingly dead, his interactions with Patricia Conley, Glen Runciter, Jory Miller, and Ella Runciter, and Ella's plans for Joe to replace her as Glen Runciter's main advisor.
To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler
If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
You can find over 3000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get a copy of Ubik here - https://amzn.to/4k8i348


