
Embrace The Void
Welcome friends, to a podcast for a darker timeline. Maybe the darkest of all timelines. Definitely not one of the good timelines. Maybe it’s always been a dark timeline, maybe the Hadron collider screwed us over. Science may never know. What we do know is that we live in the void. The void, a place where a chittering mass of void crabs can infest a person suit and win the presidency. The void, a place where we're just clever enough to know that climate change is happening, but not quite clever enough to do anything about it. The void seems terrible and cruel, but it loves you, in its own ironic way.
Latest episodes

Mar 31, 2023 • 1h 5min
Spiritual Emergence with Leah Prime
My guest this week is Leah Prime (@leahprime) host of The Invisible Night School, author at sub stack, and working on a project called We Own the Night: The Legacy of Art Bell and Coast to Coast AM. Leah does work in exotic states of conscious and Spiritual emergence and AI ethics in tech. We discuss High Weirdness/Strangeness, spiritual emergence, conspiracism, and the tightrope of skepticism.Leah's site: https://bio.site/leahprimeConvocation: Webb (https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_770)Music by GW RodriguezSibling Pods:Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/Filmed Live Musicals Pod: https://www.filmedlivemusicals.com/thepodcast.htmlSupport us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoidIf you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps!Recent appearances:Aaron was recently on Cog Dis to talk about Antisemitic Conspiracism: https://www.dissonancepod.com/episode-675-talking-antisemitism-with-aaron-rabinowitz/Aaron and Callie from Philosophers in Space and Queersplaining were recently on The Psychology Podcast to discuss all things trans. Check it out and share it around, we really did try to cover allllll lthe bases: https://scottbarrykaufman.com/podcast/aaron-rabinowitz-callie-wright-what-we-get-wrong-about-transgender-people/Next Episode: Ancient Apocalypse with Fredrik Trusohamn

Mar 19, 2023 • 1h 6min
High Weirdness with Erik Davis
My guest this week is Erik Davis (@erik_davis), author of High Weirdness and many other worthwhile reads on counterculture topics. We discuss the history of High Weirdness and how it has shaped our modern world for better and for worse.Erik Davis: https://techgnosis.com/https://www.burningshore.com/Convocation: Erik DavisMusic by GW RodriguezSibling Pods:Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/Filmed Live Musicals Pod: https://www.filmedlivemusicals.com/thepodcast.htmlSupport us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoidIf you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps!Recent appearances:Aaron was recently on Cog Dis to talk about Antisemitic Conspiracism: https://www.dissonancepod.com/episode-675-talking-antisemitism-with-aaron-rabinowitz/Aaron and Callie from Philosophers in Space and Queersplaining were recently on The Psychology Podcast to discuss all things trans. Check it out and share it around, we really did try to cover allllll lthe bases: https://scottbarrykaufman.com/podcast/aaron-rabinowitz-callie-wright-what-we-get-wrong-about-transgender-people/Next Episode: Spiritual Emergence with Leah Prime

Mar 3, 2023 • 1h 8min
Conspiracism Leadership with Ben Dow
My guest this week is Ben Dow (@benjaminjdow), a professor of practice at Southern Methodist University with a focus in management studies. He recently sent me several papers he worked on with other folks about conspiracism and leadership, and we discuss what those papers suggest about the role of conspiracism in modern politics and other organizations.Ben's website: https://www.smu.edu/cox/Our-People-and-Community/Faculty/Benjamin-DowConvocation: H.L. Mencken, A Mencken ChrestomathyMusic by GW RodriguezSibling Pods:Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/Filmed Live Musicals Pod: https://www.filmedlivemusicals.com/thepodcast.htmlSupport us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoidIf you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps!Recent appearances:The only one that matters really: https://religionnews.com/2023/02/01/american-atheists-board-members-exit-dogged-by-misconduct-allegations/Next Episode: High Weirdness with Erik Davis

10 snips
Feb 19, 2023 • 1h 10min
Conceptually Engineering Luck with Matthew Cull
Exploring the debate between classic definitions and conceptual engineering in philosophy with guest Matthew Cull. Concepts like luck are dissected, along with feminist perspectives on redefining terms. The complexities of luck, free will, and societal views are discussed, along with the challenges of defending philosophical arguments. The role of luck in free will and moral responsibility is explored, along with using conceptual engineering for activism and redefining societal concepts. Ethical dilemmas like trolley problems are examined, showcasing the intersection of moral implications and decision-making.

Feb 3, 2023 • 1h 10min
Antisemitic Conspiracism with Joshua Stein
My guest this week is Joshua Stein (@thephilosotroll), a postdoc in philosophy at Georgetown. His interests include social ontology, political philosophy, collective responsibility, and today’s topic, antisemitic conspiracism. We discuss Ye's recent public spiral and what it says about the future of right wing politics.Joshua's Website:Convocation: SartreMusic by GW RodriguezSibling Pods:Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/Filmed Live Musicals Pod: https://www.filmedlivemusicals.com/thepodcast.htmlSupport us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoidIf you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps!Recent appearances: Had several recent appearances you should check out!QED Skepticamp talk! Decoding a (((moral panic))) conspiracy meme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAKGA8-Da1EI was on The Podcaster's Guide to The Conspiracy talking about philosophy of conspiracism: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7ra6d-130e8e8?utm_campaign=au_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=au_shareI was on Dan Norton's YouTube show discussing free will and luck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dZx_VD54pgNext Episode: Conceptual Engineering with Matt Cull

Jan 20, 2023 • 1h 13min
Defending the Public with Yassine Meskout
My guest this week is Yassine Meskhout (@ymeskhout), a Public defender and infrequent host of The Bailey podcast. Yassine argues for anarchy perspectives also writes on substack and for Jesse Singal’s newsletter on topics related to the criminal justice system as well as some culture war issues. His articles include “Eleven Magic Words” and “I am here because of dumb luck”.Yassine's website: https://ymeskhout.substack.com/Convocation: Ayn RandMusic by GW RodriguezSibling Pods:Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/Filmed Live Musicals Pod: https://www.filmedlivemusicals.com/thepodcast.htmlSupport us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoidIf you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps!Recent appearances: Had several recent appearances you should check out!QED Skepticamp talk! Decoding a (((moral panic))) conspiracy meme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAKGA8-Da1EI was on The Podcaster's Guide to The Conspiracy talking about philosophy of conspiracism: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7ra6d-130e8e8?utm_campaign=au_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=au_shareI was on Dan Norton's YouTube show discussing free will and luck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dZx_VD54pgNext Episode: Antisemitic Conspiracism with Joshua Stein

Jan 6, 2023 • 1h 16min
Stoic Social Justice with Jonathan Church
My guest this week is Jonathan Church (@jondavidchurch), a chartered financial analyst, government economist, and author. His recent books include Reinventing Racism: Why White Fragility is the wrong way to think about racial inequality, and Virtue in an age of identity politics: A stoic approach to social justice. From my perspective his works aim to provide substantive critiques of current approaches to marxism and social justice, or “Wokeness” my term not his, while also criticizing the way that anti-woke activists have overshot the mark..Jonathan's Website: https://www.jonathandavidchurch.com/Convocation: Aaron's void brainMusic by GW RodriguezSibling Pods:Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/Filmed Live Musicals Pod: https://www.filmedlivemusicals.com/thepodcast.htmlSupport us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoidIf you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps!Recent appearances: Had several recent appearances you should check out!QED Skepticamp talk! Decoding a (((moral panic))) conspiracy meme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAKGA8-Da1EI was on The Podcaster's Guide to The Conspiracy talking about philosophy of conspiracism: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7ra6d-130e8e8?utm_campaign=au_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=au_shareI was on Dan Norton's YouTube show discussing free will and luck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dZx_VD54pgNext Episode: TBD!

Dec 23, 2022 • 1h 31min
Feminism, Woke Religiosity, and Trans Rights with Helen Lewis
My guest this week is Helen Lewis (@helenlewis), a staff writer at the Atlantic and author of the book Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights. Helen has a project with the BBC coming out December 19th about internet gurus. We discuss her book, her article on wokeness as a religion, and debates around trans rights and gender self-ID.Helen's Substack: https://helenlewis.substack.com/Convocation: Difficult WomenMusic by GW RodriguezSibling Pods:Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/Filmed Live Musicals Pod: https://www.filmedlivemusicals.com/thepodcast.htmlSupport us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoidIf you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps!Recent appearances: Had several recent appearances you should check out!QED Skepticamp talk! Decoding a (((moral panic))) conspiracy meme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAKGA8-Da1EI was on The Podcaster's Guide to The Conspiracy talking about philosophy of conspiracism: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7ra6d-130e8e8?utm_campaign=au_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=au_shareI was on Dan Norton's YouTube show discussing free will and luck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dZx_VD54pgNext Episode: Stoic Social Justice with Jonathan Church

Dec 9, 2022 • 1h 9min
EV - 257 Atheist Experiences with Matt Dillahunty
My guest this week is Matt Dillahunty (@Matt_Dillahunty), longtime activist for skepticism and atheism and former host of The Atheist Experience. Matt has engaged in public debates on contentious issues like religion and reproductive rights with contentious individuals like Ray Comfort and Jordan Peterson. We discuss his 16 year stint on the Atheist Experience and how the culture wars have impacted our community during that time.Matt's Patreon Feed: https://www.patreon.com/AtheistDebatesConvocation: AndorMusic by GW RodriguezSibling Pods:Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/Filmed Live Musicals Pod: https://www.filmedlivemusicals.com/thepodcast.htmlSupport us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoidIf you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps!Recent appearances: Had several recent appearances you should check out!QED Skepticamp talk! Decoding a (((moral panic))) conspiracy meme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAKGA8-Da1EI was on The Podcaster's Guide to The Conspiracy talking about philosophy of conspiracism: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7ra6d-130e8e8?utm_campaign=au_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=au_shareI was on Dan Norton's YouTube show discussing free will and luck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dZx_VD54pgNext Episode: Difficult Women with Helen Lewis

Nov 26, 2022 • 1h 15min
EV - 256 Deep Reckonings with Stephanie Lepp
My returning guest this week is Stephanie Lepp (@stephlepp), a conceptual artist and the incoming executive director at the Institute for Cultural Evolution. We discuss her recent project, Deep Reckonings, a series of videos using deep fake technology to imagine what it would look like if famous individuals apologized for harms they've caused.Note: We recorded this episode twice in an attempt to have a productive conversation worth listening to. While I believe this final version is worth listening to, we ultimately disagreed on one editing issue.Deep Reckonings: https://www.deepreckonings.com/about.htmlConvocation: Bell HooksMusic by GW RodriguezSibling Pods:Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/Filmed Live Musicals Pod: https://www.filmedlivemusicals.com/thepodcast.htmlSupport us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoidIf you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps!Recent appearances: Had several recent appearances you should check out!I was on The Podcaster's Guide to The Conspiracy talking about philosophy of conspiracism: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7ra6d-130e8e8?utm_campaign=au_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=au_shareI was on Dan Norton's YouTube show discussing free will and luck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dZx_VD54pgComing soon: QED videos!Next Episode: Deep Reckonings with Stephanie Lepp