In the first episode of the Contemplations of the Lotus Eaters, Hugo and Josh discuss the model of city-states as an alternative present throughout history to the nation-states ubiquitous today.
In this episode of the Contemplations of the Lotus Eaters, Hugo and Josh hypothesize what a world full of modern-day city-states might look like and whether it would be achievable or even desirable.
Josh and Hugo discuss predictions about the future of AI, the benchmark for AI intelligence, where we are at currently, machine learning and whole brain emulation.
Josh and Hugo discuss the two models of superintelligent AI development and the potential dangers associated with superintelligence.
Hugo and Josh discuss different development theories with a focus on Acemoglu and Robinson’s theory of institutions, laid out in the book Why Nations Fail, and debate its merits.
Hugo and Josh discuss Acemoglu and Robinson’s theory of development, asking the question whether inclusive political institutions are synonymous with democracy, touching upon the distinction between democracy and good governance.
Josh and Hugo discuss Marx’s early life, how his experiences, thoughts and behaviour shaped his views and make parallels between Marx’s life and that of his modern day devotees.
Josh and Hugo discuss Marx’s life, how his experiences, thoughts and behaviour shaped his views and make parallels between Marx’s life and that of his modern day devotees.
Hugo and Josh discuss the implications of using different voting systems - what effects they have on parties, political conflicts, and the broader culture.
Hugo and Josh discuss the criteria for rating and comparing different electoral systems and look in more detail at several alternatives and less used systems.
Josh and Hugo discuss research into politics and personality, it’s post-World War Two origins, and how people’s politics are associated with the Big 5 personality traits and personal values.
Josh and Hugo discuss virtue signalling, why it occurs and the association with the Dark Triad of personality. They also discuss predictors of right-wing authoritarianism, prejudice and conspiratorial belief’s association with the Big 5 personality traits.
Hugo and Josh discuss the different theories of punishment, trying to figure out which one makes the most sense, and dissect some problems that arise in relation to certain theories.
Hugo and Josh discuss various methods of administering punishment, weighing the pros and cons of each one.
Josh and Hugo discuss the evidence to suggest Individualism is growing among many societies around the world and weigh up the implications.
Josh and Hugo discuss the origins of collectivism, the history of the psychological research, misconceptions and a more realistic picture.
Hugo and Josh discuss different forms of regulation - from state to social to economic - and examine the characteristics and consequences tied to each of them.
Hugo and Josh discuss the case for regulation by competition against regulation by state legislation.
Josh and Hugo discuss the history of Taoist philosophy and its advantages and disadvantages.
Josh and Hugo discuss the life and teachings of Siddharta Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. Also discussed is the science underlying the practice of meditation.
Hugo and Josh discuss the differences and similarities between equality of opportunity and equality of outcome and explore the possibility that the two might be closer to one another than one might think.
Hugo and Josh discuss egalitarianism and equality, looking at what they are, why they are so prominent in political debates, and whether they are noble values and desirable goals to strive towards.
Josh and Hugo discuss the current replication crisis in the sciences, in particular the human sciences. They discuss the philosophies of science and scientific practises that created the crisis and the current progress on solving the crisis.
Hugo and Josh discuss the many ways to classify, distinguish, and group together political beliefs, trying to find out which one does the best job at representing the existing political landscape and whether political attitudes can be accurately tested.
Hugo and Josh discuss the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, looking in detail and discussing the merits of the progress and policy targets included in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Josh and Hugo discuss how social media impacts individuals in differing and complex ways and make suggestions on how to use social media in a positive way.
Josh and Hugo discuss the evolutionary adaptations that modern humans have and how they have contributed to our species dominance.
Hugo and Carl review the United Nations’ emerging “Our Common Agenda” coming out of the UN’s 75th anniversary, including the declaration setting out its main outlines, and discuss the future of the UN more broadly.
Josh and Hugo discuss Western policies towards drugs and drug use by looking at the effects of drugs, recreational use, addiction, and the damage the current status quo causes.
Hugo and Josh discuss the nature of the Western political systems and whether what we have now is closer to capitalism or socialism.
Josh and Hugo discuss concepts of virtue, meta-cognitive strategies of thinking about virtues, and their specific uses.
Hugo and Josh discuss whether democracies really are peaceful with respect to one another, and if so, what the best explanation for it might be.
Josh and Hugo discuss what you can do to engage with politics to best further your own aims.
Hugo and Josh discuss the concept of political representation, what the alternative views of it are, and whether the idea corresponds to what really happens in politics.
Josh and Hugo discuss different strategies that are employed by those who wish to subvert the results of an election.
Hugo and Josh review the debate around borders and migration, trying to expand it with arguments not usually present when the issue is discussed among the public.
Josh and Hugo discuss some classic psychological studies into conformity and contemporary neuroscientific research.
Hugo and Josh discuss the concept of human rights, including its many variations and difficulties.
Josh and Hugo discuss the basis of intelligence and compare different interpretations in how it is defined.
Hugo and Josh discuss the nature and history of government schooling, what school does to children and their learning and development, and mention some available alternatives.
Josh and Rory discuss the oft-cited view that Music as an artform is on the decline.
Josh and Beau discuss what life would be like in a society organised by the principles of Diogenes the Cynic.
Josh and Carl discuss the scientific basis for Dadism.
Josh and Thomas discuss the field of parapsychology which applies the scientific method to claims of the paranormal. The two such claims examined here are those of the existence of ghosts and the ability to tell the future.
Josh and Harry discuss how morally bad people can appear to be well liked by others and how this can come to be.
Josh and Thomas discuss Philosophical Idealism. How some variations of idealism are used by the left, what the original proponents actually argue for and the limitations of these perspectives. They also discuss how the sensory information we receive of the outside world may not actually represent reality.
Josh and Carl discuss the debate around the existence of free will, with Carl arguing that it exists and Josh arguing that it does not.
Josh and Beau discuss some of the more reliable findings of social psychology and sociology concerning tribalism and group preferences.
Josh and Callum outline the Westminster Parliamentary Model, it’s unusual idiosyncrasies and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the system.
Josh and John provide an overview of the Geography, history, culture, politics and economy of South Korea.
Josh and Beau discuss the research into human altruism and selfishness, whether they are as distinct as they seem and try to establish which of the conflicting theories is most accurate.
Josh and Beau provide an overview of the Geography, history, culture, politics and economy of Russia. In this part, they discuss the history and geography of the country.
Josh and Thomas discuss the potential philosophical directions that the Western World may be heading towards.
Josh and Beau provide an overview of the Geography, history, culture, politics and economy of Russia. In this part they discuss the Culture, politics and economy of the country.
Josh and John discuss the differing factors as to why the mainstream media coverage of events often misses the mark.
Josh and Beau discuss historic social hierarchies from around the world, how they differ and the psychological mechanisms behind their formation.
Josh and John discuss the geography, history, culture and politics of Scotland.
Josh and Harry discuss how monopolies make everything worse, how government is to blame and propose potential solutions. The discussion focuses upon how antitrust laws create an unfair advantage for certain companies and how state run industries are always doomed to fail eventually.
Josh and Beau discuss both the psychological research and historic examples of what makes a good leader.
Josh and John discuss feelings of nostalgia, how they are evoked, how it was historically recognised, how distinct it is from other emotions and whether it has a good or bad effect on human wellbeing.
Josh and Thomas discuss the Objectivist philosophy of Ayn Rand.
Josh and John discuss the geography, history, politics and culture of Ukraine.
Josh and John discuss how insights from the behavioural sciences are being used by governments to control the decisions citizens make in their personal lives.
Josh and Harry discuss the economic policies that saw one of the richest countries in South America, Venezuela, unable to feed its citizens and supply basic goods.
Josh and John discuss the resources, skills and knowledge required to effectively prepare for disaster.
Josh and Thomas discuss the philosophy of Aesthetics with reference to ideas of prominent thinkers as well as examining our current attitudes in modernity.
Josh and Thomas discuss postmodernism with reference to ideas of some of the key thinkers in the movement, examples in art, how it differs from modernism, what critics get wrong and how Hegel is the ultimate antidote to its ideas.
Josh and John discuss how America’s dominant position in the world has facilitated the mass propagation of American Culture.
Josh and Carl discuss the psychology, history and means of judging a person’s character based on their physical appearance.
John and Josh present the country profile of Imperial Japan, discussing 75 remarkable years of history, culture, and politics.
Josh and Thomas discuss the philosophical roots of Existentialism, outline the philosophy itself, and the oppositional concept of Absurdism.
Josh and Harry discuss China’s Social Credit system and how other countries in the West appear to be laying the groundwork for their implementation.
Josh and Thomas discuss the ways in which Western philosophy has become misguided as a discipline.
Josh and Harry examine the biology that dictates sex and how this shapes identity.
Josh and Beau discuss what makes art good or bad with many examples throughout history. In this part they discuss post-war art.
Josh and Beau discuss what makes art good or bad with many examples throughout history. This part covers art movements from the 1960s, with a focus on the gradual change in style from the art styles of the mid-19th century.
Josh and Beau discuss what makes art good or bad with many examples throughout history. This part covers art movements from the 19th Century all the way to some of the earliest forms of art.
Josh and John discuss the uniquely Japanese aesthetic philosophy of Wabi-Sabi, which places particular emphasis on transience and imperfection.
Josh and John discuss the quirks of Australian politics, the recent election and the various issues facing Australia in the future (especially lettuce and onions).
Josh and John discuss the nature of globalism, whether it could have positive effects and the agenda of the World Economic Forum.
Josh and Harry discuss the multitude of factors that contribute to the worsening economic crisis in China and how it will be a near-impossible situation to solve.
Josh and Connor discuss who they think within the right prevent us from coming closer to achieving our political goals.
Josh and Beau discuss the James Webb telescope images we have received so far and why they are important. They also discuss the potential the telescope will have in the future, compare it to its predecessors and the technology on the craft itself.
Josh and Connor dissect the Manosphere’s detrimental dating advice and propose healthier alternatives to finding long-lasting relationships.
Josh and Harry discuss the nature of species dysphoria, touching upon possible causes, alienation, consciousness and the soul.
Josh and Connor address the Complex and difficult moral questions around the abortion debate from their differing perspectives.
Josh and Carl discuss Nietzsche's 'ascetic priests'—as outlined in the third essay of his Genealogy of Morals (1887)—and the application of this understanding in the modern world.
Beau picks Josh’s brain about the various aspects of the mind. They discuss how memories are formed, déjà vu and consciousness.
Josh and Harry discuss the various methods used by journalists in written articles to convince you of their position using rhetorical tricks rather than evidence based arguments.
Josh and Harry discuss what political aims the elite have to best maintain and further expand their wealth and power.
Josh and Beau discuss the issues associated with defining consciousness, briefly discuss the history of the concept, the nature of consciousness itself, the competing explanations of the phenomenon and speculate how it might have evolved in the first place.
Josh and Connor discuss the case of Ted Bundy and why he, and many other serial killers, received fan mail and even marriage proposals. The attraction to such men are explained using psychological research into the Dark Triad traits of: Narcissism, Machiavellianism and Psychopathy.
Josh and Harry evaluate how effective protectionist economic policies are and when they might be appropriate with reference to historic views and examples.
Josh and Beau discuss the factors that contributed to the rise of the United States as the dominant world power.
Josh and Harry discuss the validity of what is considered commonly held wisdom that left-wingers are more creative.
Josh and Harry discuss a vast array of spooky, scary and creepy phenomena that either have elements of the natural or supernatural.
Josh and Connor discuss the psychological impacts and moral implications of pornography, with reference to the wider negative impacts for society.
Josh and Beau discuss paleoanthropological evidence concerning humanity’s evolutionary ancestors and what they looked like, how intelligent they were and the beginning of what can be described as “culture.”
Josh and Beau continue their discussion about our hominid ancestors. They also address the debate on when anatomically modern humans began to exist and whether they truly have African origins.
Josh and Carl discuss the trials and tribulations, highs and lows, of two years of Lotus Eaters.
Josh and Harry examine the recent research looking into the links between left-wing politics and negative personality traits.
Josh and Connor discuss the question of whether we, as a civilization, are too dependent on psychiatric drugs and evaluate the underlying philosophy of that approach to treating psychological conditions. They also discuss the alarming side-effects of the contraceptive pill, many of which are not widely known.
Josh and Harry discuss the psychological research looking at how accurate our stereotypes truly are.
Josh and Beau discuss the origin and meaning behind Christmas traditions.
Josh and Carl discuss the science and data that supports the anecdotal benefits of family.
Josh and Connor discuss some of the best innovations of 2022 in an attempt to paint a picture of our future that is not entirely negative.
Josh and Stelios discuss different perspectives on morality and seek to establish which perspective is best.
Josh and Beau discuss what we know of Celtic religion and philosophy.
Josh and Beau discuss what we know of some of the major celtic gods.
Josh and Harry discuss the different types of Libertarianism and evaluate some of the criticisms of them.
Josh and Connor discuss the lie detector test, other methods of establishing whether someone is lying and criminal profiling.
Josh and Stelios discuss the ancient Chinese philosophical text known as the Tao Te Ching and the lessons contained within.
Josh and Carl discuss some of the problems that plague the sciences and evaluate the philosophy that defines their quest for truth.
Josh and Beau discuss the nature of dreams and whether they contain any meaning.
Josh and Harry discuss all the underhanded ways private companies get money out of their customers.
Josh and Connor debate the issue of euthanasia with reference to both the moral and practical implications.
Josh and Harry discuss the research examining the positive and negative psychological effects of playing video games.
Josh and Beau discuss the evolutionary biological theory that we have unintentionally domesticated ourselves and its implications for our understanding of human nature.
Josh and Carl discuss the possibility of alien life and look at some of the reporting on UFOs in the media.
Josh and Carl discuss both the most credible UFO sightings as well as what is not a UFO.
Josh and Stelios discuss whether the environment of cities negatively shapes the psychology and philosophy of those who live within them creating many of the problems we see today.
Josh and Connor discuss ethologist John B. Calhoun’s famous “Behavioural Sink” experiment where he found that rats and mice, in an overcrowded environment with abundant resources, behaved in many alarming ways. The study has worrying implications when applied to human civilisation.
Josh discusses what IQ is, its strengths and weaknesses and different notions of intelligence.
Josh and Stelios discuss methods of overcoming the innate limitations that are present in the human brain through our unique ability to introspect and correct aspects of our nature.
Josh and Dan discuss whether the forces seeking to undermine freedom of the individual could ever be overcome in any meaningful way.
Josh and Beau discuss Victorian standards of etiquette and politeness, touching on general politeness, conversation and the dinner table.
Josh and Beau discuss Victorian standards of etiquette and politeness, touching on general politeness, conversation and the dinner table.
Josh and Beau discuss Victorian attitudes towards Queen Victoria and the political issues of their day.
Josh and Beau discuss Victorian attitudes towards queen Victoria and the political issues of their day.
Josh and Stelios discuss mythological notions of order and chaos.
Josh, Stelios, Harry and Rory discuss which factors contribute to music being perceived as good or not.
Josh and Connor discuss where to place the line between healthy behaviour and vice.
Josh and Harry discuss Carl Schmitt’s Friend-Enemy Distinction and how it applies to contemporary politics.
This week Josh and Beau discuss the degree to which geography determines the success of a country. They look at various elements, including navigable rivers and coastlines, local climate conditions, the military disposition of neighbours, and many more factors.
Josh, Rory and Connor discuss various perspectives on the environment and why it is important.
Josh and Stelios explain the differences in Europe, some comedic, some serious, using various maps.
Josh, Beau, and Stelios discuss the Melanesian Cargo Cults, who worshipped western goods, aeroplanes and boats, that sprung up in response to contact with European civilisation.
Josh, Stelios and Beau discuss the Osho movement with respect to what they believe, their actions and how they relate to other cults.
Josh, Stelios and Beau discuss the life of Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard, what Scientologists believe and what criteria qualify them to be regarded as a cult.
Josh, Stelios and Beau discuss the sorry state of cult psychology and propose better alternatives.
Josh, Dan and Connor talk about the metrics of organised crimes, rates of criminality across the globe and how they differ from country to country.
Josh discusses the history of the English language. In this part, he discusses the Indo-European origin point, Celtic and Roman influences and the Anglo-Saxon languages (Old English) that are the basis of Modern English.
Josh discusses the history of the English language. In this part he discusses the influence of Vikings, the Normans, the character of both Middle and early Modern English and words that have entered our language through the colonial era.
Josh and Stelios discuss right-wing wokeism. They identify how sections of the right mirror the behaviour of the woke left.
Josh and Stelios discuss right-wing wokeism. They identify how sections of the right mirror the behaviour of the woke left.
Josh and Stelios discuss philosopher Karl Popper’s Paradox of Tolerance and how the left misrepresents the theory to their own nefarious ends.
Josh and Stelios debate with Carl and Connor about the values of liberalism and whether it is responsible for the situation we find ourselves in.
Josh and Stelios debate with Carl and Connor about the values of liberalism and whether it is responsible for the situation we find ourselves in.
Josh, Harry and Connor are joined by special guest Proper Horrorshow to discuss the nature of horror.
Josh, Beau and Dan discuss the discoveries made over the past year by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Josh and Stelios debate with Carl and Connor about the values of liberalism and whether it is responsible for the situation we find ourselves in.
Josh and Beau debate Carl and Connor on the likelihood that many of the problems we face today will lead to societal collapse in the future.
Josh debates vegan activist David Ramms on the ethics of eating meat and the viability of veganism.
Josh and Harry discuss the research into the varying influences of genes on people's behaviour and attitudes towards politics.
Josh and Connor discuss animal intelligence, with particular focus on corvids (crows and ravens) and Orcas (Killer Whales).
Josh and Stelios discuss differing ideas on what makes life meaningful.
Josh uses his past bartending experience to demonstrate how to make six iconic cocktails in time for New Year’s Eve.
Connor & Lewis attempt to convince Josh to read the life and works of C S Lewis, by discussing his musings on truth and love, and his Christian apologetics.
Josh and Stelios discuss the meaning behind many Chinese proverbs, their history and how they compare to their Western Equivalents.
Josh and Stelios discuss the meaning behind many Chinese proverbs, their history and how they compare to their Western Equivalents.
Josh and Harry discuss the ideas of Sigmund Freud and how they compare to our modern understanding of human psychology.
Josh, Connor and Rory discuss the basic tenets of buddhism, the differences between various schools of thought and how some aspects are consistent with modern psychological research.
Josh, Callum and Dan discuss the questions on the conventional political compass test and why they are a bad measure of political attitudes.
Josh, Harry and Stelios discuss the principles that determine whether a film is regarded as good or not and make many suggestions of films which embody these principles well.
Josh and Stelios discuss how a society that values free speech can deal with bad ideas.
Josh and Connor discuss the methods in which politicians try to manipulate the electorate using methods similar to those of clinical psychopaths.
Josh, Harry and Stelios explore the many differences between US states using statistical maps.
Josh assesses just how dystopian modern day China is based upon factors such as the social credit system, surveillance state and use of forced labour.
Josh and Stelios discuss potential rules of manners and etiquette for the 21st century.
Josh and Beau discuss the events at Ruby Ridge where various US Federal agencies murdered two innocent people.
Josh discusses his work over the past three years in the final episode of Contemplations.