Get ready for a collective existential crisis.
TommyInnit puts on his big brain thinking cap as Cosmic Skeptic Alex O’Connor joins the Shut Up I’m Talking podcast for a mind-bending deep dive into consciousness, free will, fear of death, religion, and why our brains lie to us.
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The boys dig into Alex’s Catholic upbringing, how he got from three U grades to Oxford University via his YouTube channel and how debating Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens shaped him.Tom admits he’s terrified of death, Jack questions whether meaning is something we create or discover, and Alex explains philosophical zombies, panpsychism, and what it feels like to lose your sense of self on psychedelics.
They explore consciousness, blind sight, ego death, split-brain experiments, why the self might be an illusion, and whether a worm or a bat experiences reality anything like we do. Alex also opens up about burnout, grounding himself, and trying to keep philosophy fun rather than content-driven.
Topics:
00:00 - Intro
02:20 - Alex O’Connor introduces himself
04:25 - Alex’s worst moment of the week
06:30 - Early life & journey into philosophy and theology
11:15 - What happens when we die?
15:10 - How to stop fearing death
19:40 - What is meaning?
23:50 - Alex’s view on purpose
27:00 - Conscious experience and why it exists
29:23 - The Philosophical Zombie
30:14 - Do plants feel pain?
33:00 - What is consciousness?
37:55 - What is Jack Manifold?
41:28 - Ego death and psychedelic experiences
44:12 - Left brain & right brain
46:01 - Crazy split brain experiments
51:00 - Alien hand syndrome
52:00 - Does Alex get tired of debating?
53:15 - How to switch off from thinking so deeply
54:20 - How Alex winds down
55:55 - Playing Warzone whilst talking about the bible
58:30 - Bruce Springsteen & free will
1:00:00 - How philosophy can help with anxiety
1:02:00 - Everyone is going to play PUBG together
1:03:40 - Content, social media & control
1:04:42 - How’s the worm doing?
1:05:35 - How to get into philosophy
1:05:56 - The mystery of consciousness
1:07:24 - ‘Mary’s Room’ thought experiment
1:09:38 - TommyInnit invites Alex O’Connor for a pint
1:09:50 - Transition over to Patreon
Written & presented by: Tom Simons & Jack Manifold
Executive producer: Mirren Mace
Directed by: Mirren Mace
Producer: Russell Noon
Production coordinator: Tori Sheard
Social media: Tori Sheard
Camera, sound & lighting: Owen Rogers & Hazar Ayyildiz
Editor: Owen Rogers
Shorts editor & Thumbnail: Snikrep
Set design: Mirren Mace
This podcast episode was recorded on 25/10/25
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