Being in the World – Details, episodes & analysis

I had the incredible honor of delivering the commencement address to UC Berkeley Philosophy department's graduating class of 2024 during this time of momentous social upheaval. As an alumnus who studied under legendary professor Hubert Dreyfus, a pioneer in applying existential phenomenology to critique technology and "Artificial Intelligence" (AI), it was powerful to return and share reflections with these bright young minds. In my speech, I recounted how studying the work of Bertrand Russell and other great philosophers at Berkeley changed my life. Bert Dreyfus's courses in existentialism opened my eyes to how philosophy embodies everything from our skills to our cultural practices, inspiring me to switch my major and subsequently use film to explore the human condition. I shared stories from my philosophical journey putting theory into praxis - from studying flamenco in Spain, to making films examining monogamy and technology through an existential lens, to establishing a philosophy conference in Bombay Beach, on the shore of the Salton Sea. I explained how existential anxiety from the groundlessness of existence can transmute into awe and authenticity. Referencing the courageous student protests against injustice, militarism, and the violent suppression of Palestinian rights that have rocked campuses, I applauded the graduates for embodying philosophy's highest calling by questioning entrenched power structures and assumptions. Like the great philosophers before them, they must continue to challenge authority, respond authentically to circumstances, and take pride in being of no "value" to the status quo. Their critical thinking and reevaluation of values is urgently needed. I ended with an encouragement to creatively marry theory and praxis as modeled by philosophers like Dreyfus and Angela Davis, and to embrace the groundlessness of existence with wonder. Congratulations UC Berkeley Philosophy class of 2024 - go forth, be philosophers and change the world! Thank you to Alva Noe for the invitation, to Dulcinee DeGuere for help with editing both the speech and the video, to Patrick House for his deep insights, as well as to Mark Wrathall, Eric Kaplan, Aaron Bornstein and Iain Thomson for their suggestions.

"Filmmaker Tao Ruspoli and neuroscientist Dr. Patrick House engage in a wide-ranging discussion that explores the nature of truth, myth, and meaning. The conversation begins with an examination of the significance of the number 40 in various cultural and religious contexts, revealing how this seemingly arbitrary number has been imbued with profound meaning throughout history. Ruspoli and House delve into the power of storytelling, discussing how myths and folklore can shape our understanding of the world and ourselves, even when the stories themselves may not be factually accurate.The discussion then turns to the role of active and passive bearers of tradition, drawing fascinating parallels between the transmission of folklore and the spread of parasites in the natural world. Ruspoli shares personal anecdotes about his father's storytelling, while House offers insights from his research on mind-controlling parasites. The two explore the tension between the pursuit of factual accuracy and the value of "ecstatic truth," ultimately questioning the cultural and contextual nature of truth itself. Throughout the podcast, Ruspoli and House engage in a thought-provoking and often humorous dialogue that challenges listeners to reconsider their assumptions about the stories we tell and the truths we hold dear." -Claude

Tao talks to chatGPT 4 about its philosophical, political, and creative implications.

Eric Kaplan is an American television writer and producer. His work has included shows such as Late Show with David Letterman, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Malcolm in the Middle, Futurama, The Simpsons and Rick and Morty. He also worked on The Big Bang Theory throughout its run.  Kaplan was raised in a Jewish family in Flatbush, Brooklyn where his father was a "storefront lawyer" and his mother taught high school biology at Erasmus Hall. 

Kaplan graduated from Hunter College High School and Harvard College (where he wrote for the Harvard Lampoon) in 1989. Prior to committing to a career in professional writing, Kaplan had been an English teacher in Thailand. After that he took five years of philosophy graduate school at Columbia and UC Berkeley.  Starting in 1986, Kaplan interned for Spy magazine, where his duties included mopping the floors and writing blurb-length film reviews.  

Career in television

Eric Kaplan's first television writing job was with Late Show with David Letterman which he worked on for a year and a half before quitting and moving to Hollywood to look for a job in "half-hour" work. It was at this time that Kaplan learned of Matt Groening doing a show set in the year 3000. This show would turn out to be Futurama. After applying for work on the show using some writing samples, Eric would have to, as he says, "sweat it out", for over a month before getting the job. 

Upon Futurama's cancellation, Kaplan went to work for the short-lived comedy series Andy Richter Controls the Universe, writing just one episode. After Fox dropped Andy Richter, Eric Kaplan then began work on the hit show Malcolm in the Middle, Eric also wrote the "Girlfriends" episode of the popular HBO series, Flight of the Conchords.  Futurama In his first year with Futurama, which was also the show's first season, Kaplan served as story editor on every episode. Though having an input on many aspects of the entire first season, Kaplan would not get a writing credit until 9 episodes in. After this premiere season, he would be promoted to producer status. This was a role that he would keep through the show's end. He returned to those roles in the Futurama DVD movies.

Work in Philosophy, Does Santa Exist? Kaplan's "Does Santa Exist?: A Philosophical Investigation" was published by Dutton Books in 2015. It is a serious and humorous work of philosophy. He has also contributed to "The Stone", The New York Times philosophy blog. Kaplan has a PhD. in philosophy from UC Berkeley. His doctoral thesis discusses the humour in Søren Kierkegaard.  Kaplan was interviewed in 2020 by lifelong friend Roger Kimmel Smith (whose father, Robert Kimmel Smith, wrote the book The War with Grandpa, which in 2020 was adapted into a motion picture starring Robert De Niro). Their conversation about humor and philosophy was released over the YouTube channel When Humanists Attack.

Chris and Anya visit Tao in desert after an around the world trip. 

Tao and Anya, host of A Millennial's guide to Saving The World, discuss astrology and whether it's possible to find meaning in it in a similar way we find meaning in fictions and mythological tales. They discuss archetypes and the collective unconscious and stories that can help guide us through this life without a need to "believe" in something supernatural or anti-scientific.   

Many people assume, for instance, that astrology is all nonsense. It is true that astrology has nothing to do with the stars. The horoscope may say that you were born in Taurus, but the constellations today have moved and horoscopes no longer correspond to the actual positions of the stars. … But people criticize astrology as though it had something to do with the stars.

– C. G. Jung in 1929

We see that menstruation has a moon period, yet it does not coincide with the phases of the moon; otherwise all women would menstruate at the same time, and they don’t. It simply means that there is a moon-law in every woman and likewise the laws of the stars in every human being but not in the relation of cause and effect.

• C.G. Jung, December 11, 1929

The fact that it is possible to reconstruct a person’s character fairly accurately from his birth data shows the relative validity of astrology. It must be remembered, however, that the birth data are in no way dependent on the actual astronomical constellations, but are based on an arbitrary, purely conceptual time system. Owing to the precession of the equinoxes, the spring-point has long since moved out of the constellation of Aries into Pisces, so that the astrological zodiac on which horoscopes are calculated no longer corresponds to the heavenly one. If there are any astrological diagnoses of character that are in fact correct, this is due not to the influence of the stars but to our own hypothetical time qualities. In other words, whatever is born or done at this particular moment of time has the quality of this moment of time.

• C.G. Jung

Patrick House's new book 19 Ways of Looking at Consciousness now available everywhere books are sold...Get it, read it, give it, talk about it, post about it, and let us know what you think.   Thanks everyone!

Tao sits down with his old friend James Fox, a British journalist best known for his book White Mischief, and for co-authoring Life, the best-selling memoir of Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards.

*There was a 2 minute interruption in the conversation due to a technical difficulty when Tao asks about cultural appropriation. Our apologies.

We go deeper.

Tao and artist James Ostrer delve into murky waters of colonialism, white privilege, art, gentrification, addiction, and commodification.

See James' brilliant work at www.jamesostrer.com