The Fundamentalists

In this weeks episode, the boys use Instagram, Second Life and Deepfakes to explore the notion of subjectivity. Is there a substantive self, what is that self, and are we all, at the end of the day NPCs?

In light of Elliott's recent engagement, the boys celebrate the news and tackle the issue of marriage. In this episode they talk about how to tame sexuality, move from desire to love and fail productively in relationships.

Fantasies are a central part of our lives, but what are they, why do we have them and what function to they play? This week the boys look at fantasy and how fantasies connect with ideology, loss, depression and objects of desire. 

What is madness? This week we jump into the issue of what a psychotic delusion actually is and what it has to do with lobsters.

This week Elliott gets to talk about his favorite band - Weezer. During the conversation we touch on a number of themes including Death of the Author, the difference between the Jungian and Freudian unconscious and how to turn the water blue in your toilet.

This week we offer a friendly, philosophic-ish take on the battle that recently erupted between r/WallStreetBets and Wall Street.

In the chat, Peter refers to a speech that you can hear by clicking this link https://youtu.be/-OP5OLBauCg

Some of us feel a too-muchness in our lives. A sense that there is something excessive in our experience that we must try to get rid of. In short, the feeling that we need an exorcism. This week Peter and Elliott talk about this experience and how it manifests in the contemporary world. Along the way, they veer into the territory of politics by exploring the social meaning of the Real and Ideology. 

This week Peter and Elliott sit down to discuss their respective thoughts on what's happening in the US with the most recent unrest in Washington DC. Along the way they touch on the Northern Irish Troubles, Repression and the Politics of Difference.

What is the relationship between thought and reality? Can we know anything? Is truth possible? Or is everything we believe simply a product of our environment. Join Pete and Elliott as explore the scope and limitations of knowledge. 

Is lasting happiness possible? Perhaps. But at what cost? This week the boys jump into the distinction that is made in psychoanalysis between happiness and desire. Happiness being a position that lacks the courage to grasp desire. Along the way Peter's interest in Hegel and Elliott's belief in aliens briefly meet in the idea of Hegaliens.