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.
My returning guest this week is Jeff Sebo, associate professor of Environmental Studies, Affiliated Professor of Bioethics, Medical Ethics, Philosophy, and Law, Director of the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection, Director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy, and Co-Director of the Wild Animal Welfare Program at New York University. He’s recently coauthored two articles on AI Welfare, taking AI welfare seriously in 2024 and Studying AI Welfare Empirically. We discuss the challenges of getting people to care about this issue and what it might mean if non-sentient AI are still moral patients. Taking AI Welfare Seriously: https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.00986 Studying AI Welfare Empirically: https://nonhumanminds.org/studying-ai-welfare-empirically/?trk=public_post_comment-text Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Moral Realism with Allegedly Ian
My guest this week is Fabrizio Bernardi (@fabriberna.bsky.social), a Sociologist at UNED in Madrid who works on educational inequality, social mobility, and social demography. He’s also the editor at European Sociological Review and has co-authored several articles on luck. We discuss how sociology has dealt with luck and how his work seeks to improve that approach. Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: TBA
My guest this week is Dr. Kathryn Ford, a postdoctoral research fellow at Brunel University where she’s currently working on a project called Spirits and Sources which focuses on issues around belonging among spiritual folks. We discuss the costs and benefits of these sorts of approaches and what it can feel like to live in spaces focused around spirituality. Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: TBA
My guest this week is Aidan McGlynn, a senior lecturer in philosophy at University of Edinburgh and author of the book Epistemic Injustice: An Introduction. We discuss the various facets of epistemic injustice, the impact it has on people's lives, and how we should think about debates over objective truth. Epistemic Injustice: https://www.routledge.com/Epistemic-Injustice-An-Introduction/McGlynn/p/book/9781032251608 Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Spirituality and Belonging with Kat Ford
My guest this week is Darrel Ray, an organizational psychologist and founder of Recovering from Religion, the Secular Therapy Project, and the Institute for Secular Leadership. Darrel has a new leadership course aimed at helping secular community organizers gain practical tools for thinking about everything from big picture mission questions to the nitty gritty of setting up meetings and delegating work. We also discuss how to deal with schisms and social issues that impact our groups. Darrel Ray info: https://www.seculartherapy.org/dr-darrel-ray Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Epistemic Injustice Aidan McGlynn
My guest this week is Matthew Sheffield, a writer, producer, and media entrepreneur. He hosts The Theory of Change podcast on The Flux network and when he’s not writing about our current political chaos he’s working away at an equally hard problem, that of consciousness in the age of AI. Matt's recent article on AI and consicousness: https://plus.flux.community/p/its-like-this-why-your-perception Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Secular Leadership with Darrel Ray
My guest this week is Alex Guerrero, a professor of philosophy at the Rutgers University and author of the book Lottocracy: Democracy without Elections. We talk through the major problems with democracy and how a lottocracy might avoid them, as well as unique concerns of its own. Lottocracy: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/lottocracy-9780198938989 Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: AI consciousness with Matthew Sheffield
My returning guest this week is C. Thi Nguyen, a professor of philosophy at the University of Utah, and author of the new book The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game . We discuss the nature of games, why it's problematic to build a society based on keeping score, and whether or not the real monster is always capitalism. Enjoy! The Score: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735252/the-score-by-c-thi-nguyen/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Lottocracy with Alex Guerrero
My guest this week is Matt McManus, an assistant professor in Political Science at Spelman College, and author of The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism. We discuss his new book and why both liberalism and socialism are essential to move towards a flourishing society. The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism: https://www.routledge.com/The-Political-Theory-of-Liberal-Socialism/McManus/p/book/9781032647234 Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: TBD
My guest this week is anarchist activist William Gillis, author of the book Did the Science Wars Take Place? The Political and Ethical Stakes of Radical Realism. We cover the many flavors of anti-realism Gillis lays out in his book, and which ones seem harmfully prevalent on the left. Enjoy! Did the Science Wars Take Place? https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/william-gillis-did-the-science-wars-take-place Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Liberal Socialism with Matt McManus
My returning guest this week is the most pleasant of bureaucrats ever to serve the the blood god, associate professor of philosophy at the London school of economics and political science Liam Kofi Bright. Folks might not know this, but when Liam isn’t verifying verification or whatever epistemologists do, he writes some hilarious fanfic about philosophy and logistics in the world of 40k. Since I’m convinced that 40k is somehow central to understanding modern politics, I’ve asked Liam on to help me parse that intuition. The Office for Ceremonial Calculations: https://archiveofourown.org/series/4703680 Unjust Deserts: https://sherdenpact.neocities.org/GuestPostLuck Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Did the Science Wars Take Place? with William Gillis
My guest this week is Alastair Lichten (@humanistdad.bsky.social), a humanist organizer who is particularly interested in the intersection of neurodivergence and secularism. We discuss the theory that being autistic or neurodivergent makes one more likely to be non-religious. Alastair's website: https://humanistdad.uk/2025/09/09/professional_update/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: 40k Philosophy with Liam Kofi Bright
My guest this week is Kevin Bolling, executive director of the Secular Student Alliance, the largest organization in the country representing secular and nonreligious students. We discuss how things are going on the youth secular organizing front, including community moderation and coping with the resurgence of White Christian Nationalism. Enjoy! Secular Student Alliance: https://secularstudents.org/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Autism and Humanism with Alistair Lichten
My guest this week is Matthew Facciani (@matthewfacciani.bsky.social), a social scientist at Notre Dame and author of the recent book Misguided: Where Misinformation Starts, How it Spreads, and What to Do about It. We discuss all three topics at length! Enjoy! Misguided: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/misguided/9780231555814/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Secular Student Alliance with Kevin Bolling
My returning guest this week is Jonathan Church (@jondavidchurch.bsky.social), a chartered financial analyst, and author of books like 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. He’s also a contributing editor and podcaster with Merion West. When we last we talked he was primarily critical of woke social justice, though also skeptical of some forms of anti-woke overreach. Now he's back to talk about his disillusionment towards the anti-woke movement. Why I have converted to democratic socialism after defending capitalism for years: https://www.sublationmag.com/post/why-i-have-converted-to-democratic-socialism-after-defending-capitalism-for-years Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Misguided with Matthew Facciani
My guest this week is James Kimmel Jr., a Yale Psychiatry lecturer, lawyer, and founder of the Yale Collaborative for Motive Control Studies. He has a new book out, The Science of Revenge, that overlaps heavily with my own work on luckpilling, so I was excited to have him on to discuss the problem of revenge addiction. The Science of Revenge: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/739999/the-science-of-revenge-by-james-kimmel-jr-jd/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Anti-woke skepticism with Jonathan Church
My returning guest this week is William Paris, an Assistant Professor in the department of philosophy at University of Toronto, as well as one of the cohosts on the wonderful What’s Left of Philosophy Podcast. He’s got a wonderful new book out called Race, Time and Utopia: Critical Theory and the Process of Emancipation and he is very much my guy for all things Utopian so I was very excited to read and discuss. Race, Time, and Utopia: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/race-time-and-utopia-9780197698877 What's Left of Philosophy: https://www.leftofphilosophy.com/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: The Science of Revenge with James Kimmel Jr.
My returning guest this week is Will Gervais (@willgervais.com), a professor who studies evolutionary and cultural psychology at the Centre for Culture and Evolution at Brunel University London. He recently published a book called Disbelief: The Origins of Atheism in a Religious Species and it’s genuinely a must read for anyone who either believes in god or doesn’t, so I’ve brought him on to pick his brain on what makes some people theists and others atheists. Disbelief: https://www.prometheusbooks.com/9781633889248/disbelief/ Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Race, Time, and Utopia with William Paris
My guest this week is Arden Hart (@ theardenhart.bsky.social ), host, producer, and editor of The Line on YouTube, a call-in show that focuses on issues around atheism and social justice. She recently gave an excellent talk about transphobia in atheism and skepticism at the American Atheist Conference which we discuss along with her broader work. Arden's American Atheists talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxOAh20qo84 The Line: https://www.youtube.com/@qnaline Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: Disbelief with Will Gervais
My guest this week is Mark Marveggio (@unluckywanderer.bsky.social), a PhD candidate in Psychology at the University of Adelaide and co-lead author on a paper called Fatalism, Evolution, and Interpersonal Attractiveness: Psychological Theories and Emotions in Incels’ Constructions of Ingroup Identity and Outgroup Hate. We discuss the three major identity discourses they observed in their study, and how we see those playing out in our current social landscape, and the important difference between redpilled and blackpilled. Mark et al.'s Incel paper: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2025-76338-001 Music by GW Rodriguez Editing by Adam Wik Sibling Pod: Philosophers in Space: https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com/ Support us at Patreon.com/EmbraceTheVoid If you enjoy the show, please Like and Review us on your pod app, especially iTunes. It really helps! This show is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org . Next Episode: TBD
