Complex Candor

What we repeat, and what we hear repeatedly, we internalize. Slogans and jingles become ingrained in our psyche, for good or for ill. How are you using or being used by this powerful mechanism? Sam and Vox explore it.

The search for truth is paramount in the quest for a noble and meaningful life. For something of such grave importance though, we can't always define truth, or decide how to assess it, or even recognize it when it slaps us in the face. Sam and Vox speak about it. Truthfully.

Except for rare moments of an "empty" mind, during every waking minute we are processing our experiences in relation to our values and instincts. Reason is how we mentally engage with the wider world. Sam and Vox dig into this rich topic.

Sam and Vox delve into the concept of art: why we create it, why we admire it, and how it has evolved over the centuries within a world of inexorably advancing technology.

Sam and Vox consider a variety of quotes about wisdom from great thinkers throughout history.

The interrelationship between industry, institutions, and populations -- how they've developed, and what changes we might expect to see in the future of industrial production -- is the subject of this discussion.

An exploration of how intentionality affects outcomes, and the steps we can take to develop a healthy sense of purpose.

What are the criteria, and the binding agents that turn a group of people from simply a population into something that can be deemed a civilization? Why might that be a desirable state? What are the obstacles we encounter in attempting to produce ever more advanced civilizations? Sam and Vox talk about it all here.

A dialogue about health; how to promote and maintain it, and some of the challenges to doing so.

A look at some traditional medical practices, the evolution of health care, and an attempt to delineate where medical science departs from both political and religious propaganda.

The fabric of society is highly connected to whether or not people within said society are contributing to it in effective ways, consistently, Sam and Vox talk about it.

A mathematician-cum-philosopher turned philosophy sideways by suggesting that certainty was subjective and lived experience offered a peek at truth. Sam and Vox talk about why this view might be valid, and also examine critiques of the notion.

In this follow up to Time, Sam and Vox think about the classic three dimensions, and explore the psychology that accompanies the concept of space. **Apologies for the technical issues -- they've been worked out and will not recur in future shows.**

In a follow-up to Focus, Sam and Vox converse about the psychological factors, and the challenges, of developing and practicing discipline.

Why do we give our energy and attention to some things over other things? How do we make more deliberate choices regarding the objects of our focus? These questions and more are discussed in this episode.

A look at the idea of structures underlying our thoughts and how they are created.

Sam and Vox highlight the development of myth, and the emergent archetypal characters, events and places.

Sam and Vox talk about what shapes our world views, and, in turn, what is shaped by them.

A wide-angle conversation about the the concept of money, and how it has evolved throughout history.

A dialog concerning how logistics are utilized to affect systems, from specific institutions to broader society.

A discussion about how and why social grouping occurs.

A study of relationships; how they form and how they impact our lives.

In inquiry into the meaning and evolution of symbols, and what makes them so central to human life.

Sam and Vox attempt to describe metaphysics and delve into the nature of being.

A discourse concerning the physical, social, and political landscapes within which we operate.

Sam and Vox talk about the classic virtues, why they have endured over time, and how practicing them can benefit humanity, and all life, today.

An examination of the development of food systems, and what the future of food production might become as human population grows.

Commentary concerning the intersection of geography, with its inherent resources, and politics.

This episode is a conversation about the interaction between economies and societies, and how that combination reflects inward toward individuals, and outward to national and global levels.

Physical and psychological energy, its effects on environment, economies, and our daily lives is the topic of today's discussion.

A talk about formal and informal education, the history of schooling and its prospects for the future, and ways to be lifelong learners.

In this episode, we will explore the institutions we live among, how they act upon our daily lives, and the conditions under which they evolve.

An exploration of the many types of transportation systems, their history, and speculations about their future.

Sam and Vox talk about how cultures form, how they affect our systems, thoughts, and behaviors, and how we can either alter or preserve them.

An exchange of ideas about degrees of freedom within societies, and how those degrees of freedom become either liberty or slavery.