E. S. Dallaire's 'Metaphor & Reality'

This one was called 'Let's Take a Break From This Poker Game'. Ordinarily this episode would be exclusive to Patreon, but after recording I decided to distribute it to other podcast platforms just to get the word out that there's a second 'Metaphor & Reality' episode recorded every week, but that it's only available to my Patreon subscribers. This 'peek' is a bit impromptu, and when I recorded the episode I didn't think I would release it here, but I hope you enjoy it, and, of course – consider becoming a Patreon subscriber! Your support contributes to my work as an independent writer and philosopher – a project which has really only gotten underway over the past month or so. If you join up you'll be taking part in it from the beginning, and most assuredly, your early subscription is much appreciated! Check out the link below.

Just making sure I'm not taking for granted that I even know what it is to 'do' philosophy, in this episode. We touch upon, or maybe even take our cue from, Plato's 'Symposium' [correction: from 'Phaedrus'], and then also mention the work of a modern day philosopher named Eva Brann, and specifically her book on Heraclitus, as we briefly mention too Aristotle's Analytics, and his difficulties when accounting for the derivation of first principles. As ever, E. S. Dallaire shares a few of his own thoughts on the matter.

The question is inspired by the contemporary philosophical landscape as found on social media and also in the academy, which seems to have split into two opposing camps, each with their own idea of what relationship exists between motivated (ie. politically or socially motivated) philosophical or general inquiry, and philosophical truth with a capital 'T'. For the one side, traditionally where Marx is found and propounded, the two are one and the same; for the other, philosophical motivation and discovery of truth is and always has been removed from the incidental, material conditions of the moment in which it is formalized. For the host of this podcast series, E. S. Dallaire, this debate was once again brought to his attention within the last couple days, and as he analyzes both sides of the debate in this episode, all he really wants to do is express himself honestly, and do right, philosophically, by his readers and listeners moving forward with his own project, which involves this podcast series and also a series of philosophical chapbooks.

Beginning with a bit of a discussion as to whether a philosopher should bring the advances of modern scientific practice into his/her philosophy, or else leave them be, as they are a product of a global industrial complex, and what once were their (the scientists') pure motivations and aspiration for knowledge and truth have been reduced to data analysis for the sake of business advances, so are not in keeping with the philosophical spirit searching after knowledge with a capital 'T' (truth). The discussion then moves on, as per the title of the episode, to a compare / contrast of Jung's and Lacan's psychoanalytical theories, and E. S. Dallaire reads out a passage he's written on the matter, and talks a bit about his own philosophical project.   Click the link for bonus episodes every week exclusive to Patreon, and for more information about E. S. Dallaire's writing: https://www.patreon.com/esdallaireworks

What's the Platonic dialogue where Socrates gives reasons for why he doesn't trust writing, or more precisely the product of writers working so carefully to 'beautify' their phrases, as if that would make them more true? Was it 'Phaedrus'? I know he mentions the faults or limits or common motivations for writing in that one. . . Anyways, it's no matter: the point is, going with what he was saying, what I mean to convey in this episode is that the extemporaneous nature of the podcast medium may be perfect for advancing philosophy—specifically, for 'enlivening' it once again, by bringing it out of those dusty tomes which line our shelves and back into common discourse! Only, it is important to remember that one must still speak with the caution of the philosopher, and not get swept away by the excitement of the conversation. Click the link for bonus episodes every week exclusive to Patreon, and for more information about E. S. Dallaire's writing: https://www.patreon.com/esdallaireworks  

A so-called 'sense-making' apparatus is rapidly emerging online, these days, and for the most part it seems to be an organic process. But what may be the next step these independent intellectuals, who could be said to comprise the various nodes of this emerging network, as representatives of their respective domains of inquiry and discipline, take, in order to begin to apply their common theoretical points of agreement in the physical, non-digital world, in an effort to effect real change? Are they the ones who should take this next step toward application?   If you enjoyed this episode, consider supporting E. S. Dallaire on Patreon, and gain access to bonus episodes and the podcast's forum discussion, as well as to more information on the philosophy E. S. Dallaire is developing:   https://www.patreon.com/esdallaireworks  

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', E. S. Dallaire wonders whether psychoanalytic theory really has so much to say that would be of benefit to philosophers.   The Politics of Sexual Difference - Slavoj Žižek, Mladen Dolar, and Alenka Zupančič: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R7SCY5zVLg   If you enjoyed this episode, consider supporting E. S. Dallaire on Patreon, and gain access to the podcast's forum discussion, as well as to more information on the philosophy E. S. Dallaire is developing: https://www.patreon.com/esdallaireworks

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire begins with a few reasons for why the novel may just be an obsolete form for literary expression, and then he introduces the philosophy book by Alenka Zupančič he is currently reading, entitled 'What Is Sex?', which he plans to explore in the next episode. He tries to provide perspective on the coronavirus and its vaccine by locating them in their respective timelines of development or maturation, in 2020, and going into 2021. He talks a bit about Twitter as a failed product, in light of how it falls short of the ideals of communication and community which Jack Dorsey seems to have had for the platform in its early years.   Nature Magazine article about mRNA vaccines: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-020-00807-1 A bit more of the story developing around alternative treatments, such as Ivermectin: https://trialsitenews.com/in-far-flung-places-covid-19-is-being-treated-early-and-well-heres-why-americans-dont-know-this/   E. S. Dallaire's Substack: https://esdallaire.substack.com/   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire describes how Honoré de Balzac's 'Lost Illusions', and particularly one of its characters, Étienne Lousteau, calls into question a young artist's ambitions and dreams of celebrity and glory and wealth.   E. S. Dallaire's Substack: https://esdallaire.substack.com/   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire talks about Honoré de Balzac's novel 'Lost Illusions', and draws a comparison between Balzac's work, in this novel and in general, and James Cameron's 'Titanic'.   E. S. Dallaire's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire debates whether he wants to invest the time required to understand 'Aion', part two of volume nine of Carl Jung's collected works.   Check out E. S. Dallaire's essay 'Coyote Madness', which he talked about in this episode: https://esdallaire.substack.com/p/coyote-madness   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!

A reading of E. S. Dallaire's essay 'Coyote Madness', published November 3, 2020, on the 'Metaphor & Reality' Substack.   The written version can be found by following this link: https://esdallaire.substack.com/p/coyote-madness   Follow E. S. Dallaire on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!

A reading of E. S. Dallaire's narrative essay 'A Visit From Homer', originally written in June 2017. The written version can be found by following this link:   https://esdallaire.substack.com/p/a-visit-from-homer   Follow E. S. Dallaire on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!

A reading of E. S. Dallaire's literary review 'On Rachel Cusk's 'Outline' Trilogy', originally published on his own website on December 13, 2019. The written version can be found by following this link:   https://esdallaire.substack.com/p/on-rachel-cusks-outline-trilogy   Follow E. S. Dallaire on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!

A reading of E. S. Dallaire's essay 'Oil World', published September 19, 2020, on Substack. The written version can be found by following this link:   https://esdallaire.substack.com/p/oil-world   Be sure to Subscribe so that you never miss the audio readings of E. S. Dallaire's latest essays! Sharing these readings with your friends, as well as on social media, is also much appreciated!   E. S. Dallaire's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire E. S. Dallaire's Substack: https://esdallaire.substack.com/  

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire expands on what the propositions 'The body has a philosophy all its own,' and 'To figure out how not to regard [the body] as a riddle is no doubt one of the perennial tasks for philosophers,' mean to him, presently. He talks about his current reading of St. Thomas Aquinas' 'Summa Theologica', and how that 13th century philosopher applied himself to the same question – E. S. Dallaire has not read enough of this text to really give a detailed description of that philosopher's conclusions concerning the primacy of the body in the contemplation of eternal truth, but he does give an account of some of the thoughts he's been having 'around' the text – specifically, about the authorities St. Thomas Aquinas defers to in his arguments, as well as Aquinas' non-materialist understanding of ancient philosophical statements and formulae.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!     E. S. Dallaire's Substack Magazine: https://esdallaire.substack.com/ E. S. Dallaire's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

**ORIGINALLY RECORDED BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER 2019 (but never uploaded to Libsyn, my podcast distributor - for those who noticed that the episode count for this podcast series starts at '003'. Unfortunately, the sound quality on the inaugural episode I recorded is too poor, with an incessant buzzing in the background, so that one will remain 'lost')** In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire uses Plato's descriptions of the five natural constitutions of the city state (Aristocracy, Timocracy, Oligarchy, Democracy, Tyranny), as well as their degeneration from one state to the next - as outlined in the eighth book of Plato's 'Republic' - to identify the quality and nature of the character and founding principles of the United States of America, as well as those of his own country, Canada.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   E. S. Dallaire's Substack Magazine: https://esdallaire.substack.com/ E. S. Dallaire's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', and by popular demand(!), writer E. S. Dallaire is once again joined by Nikole, an English teacher and poet, to discuss what it really means to 'Know Thyself', especially with respect to the demands placed upon them by the social world, given that they are both now, more or less, occupying solid positions within that world, both professionally and as individuals. In this episode the distinction is made between one's social 'identity', and the part of the self which first compels an individual—likely in their teenage years—to start asking serious questions about life, the world, and their place within it. The result: 'identity' is determined to be a band-aid solution to a question that becomes increasingly uncomfortable not to have an answer to as one grows older and enters the adult world, while the part of the self that is so concerned to answer the question in the first place is something much more elusive and difficult to pin down. It is this latter concept which Nikole and E. S. Dallaire spend the majority of the episode discussing, batting back and forth possible definitions and fleshing out their consequences, if adopted, by an individual. The underlying, unspoken thrust of this episode is the question of what it means to live a meaningful life, especially as the full consequence of that question comes to bear down on a soul in the moments before death.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   Nikole's poetry blog: https://modernlady2017.wordpress.com/ E. S. Dallaire's Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ E. S. Dallaire's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire  

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire is once again joined by Nikole, an English teacher and poet who was a guest in 'Episode 020 – Does the Soul Exist, and If So, Where Is It?', to discuss art and the artist's place and role in the modern world. Nikole draws upon her current reading of Nietzsche's 'The Birth of Tragedy', and the discussion soon becomes a very lively compare/contrast between Nietzsche's ideal spectator and the typical or common relationships which individuals say they have with the art they consume today, in 2020.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   Nikole's poetry blog: https://modernlady2017.wordpress.com/ E. S. Dallaire's Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ E. S. Dallaire's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire uses the philosophy implied by Shakespeare's claim that 'All the world's a stage' as a springboard to dive deep into the surreal quality of the present socio-political climate: a climate which seems to be spreading fast throughout much of the world, setting up a situation—brewing the elements for a perfect storm, if you will—in which police authority, or the authority of the law in general, is being challenged and opposed and protested, the results of which action no one can be certain of at present. In this moment of indecision and uncertainty, wherein it seems order and chaos have collided, history seems to have re-emerged. Those participating and those looking on are perhaps noticing a surreal quality hovering around the present, and in this episode E. S. Dallaire contends that this is a sign of their sense of reality, as they've come to understand it over the past several decades, is being overwhelmed by something inexplicable, something which seems to be coming from the 'outside', and exceeding their expectations of what is 'normal'.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire opens up the discussion with a bit of a riff on the distance between an individual's impression of their own civilized nature and the reality which lies underneath the surface of this guise—a reality which undeniably features brutality and violence in the struggle for life and against death which animals take part in, and which humans too, no matter how far we feel we've come, have not escaped. Then he moves on to talk about the recent protests, the development of the Autonomous Zone in Seattle, and the generally charged moment in history which has rapidly caught up to the modern world over the past two weeks. He wonders what role philosophers may have in all of this—the conclusion to this question is the title of the episode.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire discusses the thinking which lies behind his philosophical claim that 'understanding is but a phantom' and that what it proposes and constructs is nothing more than a mirage. He references a philosophical text written by Dorothy Emmet, entitled 'The Nature of Metaphysical Thinking', extensively, and also draws from his own essay 'The Light of the World' (link below) in order to further examine the underlying assumptions for his claim. In this episode he did not try to argue that he is correct, or that his claim is 'true'; rather, he desired only to give a descriptive account of the reasons which led to him making it. This is all prompted by the fact that the claim that 'understanding is but a phantom', has, in his own thinking, proved challenging—for how can one proceed with conviction in their philosophical inquiries if this be the case? Dorothy Emmet offers much food for thought as to why—or 'how', rather—this need not be devastating.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   'The Light of the World' - E. S. Dallaire's essay, as referenced in this episode: https://esdallaire.ca/the-light-of-the-world/esdallaire/   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire takes on a subject which, in this series, has been his most challenging to date, for the fact that he attempts to work with ideas he has not yet fully grasped, and tries to explicate them in real-time for the listener and also for his own sake, to see what the limits of these ideas are, and what their implications are for his own work moving forward. Not to be too mysterious, the analysis which occurs in this episode is of an individual striving to discover new knowledge, yet bounded by certain assumptions about reality which are embedded in the language he uses, this idea suggesting that the assumptions may be impossible to get around, so long as he tries to 'encode' his understanding using the language he knows. Posited in this episode is the idea that the world—the modern world, perhaps, or else whatever world an individual happens to find themselves in—is a product of a language which is laden with certain assumptions, meaning that the individual has an even more arduous challenge before him: that, in order to develop new knowledge, not only does he have the problem with language mentioned above, but he also has to 'see around' the world in which he dwells in order to perceive anything new—such a world which encompasses or comprehends all which hitherto he has presumed to exist. The development of the above, in this episode, concludes with an analysis of da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa'.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire wonders what objects in the world today, as it presents itself to you when you step outside your front door, hold within themselves a comprehensive vision both of what the modern individual aspires to, and what ties them to the ground of modern reality—physically of course, like a root, but also an intellectual and/or spiritual tie, or tether, which keeps them grounded and sure about where they're placing their own two feet upon the plain of existence. 'Where do we think we stand in the grand scheme?' he wonders, and he spends the episode looking around areas where the modern world's aspirations might be found, and along the way, as he's looking, he explains why he'd hope to find an object, or structure, which encapsulates the whole scheme and project of modern life.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   'A Monster Tremendous' (poem E. S. Dallaire read to conclude the episode): https://esdallaire.ca/a-monster-tremendous/esdallaire/   Personal website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire re-examines his lamentations from the last episode concerning the Yoga practitioner's inability to transfer his or her successes in the Yoga philosophy to the modern urban world, which seemingly opposes the expression of Yoga at every level, be it physical or mental. E. S. Dallaire admits he was significantly off the mark in last week's episode, but, like one who is ever-vigilant in their pursuit of truth with a capital 'T', he is more than willing to acknowledge his mistakes, publicly even, if it means he will move closer to his goal! In this episode, in an effort to augment his error (he still may not be totally correct), he claims that if the Yogi cannot apply his or her learning to the mis-alignments he perceives within the modern urban world, then perhaps the Yogi's philosophy is not all it's cracked up to be. E. S. Dallaire references Confucius for back up in the latter half of the episode!   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire is led to confront the fact that teachings of the Yogic tradition do not align with life as experienced within the urban landscape of the modern world. He engages with this problem with reference to his own Yoga practice, claiming that one naturally reaches a plateau—even in the practising of the merely physical component of Yoga, which he claims is the extent to which the tradition has been embraced by the Western world—where one must engage seriously with the spiritual philosophy of Yoga teachings, and come to terms with the fact that the advances one has experienced in clarity of thought, in bodily strength and flexibility, and in overall mind-body connection, are not the strengths or improvement or skills which the 'modern world' values and encourages one to foster and develop in any setting outside of the yoga studio.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire notes the similarities between Socrates' notion of the soul's existence after death and the practising of philosophy as a preparation and being toward death, on the one hand, and the motivation of the Buddhist's meditation, which is likewise a preparation for the soul's transition from the material world of cyclic existence, to that of Buddha Nature, in the moments just before, and just after death, on the other hand. He compares these two notions—Plato's, as given in the dialogue 'Phaedo'; that of the Buddhist tradition, as he surmised from his reading of 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead'—in an effort to better understand what might be required of him, as an individual rededicating themselves to serious and intentional philosophical inquiry.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

In this very special episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire is joined by a guest to define and discuss what the soul is, whether it exists, whether it has changed down through the ages or whether it is as it has always been precisely as it was identified and defined by thinkers thousands of years ago, as something unchangeable and even eternal. His guest's name is Nikole, she is a teacher by profession and temperament, and a wild child at heart, and this is her first appearance on a podcast. Together we decided on the topic question, and we travelled through some interesting places in our discussion during the hour-long recording!   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire examines the role human reason plays in an individual's attempt to perceive and come into contact with reality. He reads aloud a passage written by Plotinus, refers back to episode 018 where he examines the Platonic dialogue 'Phaedo', and describes Thomas Aquinas' view of the role human reason plays in aligning the individual with the Divine, all in an effort to locate his own perspective on the matter, which he feels he needs to have a better grasp of, for the fact that it has become pertinent to the development of the novel he is working on.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire examines the arguments Socrates gives for the soul's continued life and existence after the death of the body in the dialogue entitled 'Phaedo', in which Socrates is sitting in his cell moments before he must drink the poison which he has been sentenced to drink by the state of Athens. His friends marvel at Socrates' apparent ability to face his own death with such serenity, but Socrates tells them he is convinced that, for a philosophical spirit such as his, death of the body is the best event which could be hoped for.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! That would be much appreciated!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESDallaire

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire begins with a few critical comments upon the work of art by Maurizio Cattelan entitled 'Comedian', and then goes on to talk about the 'art object' in general, and what 'high art' might evolve into in decades to come, keeping in mind advances in Artificial Intelligences, which in the past two or three years have been producing imitation art (poetry, music, digital animation) which is becoming more and more like the 'real thing'. This question of what the 'real thing' is, is a question which Maurizio Cattelan's recent work inspires, and it is the question which E. S. Dallaire closes the episode on. Article wherein is found the Shakespearean sonnet produced by an AI 'poet': https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/10/ai-sonnets-shakespeare/   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en  

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire talks about his decision to commit to self-publishing his work in the months and years to come, thereby fully removing the thoughts which have for so many decades plagued an artist's vision: thoughts of needing his or her work to be some grand, definitive statement upon the current state of the world--or at least his or her personal experience moving through it--given that they know in advance, if opting for traditional publishing, that they are submitting themselves to a process which can take several years to complete, such a process which necessitates that the final product must somehow justify the investment of not just their own time, energy, and money, but also that of the agent's, the editor's, the publisher's, the critic's. With self-publishing, on the other hand, an artist's work can be made available to readers just as soon as it is finished, at the precise point in time when the writer is ready to move on to the real 'Main Event', anyway: the on-going conversation which inspired his or her work in the first place, upon which his or her work, they know, is nothing more than a witty interjection, or a well-considered opinion, or a passing observation, and not THE opinion, or THE observation, which is the expectation traditional personages and institutions place upon it. . . etc. etc. There are pros and cons to this decision, and E. S. Dallaire covers a few of them in this episode! If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire warms himself up for another week of writing by reflecting upon the marvel of the universe's existence, the complete wonder of being, both in general and of his being in particular. Jumping off from this, he contemplates, too, why it happens to be that he's where he is in this life and world, doing what he's doing (writing a novel and recording podcasts), rather than doing anything else. If there was one thing he would hope today's listeners took away from the podcast, it would be the inspiration to bring that same exuberance he feels for existence to their own day, and to their own writing, too, if they happen to be writers with projects on the go. If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.!   Multi-media suggestion (music: Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto #2 in C Minor, Op. 18): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJpJ8REjvqo   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire begins with an update on his current book-length project 'The First World Was a Pipe Dream', then moves on to talk about Vaclav Smil's 2017 book 'Energy and Civilization', and how his present reading of the Bible (specifically, the 'Five Books of Moses'), is informing his read of the thesis Smil presents, that the formation of primitive agricultural societies was motivated primarily by the desire to improve the efficient use and transformation of raw materials into energy products consumable by humans. If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire discusses the book-length project which he began writing this week. The protagonist, whose name is yet to be determined, is an academic who—after five years of teaching philosophy concepts which to him, because of his youth and inexperience more than anything, were nothing to him but so much theory—begins to realize that these concepts which he's been teaching but hardly understanding in fact undermine practically everything which props up his world, if taken seriously, at their word. The idea behind this novel is that the disorienting collapse of this academic's worldview parallels the similar collapse of the ideal state as evoked by the category 'First World'.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.!   E. S. Dallaire's essay on Rachel Cusk's 'Outline Trilogy': https://esdallaire.ca/on-rachel-cusks-outline-trilogy/esdallaire/   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire challenges the modern conception of the literary type—that of the professional writer who prefers to linger on the sidelines of life, observing and jotting down notes from a detached distance, where their work, the fruit of their labour of love, also tends to be relegated, these days: to the margins of current events; they and their work regarded as nothing more than marginalia. Also, he urges listeners to pick up Rachel Cusk's 'Outline Trilogy', if they're into literary fiction. If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! Rachel Cusk reading and Q&A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcdTFSkyyu8   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer E. S. Dallaire proposes to solve nothing, and pairs this with a reassertion of the podcast's premise, which is to contemplate ideas for their own sake rather than as pragmatic solutions to the myriad problems plaguing the world. Alas, it may be to his detriment that, whatever it is he is out to do with you, now that you're here, he does not aspire to solve the world's crises. And you in turn, dear listener, might then wonder what it is you should stick around for, since your time is so valuable, and you in fact do have problems you're actively looking for ways to solve--perhaps the search for such solutions is the reason why you listen to podcasts which claim to concern themselves with the big questions, as this podcast series claims to. As the episode nears its end, and as E. S. Dallaire is just about finished speculating upon what sort of intellectual discourse he can offer to those stopping by on a weekly basis, Bertrand Russell makes an appearance, and offers perspective which the host is inclined to adopt.   If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to Share, Subscribe, Comment, Rate, etc.! Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer and entrepreneur E. S. Dallaire juxtaposes the impulse which an organism has to survive to the rationalist 'cogito''s impulse to order reality in a systematic framework which strives to eliminate all 'unknowns', which (when referring back to the organism's impulse to survive), can be said to 'threaten' the cogito's self-defining pursuit of rationalist comprehension of reality in the same way that a predator threatens a creature's self-defining pursuit of self-perpetuation. E. S. Dallaire draws upon Michel Foucault's assertion of the power dynamics of knowledge, as well as Cormac McCarthy's 'Blood Meridian' as developed in the previous episode of 'Metaphor & Reality' (Ep. 009).   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer and entrepreneur E. S. Dallaire examines Cormac McCarthy's 'Blood Meridian'. Cormac McCarthy is consistently ranked among the best living writers, and 'Blood Meridian' is widely considered his masterpiece. E. S. Dallaire examines the book's themes, its narrative, and the philosophy advanced by one of the central characters within the framing of the expansionist doctrine prevalent in America at the time of the novel's setting. Though the novel is premised on real events and even real people, he makes the point that Cormac McCarthy is more a visionary writer than a historian or traditional storyteller, thus it was McCarthy's intention to comprehend all of nature and all of mankind in his portrayal of this time in history when America was pushing to expand its frontier onto the territories of Mexico and native tribes. It is in this context of 'novelist as visionary' that E. S. Dallaire interprets what the late critic Harold Bloom meant when he called 'Blood Meridian' a "major esthetic achievement". Be sure to Comment, Share, and Subscribe!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer and entrepreneur E. S. Dallaire draws upon the inspiration of a conversation he had with a friend this weekend about recent poetic movements (Romanticism, Modernism, Postmodernism) in order to identify the motivations behind his own work, and specifically his work on his novel, 'The House of Alchemists'. Postmodernism is over, he claims, and the 21st century writer is no longer guided by the postmodern sentiments of the writers from the 1960s - '90s. But where does that leave him/her? Why is he or she writing? And to or for whom? Be sure to Comment, Share, and Subscribe!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer and entrepreneur E. S. Dallaire explores the motivations for his return to a work-in-progress he decided to put aside a little less than a year ago. It is a novel called 'The House of Alchemists', and it is intended to be his debut novel, and in this episode E. S. discusses one of the novel's major motifs, which he compares and contrasts to the 'bildungsroman', a literary genre which, as the Wikipedia description says, 'focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood, in which character change is important.'   'Schopenhauer's Nightmare', as read in the episode: https://esdallaire.ca/schopenhauers-nightmare/esdallaire/   Be sure to Share and Subscribe!   Personal Website: https://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en  

This episode of 'Metaphor & Reality' is to be the first of a special type occurring every 6 to 8 episodes, wherein the host E. S. Dallaire reads aloud one of his own works, to be enjoyed by the listener like any other audio book. The short story read today is called 'A Song for the Haunted'. It was written in September 2018, and it is available at the author's website, via the link below. Enjoy!   'A Song for the Haunted': https://esdallaire.ca/a-song-for-the-haunted/esdallaire/   Personal website: http://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer and entrepreneur E. S. Dallaire takes up the challenges a writer of fiction faces when attempting to create a character from scratch, deconstructs this process, and then uses the insight which results from coming up against the limits of a particular method of character creation to explore the why's and how's behind a real individual's attempt to move through the real world with a sure sense of why they do the things they do, and why they avoid the things they avoid, in their attempt to gain something of a stable, individualized, and idiosyncratic orientation to the world in general, in order to cope with its vastness and complexity. Does this sound like something you're attempting to do in your own life? Well, then go ahead and make yourself comfortable in whatever way is best to you, and tune in to this episode!   Personal website: http://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In this episode of 'Metaphor & Reality', writer and entrepreneur E. S. Dallaire describes how the poet John Milton, as a result of his extraordinary self-awareness as poet and (soon-to-be) great, literary figure, was documenting, in his epic poem 'Paradise Lost', the challenge of triumphing over a personal doubt that he had it in him to produce something great, something which would stand the test of time as an achievement of the highest faith and will to truth, which defined him. After searching a lifetime for the right story around which to compose the epic poem he felt destined to write, Milton found, finally, in the Book of Genesis, natural conceptual vehicles in the form of Adam, Eve, God, and Satan, with which he could expand upon the psychological and social obstacles he overcame, and the wisdom he thereby garnered, traversing the path he chose to embark upon, as his life's singular task, to fulfill his destiny. Yale Lecture series on 'Paradise Lost' by Professor John Rogers: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2103FD9F9D0615B7   Personal website: http://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en

In the third episode of the podcast series 'Metaphor & Reality', writer and entrepreneur E. S. Dallaire grapples with Descartes' cogito, Derrida's philosophical madness, and Hegel's 'negation of negation', all as described in Slavoj Žižek's 2013 book 'Less Than Nothing - Hegel and the Shadow of Dialectical Materialism'. The trials and tribulations of adolescence, as it is explored in every high schooler's guilty pleasure movie, 'The Breakfast Club' (heh!), is also featured in the topic under discussion, which, perhaps, is best encapsulated in the question,   "At what point in our lives, such as they are, given the crazy order of a world which has existed long before we came into the picture (and will continue long after we have gone), do we discover and accept ourselves as belonging to a system which is both radically precarious because of our existence (freedom) within it, but also eternally indifferent to even our most significant accomplishments?" I should probably re-word that, but it will have to be after I get some lunch in me. . .   Be sure to visit the links below, and consider Following and Subscribing to support E. S. Dallaire's future work! Personal website: http://esdallaire.ca/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdallaire?lang=en