Philosophy After Hours

Bethany needs advice. She can no longer rely on her body to take care of itself, and recognizes the importance of fitness as she is getting older, but she hates it and finds nothing rewarding about it. What, then, is she to do? Aaron and Jp both speak about their motivation behind wanting to stay fit, including a psychological complex and the desire to simply not make noises when you get up from a chair. We then discuss whether or not remaining fit is a moral imperative, the importance of appropriately situating fitness within the context of one's life, the desire to "escape" the body experiencing pain, and the gendering process. Finally, might being fit promote both one's own agency and the agency of their companions? If fitness promotes co-agency, must we admit it as imperative?  If you want to learn more about the show, visit us at philosophyafterhours.com. There you can find links to our socials and how to become a Patreon member.  

In this episode we discuss personal grooming and the role played by practices of self-nurturing in the formation of the social self. What do our grooming habits tells us about who we are? How might brushing one's hair or showering be relevant to one's political and civic participation? Can cuticle care shed light on our metaphysics? In answering these questions, we entertain a long discussion on the so-called nature-history/culture/nurture distinction. And we explore the idea of grooming as a practice of self-learning, which influences (implicitly or explicitly) how we socially enact our identities.  If you want to learn more about show, visit us at philosophyafterhours.com. There you can find links to our socials and how to become a Patreon member. 

In this episode we begin with a discussion of Zen and the practice of the koan, which serves as a starting point for our more prolonged back-and-forth on the nature/value of egolessness in the Buddhist tradition. Aaron is insistent in his disavowal of egolessness and its implications, and although Bethany wishes to be more persuaded by the notion, she falls within Aaron's camp, for the most part. Jp spends the majority of the episode fielding questions on this topic and does his best to persuade Bethany and Aaron; or, at the very least, assuage the weight of their poignant criticisms. The extent to which he is successful in this endeavor, we hope you will listen and determine for yourself.  If you like what you hear, visit us at philosophyafterhours.com. There you can find links to our socials as well as how to become a patreon member.    

In this episode we return to a discussion about the value of sex in relationships. (See Part 1 - ep. 142 - to get caught up on the conversation - although you don't need to listen to it to appreciate this episode.) Here, we talk about what's involved in "primary" relationships. What role does sex play in establishing certain relationships as primary? How do we fairly negotiate the time and energy we give to our primary, secondary, and then tertiary relationships? Should we always chose our partner(s) over our friend(s), family, or acquaintance(s)? Does our culture support/encourage healthy relationship practices?  If you want to learn more about our podcast, including how to become a Patreon member, visit us at philosophyafterhours.com.            

In this episode we talk about value. What does it mean to value something? How does money, as a marker of value, align with or contradict other markers of value (e.g., affection)? We all know the story of the underpaid teacher, who does what they love. But what do you do when what you love isn't valued by the market? This discussion explores that tension, attempting to identify ways to address our divers needs, without viewing the dollar as the sole tool. If you like what you hear, check us out at philosophyafterhours.com. There you can find links to our socials, as well as our Patreon account.

In this episode we explore the difference between sex-including unions (like marriages) and sex-excluding unions (like bestfriends). Does the erotic activity of sex necessarily mean that couples engaging in this activity reach deeper levels of intimacy than those that do not? Aaron, Bethany, and Jp all agree that our contemporary society values sex-including unions to a greater extent than sex-excluding unions, but why? And are we incorrect to do so? Lots of good stuff here, and be prepared for a Part II on this topic that will be coming out in the next few weeks! If you want to learn more about our podcast, including how to become a Patreon member, visit us at philosophyafterhours.com. 

Growing tired of the word 'intimacy' to describe her work, Bethany puts forward "the Primal:" an experience beyond conceptualization, that which horrifies us and transcends language. After a brief discussion of intimacy, Bethany outlines--to the extent possible--primal experience. Have we made the mistake of avoiding the primal or believing ourselves to have sufficiently narrativized it, and in doing so have made ourselves more susceptible to the madness it can cause? Does the primal demand new narratives that are less individualistic and more socially-oriented? Is all of this ridiculous and you should just go eat a sandwich and fuck?  To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon member, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.  

We're gone this week, but here's a quick look at our Last Call episode on chart readings. As a follow up to our discussion of astrology, Kelsie (aka DJ Chia Pudding) was so kind to give each of us a peek into what our astrological signs indicate about our personalities. Among other things, we learn that Bethany is dedicated to philosophy, Aaron is irritable and classy, and Jp has the jolly spirit of Santa Clause. Maybe these readings will shed some light on the perspectives we bring to the show. Go over to our patreon page to subscribe and hear the conversation!

In this Shooting the Shit episode, we begin with Bethany recounting her inspiration-filled week, which included the act of letter writing. Aaron had his wisdom teeth removed a few days prior to recording, and the lingering pain of that surgery directed his attention towards the inescapablness of the bodily experience--Levinas and phenomenology are brought up, of course. We spend the last half of the episode on the vertiginousness of media in the"meme industry" and Gen Z irony as a critique of contemporary institutions, yet lacking genuineness.  If you like what you hear, check us out at philosophyafterhours.com. There you can find links to our socials, as well as to our Patreon account. 

In this episode we talk our movements - and the conditions that organize them. What do our transportation habits and infrastructure reveal about our social norms? Who yields to whom when passing on a narrow sidewalk? How functional are our organizing systems of movement, and do they reflect more freedom or constraint? These are some of the questions we entertain in a winding discussion about our everyday patterns of motility. If you like what you hear and want to support the show, find as at philosophyafterhours.com for links to our Pateron account.

In this episode we talk about the media genre of true crime and its effects on its viewers. Why are people so fascinated by true crime shows and podcasts? Ennui? Morbid fascination? A desire for a greater sense of security? Death drive? Next, we address what we think viewers are taking away from these shows, and we conclude with the suggestion that they are more harmful than good.  If you like what you hear and want to support the show, find us at philosophyafterhours.com for links to our Patreon account. 

In this episode we're joined by our good friend Kelsie (aka DJ Chia Pudding) to talk about astrology. Kelsie speaks with us about how she uses astrology as a language to navigate experience. Along the way, we consider some of the differences between ancient and modern forms of astrology, talk about ways that astrological thinking shows up in other areas of social life, and emphasize the importance of working within the tensions of (sign) compatibility.  To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon member, find us at philosophyafterhours.com. P.S. If you're in the Chicago area, you can catch DJ Chia Pudding at the California Clipper on July 12! 

"Today, Bethany wonders why she gets into a fighting stance whenever she reads a seminal work by William James. Aaron and Jp set her straight--as far as that's possible!" ~ Bethany In this episode, our conversation revolves around a line from James' chapter "Stream of Thought" in Principles of Psychology. We investigate the following excerpt: "The only states of consciousness that we naturally deal with are found in personal consciousness, minds, selves, concrete particular I's and you's. Each of these minds keeps its own thoughts to itself. There is no giving or bartering between them. No thought even comes into direct sight of a thought in another personal consciousness than its own. Absolute insulation, irreducible pluralism, is the law. It seems as if the elementary psychic fact were not thought or this thought or that thought, but my thought, every thought being owned...The breaches between such thoughts are the most absolute breaches in nature." What do we make of this? What are the implications of this? Does this mean that Bethany will have to suspend her belief in her psychoanalytic powers to read the mind's of others?  To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon member, find us at philosophyafterhours.com. 

In this episdoe we're joined by a dear friend Matt to talk about the generalist and the specialist. These could be said to reflect two different approaches to scholarship/research/knowledge production. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each, and we consider how their distinct contributions might participate in an environment of disciplinary pluralism. To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com. Matthew Williams-Wyant teaches philosophy at Volunteer State Community College in Tennessee. 

In this episode we discuss critical thinking. What is it exactly? It often seems too generic of a concept to be useful. Is there any specificity worth rescuing here? We find our way toward a distinction between critical thinking as a skill - a mere set of technical procedures - and critical thinking as a practice - a more encompassing activity directed toward the social and ecological suitability of one's judgments. You might well imagine which one of these we endorse.  To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.

In this episode we talk about ancestor worship and discuss the import and significance of this practice. After spending some time articulating what is meant by both 'ancestor' and 'worship,' Bethany and Jp spend the remainder of the episode addressing Aaron's skepticism around the value of this quasi-religious practice, including: What is the value of ancestor worship? Why 'worship' and not 'respect'? Does ancestor worship not run the risk of reduplicating hierarchies of power and oppression? Should we not be striving to move beyond kin-exclusive fidelity?  To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.

In this episode we attempt to rescue metaphysics from obscurity and irrelevancy. We begin by rating the branches of philosophy from the perspective of a layperson. Bethany then provides a summary of metaphysics and goes on to suggest that, although the hard sciences are a worthwhile endeavor, we have forgotten that science doesn't happen in a vacuum and that through metaphysics we can explore what is happening around these scientific claims. Ultimately, metaphysics is promoted as a way to play with different ways of seeing reality and helps us to notice when a paradigm has blinded us to a reality that is urgent.  Also, we might be guilty of kink-shaming Kant.  To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com. 

In this episode we discuss the concept of "aesthetics," a prompt given to us by our best-looking and first Patreon subscriber, Charles. As one of Bethany's primary areas of expertise, she begins with an introduction of aesthetics and explains Dewey's use of the term "aesthetic experience." Jp muses on this term befitting his experiences of emptiness (subject/object dissolution) and Aaron suggests an understanding of aesthetics as the more fundamental field of sensory experience. As expected, Aaron goes on to discuss Levinas' conception of aesthetics (our sensible relationship to the world) as primordial to and informing ethics (our sense of the good). We then wrap up with a more conventional articulation of aesthetics as 'taste,' and Bethany takes shots at the sitcom King of Queens. Also, sherry!  To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon member, find us at philosophyafterhours.com. 

In this Shooting the Shit episode, Bethany complains about her new car and we chat about driverless features, Jp talks about a Bluey show he recently attended, and we lean into a discussion of contemporary kid shows vrs. 90's kid shows. Aaron discusses his weekend activities, the struggles of being a White Sox fan, and proposes a question that we focus on for the last 1/3rd of the show: how do we incorporate or account for the 'psychological rewards' of certain labor in the context of neo-liberalism and its logic of quantification? God Bethany hates numbers... If you like what you hear, check us out at philosophyafterhours.com. There you can find links to our socials, as well as to our Patreon account.

In this episode we discuss self-affirmation and the many guises it takes in contemporary culture. What does healthy self-affirmation look like? When is it used as a license to justify anti-social behavior? Perhaps understanding self-affirmation calls us to further examine both the meaning of affirmation and the concept of the "self" that is affirmed. Is it about validating an individual's feelings and behaviors? Or, do we need to look beyond the horizon of the individual? We look to the significance of social relations and bonds of trust to answer some of these questions. To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.

In this episode we examine the value of mind-altering substances. We begin in medias res with a spirited debate about whether indica and sativa still make sense as categories for cannabis, and then we lay out some questions: How do we appraise the insights we have while under the influence? How do we weight those experiences, and to what extent is it possible to carry them with us into our day-to-day lives? Is our beef really with our egos, or is it actually with, as Aaron calls it, "this capitalist hellscape"?  To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com. Mentioned during this episode: Everyone Is Beautiful and No One Is Horny by Raquel S. Benedict

In this episode we throw our usual format out the window. With JP out of town, Aaron and Bethany dig up some old essays and read from them in an effort to make fun of themselves…but ultimately find they still vibe with a lot of it. To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.

We had a whole normal show planned for this episode, but we were tired this day; the vibes were off and mercury was in retrograde. Instead, we began by proposing the activity of coping when things just kinda suck, and found life again in a discussion around the narrative of meaningful labor. Is the idea of a 'dream job' just capitalist propaganda? Or, rather, meaningful labor does exist, but such jobs do not pay adequately, nor does capitalism value meaning. I don't know dude...I just want to live in a society that values garbage collectors, ya know? That would be nice. If you like what you hear, check out philosophyafterhours.com for all related content, including our Patreon. 

In this episode we're glad to be joined by Richard Polt. Richard is a professor of philosophy and Bethany's colleague at Xavier University. We discuss a paper he's been working on entitled "The Crisis of Anticrisis," wherein he addresses the fatigue people often feel when faced with the demand for democratic negotiation. It's easy to want simple answers, but democracy is messy, and it requires ongoing contestation and negotation among the demos. We talk about the value of this contestation, the possibillity of developing our democratic sensibilities, and the prospect of using force to expel anti-democratic elements from society. To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.

In this episode Bethany talks about what it's like to be a woman in the world of professional philosophy. Spoiler: People don't really like it when girls have opinions. Why does she keep at it, then? No one knows. Also covered: The first time our hosts each taught a class, how Aaron has received pushback from other Black philosophers for not working on philosophy of race, and how marginalized people have less freedom to produce mediocre work. Listen to the end to hear Bethany say something so heinous it made Aaron take off his headphones and leave the room. To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.

In this episode Aaron asks what's so bad about technocracy. Bethany reacts with abject horror, and JP sits back with some popcorn to watch the fireworks. Should we accept the expertise of technocrats as preferable to democracy? Might the ideal of technocracy democratize itself? Bethany argues that technology fragments us by making expertise so specialized we can no longer take collective action, and she contends that technological advancement must be guided by wisdom. Aaron says there are benefits to a dialectical entanglement between technology and biology. Near the end of the episode, the text Bethany is reading from is Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord. To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.

Hey y'all! In lieu of a main episode this week, here is a recording that we did on the movie Banshees of Inisherin. It's a masterful movie--and this is masterful commentary.  After we each give our take on the movie, we discuss Colm and Padriac's relationship as reflecting Aaron and Jp's relationship, the nature of the absurd, Padraic as biblical Adam, Siobhan as completing the Banshee's critique of masculinity, the novelty of Colm and Padraic's relationship and struggles as not being mediated by a third-party love interest, Aaron's history of brooding darkness, and more.  If you haven't seen the movie yet, go do that. Then come back and listen to this. 

In this episode a slightly ill JP puts on his gamer-bro hat and explains the origins of the term “NPC” (non-playable character), which has come to be used by the likes of Donald Trump and Elon Musk as shorthand for boring, gullible people. Is this language inherently dehumanizing and…troubling? Also covered: “Main Character Syndrome,” Aaron's experience of being “Obama-fied,” and why Bethany wouldn't talk to JP if she didn't already know him. To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.

In this episode Bethany invites us to examine the self-help industry and its influence on American culture. Inspired by the podcast If Books Could Kill, she traces the history of self-help starting with Dale Carnegie, the first in a long line of shameless grifters. JP shares his personal gripe about Eckhart Tolle and other authors who appropriate Eastern philosophy and repackage it as a tool of capitalism. Bethany posits that self-help exists because people crave philosophy and don't have time to reach for more difficult texts; Aaron counters that the pursuit of self-improvement is a matter of making oneself a more efficient piece of technology in a capitalist system. Also covered: how JP went from a wimpy kid to a fitness fanatic, why Aaron could have been a successful grifter, and an idea for a self-help book the Philosophy After Hours crew could actually get behind. To learn more about the show and how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.

In this Shooting the Shit episode, we discuss Aaron's adventures during his partner's birthday weekend and his ambivalence about a therapy intake session. Also covered: The joy of hosting, why JP and Bethany love being heckled, the phenomenon of corecore, Top Gun: Maverick and The Banshees of Inisherin (spoiler alert!), whether we should nationalize the film industry, and yelling at rom-coms like they're sports. To learn more about the show and how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.

In this episode Aaron asks whether nuance is dead and whether we should mourn its passing. Why do we care about writing and thinking in a nuanced way when our culture doesn't seem to put a high premium on nuance? Is it just narcissistically pleasurable? And when we're committed to nuance, do we risk sacrificing the urgency of justice? Then again, if we opt for the “tl;dr” version of political discourse, is that anti-intellectualism? Also covered: Bethany pans “The L Word: Generation Q,” and JP shares how his perspective on nuance may be influenced by an Eastern approach to metaphysics. To learn more about the show and how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.

In this episode JP takes us on a journey into the heart of the far-right conspiracy theory known as "globalism" (and ruins his YouTube algorithm in the process). Along the way, we ask questions like: Is there actually anything interesting here, or is it all gobbledigook? To what extent should we try to empathize or establish solidarity with folks on the far right? Is the right-wing obsession with "freedom" purely reactionary? Also covered: Who gets to call themselves a philosopher; our new producer/editor, "Roz"; Aaron's new foray into therapy; and why JP would probably love the Cheesecake Factory.  Climate Town - "It's Time To Break Up With Our Gas Stoves" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX2aZUav-54 If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/philosophyafterhours for more content. 

In this episode Bethany brings us back to the realm of dreams as a continuation of episode 74. Bethany begins by laying out the differences between the hermeneutics of suspicion and faith, and how each of these frameworks affects our understanding of, and approach to deciphering, dreams. We then discuss the cultural practice of the Tlingit tribe wherein the sharing and interpreting of dreams is a common practice amongst these indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. How does such a relationship to dreams and their importance--as public, as common practice--impact their understanding of the self, of the social, of the continuity of consciousness in dream- and waking-life? Would Western society, where dreams have been banished from public life, improve by adopting such a practice and relation? Check out Matthew Spellberg's work on dream sharing and the Tlingit tribe: matthewspellberg.com and https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/67/spellberg1.php If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/philosophyafterhours for more content. 

In this episode we introduce our new fit (that's short for "outfit" to the uninitiated). We kick off the new year with our first episode of Philosophy After Hours. We discuss how we feel about leaving the "The Rilkean Zoo" behind us to forge a slightly different podcast identity. We share a few stories about our holidary activities, and then we close the episode with some musings about the before-and-after phenomenon. We ask how before-and-after presentations inform our beliefs about what's possible and whether such presentations conceal more than they reveal.  If you like what you hear, find us on patreon at patreon.com/philosophyafterhours. Become a subscriber to listen to more of our conversations! P.S. For the dedicated listeners, we hope you'll stay with us as we make the transition. We'll be doing some experimentation as step into our new robes.

In this episode we begin with a discussion on the use of AI price algorithms as a new form of price fixing by major real estate holding companies. In a case like this, who is to be held accountable? Does culpability even make sense when our system is driven exclusively by profit, when it seems to be operating as intended? Will AI allow business practices to rid themselves of the last vestiges of empathy, or are we already there?  If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more content. Text: Invisible Committee, Now (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2017)

In this episode we discuss the potential for revolutionary art. After discussing the fifth episode from the final season of Atlanta, which takes aim at Tyler Perry, we ask whether there are resources to pose viable alternatives to the media and artistic products pumped out by the culture industry - the commercialization of creative production. Can we leave the culture industry? Where would we go? Main episode begins at (12:30). If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more episodes. Text: Julia Kristeva, Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection, trans. Leon Roudiez (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1982), 1. 

In this episode we discuss the idea of a guilty pleasure. What are we communicating when say something like: It's not good, but it's entertaining? By disavowing the good in what we find pleasurable (i.e., entertaining), are we implicitly recognizing some misalignment between goodness and pleasure? If so, does this misalignment tell us that something's gone wrong in our world of experience? And can we overcome it?  If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more episodes. Text: Kwame Anthony Appiah, Rethinking Identity: The Lies that Bind (New York, NY: Liveright, 2019), 3.

In this Shooting the Shit episode--our first with Bethany!--we discuss Bethany's forthcoming interview at a university in Boston, Aaron's frustration with the competing demands between the dissertaiton and his job, our public philosophy project, overcoming the language of "laziness," adderall, and more. Finally, we roundout our episode with a discussion on humanism and a criticism of it as 'under descriptive' by the philosopher Kate Manne.  If you like what you hear, check us out on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more content.  Text: Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Experience" 

In this episode we discuss the value of convenience. We talk about the way it operates in our capitalist form of social and economic life. Have the technological innovations that purportedly make our lives more convenient actually freed us up to pursue our creative interests? Or, do we use our many conveniences only to be more productive at our jobs? And what about the unequal distribution of convenience? The wealthy have conveniences that support the luxuries of their lives; the poor have necessities that are merely disguised as convenience. However convenient McDonald's may be, if it's your only option, it's convenient in name only. We also discuss whether convenience is an obstacle to a richer connection with our activities and environment. Convenience builds character, they say. Do the ever-improving technologies that mediate our relationship to the world alienate us from our engagements? Is it more meaningful to work with our hands? Or, is this a particular strain of Luddism that's reactionary, unduly refusing modern technologies in favor of a fetishized past?  If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more episodes. Text: Bethany Henning, "Dance: For Leslie" (unpublished poem, November 10, 2022), typescript.

In this episode Aaron and I chat about Just Stop Oil and the efficacy of radical activism. Can we sufficiently judge the impact of this movement while it is still nascent? Are such "extreme" acts of vandalism and civil disobedience/disruption potentially hurting the cause by losing the support of the moderate public?  If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more episodes. Text: Federico García Lorca, In Search of Duende, trans. and ed. by Christopher Honig (New York, NY: New Directions, 2010), ix-x.

In this epsiode we discuss the concept of panpsychism, which suggests that 'mind' is a ubiqutous feature of existence--that all things are in possession of mind or a mind-like quality. Is panpsychism guilty of an over-extended anthropomorphism? Does panpsychism facilitate an engagement with the world that is more enchanted, playful, and dialogic? Is there strategic import in this worldview for generating a more robust ecological ethics?  If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more content.  Text: 

In this episode we talk about the body and its capacity to present as a work of art. We take the phenomenon of body modification as a launching point for thinking about embodiment as artistic expression. What happens, then, when the work of art and the artist are the same living being? What would it mean, then, for the work of art to have some sense of autonomy relative to its maker? Do we learn anything interesting about artistic practice? Or, is it misguided to speak this way, leading only to whimsical clichés: "Life is art. Art is life."? If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more episodes.  Text: Ted Joans, "The Truth," Ted Joans, accessed October 22, 2022. https://www.tedjoans.com/books/the-truth/ 

The entire Rilkean Zoo crew is together under one roof! JP and I headed down to Bethany's home in Cincinnati last weekend for a friends reunion of sorts. In this episode we each ask other some searching questions about aging well, establishing relationships of trust, and exploring negative emotions. We also talk a bit about tattoos, fashion, and vocal harmony. This is a good one. (Although, your ears may have to forgive us for the slight echo that was too much of a pain to remove in post.) If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more episodes.  Text: Bethany Henning, Dewey and the Aesthetic Unconscious: The Vital Depths of Experience (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2022), 1.  

In this episdoe we question the popularity of genetic tests like "23 and Me" and move into a discussion about the relationship between the quantification of ethnicity and identity. Do these tests impart meaningful information about who we are, or are they merely a starting point? From this, we move into a more general discussion on the value of science and the 'replication crisis.'  If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more content.  Text: Ecclesiastes, Chapter 1, Verses 1-4

In this episode we discuss the ideal of community. Activist talk about "fighting for the community"; corporations talk about "giving back to the community; public institutions talking about "serving communities"; organizations talk about the importance of "building community". Has "community" become a buzzword vacated of any substantive meaning? What values should be embodied in communal practices? What is the difference between a community and a mere interest group - if there's any difference at all?  If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more episodes.  Text: Shigehisa Kuriyama, The Expressiveness of the Body and the Divergence of Greek and Chinese Medicine (New York, NY: Zone Books, 2002), 7-8.  

We didn't have a planned episode ready to go this week, but thankfully we've got some recordings in the stash. In a late night recording, JP and I returned to our familiar "3 questions" format to discuss moments of clarity, favorite baseball teams, and morning routines, among other things - all while drinking an inviting bottle of wine.  If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more content.  P.S. Albert Pujols has now reached 700 home runs!

In this episode, we take up part II of our conversation on sex. JP is back with the crew, and we spend most of the episode engaging with his comments on part I. Much of the discussion turns on a debate about whether we can reliably assume that there are sexual skills and techniques that work well from person to person. Would it be presumptuous to think this? Further, we ask whether good sex - however variable its expression -  is nearly always characterized by a certain set of values (e.g., responsiveness, vulnerability, creativity, etc.). If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more content.  Text: Edwin Arlington Robinson, "Richard Cory," in Selected Poems: Edwin Arlington Robinson, ed. Robert Faggen (New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1997), 9.

In this episode Bethany and Aaron discuss sex. What makes for good sex? Is there a general ethos regarding sex that we should take into our sexual encounters? What would that ethos be? Does internet porn (in particular) foster an undue sense of control over sexual arousal, leaving us less responsive to the uncertainties that come when engaging with another person? How might capitalist conditions hinder the possibility for better sex? Listen to part I of our discussion, and come back next week, when JP will back with us for part II. If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more content.  Text: Søren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling/Repetition: Kierkegaard's Writings, IV, eds. and trans. by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983), 121-122. P.S. Please forgive some of the background noises (e.g., dogs barking, airplanes flying over head) that were difficult to remove from the recording.

In this episode, Aaron and I discuss the value of silence as a means of respite from constant stimulation via music, podcasts, media, etc. Does this constant stream of noise serve to distract us from ourselves, and silence allows us to regain a sense of focus and awareness? Or can silence serve as its own type of distraction? Is silence essential to the utopic vision?  If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more content.  Text: Stephan Westmann, transcription from interview in the BBC's 'The Great War,' 1964. 

Episode 100, baby! For this milestone of an episode, Aaron and I go on a walking journey across various neighboorhods in Chicago (Andersonville, Ravenswood, Wicker Park, and Ukranian Village) and chat along the way. Join us as we meander and discuss the significance of names, crashing parties, the voyeurism of estate sales, our first trip to Chicago together, and more. To all of our listeners and supporters: thank you.  If you like what you hear, check us out on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more content. 

We're working on something special for ep. 100, and we aren't quite ready to drop that yet. So, we're taking a little half-step toward 100, and we've got a casual conversation about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) and love. We muse about the fascination of (apparently) inexplicable events in the sky. We then ask about whether love needs a facelift, if it's too cliche to be reliably believed. Enjoy! If you like what you hear, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo for more content.