Podcasts about other dangerous situations

We are excited to host Jules Evans on this episode of the Mangu.tv podcast series. Jules Evans is a writer, researcher, and practical philosopher exploring the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern well-being. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which examines how ancient philosophy influences Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). A former research fellow at Queen Mary University of London, he has studied the history, philosophy, and psychology of well-being. His work has been featured in The Times, The Economist, and The Guardian. As director of the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project, he researches psychedelic integration and mental health, bridging philosophy with contemporary therapeutic practices.Jules Evans reflects on his upbringing in London and his time at Eton College. He speaks about his teen years and early experiences with psychedelics, as well as struggles with his mental health during his time at Oxford University. He talks about a near-death ski accident, a mystical experience and the cathartic moment which led him to explore cognitive therapy and Stoicism as well as his interest in ecstatic experiences.Giancarlo and Jules discuss personal transformation, ontological experiences, and somatic and talk therapy practices as means of integration. Jules speaks about concerns around the lack of public conservation, research and resources around the possibilities of harm from psychedelics and his NFP, aimed at supporting those experiencing issues. They speak about alternative living and the need for a system to manage ethics and misconduct in ceremonial, psychedelic and altered state spaces.

Paul F. Austin is joined by writer/historian/philosopher Jules Evans to explore the need for ecstatic literacy in the third wave of psychedelics. Find episode links, summary, and transcript here. Through sharing research, philosophy, and his own work, Jules invites a thoughtful examination of both sides of psychedelics—the light and the shadow. He points to the need for more awareness and research of challenging psychedelic experiences and offers a roadmap to improved ecstatic literacy in today's culture. Jules Evans is the director of the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project, the author of three books (Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations; The Art of Losing Control; Holiday from the Self) and the co-editor of Breaking Open: Finding a Way Through Spiritual Emergency. He is an honorary research fellow at the Centre for the History of the Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. Highlights: The need for a balance between stoicism and ecstatic experience. Inspirations from Aldous Huxley & other literary heroes. Integrating psychedelics into an “ecstatically naive” Western culture. Jules's research on challenging psychedelic experiences. The dark side of ketamine: risks of dependency and harm in a booming industry. How culture can improve its ecstatic literacy. Key Links: The Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project Jules's Substack, Ecstatic Integration Jules's book, The Art of Losing Control These show links may contain affiliate links. Third Wave receives a small percentage of the product price if you purchase through the above affiliate links. Episode Sponsors: Psyched Wellness - use THIRDWAVE23 to get 15% off. Numinus

Get early access to our latest psychology lectures: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Psychedelic therapy is at a historic moment, as the US state of Oregon prepares to legalize it next year, and other US states look set to follow. Companies preparing to offer psychedelic therapy have raised over $5 billion on US stock markets. Hundreds of people are training to be psychedelic therapists or facilitators, and thousands more are on waiting lists for training programs. What shape will the psychedelic future take and what opportunities do they hold for patients and practitioners? What theories underline psychedelic therapy? What are the risks? This talk will be in four parts. First, it will look at the history of psychedelic therapy, focusing particularly on the 1950s and early 1960s in the US. Second, it will look at the contemporary psychedelic renaissance, and how it builds on the research ideas of the 1950s and 60s. Third, it will speculate on how the field will develop into two different paths – medicalized psychedelic therapy, and psychedelic spirituality. Fourth, it will consider difficult psychedelic experiences and the challenge of integration. -- Jules Evans is an honorary research fellow at the Centre for the History of the Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He also teaches the History of Psychedelics at the Synthesis Institute in Holland. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations (2012), The Art of Losing Control (2017) and Holiday from the Self (2019) and the co-editor of Breaking Open: Finding a Way Through Spiritual Emergency (2021). You can sign up for his newsletter at www.philosophyforlife.org -- This episode is sponsored by our upcoming Day on Changing Consciousness, taking place at the University of Greenwich on 26th June, 2022. This will be The Weekend University's first ‘in person' event in over two years, and it's shaping up to be a special occasion. The lectures will focus on consciousness paradigms that go beyond the brain, how they work, why they matter, and how understanding them can enhance your everyday experience of reality, with talks on: --> Panpsychism: Is Everything Conscious? - Dr Philip Goff, PhD --> From Ego-Centric to Eco-Centric: Changing Consciousness through Psychedelics - Dr Sam Gandy, PhD --> Is Reality an Illusion? - Professor Donald Hoffman, PhD (via live video link) By attending live, you can interact with the speakers in the Q&A sessions, connect with like-minded participants during the conference, and get CPD certification. Should you be unable to attend in person, you'll also be able to tune in from the comfort of home with a "Livestream Pass". As a listener of this podcast, you can get a discount on your ticket, if you go to https://bit.ly/ccj-twu, and use the discount code: POD when registering. -- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Jules Evans: www.philosophyforlife.org - Jules Evans books: https://amzn.to/3uMuABb

Over the past two years the optimistic spirituality of many within the psychedelic community has morphed into pessimism and paranoia. This synthesis of wellness and conspiracy thinking isn't unique to the Covid pandemic. As today's guest, philosopher Jules Evans explains, “Conspirituality” has been a feature of New Age thinking since its gnostic beginnings. Our conversations opens with Jules' own spiritual experiences, including traumatic teenage drug use, a near-death experience, and an ayahuasca-induced spiritual emergency. We then dive into our current crisis of Conspirituality and how spiritual elitism and the dark specter of eugenics has been running through New Age thinking since its origins in mysticism and magic. Finally we discuss how we can obtain real spiritual insight and live life like a festival, while still maintaining good mental hygiene. Jules is a writer, speaker and practical philosopher who focuses on ideas which help beings suffer less and flourish more. He is the author of four books including Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, The Art of Losing Control, Holiday from the Self, and Breaking Open: Finding a Way Through Spiritual Emergencies. His popular articles about Conspirituality on Medium have made him one of the most sought after critics of today's crisis of meaning in the wellness community. So, level up your many-mindedness, and let's give our magical lives a healthy dose of skepticism. Links: Philosophy of Life: https://www.philosophyforlife.org/ Jules Evans on Medium: https://medium.com/@julesevans ‘Conspirituality' — the overlap between the New Age and conspiracy beliefs: https://julesevans.medium.com/conspirituality-the-overlap-between-the-new-age-and-conspiracy-beliefs-c0305eb92185 Breaking Open (2020): https://www.philosophyforlife.org/published-works/breaking-open Holiday from the Self (2019): https://www.philosophyforlife.org/published-works/holiday-from-the-self The Art of Losing Control (2017): https://www.philosophyforlife.org/published-works/the-art-of-losing-control-canongate-2017 Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations (2012): https://www.philosophyforlife.org/published-works/philosophy-for-life-and-other-dangerous-situations-rider-books-2012 Jules on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulesEvans11 Timestamps: :08 - Why Jules started writing about Conspirituality in 2020 :14 - From teenage psychedelic use to a near-death experience :19 - Stoicism, Greek philosophy and rationality :26 - The search for ecstatic experiences :32 - Many-minded Aldous Huxley :40 - Spiritual Emergencies and the value of the funky gritty bits of life :55 - How optimistic oneness becomes pessimistic conspiracy thinking 1:00 - Charles Eisenstein and the strain of primitivism in deep ecologists 1:12 - How do we know we've obtained real insight 1:20 - How Spiritual Elitism leads to Spiritual Eugenics 1:28 - Class Privilege 1:32 - Don't shame the unvaccinated 1:36 - How we can still make life like a festival

"In my first year of school, when I was 17, I went into drugs, and I got seriously damaged" - Jules Evans. Interviewing Jules Evans on Stoicism, modern philosophy, psychedelics, beliefs reprogramming, altered states of consciousness, mysticism and the ecstatic, life lessons, fighting depression, dealing with anxiety and stress, self-reliance, self-mastery and lifestyle design. Jules Evans: writer, speaker and practical philosopher, interested in ideas and practices which help beings suffer less and flourish more.  "What was causing my pain and anxiety was the belief that I was broke" "Cognitive therapy and stoic beliefs helped me to reprogram my beliefs" - Jules Evans. Index of contents Top milestones. How to reprogram your beliefs. Copying with adversity, stress and anxiety. The most important lessons of Jules Evans' books. Psychedelics shaped my life. The ecstatic. Rapid-fire questions. Final message. "Push back to your automatic fears" Podcast show-notes: Philosophy for life website. Stoicon. Modern Stoicism and Stoic Week project. Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations. The Art of Losing Control. Holiday From the Self. Breaking Open. "How Philosophy saved my life" - TEDx talk. "Stoicism is very good to manage what you are feeling inside of you" - Jules Evans.

In the first episode of 'Decoding Culture', Alexander Beiner is joined by Jonathan Pageau and Jules Evans to discuss whether we're witnessing the birth of major new religions in 2020. In a three way conversation, we try to make sense of cultural phenomena like Wokeism and Conspirituality to figure out whether they're historical blips, new forms of religious worship, or something else entirely.   Jules Evans is the bestselling author of 'Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations' and has recently popularised the term 'Conspirituality' to explain the strange union of new age and far right ideas in 2020. Find him on https://www.philosophyforlife.org/   Jonathan Pageau is the host of 'The Symbolic World', a popular YouTube channel in which he explores symbolism in religion, art as well as in general and popular culture. You can find him on https://www.youtube.com/c/JonathanPageau   Rebel Wisdom's Sensemaking course launches again in February, check it out here: https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/courses

Jules is a writer, speaker and practical philosopher. He's a research fellow at the Centre for the History of Emotions, Queen Mary University of London. He's also the founder of the London Philosophy Club and co-founder of the first Stoicon, festival of Stoicism. He's also the author of ‘Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations', ‘The Art of Losing Control', ‘Holiday from the Self' and most recently ‘Breaking Open: finding a way through spiritual emergency.' In this episode he talks about his boarding school hedonism, near-death experiences, foray into charismatic Christianity and why he thinks our society needs more space for ecstatic experiences.

We're very pleased to welcome our first podcast guest: author and philosopher Jules Evans, who is here to discuss his two must-read Medium pieces on Conspirituality and Nazi Hippies.  Jules is a research fellow at the Centre for the History of Emotions, Queen Mary University of London,  researching the history, philosophy and psychology of well-being, and how different cultures define and seek human flourishing. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, on how Greek philosophy inspired Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and of The Art of Losing Control, on how people find ecstatic experiences in modern western culture. His new book Breaking Open: Finding a Way Through Spiritual Emergency, co-written and edited with Tim Read, is now available at Aeon Books or through any book retailer.    Here's the episode rundown:  Jules shares his early experiences with psychedelics and depression and the near-death experience that changed the course of his life; How to find balance between the rational and the emotional or spiritual; Conspiracies, psychics, and Teal Swan; Jules makes a parallel between current events and the 80's Satanic Panic; The history of New Age and its roots in extreme far-right movements; Could decriminalizing psychedelics be part of the answer and in the future for Western spirituality? Spiritual wisdom and hope in dark times: how activities like online yoga or meditation and Google searches for "prayer" increased during COVID.   Follow Jules Evans on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.   All references, links and resources mentioned on the show are available on our website at screweduppodcast.com    This interview was recorded via Zoom on September 25, 2020 and has been edited and condensed for time and clarity.   Produced and edited by Mimi Bonhomme. All music used with copyright permission.    Follow our podcast on Facebook or Instagram. For show topic suggestions or for any questions, you can email us at info@screweduppodcast.com   

Get early access to our latest psychology lectures: bit.ly/new-talks Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is perhaps the most evidence-based therapy for emotional problems. It was directly inspired by Stoicism, an ancient Greek and Roman philosophy which teaches people how to take care of their minds and souls. In this talk, Philosopher Jules Evans will look at practical methods from Stoicism and CBT to help cope with adversity and find resilience even in emergencies. Jules Evans is Policy Director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London and a leading researcher into ecstatic experience. He also runs the world's biggest philosophy club, the London Philosophy Club, which has over 6,000 members. Jules' first book, Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations was published in 19 countries and was selected by Matthew Syed as a Times Book of the Year. He has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. You can keep up to date with Jules' work on his website: www.philosophyforlife.org. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-lectures - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity - Jules' website: www.philosophyforlife.org - Jules' books: https://amzn.to/357LkpT

Jules Evans is policy director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which was published in nineteen countries and was a Times Book of the Year. Jules has written for WIRED, Aeon, the Financial Times and the Guardian, and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. WEBSITE: https://www.philosophyforlife.org/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/philosophyforlife INSTAGRAM: @julesthephilosopher TWITTER: @julesevans11 ----more---- Patreon: patreon.com/simonjedrew Coaching: simonjedrew.com/coaching/ Practical Stoic Mastermind: facebook.com/groups/practicalstoicmastermind Facebook: facebook.com/simonjedrew Instagram: instagram.com/simonjedrew LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simonjedrew Website: simonjedrew.com FEEDSPOT: https://blog.feedspot.com/stoicism_podcasts/

If you go to a therapist with an emotional disorder today, you're likely to be offered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and mindfulness-therapy, which were inspired by the ancient philosophies of Stoicism and Buddhism. What ideas and practices have modern psychotherapy taken from these ancient philosophies, and what has been left behind? What can empirical science measure, and what important aspects of spirituality cannot be quantified and measured? In this talk, Jules Evans will explore how scientific data can support us on our spiritual paths, but how we still ultimately need some faith and a willingness to abide in uncertainty. Jules Evans is Policy Director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London and a leading researcher into ecstatic experience. He also runs the world's biggest philosophy club, the London Philosophy Club, which has over 6,000 members. Jules' first book, Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations was published in 19 countries and was selected by Matthew Syed as a Times Book of the Year. He has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity Support Jules on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophyforlife Check out Jules' books: https://amzn.to/2Envsnz Check out Jules website: http://philosophyforlife.org

You may be having the most extraordinary psychedelic experiences. You may be communicating with DMT-entities. Mamma Ayahuasca might be visiting you nightly. But if it's not making you a kinder person. Then it's just a holiday. It's just a thrill. You might as well just be watching a movie. You might as well be watching Disney's Fantasia because it's not making you kinder person. It's not making you a more loving person. It might even be making you a worse person because you're becoming a self-regarding, vein dick. — Jules Evans, HEx Podcast #19 If you look at the literature on ecstatic experiences, it often just focuses on psychedelic experiences, and it says this is the type of experience you can have when you're on LSD or magic mushrooms or MDMA and so on. That's a rather narrow way of looking at it. In fact, people have similar kinds of ecstatic experiences in lots of different domains, in lots of different fields of human activity. I'm a big admirer of Aldous Huxley, because I think he more than anyone else had this kind of bird's eye view of all the different ways in which people get out of their heads and go beyond their ordinary egos. — Jules Evans, HEx Podcast #19 Jules Evans is a practical philosopher, writer, helps run the largest philosophy club in the world, and played a key role in the modern resurgence of Stoic philosophy. Jules' first book Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, explores how ancient Greek and Roman philosophies (particularly Stoicism) can help us flourish today. His second book, The Art of Losing Control, explores how people find ecstatic experiences in modern western culture.   In this episode, we discuss: The wonders and limits of Stoic philosophy Near death experiences Why Aldous Huxley was so great The value of ecstatic experiences Ayahuasca retreats stories The dark side of psychedelics Jules' most recommended books And tons more... NOTABLE MOMENTS What to you is the point of philosophy? [02:54] How Jules became interested in Stoicism and Greek philosophy. [04:10] Was your PTSD triggered by a bad LSD experience? [07:27] What Jules could have done differently to manage the fallout from his difficult LSD trip. [10:06] Jon discusses how he believes his levels of neuroticism has declined as he's gotten older. [11:36] Jon shares his interest in Stoicism. [12:36] Jon explains how he used Stoic techniques to help him cope with the fear of jaw surgery. [13:21] How Jules used Stoicism to help him cope with social anxiety. [14:09] Was simply learning about CBT and Stoicism enough for you to reduce your social anxiety, or was there a practical element too? [16:46] Jules explains how cognitive bias, perfectionism, and poor coping strategies prevented hindered hindered his recovery from anxiety. [19:35] Jules explains what happened in his near death experience (NDE). [22:02] How Jules' epiphany from his near death experience led him to CBT. [30:54] Stoicism is about being true to the god within you. [32:28] How Jules connected his mystical experience with Stoicism, CBT, and eventually Buddhism. [32:54] Jules explains his role in the modern resurgence of Stoicism. [34:17] Some of the areas of human nature Stoicism doesn't address. [37:01] Why did you call your second book The Art of Losing Control? [39:34] Jules explains the wide-ranging states of ecstatic experiences. [41:04] What are the main paths to losing control that you discovered in your research? [43:54] Alcohol as a means to escape ordinary consciousness. [45:44] Jules explains what he calls "The Festival of Ecstasy." [46:59] Jules discusses how war, violence, and crowd rallying can be seen as ecstatic experiences. [52:12] The worship of technology as a substitute for religion. [55:34] The 1960s as the antidote to the Enlightenment's pathologizing of mystical experiences. [57:04] Why is it normal for many of us fear going beyond our ego and have ecstatic experiences? [58:59] What is a spiritual emergency? [01:05:46] Jules explains how any route to transcendence can become unhealthy if it isn't approached wisely. [01:09:26] How ecstatic experiences and psychedelics can lead to ego inflation. [01:13:44] Jules discusses his first ayahuasca ceremony. [01:14:18] The easy and the hard path to becoming a shaman. [01:16:34] The dark side of psychedelics. [01:17:39] What can we do to prevent ourselves from falling into the trap of ego-inflation when having ecstatic experiences? [01:19:11] The only value of ecstatic experiences. [01:23:42] Jules explains how after finishing his two books he then saw the limit of them. [01:25:03] The mature Buddhist view of ecstatic experiences. [01:27:11] How do you live your life both on a daily basis and in a more general sense different after doing the research for these two books? [01:29:03] Jules discusses his post-Ayahuasca dissociated experience. [01:31:46] The importance of understanding spiritual emergencies: a spiritual awakening which has temporary psychotic features. [01:34:27] The things that can help people through spiritual emergencies. [01:37:04] Jon shares a story about a friend's spiritual emergency. [01:40:11] The danger of seeing your experience as unique and special. [01:42:37] The rise in reporting of mystical experiences. [01:45:46] Why we need a mature, nuanced terminology for ecstatic experiences. [01:46:54] What are your favorite books on the topics you write about? [01:48:06] Pema Chodron's personal crisis. [01:53:06] Closing remarks and where to find out more about Jules. [01:54:18] RECOMMENDED BOOKS FROM PODCAST: By Jules Evans: Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations The Art of Losing Control On Stoicism: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus On Ecstatic Experiences: The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James Moksha: Aldous Huxley's Classic Writings on Psychedelics and the Visionary Experience by Aldous Huxley Spirituality: The Places That Scare You by Pema Chodron Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chögyam Trungpa Ram Dass' Podcast Other Books Mentioned: The Making of a Counter Culture by Theodore Roszak Spiritual Emergency by Stanislav Grof KEEP UPDATED WITH JULES EVANS: Jules' Official Website: http://www.philosophyforlife.org/

People have always sought ecstatic experiences - moments where they go beyond their ordinary self and feel connected to something greater than them. Such moments are fundamental to human flourishing, but they can also be dangerous. Beginning around the Enlightenment, western intellectual culture has written off ecstasy as ignorance or delusion. But philosopher Jules Evans argues that this diminishes our reality and denies us the healing, connection and meaning that ecstasy can bring. In his book, The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher's Search for Ecstatic Experience (Canongate Books, 2017) he sets out to discover how people find ecstasy in a post-religious culture, how it can be good for us, and also harmful. Along the way, he explores the growing science of ecstasy, to help the reader - and himself - learn the art of losing control. Evans' exploration of ecstasy is an intellectual and emotional odyssey drawing on personal experience, interviews, and readings from ancient and modern philosophers. From Aristotle and Plato, via the Bishop of London and Sister Bliss, radical jihadis and Silicon Valley transhumanists, The Art of Losing Control is a funny and thought-provoking journey through under-explored terrain, which Evans creatively maps out like a tour through a festival, with stops at the major pavilions along the way. [complete with a cutely drawn festival map at the front of the book] Jules Evans is policy director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which was published in 19 countries and was a Times Book of the Year. Evans has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. He also runs the London Philosophy Club, the world's biggest philosophy club. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

People have always sought ecstatic experiences - moments where they go beyond their ordinary self and feel connected to something greater than them. Such moments are fundamental to human flourishing, but they can also be dangerous. Beginning around the Enlightenment, western intellectual culture has written off ecstasy as ignorance or delusion. But philosopher Jules Evans argues that this diminishes our reality and denies us the healing, connection and meaning that ecstasy can bring. In his book, The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher's Search for Ecstatic Experience (Canongate Books, 2017) he sets out to discover how people find ecstasy in a post-religious culture, how it can be good for us, and also harmful. Along the way, he explores the growing science of ecstasy, to help the reader - and himself - learn the art of losing control. Evans’ exploration of ecstasy is an intellectual and emotional odyssey drawing on personal experience, interviews, and readings from ancient and modern philosophers. From Aristotle and Plato, via the Bishop of London and Sister Bliss, radical jihadis and Silicon Valley transhumanists, The Art of Losing Control is a funny and thought-provoking journey through under-explored terrain, which Evans creatively maps out like a tour through a festival, with stops at the major pavilions along the way. [complete with a cutely drawn festival map at the front of the book] Jules Evans is policy director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which was published in 19 countries and was a Times Book of the Year. Evans has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. He also runs the London Philosophy Club, the world’s biggest philosophy club. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People have always sought ecstatic experiences - moments where they go beyond their ordinary self and feel connected to something greater than them. Such moments are fundamental to human flourishing, but they can also be dangerous. Beginning around the Enlightenment, western intellectual culture has written off ecstasy as ignorance or delusion. But philosopher Jules Evans argues that this diminishes our reality and denies us the healing, connection and meaning that ecstasy can bring. In his book, The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher's Search for Ecstatic Experience (Canongate Books, 2017) he sets out to discover how people find ecstasy in a post-religious culture, how it can be good for us, and also harmful. Along the way, he explores the growing science of ecstasy, to help the reader - and himself - learn the art of losing control. Evans' exploration of ecstasy is an intellectual and emotional odyssey drawing on personal experience, interviews, and readings from ancient and modern philosophers. From Aristotle and Plato, via the Bishop of London and Sister Bliss, radical jihadis and Silicon Valley transhumanists, The Art of Losing Control is a funny and thought-provoking journey through under-explored terrain, which Evans creatively maps out like a tour through a festival, with stops at the major pavilions along the way. [complete with a cutely drawn festival map at the front of the book] Jules Evans is policy director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which was published in 19 countries and was a Times Book of the Year. Evans has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. He also runs the London Philosophy Club, the world's biggest philosophy club. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/drugs-addiction-and-recovery

People have always sought ecstatic experiences - moments where they go beyond their ordinary self and feel connected to something greater than them. Such moments are fundamental to human flourishing, but they can also be dangerous. Beginning around the Enlightenment, western intellectual culture has written off ecstasy as ignorance or delusion. But philosopher Jules Evans argues that this diminishes our reality and denies us the healing, connection and meaning that ecstasy can bring. In his book, The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher's Search for Ecstatic Experience (Canongate Books, 2017) he sets out to discover how people find ecstasy in a post-religious culture, how it can be good for us, and also harmful. Along the way, he explores the growing science of ecstasy, to help the reader - and himself - learn the art of losing control. Evans’ exploration of ecstasy is an intellectual and emotional odyssey drawing on personal experience, interviews, and readings from ancient and modern philosophers. From Aristotle and Plato, via the Bishop of London and Sister Bliss, radical jihadis and Silicon Valley transhumanists, The Art of Losing Control is a funny and thought-provoking journey through under-explored terrain, which Evans creatively maps out like a tour through a festival, with stops at the major pavilions along the way. [complete with a cutely drawn festival map at the front of the book] Jules Evans is policy director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which was published in 19 countries and was a Times Book of the Year. Evans has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. He also runs the London Philosophy Club, the world’s biggest philosophy club. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People have always sought ecstatic experiences - moments where they go beyond their ordinary self and feel connected to something greater than them. Such moments are fundamental to human flourishing, but they can also be dangerous. Beginning around the Enlightenment, western intellectual culture has written off ecstasy as ignorance or delusion. But philosopher Jules Evans argues that this diminishes our reality and denies us the healing, connection and meaning that ecstasy can bring. In his book, The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher's Search for Ecstatic Experience (Canongate Books, 2017) he sets out to discover how people find ecstasy in a post-religious culture, how it can be good for us, and also harmful. Along the way, he explores the growing science of ecstasy, to help the reader - and himself - learn the art of losing control. Evans’ exploration of ecstasy is an intellectual and emotional odyssey drawing on personal experience, interviews, and readings from ancient and modern philosophers. From Aristotle and Plato, via the Bishop of London and Sister Bliss, radical jihadis and Silicon Valley transhumanists, The Art of Losing Control is a funny and thought-provoking journey through under-explored terrain, which Evans creatively maps out like a tour through a festival, with stops at the major pavilions along the way. [complete with a cutely drawn festival map at the front of the book] Jules Evans is policy director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which was published in 19 countries and was a Times Book of the Year. Evans has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. He also runs the London Philosophy Club, the world’s biggest philosophy club. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People have always sought ecstatic experiences - moments where they go beyond their ordinary self and feel connected to something greater than them. Such moments are fundamental to human flourishing, but they can also be dangerous. Beginning around the Enlightenment, western intellectual culture has written off ecstasy as ignorance or delusion. But philosopher Jules Evans argues that this diminishes our reality and denies us the healing, connection and meaning that ecstasy can bring. In his book, The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher's Search for Ecstatic Experience (Canongate Books, 2017) he sets out to discover how people find ecstasy in a post-religious culture, how it can be good for us, and also harmful. Along the way, he explores the growing science of ecstasy, to help the reader - and himself - learn the art of losing control. Evans’ exploration of ecstasy is an intellectual and emotional odyssey drawing on personal experience, interviews, and readings from ancient and modern philosophers. From Aristotle and Plato, via the Bishop of London and Sister Bliss, radical jihadis and Silicon Valley transhumanists, The Art of Losing Control is a funny and thought-provoking journey through under-explored terrain, which Evans creatively maps out like a tour through a festival, with stops at the major pavilions along the way. [complete with a cutely drawn festival map at the front of the book] Jules Evans is policy director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which was published in 19 countries and was a Times Book of the Year. Evans has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. He also runs the London Philosophy Club, the world’s biggest philosophy club. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People have always sought ecstatic experiences - moments where they go beyond their ordinary self and feel connected to something greater than them. Such moments are fundamental to human flourishing, but they can also be dangerous. Beginning around the Enlightenment, western intellectual culture has written off ecstasy as ignorance or delusion. But philosopher Jules Evans argues that this diminishes our reality and denies us the healing, connection and meaning that ecstasy can bring. In his book, The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher's Search for Ecstatic Experience (Canongate Books, 2017) he sets out to discover how people find ecstasy in a post-religious culture, how it can be good for us, and also harmful. Along the way, he explores the growing science of ecstasy, to help the reader - and himself - learn the art of losing control. Evans’ exploration of ecstasy is an intellectual and emotional odyssey drawing on personal experience, interviews, and readings from ancient and modern philosophers. From Aristotle and Plato, via the Bishop of London and Sister Bliss, radical jihadis and Silicon Valley transhumanists, The Art of Losing Control is a funny and thought-provoking journey through under-explored terrain, which Evans creatively maps out like a tour through a festival, with stops at the major pavilions along the way. [complete with a cutely drawn festival map at the front of the book] Jules Evans is policy director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which was published in 19 countries and was a Times Book of the Year. Evans has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. He also runs the London Philosophy Club, the world’s biggest philosophy club. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People have always sought ecstatic experiences - moments where they go beyond their ordinary self and feel connected to something greater than them. Such moments are fundamental to human flourishing, but they can also be dangerous. Beginning around the Enlightenment, western intellectual culture has written off ecstasy as ignorance or delusion. But philosopher Jules Evans argues that this diminishes our reality and denies us the healing, connection and meaning that ecstasy can bring. In his book, The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher's Search for Ecstatic Experience (Canongate Books, 2017) he sets out to discover how people find ecstasy in a post-religious culture, how it can be good for us, and also harmful. Along the way, he explores the growing science of ecstasy, to help the reader - and himself - learn the art of losing control. Evans’ exploration of ecstasy is an intellectual and emotional odyssey drawing on personal experience, interviews, and readings from ancient and modern philosophers. From Aristotle and Plato, via the Bishop of London and Sister Bliss, radical jihadis and Silicon Valley transhumanists, The Art of Losing Control is a funny and thought-provoking journey through under-explored terrain, which Evans creatively maps out like a tour through a festival, with stops at the major pavilions along the way. [complete with a cutely drawn festival map at the front of the book] Jules Evans is policy director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which was published in 19 countries and was a Times Book of the Year. Evans has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. He also runs the London Philosophy Club, the world’s biggest philosophy club. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People have always sought ecstatic experiences - moments where they go beyond their ordinary self and feel connected to something greater than them. Such moments are fundamental to human flourishing, but they can also be dangerous. Beginning around the Enlightenment, western intellectual culture has written off ecstasy as ignorance or delusion. But philosopher Jules Evans argues that this diminishes our reality and denies us the healing, connection and meaning that ecstasy can bring. In his book, The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher's Search for Ecstatic Experience (Canongate Books, 2017) he sets out to discover how people find ecstasy in a post-religious culture, how it can be good for us, and also harmful. Along the way, he explores the growing science of ecstasy, to help the reader - and himself - learn the art of losing control. Evans’ exploration of ecstasy is an intellectual and emotional odyssey drawing on personal experience, interviews, and readings from ancient and modern philosophers. From Aristotle and Plato, via the Bishop of London and Sister Bliss, radical jihadis and Silicon Valley transhumanists, The Art of Losing Control is a funny and thought-provoking journey through under-explored terrain, which Evans creatively maps out like a tour through a festival, with stops at the major pavilions along the way. [complete with a cutely drawn festival map at the front of the book] Jules Evans is policy director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which was published in 19 countries and was a Times Book of the Year. Evans has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. He also runs the London Philosophy Club, the world’s biggest philosophy club. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every society in human history, except ours, accepted the basic human need to lose control, go beyond the ego, and connect with something bigger than ourselves. This experience became known as ecstasy. In this talk, Jules Evans explores various forms of ecstatic experience, argues that transcendence is good for us and through proper practice, can help us find healing, inspiration, connection and joy. Jules Evans is Policy Director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London and a leading researcher into ecstatic experience. Jules' first book, Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations was published in 19 countries and was selected by Matthew Syed as a Times Book of the Year. He has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity Support Jules on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophyforlife Check out Jules' books: https://amzn.to/2Envsnz Check out Jules website: http://philosophyforlife.org

Jim and Jan start the episode with how a second grade class defines a great leader! Leadership is hard, but these young people show that the basics are pretty simple. Also discussed is how we’re happier when we help others, leading with love and courage, and why good leaders provide both positive and negative consequences for meeting or not meeting standards.   Key Takeaways [2:08} Jim shares the answers that came from the second grade classroom of his friend on what it takes to be a great leader. The kids nailed it with answers like: puts people first, nice to others, encourages us, community helper, honest and responsible, and clean (Jim and Jan will take it as Executive Presence). Judging from answers like this, they feel we are in good hands for the future. [12:52] We end up finding more joy in helping others than acting as though it’s about us. [13:54] Great leaders come from a place of love and courage. They are not afraid to put themselves out there for the sake of the team, and come from a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset. [17:29] Define what courage is for the team, and identify the last time your team showed courage. If the team is performing based on the core values, there is less of a need for heroes and more of a chance everyone will be connected with the overall mission. [21:33] Good leaders don’t stand for mediocrity in their team, and they are willing to provide consequences.   Quotes “Audiences love opposites.” - Chris Schmitt “Cheerful is a good word. We don’t use that enough.” “It’s hard to be a leader when your thoughts are a mess and your plan is a mess.” “The best way to be happy is to work for other people’s happiness.” - Jules Evans “Questions can sometimes be the most courageous statements.”   Leadership B.S. by Jeffrey Pfeffer Everybody Lies by Seth Stephens - Davidowitz Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations by Jules Evans   Top 30 Podcasts You Must Listen to If You Care About Leadership Instagram: @WeStudyLeaders LinkedIn: @TheLeadershipPodcast Facebook: @westudyleaders Twitter: @westudyleaders Website: The Leadership Podcast info@theleadershippodcast.com Thank you to our sponsor: Combat Flip Flops - use code WESTUDYLEADERS for 20% discount

Jules Evans is the Policy Director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London and a leading researcher into ecstatic experience. He runs the world's biggest philosophy club, the London Philosophy Club, which has over 9,000 members. Jules' first book, ‘Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations' explored how Greek philosophy – particularly Stoicism, inspired Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It was published in 19 countries and was selected by Matthew Syed as a Times Book of the Year. His second book: ‘The Art of Losing Control' explores the science of ecstasy and all the different ways people find ecstatic experiences in a post religious culture – how it can be good for us, but also harmful too. He has written for The Times, the Guardian and Wired and has been named as a BBC New Generation Thinker. You can keep up to date with Jules work on his website: philosophyforlife.org For resources and links from the interview, please visit: http://bit.ly/twu-stoicism About The Weekend University: The Weekend University aims to make the best psychology lectures available to the general public. To do this, we organise 'lecture days', once per month, where you get a full day of talks from leading psychologists, authors and university professors. To keep updated on upcoming events, new lectures and podcasts, you can sign up for the mailing list at http://bit.ly/new-talks

Jules is an author interested how individuals and organisations use therapeutic practices from ancient philosophies and wisdom traditions today. His first book, Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, explored how people are rediscovering ancient Greek and Roman philosophies and was a Times book of the year. His second book, The Art of Losing Control, was published in the UK in May 2017 JULES'S BOOK CHOICES: The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Moksha by Aldous Huxley You can find out more about Jules on his website. If you haven't already, please consider leaving the podcast a review on iTunes. It makes a massive difference and helps new people discover the show.

My guest today is the multifaceted Jules Evans and trying to encapsulate Jules in a brief bio is near impossible, but let me start by sharing some his accolades: his first book, Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations was a Times Book of the Year in 2013 and was integral to the revival of Stoic philosophy that you see happening today, he is a research fellow at the Centre for the History of Emotions, Queen Mary University of London where he researches well-being and ecstatic experiences, while also diving into ways to improve mental health in different countries and cultures. On top of that Jules runs the London Philosophy Club which is the biggest philosophy club in the world. Above all of these pats on the back, Jules Evans is a curious, humble, and damn fine human being. The focus of our conversation is his new book, The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher’s Search for Ecstatic Experience. This book and this conversation is exactly why Contemplify came into being; what do you do when the status quo is no longer working and you want to go beyond mere egoic satisfaciton? This episode is for all of you feel like the schools of thought in your midst taste like a stale cracker. In our conversation Jules shares about his Near Death Experience, how Stoicism helped him form identity and why he still felt called beyond the Stoic container to experiences of surrender, and why despite all of this deep searching, Jules feels like he wrote a book for people like himself, which he calls the ‘spiritually mediocre’. As always, links from this conversation, Jules’ books and website (philosophyforlife.org) and highlights from this conversation will be available at contemplify.com

Jules Evans, author of "Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations", explores what ancient Greek and Roman philosophy can tell modern society about wellbeing. He celebrates the link between modern psychotherapy and the wisdom of Socrates, the Stoics and other ancient philosophers but warns that the new politics of happiness is in danger of becoming illiberal. Producer: Sheila Cook.