Episodes
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Danielle and José discuss having consistency in our ideas and beliefs. Why is consistency important? Should we have more allowance for nuance, evolution, or mushiness in our thoughts? What are the risks of remaining inconsistent or, conversely, of being too rigid in our thinking?
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We welcome special guest Jeff Guenther LPC to defend the Law of Attraction, which we lambasted in #37 Vision Bored. Creator of Therapy Den and the Portland Therapy Center, Jeff claims that the law of attraction is the best model we have for how the universe works, and that there’s nothing problematic about it. José and Danielle are not so sure.
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Missing episodes?
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Danielle and José assess whether or not the Law of Attraction is total
bullshit. After careful consideration, we’ve determined that although there
are lots of ways in which the Law of Attraction might be helpful, it also
can be politically dangerous and, at times, utter nonsense. -
What happens when the responsibility to have an open mind pushes against
the responsibility to protect people from hateful speech and ideology? José
argues that having an open mind is required for us all to develop into our
full selves, but cautions that this open-mindedness should happen primarily
in the intimacy of private spaces, not necessarily on the public stage.This
episode is the bookend to: “#11: Tolerating the Nazi Next Door,” so we
recommend you take a listen to that one from our archives here. -
Are you the same person that you were when you were six years old? Does identity exist over time? Danielle suggests that there is no such thing as a permanent essential self or soul and argues for the Buddhist idea of “no-self.” José is skeptical, believing instead that we are essentially the same over time.
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Is prostitution immoral? Danielle begins this episode thinking that prostitution is morally permissible, if it is between two consenting adults. José argues that prostitution is morally wrong because it objectifies and dehumanizes women in a physical and irredeemable way. By the end of their conversation, Danielle’s not sure what she thinks anymore.
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Why is feeling two or more conflicting things at the same time so hard? Danielle and José talk about the experience of ambivalence and dive into how our feelings are connected to our beliefs about the world. They explore some ways to understand, work through, or even just sometimes accept ambivalence in our daily lives.
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José is troubled by his sexual fantasies of women because it objectifies
them. Danielle and José consider: Does sexual desire always or necessarily
involve the dehumanizing objectification of others? Is it morally
acceptable to objectify someone in the privacy of your own mind or will
that objectification always spill out into the way you interact with
others? Is it possible to keep sexual fantasies completely separate from
workplace relationships? Are there solutions to the social problems in
which people are forced to navigate their sexual desires along with their
desires to see others in their full humanity? -
During this (past) holiday season, Danielle and José explored why cultivating gratitude may lead to increased well being, happiness, and richness of meaning. They suggest that gratitude is an achieved mental state that involves a re-cognition of our lives into a narrative of growth and positivity.
Links
Our music was graciously provided by BenSound.
Audio engineering and editing services were benevolently provided by Dan Short.
Come visit our website, our Facebook Page, or talk to us on twitter @thinkhardpod, @DanielleLaSusa, @themuniz.
Audible Sponsorship
This week, we’re sponsored by Audible. Right now, Think Hard listeners will get a special offer of one free audiobooks by signing up at thinkhardpodcast.com/audible. After 30 days, you get one audiobook a month for $14.95/month, and you’ll receive 30% off the price of additional audiobook purchases. Cancel at any time. A member’s books are theirs to keep, even if they cancel. That’s thinkhardpodcast.com/audible. -
José hates casual clothes: jeans, cargo shorts, sweat pants, and the
dreaded flip flops. He argues that the excuse many people give that these
clothes are “comfortable” is really just a band-aid, and will never get to
the real underlying source of discomfort that people feel. Danielle is not
so sure. -
Danielle is wondering how to make decisions about how to spend her money,
which leads to the larger question of what constitutes the good life. What
purchases will make us happy, and how do we know what to choose? José
offers some budgeting wisdom. -
José and Danielle discuss conspiracy theories. Why is it that some,
otherwise rational, people get hooked into crazy conspiracy theories like
the anti-vax or flat earth movements? José suggests that perhaps it’s
because they’re tired of feeling like alienated sheep and want to start
feeling like heroes in their own lives—and, he adds, we are all susceptible
to this pitfall. -
Danielle and José discuss whether philosophy can help save the crappy high
school public education system. They talk about the real goals of high
school public education, whether and how schools can actually teach
critical thinking, and what kind of education will actually serve students
for the world in which we live. -
We welcome special guest Paul Waldau, recently retired Professor in the
Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation Department and Director of the
graduate program in Anthrozoology at Canisius College and author of Animal
Rights, to talk about the relationships we humans have with non-human
animals. How has viewing humans as special or distinct from other animals
damaged our world? Should we view animals as having some of the same rights
that we humans have, and if so, why? -
José and Danielle respond to some listener criticism of episode #45:
Everybody Has to Live Somewhere. They talk about what they got right—and
wrong—in that episode, and they reflect more generally on how engaging with
criticism can enrich and deepen our understanding of the world, each other,
and ourselves. -
Museums are weird, or so says Danielle. In fact, she thinks that they are
glaring evidence of the racist imperialist history of the West, and because
of that, she finds it hard to find the serenity and aesthetic transcendence
that we have all been trained to expect there. José thinks that we have a
chance to define ourselves and connect with others by engaging (quietly,
please!) with these very same objects. They fight it out. -
José and Danielle consider our ethical responsibility when we participate
in gentrification. Is gentrification simply a natural process of changing
neighborhoods, or do we have some responsibility for its negative impact
on—and displacement of—poorer residents? -
Is it ok to laugh at racist jokes? Does it make you racist? Does it matter
who is telling the joke? José tries to stake a position between calling out
racist jokes as harmful, and not becoming so politically correct that we
take ourselves too seriously. Also, Danielle and José each tell—and laugh
at—some racist jokes. -
Special guest Lucy Collins joins Danielle and José to talk about motherhood
and death. They explore the idea that motherhood allows women to be
uniquely in touch with death, aging, and change. This experience is full of
vulnerability and a confrontation with one’s life experience that cannot be
ignored. -
This episode, José and Danielle talk about how to have difficult
conversations. José suggests that the classic way of thinking about
conversations—as the communication of information or beliefs—does not
actually get the best results. Instead, if we are to find truth,
connection, and a shared public life, we need to learn to identify and
communicate emotional feelings, a much more difficult task. - Show more
