The big question driving Episode EF3 is… What am I supposed to do? You can’t say we get to choose if we want to live this life or not. One day you’re born, and that’s it – your journey starts with zero preparation. Life is like playing guitar in some super complex jazz band – you have to figure things out as you go. Thus, it’s natural we don’t know what the heck we’re doing, and we get lost. Should I go to college? Maybe pack my bags and travel? Should I leave everything behind and start fresh? Because really, what are you supposed to do?
There are only a few people born with the talent to play the guitar of life, but what about the rest of us? What should you do to get what you want? Even worse, what is that you want? Sometimes, life can be a big quiz that only has questions, but almost no answers. Nevertheless, the questions you ask are more valuable than you might think. It’s the constant questioning you do that moves you forward even when you feel glued to a single place. All you need to do is accept the ride.
dedication
DEDICATION: Episode EF3 is dedicated to Robert Nozick, an American philosopher and conceptual creator of the mysterious Experience Machine. Experience Machine is one of the more useful thought experiments posed in the last century. Because would a world where you can handpick your experiences indeed be heaven? Or would this scenario be hell, neatly camouflaged in a colorful but cheap package? His other prominent work is Utility Monster, which instructed that even our plans that are born with best intentions could give birth to a dangerous monster. Meaning, it’s not the plan that makes the better tomorrow… but you.
Although an open liberal, Nozick’s focused on disputing the liberal reforms wanting to control the economic possibilities of a citizen. He firmly believed everything needs to be as simple as possible to function properly. It’s common sense that each one of us has the right to the fruits of own labor as long as it doesn’t damage another individual. A simple thought that’s heavily skewed today.
It is precisely these skews of the dominant subgroup that create confusion and limitations. People who belong to the same general group (country), but don’t belong to the authoritative subgroup face limits in the actions they can perform. Finally, the non-dominant group (although more significant in numbers) gets lost wondering what are they supposed to do. Confusion and lethargy at its best.
HOW ROBERT NOZICK INSPIRES EF3
In Episode EF3, the main character does his best to find out if he wants to live in Nozick’s Experience Machine. Or, perhaps he’s been in a personalized version all along? Nozick’s alternative view on the social and political state that dates back to the ’70s, is as equally valuable today. In today’s world, where everything is more than ever either black or white, people like Nozick are essential for our development. No matter from which “side” they come from.
If you want to find out more about Nozick’s work, I suggest you read one of his books or you can check his last interview:
INSPIRATIONS: Plato, besides being the father of Western philosophy, he’s also the paternal godfather of that nagging “What am I supposed to do?” question. Even two millennia later, it remains unanswered. Hilary Putnam, a philosopher and scientist who wasn’t afraid to question his belief. Putnam had to put everything under in-depth analysis to expose the deep flaws, including his own. Jerry Fodor, a neuroscientist who dispersed the notion that the existential fear is anything more but a faulty alarm clock. Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher that provided a worthwhile block of knowledge to help us realize what it means to be human. Episode EF3 was further inspired by Charles K. Fink, Russ Shafer-Landau, Epicurus, Jeremy Bentham, Peter Singer, John Stuart Mill, Kansas, Pigeons, The Wachowskis. For a full list of data and references, please see Episode EF3 Show Notes.
references
Shafer-Landau, R. (2010). The Fundamentals of Ethics. Oxford University Press.
Nozick, R. (1974). Anarchy, State, and Utopia, Basic Books.
Fink, C. K. (2013). “Better to Be a Renunciant Buddhism, Happiness, and the Good Life.” Journal of Philosophy of Life,Vol.3, No.2 (April 2013):127-144.
Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism Is a Humanism (translated by Carol Macomber, introduction by Annie Cohen-Solal, notes and preface by Arlette Elkaïm-Sartre), Yale University Press, New Haven, 2007.
episode quotes
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(EF3) There Jonathan was; a person who couldn’t spend more than 10 seconds without thinking; while at the same time, the pigeons seemed to be more “zen” than he could ever hope to be — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode One)
(EF3) We all want to make decisions that hopefully lead to an understanding of what we’re supposed to do in this world, don’t we? — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode One)
(EF3) Life seemed to be one big misunderstanding between mama nature, papa universe, and everyone else — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode One)
(EF3) Imagine evolution to be the programmer and our mind is the software this great programmer is trying to create through algorithms — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode One)
(EF3) Humans are tribal, biased, emotional, ego-driven creatures whose actions are more often than not predetermined — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode One)
(EF3) The mind has centuries of evolutionary and societal baggage. Unlearning can be more intense work than learning itself — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode One)
(EF3) You can never achieve pleasure without suffering because without suffering there couldn’t possibly be pleasure. If you’re not aware of there being “up”, how can you be aware of there being “down”? — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode One)
(EF3) Season One, Episode One: The journey to living a meaningful life can feel hopeless, like riding a train through the wilderness at night. But if there was an autopilot track that guaranteed a happy life, would you take it? Would this solve the nagging “What am I supposed to do” riddle?
Season One: The journey begins as we embark on 11 episodes on big questions relating to MIND. What is the truth? Can we trust reason? Why do we have emotions? Does happiness define the good? What is identity? What is creativity?
(EF1) Trailer: The Evolve Faster Podcast (Extended) Trailer
(EF2) Intro: Life is a Near Death Experience: Welcome to The Evolve Faster Podcast
(EF3) S1-E1: All Aboard the Experience Machine: Destination…Unknown (Season One, Episode One)
(EF4) S1-E2: The Decapitation of Reason: A Skeptic’s Guide (Season One, Episode Two)
(EF5) S1-E3: The Truth is Clay in the Hands of a Sculptor (Season One, Episode Three)
(EF6) S1-E4: Information Mainlining and the Folly of Modern Wisdom (Season One, Episode Four)
(EF7) S1-E5: Sleight of Mind: The Black Magic of Rhetoric (Season One, Episode Five)
(EF8) S1-E6: Without a Compass: All Who Sail the Seas of Identity Are Not Lost (Season One, Episode Six)
(EF9) S1-E7: I Feel Therefore I am: Capsized by the River Emotion (Season One, Episode Seven)
(EF10) S1-E8: The Road to Happiness is Inked in Suffering (Season One, Episode Eight)
(EF11) S1-E9: When the Lights Go Out: The Blinding Light of an Artificial Future (Season One, Episode Nine)
(EF12) S1-E10: Wired to Fail: Leveling Up in the Game of Life (Season One, Episode Ten)
(EF13) S1-E11: The Bloody Fingerprint of Creativity (Season One, Episode Eleven)
(EF14) BTP: Behind the Evolve Faster Podcast - The Making of a Speculative Fiction Meets Philosophical Nonfiction Podcast
(EF15) AMA: Ask Me Anything: About Scott Ely and Evolving a Philosophy for Life
(EF16) BTP: On Creative Writing, Video Games and the Future of the Evolve Faster Podcast (About Antonio Rozich)
(EF17) BTP-EF3: What Am I Supposed To Do Free Will and Other Everyday Problems Behind the Podcast of Episode EF3
(EF18) AMA-EF3: The Mystical Allure of Converting to Buddhism and Speculating about Quantum Mechanics Ask Me Anything for Episode EF3
(EF19) BTP-EF4: Head Transplantation and Finding Inspiration for Speculative Fiction - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF4
(EF20) AMA-EF4: The Declining Value of Information and Taking Risks to Determine What is the Truth Ask Me Anything of Episode EF4
(EF21) BTP-EF5: Should Lying be Made Illegal and the Importance of Figuring Out Why You Believe What you Believe --Behind the Podcast of Episode EF5
(EF22) AMA-EF5: Defeating Fake News and Critical Thinking as the Superpower the World Needs Most Ask Me Anything of Episode EF5
(EF23) BTP-EF6: Scaling Mount Wisdom Without Suffocating Under an Avalanche of Ego Behind The Podcast of Episode EF6
(EF24) AMA-EF6: Is Less Really More When it Comes to the Pursuit of Wisdom or is Ignorance Bliss - Ask Me Anything of Episode EF6
(EF25) BTP-EF7: The Power of Propaganda and Rhetoric to Divide Us and the Quest for a Better World - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF7
(EF26) AMA-EF7: The Impossibility of Honest Politicians and Protecting Our Kids from The Most Insidious Fake News Ask Me Anything for Episode EF3
(EF27) BTP-EF8: Who are You and is it Possible to Upgrade Your Identity as an Adult? - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF8
(EF28) AMA-EF8: Drugs, Consciousness Manipulation and Cheating Your Way To a Better You - Ask Me Anything for Episode EF8
(EF29) BTP-EF9: Waging War Between Reason and Emotions and the Importance of Leaving Things Unresolved Behind the Podcast of Episode EF9
(EF30) AMA-EF9: Emotional Manipulation Tribalism and Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Think Before you Feel - Ask Me Anything for Episode EF9
(EF31) BTP-EF10: Dharma Modifying Negative Thinking and the Never-Ending Pursuit of Happiness by Embracing Suffering - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF10
(EF32) AMA-EF10: Mind Control Through a Well Chosen Tattoo and the Unlikely Case of Being Happy Enough - Ask Me Anything for Episode EF3
(EF33) BTP-EF11: The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Creativity - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF11
(EF34) AMA-EF11: On Perfection, the AI Alignment Problem, and the Possibility of Quantum Leaps of Creativity - Ask Me Anything for Episode EF11
(EF35) BTP-EF12: Cryptocurrencies Gaming and Leveraging Failure to Help Us Define Who We Are - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF12
(EF36) AMA-EF12: Pyrrhic Victory and Finding the 10% of Your Mind that Defines Who You Are - Ask Me Anything for Episode EF12
(EF37) BTP-EF13: Where Creativity Comes From and How to Find Your Uniquely Bloody Fingerprint - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF13
(EF38) AMA-EF13: Flow, Creative Improvisation and Other Altered States of Consciousness Ask Me Anything for Episode EF13
(EF39) S2-E0: LIFE, UPGRADED: Welcome to Season Two of the Evolve Faster Podcast
(EF40) S2-E1: Dehumanized: The Search for Self in the Devil’s Looking Glass
(EF41) S2-E2: Transhuman Fallibility: The Existential Risk of a Superhuman Future
(EF42) S2-E3: Civil Individualism: Loneliness Atop Mount Empowerment
(EF43) S2-E4: Evil Urges: The Fiery Duality of Human Nature
(EF44) S2-E5: Reality Unchained: Smashing the Icons of Social Delusion
(EF45) S2-E6: Weaving Society’s Web: Purpose in a Future Without Work
(EF46) S2-E7: Empathetic Distortion: Rigging the Scales of Justice
(EF47) S2-E8: Infinite Regress: Drawing Back The Veil of Perception
(EF48) S2-E9: Checkmate: A Child’s Guide to the Good Life
(EF49) S2-E10: The Domino Effect: The Momentum of an Unstoppable Future