EF18 (AMA-EF3): The Mystical Allure of Converting to Buddhism and Speculating about Quantum Mechanics— Ask Me Anything for Episode EF3

Podcast, AMA / By /
(EF18) AMA-EF3: The Mystical Allure of Converting to Buddhism and Speculating about Quantum Mechanics Ask Me Anything for Episode EF3

(EF18) AMA-EF3: The Mystical Allure of Converting to Buddhism and Speculating about Quantum Mechanics — Ask Me Anything for Episode EF3

PLAY | DOWNLOAD If only there were a way to make everything simple, like an autopilot that steers the train towards an easy, happy and perfect finish line for you. So is there a auto-pilot, golden ticket to all of our life’s problems? Or are all the shortcuts just a one-way ticket towards mental suicide, as Robert Nozick, another famous philosopher, described it? More...

What Am I Supposed To Do?

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.

Episode EF18 Summary

Spoiler alert: You’re about to listen to an Ask Me Anything  (AMA) of Episode EF3, which was Season 1, Episode 1 of the Evolve Faster Podcast titled All Aboard the Experience Machine: Destination…Unknown.  The driving question of this episode (and this AMA) for you to think through is … what are we supposed to do?! It’s a fascinating question that actually has surprisingly little research or philosophical investigation.

As a reminder about Episode EF3: Jonathan finds himself forced between two paths: a meaningful life filled with risky choices, or a safe life that might be filled with regret. If only there were a way to make everything simple, like an autopilot that steers the train towards an easy, happy and perfect finish line for you. But he has just half a day to find the solution to the issue we all face on a daily basis—What’s the right decision? 12 hours, millions of questions and seemingly no answers.

The first episode of the first season of the Evolve Faster Podcast Episode is driven by the big question What Am I Supposed To Do. We as human beings are known for making bad decisions in the moments of desperation. And what crisis than the existential crisis? Possibilities are limitless, correct answers next to none and there is no how-to manual. Ready to start?

To peek behind the curtain of Episode EF3, we’ll dissect the following submitted questions:

  • Why DO people turn to Buddhism? Should I?
  • Why does it seem like quantum mechanics gets pulled into every discussion of a mystical, scientific challenge these days?
  • What is panpsychism and are scientists really talking about it (again!)?
  • Is Johnathan’s relationship with his father a metaphor?
  • What is Vuja de?
  • How do you know the Sartre quote is wrong? Does it matter that it’s not?
  • What happened to Jon at the end?
  • What if I’m stuck in someone else’s experience machine, being controlled? Should I take the red pill? And is the Matrix really unoriginal?
  • And more

Into The Rabbit Hole

SHOW NOTES: This episode is dedicated to Robert Nozick . See the EF18 Show Notes for details of the dedication, inspirations, references, selected quotes and more. 

ABOUT THE EVOLVE FASTER PODCAST: Everything is changing, yet the questions that drive us remain the same. Will humanity face the absurdity of our collective existential crisis in time? Join Scott Ely as he takes us deep into the rabbit hole with philosophical tales to reboot your mind, upgrade your life and explore your soul. To Evolve Faster is to see the fact that you will die someday as a formidable challenge, instead of a source of immense fear. Create your reality…before it creates you. Isn’t it time for an upgrade? More episodes…

SUBSCRIBE: The Evolve Faster Podcast is written, performed and produced by Scott Ely. Writing and production of each episode of the podcast is a significant undertaking spanning many months—it’s a labor of love, but it needs your help to survive. To help ensure the creation of more episodes, please learn about ways you can support the podcast (register, share, review and subscribe) on the Support Evolve Faster page. Your help is much appreciated.

PODCAST |ABOUT | SUBSCRIBE