Part I — The Seesaw of Suffering

Part I — The Seesaw of Suffering

This conversation with Anna Tolchikova [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-tolchikova-32505a60/?locale=en_US] begins with Belarus, childhood, language, exile, and the memory of leaving a country after the events of 2020. From there, the discussion moves toward Ukraine, Portugal, Iran, war, fear, and the difference between witnessing suffering from a distance and feeling it when the country under threat is tied to one’s own family, memories, language, and inner world. As the conversation develops, Belarus and Iran become two different entry points into a wider reflection on power. The discussion moves from authoritarianism and political repression toward totalitarian control, religious rule, oligarchic power, and the way regimes justify violence through the language of security, religion, democracy, survival, or destiny. The conversation eventually reaches a deeper moral question: what is the value underneath democracy, freedom, and political systems? The discussion turns toward suffering and empathy. Human beings often try to reduce suffering for their own group while increasing it for others. This is the seesaw of suffering: the mechanism through which nations, regimes, religions, and ideologies protect “us” by dehumanizing “them.” Episodes related to the two-volume Neurophilosophy [https://delshad.me/en/podcasts/zharfa/two-volume-neurophilosophy/]: * Morality Ladder [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84/%d9%86%d8%b1%d8%af%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d8%ae%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%82/] * Metaphysical Fascism [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%af%d9%88%d9%85/%d9%81%d8%a7%d8%b4%db%8c%d8%b3%d9%85-%d9%85%d8%aa%d8%a7%d9%81%db%8c%d8%b2%db%8c%da%a9%db%8c/] * On Why We Fight [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84/%d9%86%d8%b1%d8%af%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d8%ae%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%82/] Figures mentioned in this episode: * Alexander Lukashenko [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Lukashenko] * Hannah Arendt [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Arendt] * Karl Popper [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Popper] Key terms in this episode: * Rusification [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russification] * Authoritarianism [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarianism] * Totalitarianism [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totalitarianism] * Theocracy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theocracy] * Oligarchy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy] * Theo-oligarchy [https://philpapers.org/rec/DELEMF] * Open society [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Open_Society_and_Its_Enemies] * Democracy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy] * Dehumanization [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehumanization] * Umma [https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umma] * Jihadism [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihadism] * Taliban [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban] * Daesh [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State] References: * Delshad Tehrani, A. (2026). Endmachtgefüge: Metaphysical fascism and the architecture of terminal power. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19326881 [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19326881] Get full access to Wisdorise English at wisdorise.substack.com/subscribe [https://wisdorise.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

From Psychopathy to Fascism

In this conversation with Daniel Lee [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-lee-62887ba6/], the discussion begins with psychopathy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy] but gradually opens into a wider conversation about morality, empathy, and the fragility of human behavior. The dialogue explores how people can lose sensitivity toward others and how fear, trauma, and social pressure can slowly reshape the way humans think and act. As the conversation develops, the focus shifts toward tribalism, ideology, and the creation of enemies inside collective systems. Rather than reducing cruelty to simple evil, both perspectives examine how violence can become normalized and even morally justified within political, cultural, and historical structures. The discussion eventually moves toward fascism [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism], charismatic leadership, punishment, rehabilitation, recidivism [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recidivism], and institutional responsibility. Through both historical and contemporary examples, the conversation reflects on why dangerous personalities continue to rise to power and why societies repeatedly follow them. Books mentioned in this episode: * The Wisdom of Psychopaths [https://books.google.pt/books/about/The_Wisdom_of_Psychopaths.html?id=AzHrzEUDlhkC&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y] * Political Ponerology [https://books.google.pt/books/about/Political_Ponerology.html?id=OTeaGQAACAAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y] * Without Conscience [https://books.google.pt/books/about/Without_Conscience.html?id=foxYAAAAYAAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y]‌ * Determined [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Determined:_A_Science_of_Life_Without_Free_Will] Documentaries mentioned in this episode: * Scandinavian Rehabilitation Prisons [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVEXRth-hJs] Episodes related to the two-volume Neurophilosophy [https://delshad.me/en/podcasts/zharfa/two-volume-neurophilosophy/]: * Morality Ladder [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84/%d9%86%d8%b1%d8%af%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d8%ae%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%82/] * Responsibility Without Freewill [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84/%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%a6%d9%88%d9%84%db%8c%d8%aa-%d9%be%d8%b0%db%8c%d8%b1%db%8c-%d8%ba%db%8c%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%af%db%8c/] * Responsibility at the institutional level [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84/%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%a6%d9%88%d9%84%db%8c%d8%aa-%d9%be%d8%b0%db%8c%d8%b1%db%8c-%d8%ba%db%8c%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%af%db%8c/] * On Why We Fight [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%af%d9%88%d9%85/%da%86%d8%b1%d8%a7-%d9%85%db%8c-%d8%ac%d9%86%da%af%db%8c%d9%85/] * Metaphysical Fascism [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%af%d9%88%d9%85/%d9%81%d8%a7%d8%b4%db%8c%d8%b3%d9%85-%d9%85%d8%aa%d8%a7%d9%81%db%8c%d8%b2%db%8c%da%a9%db%8c/] Figures mentioned in this episode: * Immanuel Kant [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant] * Martin Heidegger [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Heidegger] * Robert Sapolsky [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sapolsky] * Kevin Dutton [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Dutton] * baczewski [https://lubimyczytac.pl/autor/102013/andrzej-lobaczewski#:~:text=Pisze%20ksi%C4%85%C5%BCki%3A%20nauki%20spo%C5%82eczne%20(psychologia%2C%20socjologia%2C%20itd.)&text=Urodzi%C5%82%20si%C4%99%20w%201921%20roku,cz%C5%82onkiem%20podziemnej%20polskiej%20organizacji%20oporu.] * Anders Breivik [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Behring_Breivik] Key terms in this episode: * Trolley problem [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem] * Dehumanization [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehumanization] * Authoritarianism [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarianism] * Pathocracy [https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patocracia] * 2026 Iran Massacres [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_massacres] * Umma [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ummah] * Neurodiversity [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurodiversity] * Critical Theory [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_theory] * Frankfurt School [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_School] References: * Prison Policy Initiative. (2022). [https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2022/06/08/norway/]What we can learn from Norway’s prison system: Rehabilitation and recidivism [https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2022/06/08/norway/]. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2022/06/08/norway/ [https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2022/06/08/norway/] * Delshad Tehrani, A. (2026). [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19452651]Morality Ladder: A graded moral regulation model of moral agency under uncertainty [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19452651]. Zenodo.https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19452651 [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19452651] * Delshad Tehrani, A. (2026). [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19480217]Responsibility without free will [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19480217]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19480217 [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19480217] Clarification: In several Wisdorise episodes, I have used the term “metaphysics [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics]” not in the academic philosophical sense concerned with questions of mind, causality, time, identity, or the structure of reality, but rather in reference to transcendent and non-empirical systems of meaning and existence, including religious cosmologies, sacred narratives, divine moral authority, and models of consciousness assumed to exist beyond biological and neural processes. A more accurate description of my approach would perhaps be “post-metaphysical,” meaning that while recognizing the historical and cultural role of metaphysical systems, I suggest moving toward frameworks grounded more directly in neuroscience, cognitive science, and human experience. Get full access to Wisdorise English at wisdorise.substack.com/subscribe [https://wisdorise.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Colorful Views

In this conversation with Irina Karpetskaya [https://www.instagram.com/ira.karpetskaya?igsh=OGpwcnJtZGVrM2t1] the discussion begins from an existential place: how to remain emotionally alive and sensitive in a world shaped by suffering, violence, disappointment, depression, and meaninglessness. The conversation explores revolt, emotional endurance, vulnerability, and the tension between protecting oneself and remaining open to human connection. From there the dialogue moves through love, empathy, childhood emotional development, trauma, healing, meditation, close relationships, and emotional regulation. Questions surrounding trust after suffering, psychological fragmentation, and inherited emotional patterns are explored through philosophical and neuroscientific perspectives. The discussion then expands toward hatred, war, ideology, domestic violence, punishment, institutional failure, rehabilitation, dehumanization, and the construction of “the other.” Rather than reducing human behavior to rigid categories such as good and evil, both perspectives attempt to move beyond black and white thinking toward a more pluralistic understanding of human nature and contemporary life.Books mentioned in this episode: * Playing With Death [https://delshad.me/en/books/playing-with-death/] * The Secret Of Unity [https://delshad.me/en/books/the-secret-of-unity/] * The Myth of Sisyphus [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Sisyphus] * Beyond Good and Evil [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Good_and_Evil] Episodes related to the two-volume Neurophilosophy [https://delshad.me/en/podcasts/zharfa/two-volume-neurophilosophy/]: * Embracing nihilism [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84/%d9%87%d9%85-%d8%a2%d8%ba%d9%88%d8%b4%db%8c-%d8%a8%d8%a7-%d9%86%db%8c%d9%87%db%8c%d9%84%db%8c%d8%b3%d9%85/] * Earthy Provisions [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84/%d8%aa%d9%88%d8%b4%d9%87-%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d8%b2%d9%85%db%8c%d9%86%db%8c/] * On Why We Fight [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%a7%db%8c-%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%af%d9%88%d9%85/%da%86%d8%b1%d8%a7-%d9%85%db%8c-%d8%ac%d9%86%da%af%db%8c%d9%85/] * Responsibility Without Freewill [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84/%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%a6%d9%88%d9%84%db%8c%d8%aa-%d9%be%d8%b0%db%8c%d8%b1%db%8c-%d8%ba%db%8c%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%af%db%8c/] * Responsibility at the institutional level [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84/%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%a6%d9%88%d9%84%db%8c%d8%aa-%d9%be%d8%b0%db%8c%d8%b1%db%8c-%d8%ba%db%8c%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%af%db%8c/] Figures mentioned in this episode: * Sam Harris [https://www.samharris.org/] * Friedrich Nietzsche [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche] * Albert Camus [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Camus] * Slavoj Žižek [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavoj_%C5%BDi%C5%BEek] * Michel Foucault [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Foucault] * Jeffrey Epstein [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein] Key terms in this episode: * Pluralism [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluralism_(political_philosophy)] * Absurdism [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absurdism] * Dichotomy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichotomy] Get full access to Wisdorise English at wisdorise.substack.com/subscribe [https://wisdorise.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

After Psychedelics

In this conversation with Shauheen Etminan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauheen-etminan/], the discussion begins with war, displacement, and the psychological weight of watching events from a distance, then moves into psychedelics [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_drug] as one response to suffering, curiosity, and the search for meaning. The episode explores compounds, therapies, and the growing psychedelic landscape, while questioning the assumption that altered states necessarily lead to lasting change. As the dialogue unfolds, psychedelics are reframed not as solutions but as tools, raising questions about trauma, misuse, integration, and the gap between intense experiences and actual transformation. The conversation then shifts toward dreaming, lucid dreaming [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream], meditation, and oneirogens [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oneirogen] as more sustained forms of engaging with the mind, alongside references to older traditions, including ancient Iranian practices and Haoma [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haoma], and a brief turn toward nonduality [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nondualism] as a direction that remains open for further exploration. Related Research: * Judith Herman – trauma and PTSD [https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1n35d6w] * Gabor Maté – addiction and trauma [https://doi.org/10.1515/9781556438800] * Bruce Alexander – environment and addiction [https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00426988] My Related Books: * Psychonstructor [https://delshad.me/en/books/psychonstructor/] * Nondual Wisdom [https://delshad.me/en/books/nondual-wisdom/https://delshad.me/en/books/nondual-wisdom/] My Related Podcasts: * Bicycle Day - Zharfa Podcast [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84/%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%b2-%d8%af%d9%88%da%86%d8%b1%d8%ae%d9%87/] * Nondual Meditation - Dharma Podcast [https://dharmapodcast.com/meditation/season/non-dual-meditation/] * Introspection - Dharma Podcast [https://dharmapodcast.com/meditation/season/interpolation/] People mentioned in this episode: * Avicenna (Ibn Sina) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avicenna] * Michael Pollan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Pollan] * Sam Harris [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Harris] * James Fadiman [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Fadiman] * Ram Dass [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Dass] * Albert Hofmann [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann] * Timothy Leary [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Leary] * Terence McKenna [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_McKenna] * Dennis McKenna [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_McKenna] * Maria Sabina [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Sabina] * Matthew Perry [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Perry] * R. Gordon Wasson [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Gordon_Wasson] * Zoroastrianism [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism] * Sufism [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism] * Magi [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi] Key terms in this episode: * Ketamine [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketamine] * Psilocybin [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin] * MDMA [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA] * DMT [https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimetiltriptamin] * 5-MeO-DMT [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-MeO-DMT] * Ayahuasca [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayahuasca] * MAPS [https://maps.org/] * Microdosing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microdosing] * Tryptophan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan] Get full access to Wisdorise English at wisdorise.substack.com/subscribe [https://wisdorise.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Responsibility Without Free Will

In this conversation with Karoline Klerk [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karoline-klerk-3084364b/en?originalSubdomain=se] the discussion begins from the definition of responsibility itself, moving beyond blame and punishment toward a layered understanding. Responsibility is explored as a capacity in relation to oneself, to others and the environment, and to future generations, forming an interconnected structure rather than a single moral claim. The dialogue then contrasts different interpretations of responsibility, from a care-based and relational view to a more secular and institutional framing grounded in social function. From here the conversation moves into conditioning, where behavior is shaped by genetics, learning, culture, and language, challenging the idea of free will as a necessary foundation. This leads to a central tension: if human actions emerge from prior causes, what remains of responsibility. Instead of resolving this tension, the conversation reframes responsibility as something that persists without relying on metaphysical assumptions or true agency. The discussion also extends into a critique of ideologies, including religion, nationalism, and political systems, which are described as lacking responsibility toward others, the environment, and future consequences. In contrast, responsibility is linked to the capacity to question, to remain open, and to resist fixed frameworks. By the end the conversation converges on three layers of responsibility: responsibility toward oneself, toward others and the environment, and toward systems and future outcomes. Within this structure, responsibility is not grounded in free will but remains as a functional and unavoidable dimension of human life.References: * Libet (1983) – Unconscious cerebral initiative and voluntary action [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6640273/] * Delshad Tehrani (2026) – Responsibility Without Free Will [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19480217] Episodes related to the two-volume Neurophilosophy [https://delshad.me/en/podcasts/zharfa/two-volume-neurophilosophy/]: * The Dance of Will on the Stage of Illusion [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84/%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%87%d9%85-%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%db%8c-%d8%a2%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af/] * Responsibility at the Institutional Level [https://delshad.me/fa/%DA%98%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%A7/%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%B2%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A6%DB%8C/%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%B2%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A6%DB%8C-%D9%82%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%AA-%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%85/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A6%D9%88%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B3%D8%B7%D8%AD-%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF/] Figures mentioned in this episode: * Karl Popper [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Popper] * Alan Watts [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Watts] * Benjamin Libet [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Libet] Key terms in this episode: * Prefrontal cortex [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefrontal_cortex] * Bottom-Up/Top-Down mechanisms [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3072218/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3072218/] Clarification: In several Wisdorise episodes, I have used the term “metaphysics [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics]” not in the academic philosophical sense concerned with questions of mind, causality, time, identity, or the structure of reality, but rather in reference to transcendent and non-empirical systems of meaning and existence, including religious cosmologies, sacred narratives, divine moral authority, and models of consciousness assumed to exist beyond biological and neural processes. A more accurate description of my approach would perhaps be “post-metaphysical,” meaning that while recognizing the historical and cultural role of metaphysical systems, I suggest moving toward frameworks grounded more directly in neuroscience, cognitive science, and human experience. Get full access to Wisdorise English at wisdorise.substack.com/subscribe [https://wisdorise.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]