A Playful History of Pranks, Hoaxes, and One Legendary Mom

The Great Divorce: A Look at a New Play Entitled DECKNAMEN

This episode offers a detailed treatment for a two-act play titled Décknamen, which explores a fictionalized encounter between the young René Descartes and the alchemist Michael Maier in 1620 Prague. The narrative centers on the clash between emerging rationalism and ancient Hermetic wisdom, as Descartes seeks the mathematical secrets hidden within Maier’s musical and symbolic works. Through a series of mystical visions attributed to the Persian polyglot Ibn Sina, the play examines how the foundations of the modern scientific method may have been born from esoteric and magical traditions. The plot concludes with a tragic confrontation and a historical epilogue that reflects on the Thirty Years' War and the eventual suppression of spiritual science by secular logic. Ultimately, the author uses these historical figures to question whether humanity’s shift toward pure reason has cost the world its essential connection to the divine and the occult. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dottore.substack.com [https://dottore.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Gnosticism's Forbidden Myth

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dottore.substack.com [https://dottore.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

A Playful History of Pranks, Hoaxes, and One Legendary Mom

In this episode of The Deep Dive, we head into the strange and revealing world of April Fools’ Day. Why do we dedicate an entire day to deception? What does it say about our relationship with truth, trust, and the boundaries of humor? Emil Ahangarzadeh unpacks the cultural rituals of prank-pulling, exploring how this annual tradition exposes the tension between play and manipulation, between innocence and cruelty. Whether you love a good joke or dread being the butt of one, this episode invites you to reflect on what “gotcha” really means in an era flooded with misinformation. Read the original article here: https://dottore.substack.com/p/gotcha?r=71rzs&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false [https://dottore.substack.com/p/gotcha?r=71rzs&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dottore.substack.com [https://dottore.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Who Is Professionalism Really For?

Ever felt like you just don’t quite fit into what people call “professionalism”? You’re not imagining things. In this podcast episode based on the article "The Truth About Professionalism," Emil Ahangarzadeh argues that professionalism isn’t just about doing a good job—it’s a set of unspoken expectations rooted in specific cultural norms, primarily those aligned with Western European traditions. Discover how these dominant standards, shaped by Western European ideals, were developed to benefit particular groups and marginalize others, especially along racial, class, and gender lines. Learn how this plays out in subtle and explicit ways, from dress codes that disproportionately penalize Black professionals for wearing natural hair to demands that speakers of culturally rooted dialects “code-switch” to Standard American English. The episode explores how traditional professionalism functions as a system of social regulation and control, implicitly or explicitly asking those from non-dominant groups to shed parts of their identity. It’s time to abandon the myth that professionalism is a neutral or merit-based system. Tune in to hear a powerful vision for a radically reimagined professionalism that prioritizes the substance of someone’s work, valuing authenticity and collaboration over assimilation and quiet compliance. https://dottore.substack.com/p/the-truth-about-professionalism [https://dottore.substack.com/p/the-truth-about-professionalism] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dottore.substack.com [https://dottore.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Leslie Brand and Glendale

Welcome to The Dottore Chronicles. In this episode, join us as we delve into a story that's part local history, part ghost tale, and part scientific mystery, all centered around Glendale, California. We'll explore the legacy of Leslie Brand, Glendale's founding father, and his eccentric estate, El Miradero—now known as the Brand Library. But the real mystery lies just behind the mansion: a literal pyramid where Leslie Brand was buried in 1925. For decades, strange whispers and occurrences have been reported near this monument—from cold breezes and moans to phantom music. Some believe Brand himself haunts the hill, perhaps not alone. Prepare for a fascinating bloodline twist, however, because recent DNA evidence has emerged, suggesting Leslie Brand, long thought to have died childless, may have actually fathered a child out of wedlock—possibly more than one. This new information is changing the narrative, transforming the pyramid from a monument to a hiding place for secrets. And the hauntings? They seem to have evolved, too. Reports now include children's laughter, spectral sightings of a boy, and even phantom arguments between a man and a woman. Could these be the spirits of denied heirs, or simply the lingering energy of buried secrets? Tune in as we unpack this sprawling ghost story that might be more fact than fiction, where history, legend, and science collide in the hills above Glendale. https://dottore.substack.com/p/the-ghosts-of-glendale [https://dottore.substack.com/p/the-ghosts-of-glendale] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dottore.substack.com [https://dottore.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]