The Absurd World Podcast

Ep. 70 - Do I Exist?

I exist. I am a human being who exists. I know this. I feel this. But how do I actually describe it? Do I list my traits? My personality? My qualities? Do these things really explain my existence, or am I something more than all of them? In this weeks episode, I explore what it truly means to exist and how we might begin to understand ourselves beyond the labels we so often identify with. With the help of English existential psychotherapist Mick Cooper, alongside insights from Sartre, Jaspers, May, and others, we dive into the nature of human existence and discover that what we usually mean by "existence" is only the beginning. Perhaps misunderstanding what it means to exist is also why we so often struggle to understand how to live.

Ep. 69 - Do I Actually Experience Time?

There are many things we question on this podcast. We challenge assumptions, call out ideas we take for granted, and examine the concepts we think we understand. But surely there are some things so fundamental to our existence that they are beyond questioning... Time, for example. In this weeks episode, we turn to Italian theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli, who argues that time is far less straightforward than it appears. As we explore the many ways humans experience, understand, and attempt to measure time, we begin to see that even our most basic assumptions about reality may not be as certain as we once believed. Perhaps the hardest things to define are the very things we think we already know.

Ep. 68 - How Do I Live With OCD?

You hear about it all the time. People claim to have it, joke about it, and reduce it to a collection of quirky habits. But for those who actually live with OCD, there is nothing funny about it. So let us explore what it really is. In this weeks episode, I introduce obsessive compulsive disorder and the deeply existential nature of this widely misunderstood condition. Together, we explore the neuroscience, daily experience, philosophy, and treatment of OCD, examining what it is actually like to live with a mind caught in cycles of doubt, fear, and uncertainty. With the help of existential psychotherapist Viktor Frankl, we may discover that relief from suffering is not found through certainty, but through a fundamentally existential shift in how we relate to uncertainty itself.

Ep. 67 - Should I Take Psychedelics?

Are you tired of being a square? Tired of always doing what you are told? Tired of following the rules and seeing reality the same way everyone else seems to? Well... have you ever considered psychedelics? In this weeks episode, we swan dive into the world of reality altering substances as we explore whether there is really only one way to experience reality. Guided by journalist Michael Pollan and his book How to Change Your Mind, with a guest appearance from philosopher and psychologist William James, we investigate some of the most misunderstood substances in human history. Together, we ask whether psychedelics reveal an entirely different way of being, perceiving, and understanding the world... or whether they simply convince us that they do.

Ep. 66 - Am I The Hero Of My Own Journey? - Jung Part 3

We hear so much about change. About finding ourselves, becoming authentic, and creating meaning in our lives. But would it not be nice if someone handed us a map? In this weeks episode, and the final installment in our three part series on Jungian psychology, we explore the possibility that such a map may already exist. With the help of American thinker and writer Joseph Campbell, and with an extra Jungian flair, we dive into the concept of the Hero’s Journey to ask what it truly means to become whole. Using stories like Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Lord of the Rings, and Kingdom of Heaven, we explore both the metaphorical and very real journey that may lie ahead of us.