alAndar w/ Marcos & Jim

030. Philosophy Survey - Part 2

In this episode, we present Part 2/2, the Philosophy Survey, an alAndar first, which aims at asking and exploring basic yet fundamental questions in philosophy, and, therefore, vital in the understanding and appreciation of the human condition. Jim and Marcos, after exploring meaning, epistemology,and ethics in Part 1, now contemplate God. Who is God? What is God? Does He exist? Why so? Why not? And why does it matter? Listen to the full episode to learn more. Andamos! TIMESTAMPS (0:00) Preview (0:44) Beginning theme (1:14) Episode intro, context (3:36) Q1: Do you believe in God? And what does that mean to you? (22:10) Q2: What's the strongest argument against the existence of God? (42:27) Q3: Bonus: Would you take the blue or red pill in The Matrix? (45:05) Q4: What's the strongest argument in favor of the existence of God? (1:07:41) Conclusion (1:09:05) Ending theme (1:10:11) Button Marcos and Jim, as independent artists, need and greatly appreciate your support. Consider adding the podcast to your favorite podcatcher, leaving a comment, and/or sharing it with people you think would like it! We thank you, the Andarians and the Andariane! And let's make meaning on the way!   #alAndar #Philosophy #Survey #PhilosophySurvey #Socrates   MARCOS' LINKS - Bandcamp: https://marcosdelaguagua.bandcamp.com/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcos_de_la_guagua/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marcosdelaguagua - Website: www.MarcosdelaGuagua.com - X: https://twitter.com/delaguagua   JIM'S LINKS - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimnog/ - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimnog - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimnog27 - Website: www.JamesNoguera.com  - X: https://twitter.com/jimnog   CREDITS: - Art: James Noguera - Music: Marcos de la Guagua & Jim Nog - Episode edit: James Noguera - Show notes: James Noguera   DISCLAIMER: While Marcos and Jim may discuss political or religious topics, the main focus of the podcast is to talk about and share art. Silence or absence of opinion from one doesn't imply agreement or endorsement of the other's stance.

029. Philosophy Survey - Part 1

In this episode, Part 1 of a philosophical survey, Jim and Marcos answer some of the most difficult and fundamental questions in philosophy. The purpose is to give a general overview of Jim and Marcos' opinions on important questions, not so much because they're experts, they're not; but because these questions are important; and by exploring them together, we may better learn about life, what it's about, and why it's important. Listen to the full episode to learn more. Andamos! TIMESTAMPS (0:00) Preview (0:39) Beginning theme (1:10) Episode intro, context, outline (12:26) Q1: What is meaningful? (30:55) Q2: What is knowledge? It is possible? (52:13) Q3: What is morality? (1:14:29) Q4: What is morally good? (1:25:55) Ending Theme (1:27:01) Button Marcos and Jim, as independent artists, need and greatly appreciate your support. Consider adding the podcast to your favorite podcatcher, leaving a comment, and/or sharing it with people you think would like it! We thank you, the Andarians and the Andariane! And let's make meaning on the way!   #alAndar #Philosophy #Survey #PhilosophySurvey #Socrates   MARCOS' LINKS - Bandcamp: https://marcosdelaguagua.bandcamp.com/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcos_de_la_guagua/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marcosdelaguagua - Website: www.MarcosdelaGuagua.com - X: https://twitter.com/delaguagua   JIM'S LINKS - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimnog/ - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimnog - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimnog27 - Website: www.JamesNoguera.com  - X: https://twitter.com/jimnog   CREDITS: - Art: James Noguera - Music: Marcos de la Guagua & Jim Nog - Episode edit: James Noguera - Show notes: James Noguera   DISCLAIMER: While Marcos and Jim may discuss political or religious topics, the main focus of the podcast is to talk about and share art. Silence or absence of opinion from one doesn't imply agreement or endorsement of the other's stance.

028. Creative Control & Neurodivergence

Marcos shares personal details about his struggle for creative control amid neurodivergent dissonance. As an ADHD-er, Marcos struggles for focus amid a storm of creative effusion. Can Jim relate? What is there to learn through these personal experessions of vulnerability and struggle? Find out on alAndar! Andamos! Correction: The Poet's Cafe featuring your hosts Marcos de la Guaua and James Noguera will take place on May 8, 2025 at the Bronx Community College Writing Center (Sage Hall, Room 100) from 12pm-2pm. All are welcome. TIMESTAMPS (0:00) Preview (0:24) Beginning theme (0:53) Episode intro & context (6:24) Artist as CEO, vs. as farmer, vs. as forager (16:12) PIC 1 (29:44) PIC 2 & 3 (53:12) Efforts at organization (1:16:07) Findings & implications (1:21:31) Ending Theme (1:22:38) Button Marcos and Jim, as independent artists, need and greatly appreciate your support. Consider adding the podcast to your favorite podcatcher, leaving a comment, and/or sharing it with people you think would like it! We thank you, the Andarians and the Andariane! And let's make meaning on the way!   #alAndar #CreativeControl #Neurodiversity #ADHD #Productivity   MARCOS' LINKS - Bandcamp: https://marcosdelaguagua.bandcamp.com/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcos_de_la_guagua/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marcosdelaguagua - Website: www.MarcosdelaGuagua.com - X: https://twitter.com/delaguagua   JIM'S LINKS - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimnog/ - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimnog - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimnog27 - Website: www.JamesNoguera.com  - X: https://twitter.com/jimnog   CREDITS: - Art: James Noguera - Music: Marcos de la Guagua & Jim Nog - Episode edit: James Noguera - Show notes: James Noguera   DISCLAIMER: While Marcos and Jim may discuss political or religious topics, the main focus of the podcast is to talk about and share art. Silence or absence of opinion from one doesn't imply agreement or endorsement of the other's stance.

027. We Need Fake Stories

In this episode, Marcos and Jim dive into the need for fiction. Inspired by a recent Jim Nog blog post [https://www.jamesnoguera.com/blog/2025/1/26/why-you-need-fake-stories], Marcos and Jim discuss why we need fiction, why we are reading less than before, and what we can do about it. TIMESTAMPS (0:00) Preview (0:54) Beginning theme (1:23) Context: The cultural bias against fiction (4:44) Context: Storytelling humans (5:57) Need: We learn via stories (15:17) Need: Entertainment’s Advantage (30:06) Need: Fiction as Virtual Reality (43:44) Worry: We don't read as much anymore (55:42) Action: Law 1: Make It Obvious (1:03:33) Action: Law 2: Make It Attractive (1:10:49) Action: Law 3: Make It Easy (1:16:13) Action: Law 4: Make It Satisfying (1:23:41) Discussion: The Three-Body Problem (w/ a few spoilers) (1:32:54) Reading Club update & conclusion (1:37:33) Ending Theme (1:38:38) Button REFERENCES (in order of mention) - "The Story of Storytelling" [https://harpers.org/archive/2019/03/the-story-of-storytelling/] by Ferris Jabr - "Why and How Did Narrative Fictions Evolve? Fictions as Entertainment Technologies" [Why and How Did Narrative Fictions Evolve? Fictions as Entertainment Technologies] by Edgar Dubourg and Nicolas Baumard - Superintelligence [https://www.amazon.com/Superintelligence-Dangers-Strategies-Nick-Bostrom-ebook/dp/B00LOOCGB2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1GN6M6MYTZ8TY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.j-SPo3Np46gYrs3lt2p-GaYXgDN1xmdI6OcjPkTpLpcj-PI5dN39yaSWTpD9v929n3Xs82vBV69J4Okm_gE2HxNGNX9YsqiE7hAJdcHwOV71S7o-zmy0JdWN5bNJfj-vBA3hwKbWAbKK2w9NfMyQYLZYhX-lYJzrzXTMo3qCQKbqLvlHs0w1YsFci0p3PwnJ_JzXqbn9DladUv6pDehJHNLDIa8uaKu2dJo1WJplGfM.R452G70ksF66OwZ86jQc55PCcYU-C1g3NJERtrOH_lM&dib_tag=se&keywords=superintelligence+by+nick+bostrom&qid=1741807016&sprefix=superintelli%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-1] by Nick Bostrom - Uncle Tom's Cabin [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/203?msg=welcome_stranger] by Harriet Beecher Stowe - Against Empathy [https://www.amazon.com/Against-Empathy-Case-Rational-Compassion-ebook/dp/B01CY2LCZI/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3GMTB3BX2EVAY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lP3cBZK0tyeAMjnvYlVL9eJ7_JgZTc1zvxgnHTnDh4t7CFarnzPLXxfsQAZsQDcikx5Caj7aEsw8FiWQBDuPugAQiX4iRf4Et8IOQpKG-5imWp76vKt3ZY7wyWBjAwA6Vu98J6ogla_TCRBy4bywOT7yr6WyhuOOBSPicHPbn5s.BEr790Rf4EGrmcH62GIRt2vhLPob4wZ_nIw3qdvDGjA&dib_tag=se&keywords=against+empathy+by+paul+bloom&qid=1741807187&sprefix=against+empathy+by+paul+bloom%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-1] by Paul Bloom - ⁠John 15:13⁠ [https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/John-15-13/] (The Holy Bible, KJB) - "Over 50% of Americans haven’t read a book in the past year [2022 Study]" [https://wordsrated.com/american-reading-habits-study/] by Nicholas Rizzo - "Teens Today Spend More Time on Digital Media, Less Time Reading" [https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2018/08/teenagers-read-book] by APA - "Speaking of Psychology: Why our attention spans are shrinking, with Gloria Mark, PhD" [https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/attention-spans#:~:text=Research%20has%20shown%20that%20over%20the%20past%20couple,people%E2%80%99s%20attention%20spans%20have%20shrunk%20in%20measurable%20ways.] by APA - "Why We Don't Read, Revisited [https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/why-we-dont-read-revisited]" by Caleb Crain - Atomic Habits [https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break-ebook/dp/B07D23CFGR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2UBNFWLYSSQ8V&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.G10OcNQC8qYpz6NPBCUP4fZlL2M446_7L5EvE8IeDyrgZBp_59zwzzKKIB2H1Rml70OuxEBZewfwatZg5ZCT2-UwIzAnGkglpv1zzY_goisoj_IWk0Q942M6RR1o7Zqr7A3VkKBRqMh883xOMBnGTOvAnGs4nCNMaTV-bQc3LiokRKh8rdXhMgZ2CizorbAq4LD8sZQXlP8akGm4YWiqgmEdIodZ291sGlAVIHJ6nts.1CVKMGoROrfTsT58U4j44xT2RS4_E1cZWPrZUjzD5DA&dib_tag=se&keywords=atomic+habits&qid=1741807896&sprefix=atomic+habit%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-1]by James Clear - Building & Changing Habits | J - The Peter Attia Drive - Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/building-changing-habits-james-clear/id1400828889?i=1000682112834] - Controlling Your Dopamine For Motivation, Focus & Satisfaction - Huberman Lab | Podcast on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/42F7z6Z4CB8hJAstRqMCiV] - Lofi Girl [https://www.youtube.com/@LofiGirl] on Youtube - Sula [https://www.amazon.com/Sula-Toni-Morrison-ebook/dp/B000TWUTY6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=942T66X3RW1E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jL83kEZDDGEQ203eKSm2FDpMZHf8-odeowK1_GNdM3L0whN6AsjpRJdK95qOoQKcZlmW182hyNUgUG5_kf6S1of_mXYMadbQzJVNJX70nJ2w7np9ROy-uPTVP3D7bKqnqe_0ttl8obRPX0ZSYDeYehwOQoHgo5BVSAkADrENk96aaJD8ELr2wVAlpZxpJz41e69iDSZExmeDBsGRHppx1s5QD8b_Ne_4STHKcFZ6xNU.ncUu5vmjENyE58jmuIz-OnMVdeWnbghZ-zX4CdShSrE&dib_tag=se&keywords=sula&qid=1741809557&sprefix=sula%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-1] by Toni Morrison - The Three-Body Problem [https://www.amazon.com/Three-Body-Problem-Remembrance-Earths-Past-ebook/dp/B00IQO403K/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1340305246545257&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZNlYlgzUgSm0VK_1ewaqYdmQUIdELM1EhlKHb4daBXfacSsYrGqLX877tEtlsqLoCeXn8aZ8qQ_o6sNJrc5SFabOj9UWeGZ5ZX88JRbsQ1GS1qU6YMdpAgtCan2k8WGIeoMVRqJ0pbtCtS3GpWvhzp3GF2AXMUryYXNtQhBATZ7CWtdmjIhrJD7mPjGUO1UniMf7myk6kURf3gkK9WQ5EMk7kP9B6juRWjBKieM1li8.9VxiHZBmi0axQFWKTQsEtP-3_A-SqkFCF_PIEVmg_pI&dib_tag=se&hvadid=83769316491158&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=99634&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83769442501882%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=22537_13494504&keywords=three-body+problem&mcid=19c3fc393ef737198e861316e9a037d6&msclkid=1ab89510a2841f94a189f2c17ec70f37&qid=1741806679&sr=8-1] by Cixin Liu - "The Paper Managerie [https://jerrywbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/The-Paper-Menagerie-Liu-Ken.pdf]" by Ken Liu   Marcos and Jim, as independent artists, need and greatly appreciate your support. Consider adding the podcast to your favorite podcatcher, leaving a comment, and/or sharing it with people you think would like it! We thank you, the Andarians and the Andariane! And let's make meaning on the way!   #alAndar #Fiction #Stories #Reading #Habits   MARCOS' LINKS - Bandcamp: https://marcosdelaguagua.bandcamp.com/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcos_de_la_guagua/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marcosdelaguagua - Website: www.MarcosdelaGuagua.com - X: https://twitter.com/delaguagua   JIM'S LINKS - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimnog/ - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimnog - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimnog27 - Website: www.JamesNoguera.com  - X: https://twitter.com/jimnog   CREDITS: - Art: James Noguera - Music: Marcos de la Guagua & Jim Nog - Episode edit: James Noguera - Show notes: James Noguera   DISCLAIMER: While Marcos and Jim may discuss political or religious topics, the main focus of the podcast is to talk about and share art. Silence or absence of opinion from one doesn't imply agreement or endorsement of the other's stance.

026. Envelopes of Care and Universal Basic Guarantees

How much of your work is caring for what you really care about?  Marcos workshops an outline [https://delaguagua.com/blog-de-la-guagua/blog/7520488/why-don-t-economists-talk-about-love-recognizing-the-power-of-envelopes-of-care] of his observations of how "Envelopes of Care"(EOCs) backed by “Universal Basic Guarantees” (UBGs) contour our world. Jim seeks context and explores connections to theories of value, change and evolution. Marcos questions: How do ecosystems generate and build? Do we need a better "theory of value", or more accurate stories of the social-work of "valu-ing"? If the value of money comes from taxation [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alandar-w-marcos-jim/id1664323039?i=1000680131507], imposing a burden can be a source of value, but not all burdens are the same. The burdens of parenting may lead to life. The burden of student-loan debt seems less constructive. What if we saw this as a design problem? Maybe then economists could talk about love, and help align labor and resources with purpose, so we could actually care for what we care about. TIMESTAMPS  (0:00) Preview: Backing EOCs by UBGs  (0:43) alAndar theme  (1:14) Greetings/Intro   (3:45) Excerpt from blog post  (5:25) Back-story of thoughts  (7:59) Defining EOCs backed by observation  (13:07) Contrasting with "theories of value"  (19:00) Jim on different ways of looking at value  (23:18) Marcos "seeking that middle-path", Keynes and FDR, Why seek novel terms like "EOC" and "UBG"?  (29:20) Jim reflects on the difficulty of issues, valuation and social change.  (33:00) Jim questions EOC/UBG anologies with nature  (34:30) Competition vs. co-operation in nature and anthropology  (41:17) "Why is there something rather than nothing?"  (52:05) Envelopes of Care vs. Extinction  (54:14) Competition & Co-operation embed in systems   (57:37) Marcos: EOCs backed by UBGs as tools for social change   (59:33) alAndar outro theme (1:00:37) Kicker Marcos and Jim, as independent artists, need and greatly appreciate your support. Consider adding the podcast to your favorite podcatcher, leaving a comment, and/or sharing it with people you think would like it! We thank you, the Andarians! ¡Gracias andarianes! ¡Andamos! This episode is edited and described by Marcos. #alAndar #MarcosdelaGuagua #JimNog #friendship #MMT #purpose #carework #ecconomy #progressive #alternative #EOCs #UBGs #Latino #men #Lutheran #Christian #skeptical #socialdemocracy #evolution  MARCOS' LINKS - Bandcamp: https://marcosdelaguagua.bandcamp.com/ - Instagram: @marcos_de_la_guagua - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marcosdelaguagua - Website: www.MarcosdelaGuagua.com -FB: facebook.com/guaguaelectrica JIM'S LINKS - Instagram: @jimnog - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimnog - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimnog27 - Website: www.JamesNoguera.com  - X: @jimnog While Marcos and Jim may discuss political or religious topics, Marcos and Jim are creative artists sharing their points of view. Silence or absence of opinion from one doesn't imply agreement or endorsement of the other's stance. If Jim was funny and Marcos didn’t laugh, his mic was silenced because he was laughing to loudly.