EF42 (S2-E3): Civil Individualism: Loneliness Atop Mount Empowerment

The big question driving Episode EF42 is ... What does it mean to be an individual? Sam Payne is finishing her Ph.D. in physics under the advisement of a professor making a controversial claim as to why the Big Bang wasn’t the beginning of the universe; his new theory of everything posits a universal force which is being interpreted as proof that God exists. Sam gets caught in the crossfire between the professor and the angry mob of protesting college students who believe he is trying to bring Creationism to universities. On a knife’s edge in life and career, the increasing pressure on Sam’s individualism is insisting on a drastic plan. Will Sam have the guts to carry it out? Humanity’s rise to the top of the food chain is due to our success as social creatures, so it can be confusing to sync that reality with our drive to also be individuals. With deep introspection into what got you to this point in life, can you actually define what it means to be a real individual? How would you to prove you have what it takes? Are you capable of creating completely new ideas that aren’t influenced by your predecessors, as Transcendental philosophers like Walden and Thoreau? Or maybe you think you must climb the mountain alone to create a better world, as Ayn Rand believed?

PLAY

(EF42) S2-E3: Civil Individualism: Loneliness Atop Mount EmpowermentPLAY | DOWNLOAD Going against society has the empowering feeling of standing alone on the top of a mountain. But is it even possible to climb to such heights without falling into the lonely pit of self-delusion? And what does it really mean to be an individual? More...

The big question driving Episode EF42 is … What does it mean to be an individual?

Sam Payne is finishing her Ph.D. in physics under the advisement of a professor making a controversial claim as to why the Big Bang wasn’t the beginning of the universe. The professor’s new theory of everything posits a universal force that is being interpreted as proof that God exists. Sam gets caught in the crossfire between the professor and the angry mob of protesting college students who believe he is trying to bring Creationism to universities. On a knife’s edge in life and career, the increasing pressure on Sam’s individualism is insisting on a drastic plan. Will Sam have the guts to carry it out?

Humanity’s rise to the top of the food chain is due to our success as social creatures, so it can be confusing to sync that reality with our drive to also be individuals. With deep introspection into what got you to this point in life, can you actually define what it means to be a real individual? How would you prove you have what it takes? Are you capable of creating completely new ideas that aren’t influenced by your predecessors, as Transcendental philosophers like Walden and Thoreau? Or maybe you think you must climb the mountain alone to create a better world, as Ayn Rand believed?

Into The Rabbit Hole

SHOW NOTES: This episode is dedicated to Justin Vernon. See the EF42 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

Season One: The journey begins as we embark on 11 episodes on big questions relating to MIND. What is the truth? Can we trust reason? Why do we have emotions? Does happiness define the good? What is identity? What is creativity?

(EF1) Trailer: The Evolve Faster Podcast (Extended) Trailer

(EF2) Intro: Life is a Near Death Experience: Welcome to The Evolve Faster Podcast

(EF3) S1-E1: All Aboard the Experience Machine: Destination…Unknown (Season One, Episode One)

(EF4) S1-E2: The Decapitation of Reason: A Skeptic’s Guide (Season One, Episode Two)

(EF5) S1-E3: The Truth is Clay in the Hands of a Sculptor (Season One, Episode Three)

(EF6) S1-E4: Information Mainlining and the Folly of Modern Wisdom (Season One, Episode Four)

(EF7) S1-E5: Sleight of Mind: The Black Magic of Rhetoric (Season One, Episode Five)

(EF8) S1-E6: Without a Compass: All Who Sail the Seas of Identity Are Not Lost (Season One, Episode Six)

(EF9) S1-E7: I Feel Therefore I am: Capsized by the River Emotion (Season One, Episode Seven)

(EF10) S1-E8: The Road to Happiness is Inked in Suffering (Season One, Episode Eight)

(EF11) S1-E9: When the Lights Go Out: The Blinding Light of an Artificial Future (Season One, Episode Nine)

(EF12) S1-E10: Wired to Fail: Leveling Up in the Game of Life (Season One, Episode Ten)

(EF13) S1-E11: The Bloody Fingerprint of Creativity (Season One, Episode Eleven)

(EF14) BTP: Behind the Evolve Faster Podcast - The Making of a Speculative Fiction Meets Philosophical Nonfiction Podcast

(EF15) AMA: Ask Me Anything: About Scott Ely and Evolving a Philosophy for Life

(EF16) BTP: On Creative Writing, Video Games and the Future of the Evolve Faster Podcast (About Antonio Rozich)

(EF17) BTP-EF3: What Am I Supposed To Do Free Will and Other Everyday Problems Behind the Podcast of Episode EF3

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

(EF19) BTP-EF4: Head Transplantation and Finding Inspiration for Speculative Fiction - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF4

(EF20) AMA-EF4: The Declining Value of Information and Taking Risks to Determine What is the Truth Ask Me Anything of Episode EF4

(EF21) BTP-EF5: Should Lying be Made Illegal and the Importance of Figuring Out Why You Believe What you Believe --Behind the Podcast of Episode EF5

(EF22) AMA-EF5: Defeating Fake News and Critical Thinking as the Superpower the World Needs Most Ask Me Anything of Episode EF5

(EF23) BTP-EF6: Scaling Mount Wisdom Without Suffocating Under an Avalanche of Ego Behind The Podcast of Episode EF6

(EF24) AMA-EF6: Is Less Really More When it Comes to the Pursuit of Wisdom or is Ignorance Bliss - Ask Me Anything of Episode EF6

(EF25) BTP-EF7: The Power of Propaganda and Rhetoric to Divide Us and the Quest for a Better World - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF7

(EF26) AMA-EF7: The Impossibility of Honest Politicians and Protecting Our Kids from The Most Insidious Fake News Ask Me Anything for Episode EF3

(EF27) BTP-EF8: Who are You and is it Possible to Upgrade Your Identity as an Adult? - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF8

(EF28) AMA-EF8: Drugs, Consciousness Manipulation and Cheating Your Way To a Better You - Ask Me Anything for Episode EF8

(EF29) BTP-EF9: Waging War Between Reason and Emotions and the Importance of Leaving Things Unresolved Behind the Podcast of Episode EF9

(EF30) AMA-EF9: Emotional Manipulation Tribalism and Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Think Before you Feel - Ask Me Anything for Episode EF9

(EF31) BTP-EF10: Dharma Modifying Negative Thinking and the Never-Ending Pursuit of Happiness by Embracing Suffering - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF10

(EF32) AMA-EF10: Mind Control Through a Well Chosen Tattoo and the Unlikely Case of Being Happy Enough - Ask Me Anything for Episode EF3

(EF33) BTP-EF11: The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Creativity - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF11

(EF34) AMA-EF11: On Perfection, the AI Alignment Problem, and the Possibility of Quantum Leaps of Creativity - Ask Me Anything for Episode EF11

(EF35) BTP-EF12: Cryptocurrencies Gaming and Leveraging Failure to Help Us Define Who We Are - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF12

(EF36) AMA-EF12: Pyrrhic Victory and Finding the 10% of Your Mind that Defines Who You Are - Ask Me Anything for Episode EF12

(EF37) BTP-EF13: Where Creativity Comes From and How to Find Your Uniquely Bloody Fingerprint - Behind the Podcast of Episode EF13

(EF38) AMA-EF13: Flow, Creative Improvisation and Other Altered States of Consciousness Ask Me Anything for Episode EF13

(EF39) S2-E0: LIFE, UPGRADED: Welcome to Season Two of the Evolve Faster Podcast

(EF40) S2-E1: Dehumanized: The Search for Self in the Devil’s Looking Glass

(EF41) S2-E2: Transhuman Fallibility: The Existential Risk of a Superhuman Future

(EF42) S2-E3: Civil Individualism: Loneliness Atop Mount Empowerment

(EF43) S2-E4: Evil Urges: The Fiery Duality of Human Nature

(EF44) S2-E5: Reality Unchained: Smashing the Icons of Social Delusion

(EF45) S2-E6: Weaving Society’s Web: Purpose in a Future Without Work

(EF46) S2-E7: Empathetic Distortion: Rigging the Scales of Justice

(EF47) S2-E8: Infinite Regress: Drawing Back The Veil of Perception

(EF48) S2-E9: Checkmate: A Child’s Guide to the Good Life

(EF49) S2-E10: The Domino Effect: The Momentum of an Unstoppable Future

document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function(event) {FWDMSPUtils.checkIfHasTransofrms();new FWDMSP({instanceName:'fwdmspPlayer7',playlistsId:'fwdmspMainPlaylistAll Episodes',mainFolderPath:'https://evolvefaster.com/wp-content/plugins/fwdmsp/content',skinPath:'hex_dark',showSoundCloudUserNameInTitle:'no',soundCloudAPIKey:'0aff03b3b79c2ac02fd2283b300735bd',googleAnalyticsTrackingCode:'UA-56018407-3',verticalPosition:'bottom',horizontalPosition:'center',useYoutube:'no',useDeepLinking:'no',rightClickContextMenu:'disabled',showButtonsToolTips:'yes',animate:'yes',autoPlay:'no',startAtRandomTrack:'no',loop:'no',shuffle:'no',maxWidth:1200,showMainBackground:'no',addKeyboardSupport:'yes',isLoggedIn:'no',playTrackOnlyWhenLoggedIn:'no',loggedInMessage:'Please login to play the track.',volume:0.8,useVideo:'no',showPlaybackRateButton:'no',defaultPlaybackRate:1,playbackRateWindowTextColor:'#000000',playTrackAfterPlaylistLoad:'no',showFullScreenButton:'yes',useHEXColorsForSkin:'yes',normalHEXButtonsColor:'#e03400',selectedHEXButtonsColor:'#d4cac4',toolTipsButtonsHideDelay:1.5,toolTipsButtonFontColor:'#5a5a5a',showControllerByDefault:'no',showThumbnail:'yes',showNextAndPrevButtons:'yes',disableScrubber:'no',showSoundAnimation:'yes',showLoopButton:'no',showShuffleButton:'no',showDownloadMp3Button:'yes',showShareButton:'no',showBuyButton:'no',expandBackground:'no',titleColor:'#ffffff',timeColor:'#ffffff',controllerHeight:76,startSpaceBetweenButtons:9,spaceBetweenButtons:8,separatorOffsetOutSpace:5,separatorOffsetInSpace:9,lastButtonsOffsetTop:14,allButtonsOffsetTopAndBottom:14,titleBarOffsetTop:13,mainScrubberOffsetTop:47,spaceBetweenMainScrubberAndTime:10,startTimeSpace:10,scrubbersOffsetWidth:2,scrubbersOffestTotalWidth:0,volumeButtonAndScrubberOffsetTop:47,spaceBetweenVolumeButtonAndScrubber:6,volumeScrubberOffestWidth:4,scrubberOffsetBottom:10,equlizerOffsetLeft:1,showPlaylistsButtonAndPlaylists:'no',showPlaylistsSearchInput:'no',usePlaylistsSelectBox:'yes',randomizePlaylist:'no',mainSelectorBackgroundSelectedColor:'#ffffff',mainSelectorTextNormalColor:'#ffffff',mainSelectorTextSelectedColor:'#000000',mainButtonTextNormalColor:'#888888',mainButtonTextSelectedColor:'#ffffff',showPlaylistsSelectBoxNumbers:'no',showPlaylistsByDefault:'no',thumbnailSelectedType:'opacity',startAtPlaylist:0,startAtTrack:0,buttonsMargins:0,thumbnailMaxWidth:330,thumbnailMaxHeight:330,horizontalSpaceBetweenThumbnails:40,verticalSpaceBetweenThumbnails:40,showPlayListButtonAndPlaylist:'yes',showPlayListOnAndroid:'yes',showPlayListByDefault:'no',showPlaylistItemPlayButton:'yes',showPlaylistItemDownloadButton:'yes',showPlaylistItemBuyButton:'yes',forceDisableDownloadButtonForPodcast:'yes',forceDisableDownloadButtonForOfficialFM:'yes',forceDisableDownloadButtonForFolder:'yes',addScrollBarMouseWheelSupport:'yes',showTracksNumbers:'yes',playlistBackgroundColor:'#000000',trackTitleNormalColor:'#888888',trackTitleSelectedColor:'#ffffff',trackDurationColor:'#888888',maxPlaylistItems:100,nrOfVisiblePlaylistItems:12,trackTitleOffsetLeft:0,playPauseButtonOffsetLeftAndRight:11,durationOffsetRight:9,downloadButtonOffsetRight:11,borderColor:'#333333',secondaryLabelsColor:'#a1a1a1',textColor:'#5a5a5a',inputBackgroundColor:'#000000',inputColor:'#ffffff',privatePassword:'428c841430ea18a70f7b06525d4b748a',scrollbarOffestWidth:7,openerAlignment:'right',showOpener:'yes',showOpenerPlayPauseButton:'yes',openerEqulizerOffsetLeft:3,openerEqulizerOffsetTop:-1,showPopupButton:'yes',popupWindowBackgroundColor:'#878787',popupWindowWidth:850,popupWindowHeight:354,showSearchBar:'no',showSortButtons:'no',searchInputColor:'#999999',searchBarHeight:38,inputSearchTextOffsetTop:1,inputSearchOffsetLeft:0});});