Key Thinking (Aloud)
99 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 11 ratingsCasual philosophy & cultural criticism with Keith Telfeyan. Keith is a writer and artist born in California, living in Berlin. He takes a contrarian perspective toward triggering topics, but with curiosity and compassion. Support Keith on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/keithtelfeyan
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Episodes
Pew Political Test 2024
February 06, 2024 05:00 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBI'm curious where I stand these days on the political spectrum. I identify as a radical centrist, giving both sides their due and chosing neither (most of the time). But I suppose our views are relative to one another, so my moderate thoughts might seem more leftist or conservative, depending on the populace I'm a part of. Anyways, you be the judge, based on my answers to each question. A video version of this podcast is available on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/pew-research-9801...
Squaring Race with the American Dream
January 16, 2024 22:00 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBMartin Luther King dreamed that people would one day be judged not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. How are we doing with that?
Israel's cause is morally justifiable
October 19, 2023 01:00 - 46 minutes - 30.7 MBIt is the moral impulse of many that Palestine is an oppressed victim, exploited by a colonizer apartheid Israel. History doesn't explain this, nor do the religious and cultural differences between Israel and Palestine. It is more just and virtuous to advance society through education, medicine and technology, to recognize the human rights and dignities of women, children and gays, to attract tourism of all sorts, and to defend an existing homeland... than to wage constant war against your ne...
Politicizing Mainstream Things (a baseball/pride story)
May 30, 2023 05:00 - 35 minutes - 48.2 MBThe Los Angeles Dodgers have been going through quite an interesting set of controversies lately, surrounding their LGBTQ Pride Night in June. It's been pretty silly to watch. And it makes me wonder: why are things that are meant to be inclusive so often actually divisive? Is it wrong to focus on celebrating truly universal things? Given that people's interests and experiences vary so wildly in a pluralist society, what's the proper amount of compromise?
The Case of Jordan Neely
May 12, 2023 23:00 - 49 minutes - 68.6 MBA New Yorker died on the subway recently. He was mentally unwell, and the city hadn't done anything productive to deal with his situation, which was ultimately decided in a complicated and controversial form of vigilante justice. This is a teaching opportunity for New York and our society - it'll be interesting to see how it plays out. Hopefully radical politics don't interfere with what can certainly be a rational and popular solution: mandatory institutionalization.
The Toxicity of Online Spaces
April 12, 2023 23:00 - 48 minutes - 66.6 MBI was banned from several subreddits recently, for merely commenting in a totally separate community. Maybe you think it's a good thing, that certain voices be silenced in order to protect others from dangerous ideas, or something like that. But it must be recognized: an insidious trend is growing - people are power-tripping, possessed by idiology, and turning everything political. Conversations are getting harder, people more radical, and spaces less tolerant. I shouldn't be banned from part...
Climate change - what are we afraid of, exactly?
March 23, 2023 21:45 - 50 minutes - 69.1 MBClimate change is a real thing, and I'm not going to say that I don't care about it. But I will say that I don't worry about it to the extent that it feels like we're asked to. I don't see it as the biggest crisis of our time, and in fact, I think that mindset can be quite dangerous. I'm more just confused why we don't appreciate our ability to master our environment, and aim to harmonize with the planet, instead of remorsefully deify it. I don't relate to the worship of this earth goddess co...
Why I can't simply "trust the science"
March 01, 2023 01:00 - 34 minutes - 47.7 MBA new study shows that mask mandates were essentially ineffective. The lab-leak hypothosis is being strongly favored by a broad consensus. The impact of the actual corona virus seems less and less fatal, while draconian lockdown measures are proving worse and worse for individuals and society as a whole. And yet, throughout the havoc of the pandemic, we were told to "trust the science", as if science were some sort of authoritative monolith, not to be questioned. Ironically, that's the very o...
How to think about violence
January 31, 2023 15:00 - 39 minutes - 54.5 MBWhat counts as violence? Certainly a mass shooting, but how about being bumped on the subway? How do we balance our sensitivities with the brutal facts about the world? Can we regulate away everything that offends us? Is it really possible to live in a safe world? I think not. And I wonder what the point even is to the whole gun control debate. The real issue to be dealing with, in my opinion, is mental health care and support. I'd rather work towards a more compassionate system for derranged...
How to think about value
December 20, 2022 23:00 - 51 minutes - 70.8 MBDeterming the worth of something is difficult enough... we usually let markets decide for us. But value? There are so many more factors than price and quality. Opportunity costs, time and energy, other people's influences and perspectives - it's a tricky endeavor, and one I've been sort of obsessed with lately. Whether it's a commodity, experience or life decision, deciding on what I value - and how to best do that - is something I really need to think through.
Travel Journal: Panama
December 09, 2022 01:00 - 50 minutes - 69.9 MBI recently returned from another trip to the Caribbean, this time centered on the Panama Canal. It wasn't the most amazing trip. In fact, I don't really even recommend going to Panama (unless you have a clear reason to).
Sex & Love Addiction
November 23, 2022 03:00 - 1 hour - 83.1 MBI think of myself as a hedonist - I pursue instant gratifications, even at the risk of long-term goals. Does that make me an addict? I recently accompanied a friend to a sex+love addiction anonymous meeting. They gave me a pamphlet with 40 questions. I answer them now.
My California election ballot: State offices
November 07, 2022 22:00 - 1 hour - 87.6 MBCalifornia: 40 million people, 12% of the USA, 52 House Representatives (down from 53), 1 of 2 senators up for (re)election, a slew of top Democrats up for re-election, including Gavin Newsom. It's not always clear which way to go here, and of the nine offices, I'm splitting my vote somewhat evenly between Dems and Reps, because I think conservatives do have ideas and attitudes worth injecting to our suffering state. I value balance more than anything, and despise ideological indoctrination, ...
My California election ballot: the local LA stuff
November 04, 2022 23:00 - 1 hour - 57.9 MBEveryone running for government positions in Los Angeles is left of center - there are no conservatives or Republicans in these races. That said, some candidates are more radically far left than others, and some are more sensible. This city has been plagued by homelessness for too long, all under the watch of the Democratic party. Crime is on the rise. Am I crazy for wanting a different perspective to hold public office? To balance things out a bit? I'm not eager for conservatives to take ove...
My California election ballot: the propositions
November 02, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 66.7 MBLiberty, efficiency and respect for the commons - these are my guiding principles as a voting citizen. I don't believe in moralizing through legislation, and I prefer pragmatism over idealism for its own sake. It's also crucial to contextualize every policy decision, to consider its costs as well as benefits, and to scrutinize the players, profiteers and motives behind each argument. All that said, hopefully we can all appreciate our shared goal for the flourishing of humankind. The Calif...
Energy as a Belief System
October 20, 2022 01:00 - 30 minutes - 55.7 MBI spoke last time about energy as fuel, and as a tradable, creatable commodity. Now I'd like to speak more to this amorphous, spiritual form of energy. This is a quick meditation on the invisible forces in our lives, and how we might perceive them.
Energy
September 30, 2022 18:00 - 55 minutes - 76.5 MBen·er·gy /ˈenərjē/ noun 1. the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity. "changes in the levels of vitamins can affect energy and well-being" (Similar: vitality, vigor, life, liveliness, animation, vivacity, spirit) 2. power derived from the utilization of physical or chemical resources, especially to provide light and heat or to work machines. "nuclear energy"
Passing Time
September 19, 2022 23:00 - 50 minutes - 69.9 MBI'm recuperating in my hometown at my parents' home, passing time with video games and other indulgences, wondering about life and what I should really be doing with myself. It's a balancing act, to be sure: being nice to yourself while also monitoring your habits for dangerous tendencies. We pursue what makes us feel good - that's not exactly pleasure, but more like flow and being present. All sorts of interests can accomplish this; some of us pursue one or two, others like me pursue many of...
On Disappointment
August 23, 2022 13:00 - 1 hour - 57 MBIt's inevitable that we feel disappointed, and disappoint others in our interpersonal relationships. How do we handle it? What is to be done with the negative feelings involved? Whose responsibility are these feelings? A close friend disappointed me in a very casual, small way - nothing to fight over at all - and yet we did manage to have a little fight about it. Why? Let's think about it.
Disorganized Feelings
August 18, 2022 16:00 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBDo our feelings matter? What's the point of them? I feel things, but I try not to talk about them too much, except as they pertain to useful thoughts. Maybe I complain about life as much as anyone, but does anyone want to hear about it? Lately I'm feeling especially disorganized and out of sorts. Maybe it's useful to think through this sort of feeling, this annoying feeling of not having things together. I would very much like to be a more organized person, for everything in its right place.
Inclusivity: What's the Point, Really?
August 03, 2022 16:00 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBI'm currently disabled from a recent injury, and thinking a lot about what it means to be "able-bodied", and this idea of ableism. And that gets me thinking about the tremendous social pressure these days to use "inclusive language". No one likes to feel excluded, and I can say now with experience that it's no fun to feel like the world was designed without you in mind... But is it really possible to help marginalized people with language? Is that the sort of help people really need? Or might...
Wokephobia
July 23, 2022 14:00 - 1 hour - 68.8 MBCharacterized by having a fear or disdain of woke ideology. After meandering around the topic of trans activism, I've settled on sharing my triggered thoughts and feelings on all such topics here: the commonality behind all radical leftist PC language in general, which evokes in me more than anything else a strong sense of ALIENATION. What is this strange new world order we're subject to, and why must we submit to it?? How many friends and connections do I lose as a result of dissenting? What...
Why is it so hard to talk (about abortion... still)
June 29, 2022 01:00 - 53 minutes - 74 MBRoe v Wade has been overturned, officially. This topic remains such a difficult one for us to discuss collectively. For me, to record this alone, in my room, it's somehow a meditative experience. Join me as I think out loud in all sorts of directions, free (as possible) from all the noise I've been seeing on the internet.
California Politics
June 04, 2022 00:00 - 58 minutes - 81.8 MBI'm embracing contrarian thinking. I've never thought of myself as controversial, but people tell me I am. I just appreciate nuance, and despise groupthink. It's important to seriously consider facts and goals before forming opinions, and this podcast offers a space to do that.
The End of Safe, Legal Abortions?
May 27, 2022 23:00 - 27 minutes - 49.5 MBRoe v Wade is in danger. What does this mean? Is it really as bad as liberals say? And what kind of victory would that mean for conservatives? There's plenty of nuance here that I think is worth considering.
Wayward America
April 25, 2022 23:00 - 36 minutes - 66.7 MBA critique of going to a baseball game, and going to the cinema. Both of these collective experiences should be nicer. Uptight, rigid attitudes and declining quality of product are making them unpleasant.
How to Make a Best-Of List
March 16, 2022 19:00 - 33 minutes - 60.9 MBMy dad and I are trying to make a best-of classic rock list. I think it's interesting how we each approach this sort of idea. And one has to wonder, perhaps: is it even worth it? How much energy is worth giving any random project?
The Left Eats Its Own
March 07, 2022 08:00 - 50 minutes - 68.8 MBA story of a Reddit comments section
Peace with Russia
February 27, 2022 03:00 - 43 minutes - 59.1 MBThinking through some of the complexities in this sad act of war by Russia against Ukraine. Is peace possible with Russia? Or does it have too many irreconcilable issues, geopolitically and psychologically?
Free Speech 2022
February 17, 2022 03:00 - 55 minutes - 76.4 MBFreedom, specifcally personal liberty, is one of my fundamental values. There are some current events that might be threatening it. The Canadian government's threats against a trucker Convoy, and the recent attempt at canceling Joe Rogan, are both kind of interesting topics to discuss through the lens of personal freedoms. When are we not allowed to say what we think?
Covid Solstice
December 22, 2021 02:00 - 36 minutes - 66.2 MBI like recognizing the pagan roots in our holidays. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, where the sun is at its lowest point. It's a good reminder of the delicate balance of life, of how unkind nature can be, but how bountiful it can be in the future. I'm feeling especially pensive this year, especially worn out, and also sick. I have Covid.
Open Minded
December 02, 2021 16:00 - 47 minutes - 87.6 MBWhat does it mean to have an open mind? Is it possible to have strong convictions if you're mind is actually open? Are there any dangers to opening your mind to certain ideas? Is it always the coolest thing, or is passé now to be open-minded?
Radical Centrism (and the Kyle Rittenhouse trial)
November 17, 2021 00:00 - 50 minutes - 92.7 MBKyle Rittenhouse is a 17yo boy on trial for murder right now in the USA. Is he guilty? I don't think so. And I say that without any ideological allegiances. Let's take out our political biases and look at this case as rationally as possible (if it is even possible). There's a lot to unpack here.
Workflow / Lifeflow
November 02, 2021 14:00 - 50 minutes - 91.7 MBI aim for a minimalist life with maximum output. I succeed at one of those more than the other. I believe technology and design can help solve my output issues by removing barriers - both physical and mental - in my work. This applies to travel as well, and to my neurodivergent brain in particular.
Berlin Politics
October 02, 2021 01:00 - 1 hour - 74.3 MBI took the Wahl-o-Mat online quiz and it tells me I should vote for the Humanist party. "(Die Humanisten) see themselves as a social, liberal and progressive party that focuses on the freedom of the individual. In doing so, she invokes evolutionary humanism and advocates a critical-rational political approach that relies particularly on scientific knowledge and - regardless of the political trend - is open to all effective political concepts." I go through the 38 questions and compare my ans...
Feeling Overwhelmed
September 28, 2021 18:00 - 32 minutes - 30 MBJust a bit of an anxiety attack on an autumn day; lots of admin stress. I'm bad at bureacratic work.
Yeah, Afghanistan is a mess
September 01, 2021 17:00 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBJust a few thoughts on the Afghanistan situation that I haven't heard articulated yet. Mainly: Is this even a real, legitimate sovereign country? Maybe its borders are an inherent problem. Maybe the global community should help the major ethnic tribes in the region establish their own autonomous states. Do Westerners who support isolation as a foreign policy really have such little conviction in their own underlying value systems? It seems evident that the Western system of governence (based ...
Flaneur Life
August 09, 2021 16:00 - 41 minutes - 56.5 MB"A flâneur is an ambivalent figure of urban affluence and modernity, representing the ability to wander detached from society with no other purpose than to be an acute observer of industrialized, contemporary life." I am a flaneur. "The flâneur was, first of all, a literary type from 19th-century France, essential to any picture of the streets of Paris. The word carried a set of rich associations: the man of leisure, the idler, the urban explorer, the connoisseur of the street. It was Walter...
A New Earth
July 12, 2021 22:00 - 27 minutes - 37.6 MBPresence, awareness and trasnscendence of ego - reflections on reading Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth. Be one with the universe.
Woke Capitalism & Virtue Signaling
July 02, 2021 06:00 - 46 minutes - 64 MBPride Month honors the hardfought accomplishments of the gay rights movement, but has become a sort of husk of what it's meant to honor: a limp season of market pandering to an already progressive USA. Rainbow flags are worn by countless logos, signifying a point so obvious to so many as to constitute almost nothing.. except dutiful virtue signaling. What's the point of all this?
Drugs & Party Culture
June 23, 2021 20:00 - 55 minutes - 76 MBDrugs are substances that alter consciousness, broadly speaking. But their subsets are vastly different: psychedelics are nothing like opioids, and even within a class like uppers, crystal meth is wildly different than caffeine. Let's think through the reasons why people take various drugs, explore the underlying implications and consequences, and contextualize each case, especially within party culture.
Travel: Miami
June 07, 2021 23:00 - 32 minutes - 58.6 MBHere's an endorsement to travel again. I can recommend Miami, Florida, for people that want some fun and sun. Covid is less threatening these days and it's time to get back out there.
Why I (Mostly) Defend Israel
May 20, 2021 07:00 - 56 minutes - 77.9 MBI used to be "pro-Palestine". Now I'm "pro-Israel", but to be honest, I'm mostly just annoyed by how society talks about this topic. Why is this the singular geopolitical issue that bascially everyone has an opinion about? And why is it so much trendier and cooler to support Palestine?
Am I Sexist?
May 08, 2021 00:00 - 56 minutes - 77 MBWhat is sexism? I don't even know anymore tbh, but I know it's a sort of third rail that I sometimes flirt with, depending on context. I want to discuss this honestly and openly, and really explore what sort of ideas I hold that could be problematic. I'm taking an IDR Labs test here to figure out if I may indeed hold any sexist attitudes.
I'm Vaccinated
April 28, 2021 06:00 - 45 minutes - 63.2 MBI remain pretty agnostic about it. People that want a vaccination should get one (and have access to it). The goal is herd immunity; the real goal is freedom of movement, open culture and a return to "normalcy". I want to live! And if getting a little bit of death in my arm leads to that, then I'm for it. But it should be a personal decision, ultimately.
Moral Foundations (Part 2)
April 14, 2021 18:00 - 1 hour - 70.8 MBMoral Foundations Theory attempts to explain individual differences in psychology and political intuitions, as well as to make sense of the many instances of moral outrage and offense that are increasingly seen in public debate. This is part 2of 2 episodes, in which I take this Moral Foundations test: https://www.idrlabs.com/morality/6/test.php
Moral Foundations (Part 1)
April 13, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 87.6 MBSocial scientists argue that there are substantial variations in human morality, and that these differences influence not just a person's decision making and reasoning processes, but also their political outlook. In recent years, researchers and scholars from all over the world have converged on the framework on Moral Foundations Theory in an attempt to explain these individual differences, as well as to make sense of the many instances of moral outrage and offense that are increasingly seen ...
Some People Don't Like Me
April 01, 2021 08:00 - 43 minutes - 59.2 MBJust a little rant about this dumb night I had. Feeling triggered, might delete later.
Excess Compassion
March 26, 2021 05:00 - 39 minutes - 54.1 MB"The houseless community" is being kicked out of Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles. Activists are protesting this as an issue of compassion for the homeless - the city and police are the villains in that narrative. But how fair is that? Is the argument to just allow the homeless to stay in our city parks? Yes, the city has to do a lot more to solve homelessness, but how is this a bad step?
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
March 18, 2021 07:30 - 32 minutes - 44.8 MBI'm restraining myself. Sometimes I really just want to rant about something in this stupid world, but then I feel embarrassed by it, as if you'll judge me too much for saying something controversial or "wrong". But what if you don't actually understand what am saying? Or what if you think I don't understand you, but I do? Why is dialogue so hard anyways?