Other Life

In this episode, we explore the principle of writing for oneself and how many of history's greatest writers have operated on this principle. We discuss the importance of writing in a way that pleases only oneself and how sacrificing even a hair of one's vision in order to please someone else is the most abject of treacheries. Listen in as we examine the stakes of writing and how it truly matters whether you're writing for yourself out of a conviction in truth and beauty, or for others in order to please them.We also discuss the challenges of writing for oneself in the era of social media, where the nearness of the audience can make one lose the self. We consider the difficulty of recultivating the self in today's world and how it requires a certain degree of anti-social discipline and effortful recultivation of the self.Chapters:(0:00:00) - Writing for Yourself(0:05:56) - Cultivating A Self Other Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest free newsletter in the world and I'll send you all of my private book highlights. https://otherlife.co✦ Join the Other Life community (free) https://otherlife.co/joinIndieThinkers.org✦ If you're working on independent projects, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

Why do 22-year-olds today have the testosterone levels of 67-year-old men from the year 2000? Could it be because high testosterone activities and behaviors are increasingly being criminalized? I dive into the theory that the modern world is contributing to the decline in testosterone levels by stigmatizing and punishing testosterone-loaded activities, leading to a downward spiral in overall testosterone levels.Join me as look at the evolution of law enforcement, the rise of a culture that labels aggressive behaviors as "toxic," and how movies from the 70s and 80s highlight a higher testosterone society. Discover how this decline in testosterone affects men today and how our society has slowly evolved to prevent these once-commonplace behaviors from happening. 0:00:39 - Testosterone and Prison0:02:04 - Testosterone in the 70's and 80's0:06:16 - Toxic Masculinity and Testosterone0:08:26 - Testosterone's Catch 22(Sorry for some clicking in the audio, there were some issues with my set up that I didn't notice until after I was done recording. We'll get that sorted!)Other Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest free newsletter in the world and I'll send you all of my private book highlights. https://otherlife.co✦ Join the Other Life community (free) https://otherlife.co/joinIndieThinkers.org✦ If you're working on independent projects, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

Today we're looking at the life of Dr. Samuel Johnson, an eighteenth-century English critic who embodied the true spirit of self-reliance and perseverance. Despite facing various hardships in his life, Dr. Johnson managed to defy the odds and become one of the most influential figures in the history of English letters. Join us as we uncover the fascinating journey of this unconventional thinker, and learn how his life can serve as a powerful reminder that success is indeed possible, even for those who may not fit into traditional molds.We delve into his unique approach to life and work, highlighting how his unorthodox methods eventually played a significant role in his success, and how his unwavering belief in his own abilities and his refusal to rely on external support allowed him to carve out a path to success. Success is inevitable for those who put in the work.0:00:00 - Intro and Early Life0:04:50 - Samuel Johnson's Writing Career0:12:36 - The Patronage Model0:18:55 - Success By Perseverance and Self-Reliance(Sorry for some clicking in the audio, there were some issues with my set up that I didn't notice until after I was done recording. We'll get that sorted!)Other Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest free newsletter in the world and I'll send you all of my private book highlights. https://otherlife.co✦ Join the Other Life community (free) https://otherlife.co/joinIndieThinkers.org✦ If you're working on independent projects, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

What can the ancient philosopher Plato teach us about building a network and thriving in today's intellectual economy? I talk with Alex Petkas, a Princeton PhD in classics, who shares insights on Plato's rise and his brand-building strategies within the decentralized world of Athens in the late fifth and fourth centuries BC, where widespread literacy and the new media technology of writing created an intellectual landscape strikingly similar to the one we inhabit today.(0:00:00) - Introduction(0:04:51) - Plato and Ancient Greek Writing(0:20:04) - Plato's Models and Brand Building(0:33:55) - Plato's Rise and Influence(0:43:45) - Plato and the Power of Mystery(0:52:44) - Plato's Network and Philosophical Training(1:02:44) - The Economic Machinery of Philosophy(1:07:56) - Plato's Power Machinery and Business Model(1:20:29) - Plato's Lessons on Building a Network(1:25:59) - Plato's Lessons for Decentralized Thinking(1:35:31) - Alex's Rome RetreatAlex Petkas | https://ancientlifecoach.com/Learn more about Alex's upcoming Men's Retreat in Rome: https://ancientlifecoach.com/retreat/Other Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest free newsletter in the world and I'll send you all of my private book highlights. https://otherlife.co✦ Join the Other Life community (free) https://otherlife.co/joinIndieThinkers.org✦ If you're working on independent projects, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

Oscar Wilde and J.R.R. Tolkien used consumer culture to create works of art. In this podcast, we try to draw some lessons from their lives. I'm joined by Paul Fortunato, an English professor at the University of Houston Downtown. Paul is also a member of Opus Dei, and the author of a book about Oscar Wilde's "consumer modernism." We discuss how Wilde and Tolkien successfully navigated the "creator economy," as well as Oscar Wilde's little-known Catholicism.✦ Subscribe to Paul on Youtube✦ Paul's book on Oscar WildeOther Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world https://OtherLife.co✦ Get a free Urbit ship at https://imperceptible.computer✦ We're building a new country at https://imperceptible.countryIndieThinkers.org✦ If you're working on independent intellectual work, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

It's widely believed the YouTube algorithm radicalizes viewers but Mark's research puts this theory to rest. Researcher and longtime member of the Other Life community, Mark Ledwich, has been studying the YouTube algorithm independently for several years. His research has been published in academic journals and now on a public website called transparency.tube. He joins the podcast to discuss how the YouTube algorithm really works, what everyone is getting wrong, and why it matters. He also comes to pick a bone with my position on shoplifting from self-checkout kiosks.Check out Mark's research at transparency.tube.Follow Mark on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mark_ledwichOther Life ✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world https://OtherLife.co ✦ Get a free Urbit ship at https://imperceptible.computer ✦ We're building a new country at https://imperceptible.countryIndieThinkers.org ✦ If you're working on independent intellectual work, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

Colin Redemer is a professor at Saint Mary's College of California and VP of the Davenant Institute. This podcast is all about Virtue Ethics and the Aristotelian ethical tradition. Is Virtue Ethics superior to utilitarianism and effective altruism? What is human excellence? What is eudaimonia? How should one live? We also discuss later developments in Aristotelian ethics, from Aquinas to Anscombe to MacIntyre.✦ Order Colin's new book, The Shining Human Creature✦ Follow Colin on Twitter✦ Learn more about the Davenant InstituteOther Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world OtherLife.co✦ Get a free Urbit ship at imperceptible.computer✦ Become a member at imperceptible.countryIndieThinkers.org✦ If you're working on an independent project, join the next cohort of IndieThinkers.org

Some lessons from the life of painter Francis Bacon. I think the unique force and violence of Bacon’s paintings derive partially from the ascetic Lebenswelt he cultivated. Into his small but chaotic atelier, Bacon allowed almost nothing other than painting supplies and his varied source materials: Photographs, books, magazines, etc. He locked himself into an otherwise closed circuit of his own reflections. He would even write handwritten notes to himself about what he should be thinking about.✦ Read more (with images) at otherlife.co/francisbaconOther Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world https://OtherLife.co✦ Join the community at https://imperceptible.countryIndieThinkers.org✦ If you're working on an independent project, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

I spent a lot of time reading and thinking about AI this week. I’m especially interested in the implications it will have for writers and the so-called creator economy. Obviously things will change if it becomes nearly free to generate decently intelligent content with machines. But how will things change exactly, and how should writers spend their time now to position themselves for these changes? I think the implications are not obvious. Specifically, AI will increase the economic power of deep classical education, and truly unique artistic personality. In this podcast, I explain why.I wrote more about this at otherlife.co/writing-machinesOther Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world https://OtherLife.co✦ Get a free Urbit ship at https://imperceptible.computer✦ Join the community https://imperceptible.countryIndieThinkers.org✦ If you're working on independent projects, join the next cohort of https://IndieThinkers.org

I'd like to share with you some biographies of great writers, artists, maybe some inventors—people who represent the other life ethos—people who have produced great work from the fringes, or in weird niches they carved out for themselves in life.Here is a passage from a biography of the French novelist Balzac, Prométhée: ou, La vie de Balzac (1965) by André Maurois. I've translated it to English, of course.This is a story about reading books, childhood, the productive benefits of disordered knowledge, unjustified presumption, an obsession with printed paper, ecstasy as a motivator and a product, and a kind of hunger that nothing can ever satisfy.It paints a fascinating picture of education in France in the early 19th century. But it's also an inspiring vignette about something we see in the early lives of many great writers, which is... Here we have a strange, disaffected, aloof child who just seems a bit absurd or confused or even dumb—his teachers and classmates literally thought he was just stupid—but his appetite for wonder and knowledge drives him, from an early age, to just totally withdraw from society, into a life of the mind. That's the other life.If you'd rather read than listen, see otherlife.co/balzac.Other Life✦ Subscribe to the coolest newsletter in the world https://OtherLife.co✦ Get a free Urbit ship at https://imperceptible.computer✦ Join our network state at https://imperceptible.countryIndieThinkers.org✦ The next cohort of IndieThinkers.org starts Jan 16. If you're working on independent projects, request an invitation.