Very Bad Wizards

Two friends unpack Borges' uncanny short story about meeting your younger self by a river. They debate whether AI chatbots can be conscious and why flattering AIs hook lonely people. The conversation ranges from Heraclitus and identity to literary paradoxes, aging, and readings in English and Spanish.

In another Back 2 Basics episode, David and Tamler talk about Plato's "Crito," a dialogue that takes place two days before Socrates' death by hemlock. His friend Crito wants him to escape, but Socrates will only agree if they judge that it's the right thing to do. One imagined debate between him and the Laws of Athens later, Socrates decides to accept his punishment. Plus we open with "Contrarian Corner" (Cinema Edition), in which we list our top 3 movies where we just don't understand all the love. Crito (Plato's Dialogue) [wikipedia.org]

They critique a paper that lists 200 so-called philosophical facts and lampoon its tautologies and gatekeeping claims. They read absurd sample “facts” and debate whether the paper is earnest or satirical. Then they dive into Gogol's The Overcoat, exploring its tonal shifts, the narrator's odd voice, Akaky's transformation over a new coat, the mugging and bureaucratic indifference, and the story's ghostly ambiguity.

They dissect competing ways people explain suffering: moral, communal, and divine frameworks versus biomedical accounts. They debate a provocative paper claiming monogamy may be impermissible and the emotional, practical pushback to that idea. They explore cross-cultural interviews showing rich folk causal stories and argue for deeper qualitative methods in moral psychology.

A deep dive into Denis Villeneuve's Sicario, from Roger Deakins' striking cinematography to tense border-set sequences. They unpack Alejandro's mystery, Kate's moral unraveling, and the film's mirror of U.S. and Mexican violence. Technical feats like night-vision tunnel craft and the Juárez convoy get praise. Plus a fast-paced contest pick segment where listeners help choose future topics.

They dig into a bizarre sexsomnia case that raises doubts about credibility and criminal responsibility. They unpack Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People," focusing on identity, manipulation, and the shocking barn twist. Conversation explores religious themes, satire of intellectualism, and how a missing prosthetic exposes hidden vulnerabilities.

They tier-rank a wide range of academic fields from engineering to art history and computer science to gender studies. They debate the practical value of majors like engineering, math, and statistics versus humanities such as English, classics, and comparative literature. They discuss controversies around neuroscience, journalism, and the Epstein emails connection. Final tier placements and takeaways are revealed.

They debate viewing time as circular and how rituals might reenact the universe’s creation to make moments sacred again. They critique a study showing conspiracy-believing dating profiles harm impressions and dig into methods, plausibility, and ideological effects. They contrast cyclical sacred time with Christianity’s historical sanctification and question whether ritual renewal yields real, lasting change.

Dive into the divine with a discussion on sacred spaces as a crucial anchor in our chaotic lives. Uncover how swearing might boost physical strength, despite skepticism about the science behind it. Explore Mircea Eliade's ideas on how modernity has desanctified yet left traces of the sacred in personal rituals and home life. Delve into the contrasts between sacredness and the profane, and how cultural phenomena like Twin Peaks serve as liminal portals. Join the thought-provoking journey from chaos to meaning!

Explore the complexities of Plato's Euthyphro, where a confident priest meets Socrates just before prosecuting his father. The dialogue raises questions about piety and the nature of divine approval, leading to the famous Euthyphro dilemma. Meanwhile, delving into Oliver Sacks, the hosts discuss the ethical ramifications of embellishing true stories in nonfiction, weighing narrative power against scientific trust. With humor and insight, they navigate the intersections of morality, humanism, and the very essence of justice.