WONDERLAND: Recent Episodes
jane gatsby
welcome to wonderland.
this is a podcast about philosophy delivered in the calm, dreamy style of a bedtime book on tape. travel down the rabbit hole and into wonderland to discover from first principles what philosophy is and who needs it. then adventure through a fairy tale narrative that explores the realms of metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, morality, and political theory.
the episodes are intended to be listened to in order so please, start from the beginning to follow along with the story.
On Spell & Story. The series finale of Wonderland takes you on a journey through the alphabet and esoteric symbolism underlying our letters. It draws connections between the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, the Tarot's Major Arcana, the early signs of the Phoenicians, and the transcendent archetypes found in every monomyth.
Find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
Get full access to Wonderland at welcometowonderland.substack.com/subscribe
On Might & Right. This episode is concerned with power, energy, and authority. It explores the follies of democracy, the potential unlocked by modern technology, and the future of sovereignty.
Find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
Get full access to Wonderland at welcometowonderland.substack.com/subscribe
On Value and Desire. This episode explores what money is, how it’s made, and why economic systems fail or flourish. It explains what Bitcoin is, why it works, and what new social potential this technology unlocks. It then delves into what “good” fortune is, the relationship between wealth and virtue, and how we can create societies that maximize prosperity.
Find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
Get full access to Wonderland at welcometowonderland.substack.com/subscribe
On difference and identity. This episode explores sex, gender, and sexuality. Examining social roles, archetypes, and stereotypes; the experiences of dissonance, dysphoria, and desire that influence queer people; and how these topics should be navigated when it comes to technology, transition, and cultural reaction.
Find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
Get full access to Wonderland at welcometowonderland.substack.com/subscribe
On natural rights and urban delights. This episode is about our relationship to the Earth, land, cities, and sustainability. It explores Henry George's economic theory of the land value tax; how urban planning would be better divided into smaller, distinct districts; and how Smart Cities could look if built using open data and IoT technology.
Find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
Get full access to Wonderland at welcometowonderland.substack.com/subscribe
On being and becoming. This episode explores consciousness. What it is, why we have it, and what we can do with it. Covering everything from what a plant knows to where your elusive sense of "I" comes from and how we can cultivate a relationship with the divine within. Lending ideas from Douglas Hofstadter, Carl Jung, Alan Watts, and religious philosophy.
Find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
Get full access to Wonderland at welcometowonderland.substack.com/subscribe
On crime and punishment. This episode explores what actions should be criminalized in a just society and how conflicts in communities might best be resolved. Herman Bianchi's vision of restorative justice is then introduced as an alternative to the current conventions of criminal prosecution and imprisonment, highlighting the importance of compassion and reconciliation.
Follow Jane Gatsby: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
Get full access to Wonderland at welcometowonderland.substack.com/subscribe
on binaries and beginnings.
synthesizing ideas inspired by pulled from douglas hofstädter, deleuze & guattari, stephen wolfram, robert pirsig, and the philosophy of daoism.
a readable version of this episode is available here: https://tinyurl.com/bdfmdpv6
find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
this final episode of the season delves into the realm of free trade. examining what contracts are and how they may be used as a political tool to create reliable relationships between individuals, what rules and regulations are appropriately imposed upon market mechanisms, and finally a comprehensive critique of intellectual property. why patents and copyrights actually inhibit growth and prosperity rather than enable it.
a readable version of this episode is available at: https://tinyurl.com/58b4tvzx
find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
this episode of wonderland lays out what could be considered the guiding principles of a nation’s charter. what rights and responsibilities are afforded to and asked of each citizen as well as the reasoning why. it also explores what promises and protections should be made to those subjects who depend upon another citizen for their care, how children should be treated, and how new members can join the covenant.
a readable version of this episode is available at: https://tinyurl.com/raadesby
find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
this episode of wonderland explores how we could reimagine the role of police and protection in our communities. examining what protection looks like, why it requires government involvement, and how best it could be integrated into our cities.
a readable version of this episode is available at: https://tinyurl.com/ctd2454r
find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
this episode of wonderland is on land. what makes land necessary for establishing a domain of political authority, how new territory can be acquired, and potential methods of distribution within the state. these ideas are building off of the foundation of royalism that was established last episode, examining what is required to form a good government.
a readable version of this episode is available at: https://tinyurl.com/4tc3j989
find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
this episode of wonderland introduces politics and sets out to discover how best individual liberty may be achieved. it explores the relationship between power, force, and finance, examining how political power manifests and what money really means. finally, it presents royalism, as first described by curtis yarvin, as the best possible method of bringing about peace and prosperity.
a readable version of this episode is available at: https://tinyurl.com/vweznef2
find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
this episode of wonderland dives into rationality, morality, and the hero's journey. borrowing bits of knowledge from jordan peterson, zen buddhism, stoicism, and introducing objectivism as a key player.
a readable version of this episode is available at: https://tinyurl.com/3bknuk47
find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
this episode of wonderland tackles the timeless tension between free will and determinism. providing a synthesized approach that shows how both of these perspectives go on to inform our ethical intuitions and religious systems.
a readable version of this episode is available at: https://tinyurl.com/5cn55bs5
find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
this episode of wonderland explores emergence, epistemology, and the philosophy of science.
part #1 is a retelling of douglas hofstadter's "ant fugue" , expanding upon some of the implications of complexity theory as described last episode.
part #2 introduces roy bhaskar's philosophy of critical realism as a way of reconciling objective truth with epistemological relativism.
part #3 then applies these methods of analysis to the realm of social science, explaining some of the issues that plague social science research.
a readable version of the episode is available at: https://tinyurl.com/3pzjz6cb
find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
welcome back to wonderland.
this second episode returns to wonderland to discover what complex adaptive systems are and how they work. it is then demonstrated how an understanding of complexity provides key insights into the fundamental, or metaphysical, nature of the universe.
a transcription of the episode is available at: https://tinyurl.com/3js3u4tx
a video of this episode is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1YGzhgLgUc
find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby
welcome to wonderland.
this introductory episode seeks to demonstrate the value of philosophy in our daily lives. inspired by ayn rand's 1974 speech of the same title, it explores her central arguments through the analogy of a maze. listeners are brought into the dreamy world of wonderland where they must use philosophy in order to escape the maze, allowing them to explore the rest of wonderland.
a readable of this episode is available at: https://tinyurl.com/xbshu4fp
find me at: https://linktr.ee/janegatsby