My Ghost in the Machine: Recent Episodes
A.J.E.
Philosophy video/audio essays on the world and history of ideas, culture, existentialism, human perception, dreams, the problem of death, and other related topics.
Why is the topic of death a "no-go-zone" in the Western imagination? What is it about Western culture that makes the Western imagination unable to cope with the problem of death?
We've all heard Nietzsche's declaration. "God is dead and we have killed him". But, what we seldom get to hear is what made Nietzsche arrive at this conclusion.
This Video/audio essay explores the question of whether “God” exists or not, from a traditional Western philosophical and psychoanalytical perspective.
Essay explores Baudrilliard's nihilistic views from Simulacra and Simulation (1981). This is the essay that's showcased in the original Matrix movie in Neo's copy of Simulacra and Simulation.
Short audio essay that explores the "philosophical backstory" of the Matrix Franchise and its debt to the French philosopher, Jean Baudrillard.
Christmas, as a mid-winter celebration, was only introduced into Christianity roughly 300 years after its inception. The early-Christian community did not celebrate Christmas. Nor does Christmas appear, in any shape or form, in the Early-Christian literature.
Conspiracy theories are on the rise. But, are they the products of flawed reasoning and/or a person's intellectual shortcomings, or are they the expression of much deeper underlying collective traumas?
The Hebrew God of Genesis is dead. The Hebrew God of Genesis remains dead, and we have killed him" –declared Nietzsche over 120 years ago. Okay. But, what now? What is a culture supposed to do after it has dismantled its central existential meaning script? Well, the masterpiece game NieR: Automata (dubbed the most philosophical game ever made) has a number of interesting ways of approaching this question.
What is the difference between a person’s sex and their gender? In this video/podcast essay, we look at how NieR: Automata examines the feminist philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir through the Amusement Park Boss (i.e., Simone/Beauvoir).
Let's talk about the REAL philosophy of Nier: Automata! In this episode we examine how NieR: Automata answer the question of what makes "you" –you. Are you your body, your brain, your consciousness, or your memories? What is the real "YOU?"..
Let's talk about the REAL philosophy of Nier: Automata! In this episode we examine why Yoko Taro named three of the major bosses in NieR: Automata after prominent communist leaders/intellectuals (i.e., Marx, Engels, and Grün); and how these intellectuals (A.K.A. "The Young Hegelians) are related to existentialist philosophy and the death of God in Western intellectual culture.
In this episode, we unpack the religious and philosophical references that 2B alludes to during her opening monologue. This is the first episode in our NieR: Automata series. The series is intended to act as "crash course" in existentialist philosophy.
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Special thanks to Akira the Don for letting me use his music for my section breaks.
Bumper music (1) “Learning How to Think” by Akira the Don | https://soundcloud.com/akirathedonBumper music (2) “Any Dream You Wanted” by Akira the Don | https://soundcloud.com/akirathedon———————————
This episode explores how the Ancient-Greek/Platonic concept of a “non-physical soul” was introduced into Christianity through the Roman Christian Commentary texts, and how the introduction of the idea of a "non-physical soul" into Christianity ended up severely destabilizing its overall "theological consistency". This is the final episode in our series on Christianity, and its relationship to the Problem of Death (3/3)
This episode explores how Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire, and how this event ultimately changed the way Christianity conceptualized the “afterlife”. This is the second (2/3) episode in our series on the various Christian approaches to the problem of death.
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Bumper music (1) “Grave of the Fireflies” by Aeiko | https://soundcloud.com/imaeikoBumper music (2) “Requiem” by Aeiko https://soundcloud.com/imaeiko
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In this episode we explore why Christianity broke away from Judaism, and how this “split” ultimately lead to Christianity developing multiple mutually exclusive views of the afterlife. This is our first episode (1/3) in our series on the various Christian approaches to the problem of death.
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Bumper music (1) “Grave of the Fireflies” by Aeiko | https://soundcloud.com/imaeikoBumper music (2) “Any Dream You Wanted” by Akira the Don https://soundcloud.com/akirathedon
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This episode explores how traditional Judaism views the afterlife, and how it approaches the problem of death. The episode is intended to serve as the basis for the upcoming episodes that I'll be releasing on Christianity.
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Bumper music (1) “Grave of the Fireflies” by Aeiko | https://soundcloud.com/imaeikoBumper music (2) “Any Dream You Wanted” by Akira the Don | https://soundcloud.com/akirathedon
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This episode explores how the “problem of death” (i.e., our continual self-awareness of our own mortality), shapes and influences the way we conceptualize ourselves, our priorities, our goals, and the world we see around us. In addition, this episode also explores the relationships between the problem of death and the three general conceptual models of reality that we have developed as a species, namely, materialism, dualism, and idealism.
There is a 10 minute segment in this episode (26:45 — 36:30) that explores the existentialist philosophical perspective on death, meaninglessness, and suicide. If you're thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support you can reach someone to talk to at these following numbers:
In the U.S. call (1-800-273-8255) | In Canada call (1-866-277-3553) | In the U.K. call (0-845-790-9090) | In Australia Call (13-11-14) |In New Zealand Call (04-586-1048) |In Ireland Call (+440-845-790-9090) |In Japan Call (+81-035-286-9090).
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Bumper music (1) “Grave of the Fireflies” by Aeiko | https://soundcloud.com/imaeiko
Bumper music (2) “Any Dream You Wanted” by Akira the Don | https://soundcloud.com/akirathedon
Bumper music (3) “Plunderer” by Barradeen | https://soundcloud.com/barradeen
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This episode introduces what the My Ghost in the Machine (Philosophy Podcast) is, and examines both the origins and meaning of the phrase "The Ghost in the Machine".
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Bumper music “Plunderer” by Barradeen | https://soundcloud.com/barradeen
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