Heart Yoga Radio

AI, MONEY, TIME

Join me on my constitutional. In a somewhat rambling discourse, I examine an engagement with an AI on the subject of theories of money and, from there, proceed to take issue with 'technological solutionism' which suggests that technological advance of a certain kind is sufficient to solve humanity's pressing problems. Over and against this idea, I claim that technology can be immensely powerful and transformative, but is not sufficient to ensure human flourishing without the appropriate political and structural change to society. I illustrate the case with the empirical case of how massively enhanced technologically-facilitated productivity has not improved the lot of workers but has lead to the concentration of wealth and power in very few hands. I suggest the use of enhanced productivity and the ability to automate drudgery should be used to liberate time for people in general rather than serving the bottom line. [Free. 26 minutes.]

CONSCRIPTION: SERVICE OR SERVITUDE? - INTERESTING TIMES 81

In this podcast, I consider the grumbling discourse in the UK around conscription, which was raised as a policy by then PM Rishi Sunak in the run up to the General Election. I criticise this proposal from a variety of angles as well as teasing out the ideological ramifications of "a culture of service" which it was meant to engender. [Free. 27 minutes.]

EQUALITY, NIETZSCHE, SOCIAL DARWINISM

In this podcast, I take issue with a range of pleas for inequality in society. I examine the idea that inequality is "natural", and the mobilisation of Darwin's account of evolution to propagandise for that idea and find these wanting.  I criticise the notion that equality as a desideratum is inimical to freedom. I examine the way in which Nietzsche draws our attention to the undeniable variation in the endowments humans find themselves with and point the illogicality of what he makes of that fact, which is partly the result of failing to distinguish the variety of phenomena that the term "equality" refers to. I conclude that society should tend towards greater equality, repudiating caste society, eugenics and capitalism, and that this is necessary for human flourishing in freedom, and indeed survival. [Free. 22 minutes.]

LAO TZU 61

In this podcast, we discuss Chapter 74 of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. Matters discussed include; the power dynamics involved in social organisation, the relative value of fearful and fearless orientations to life, and the tendency of humans to attempt to enhance life through their ingenuity. [Click HERE to buy me a coffee.] [Free. 34 minutes.]

LAO TZU 60

In this podcast, we discuss Chapter 73 of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. Themes covered include; the paradoxical and contradictory nature of the text, the practicality and creativity of alignment with the Tao, the meditation on forgetfulness, and more. Particularly, we describe how this chapter is a reminder against dogmatism. [Free. 35 minutes.]

AI - THREAT OR PROMISE?

In this podcast, we discuss AI and its recent emergence into the public sphere. We examine four main aspects of AI; what the term 'AI' signifies, the knowledge status of its products, the political and economic ramifications of AI, especially its role in automation, and its position in current affairs public discourse. [Free. 61 minutes.] 

PROMISES & SLOGANS

In this podcast, we question the simplification involved in the reduction of public discourse to slogans. We single out "free-speech absolutism" in particular and test it against Austin's concept of "performative speech acts" and Nietzsche's account of the importance of the performative speech-acts of making and keeping promises as an institution central to civilised life. We conclude, amongst other things, that over-simplification is a danger and we do do well to remember the complexity of our world. (Click the link to buy me a coffee.) [Free. 25 minutes.]

INDIVIDUAL & COLLECTIVE, (& FARMING)

This podcast is a wide-ranging discussion which ends up entertaining the suspicion that the individual and collective do not make up a stark opposition, as much right-wing propaganda presupposes. The journey includes some thoughts about soil and ecological degradation and cultural shifts taking place regarding struggles over how agriculture should be best conducted. Not to mention, a stab at answering the pressing conundrum, "What is woke, exactly?"  [Free. 32 minutes.] (Click on the link to buy me a coffee.)

LAO TZU 47

In this podcast, we reflect of Chapter 60 of The Tao Te Ching in which Lao Tzu recommends a light touch on the part of rulers if destructivity is to be minimised in society. A light touch is possible when rulers and / or their advisors are aligned with the Tao and the processes of existence and life as they act through human beings. We relate Lao Tzu's recommendations to our current political state and the ever present realisation that governments do bad things even whilst some collective focus is necessary for our species survival. We examine variations on this insight found in neoliberal economic thought, Marxism and the anarchism. [Free. 36 minutes.]

EMPOWERMENT - INTERESTING TIMES 5

In this podcast we examine the way in which organisers a Trump rally in Oklahoma were manipulated by 'TikToc kids' into preparing for a much larger crowd than in fact turned up. We see some hope in the imaginative use of social media by a tech-savvy generation as well as discerning a certain fragility in system of dominance which pervades society. [Free. 32 minutes.]