We discuss the biggest questions: "what's real?", "who matters?" and "how to make a better world?" with scientists, celebrities, activists, writers and philosophers. The Sentientism worldview is "evidence, reason and compassion for all sentient beings." It's a simple, yet radical, philosophy that's grounded in reality (naturalistic epistemology) and has compassion for all sentient beings (mostly human and non-human animals). Naturalism & sentiocentrism combined.
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Howie (@askhowie & plantyourself.com) is a coach & author & podcast host. His coaching work with people & organisations focuses on leadership, values, productivity & health.
In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?”
Sentientism is “evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” The video of our conversation is here on YouTube.
We discuss:
00:00 Welcome
02:01 Howie’s Intro
– Coaching & writing
– “Not a big fan of capitalism”
– Effective altruism through organisations
– “Helping people respond to reality”
– Not knowing “what’s real?” or “what matters?” but let’s try to work it out
04:54 What’s Real?
– Growing up in a conservative Jewish household in New Jersey
– Culturally Jewish but “kind of atheist”
– Mother’s history of the holocaust & kindertransport
– Father’s “Jewish identity & socialism.” Needling the Rabbi: “We have to rest on the Sabbath so now I have to walk up 30 flights of stairs?!”
– Being given “The Truth About the Bible” book. Bible inconsistencies & immorality
– “The Jews have learned to argue & doubt & question”
– “The Jewish people must survive” as a core commitment
– Einstein, Marx, Freud
– A militant zionist phase
– “It was safe.” There was no danger to the ritual vs. sweatlodges
– A “safe, conventional, suburban religion”
– Attending an Ivy League college
– “There are smart people who believe in ghosts”
– Exploring parapsychology
– “There were serious academics questioning my worldview which was completely materialistic”
– Rejecting the exclusive tribalism & the simplistic narratives of religion but “There is a big effing mystery out there”
– Shamanic practices “oh honey, it’s all bullshit”
– Being sceptical of our own perceptions & reasoning. Be open
– Predictive dreams
– Contextualism… “How is this working for me?”
– “Look for & assume positive intent… then act like it’s true”
– Talking to trees, brambles as defences, mycorrhizal fungi as comms networks
– Narratives of dominion vs. “consciousness in everything”
– Arbitrary vs. narratives grounded in reality
– “Supposedly using evidence & reason we’ve destroyed the planet”
– Checks: 1) consistency with the natural world & 2) compassion
32:50 What Matters?
– Be nice to people
– Mother’s experience of Nazi occupation of Austria. “The teachers & her so called friends were wearing Nazi armbands” & “Punch a Nazi”.
…and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info and on YouTube.
Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our “I’m a Sentientist” wall via this simple form.
Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there!
Thanks Graham.
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