Why We Cant Find Meaning and What to Do About It - Alex OConnor and John VervaekeAlex OConnor2024-09-02 | For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: alexoconnor.com
------------------------------------------Banning Drugs Doesn’t WorkAlex OConnor2024-10-13 | ...Why Henry VIII Grew CannabisAlex OConnor2024-09-23 | ...Why The Government Fired This Drug ExpertAlex OConnor2024-09-22 | Unlock your brain’s potential free for 30 days: http://www.brain.fm/withinreason
For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: alexoconnor.com
David Nutt is an English neuropsychopharmacologist specialising in the research of drugs that affect the brain and conditions such as addiction, anxiety, and sleep. He was the UK Government's chief advisor on drug policy. He was fired in 2009 after criticising the Government's approach to drug harms.
0:00 Why The Government Fired David Nutt 2:55 Is Alcohol the Most Harmful Drug? 10:35 How Prohibition Led to Cannabis Demonisation 15:16 Why Does the Government Hate Drugs? 20:50 The UN’s Disastrous Campaign Against MDMA 29:50 Why There is a Fentanyl Crisis in America 35:24 Peter Hitchens’ Objections 44:57 Do We Want a World Without Drugs? 50:54 How Kings and Queens Used Cannabis 54:28 How Medical Cannabis Saves People
------------------------------------------Jordan Peterson vs ProtestorsAlex OConnor2024-09-15 | ...The History of the Demiurge - An Ancient Alternate God? @TheEsotericaChannelAlex OConnor2024-09-15 | Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.
For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: alexoconnor.com
Justin Sledge is currently a part-time professor of philosophy and religion at several institutions in the Metro-Detroit area and a popular local educator. His YouTube channel is @TheEsotericaChannel.
- LINKS
Buy "The Evil Creator" by M. David Litwa (affiliate link): amzn.to/47p65NP
- TIMESTAMPS
0:00 When Gods have a history 4:53 What is the Demiurge? 7:52 Plato’s Demiurge 17:26 The early development of creator gods 24:31 How YHWH became an evil Egyptian God 37:00 The development of the donkey-headed God 42:06 The earliest depiction of Jesus is a donkey-headed God 48:10 The early development of Christianity 50:58 Marcion and the first Christian Bible 1:08:18 The popularity of early Christian gnosticism 1:13:12 The connection between the Demiurge and the Jews 1:20:12 The evil Demiurge in Christianity 1:28:07 The theology of the Demiurge 1:35:44 How Christianity merged with other mythologies 1:42:56 The context in which Christianity evolved 1:48:35 Ending
------------------------------------------4 Mistakes Christian Art ALWAYS MakesAlex OConnor2024-09-13 | Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.
For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: alexoconnor.com
------------------------------------------Alex OConnor Live StreamAlex OConnor2024-09-12 | For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: alexoconnor.com
------------------------------------------Piers Morgan Presses Richard Dawkins on AtheismAlex OConnor2024-09-11 | Go to piavpn.com/alex to get 83% off Private Internet Access with 4 months free.
For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: alexoconnor.com
Joe Folley runs the YouTube channel Unsolicited Advice @unsolicitedadvice9198 - he graduated from Cambridge University with an MPhil in Philosophy, specialising in logic, in 2023.
00:00 Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing? 32:20 Atheists Can’t Answer ‘Why’ Questions 40:59 Atheists Can't Get an ‘Ought’ From An ‘Is’ 59:05 How to Explain Sensus Divinitatus 1:14:23 Why Has Atheism Never Worked on a Civilisational Level? 1:23:41 Trusting Human Rationality as a Guide to Truth 1:38:05 Where Do the Laws of Logic Come From? 1:53:00 What is Consciousness? 2:13:14 How Atheists Respond to Fine-Tuning
------------------------------------------Tricking AI Could Backfire - Nick BostromAlex OConnor2024-09-04 | ...A Man is About To Jump Off a Bridge…Alex OConnor2024-09-02 | ...Shall we get rid of religion?Alex OConnor2024-09-01 | ...Deceiving AI Might Backfire On Us - Nick BostromAlex OConnor2024-09-01 | Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.
For early, ad-free access to videos, support the channel at alexoconnor.com
Nick Bostrom is a philosopher known for his work on existential risk, the anthropic principle, human enhancement ethics, whole brain emulation, and superintelligence risks. His recent book, Deep Utopia, explores what might happen if we get AI development right.
0:00 Are you optimistic or pessimistic about AI? 4:05 What is the biggest threat from AI? 7:37 What are the biggest benefits AI might bring? 12:26 What happens to meaning in an automated world? 30:45 What does life look like in the AI utopia? 39:27 Will AI become our victim? 45:28 What can we do to prevent AI dystopia? 56:07 What does conscious AI look like?
------------------------------------------The Property Market Sucks - Rory SutherlandAlex OConnor2024-08-26 | ...The Moustache, The Bible, And The Kalam - 850k QnAAlex OConnor2024-08-25 | Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.
For early, ad-free access to videos, support the channel at alexoconnor.com
00:00 An Ethical Coin-Flip 03:51 A Day in Alex’s Life 06:31 Mixing Blue & Yellow M&Ms 08:07 If Determinism is False 11:23 Is the Glass Half Full? 12:41 Moral Relativism 14:35 When Alex Has Changed His Mind 16:54 Alex’s Loosely-Held Opinions 18:59 The Wisest Book in the Bible 23:02 Views on Consciousness 23:55 Is a Meal Deal Really a Deal? 25:53 The Kalam Cosmological Argument 28:37 Favourite US State 28:58 Jordan Peterson’s Suits 29:40 Alex’s Passionate Hates 31:15 Is From Ought 32:25 The First Cause of Everything 32:33 Teaching Kids About Free Will 34:02 What Colour Was the Dress? 36:08 Is the Milk or Cereal First? 36:33 The Problem with Sam Harris' Moral Landscape 38:28 Plantinga’s Argument from Reason 43:32 Where Are the Drawers? 43:37 Beard Care Routine 43:48 The Moustache 43:53 If Alex Wasn’t Human 44:02 When is Alex Releasing a Book? 45:36 Thoughts on Alcohol 45:43 The Opposite of Spicy 48:09 Christianity’s Biggest L & W 50:50 Being Used by Fundamentalists 52:25 Alex’s First Job 53:06 Outro
------------------------------------------If Houses Sold Like CarsAlex OConnor2024-08-12 | ...The Origins of Satan - Who is The Devil?Alex OConnor2024-08-11 | Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.
For early, ad-free access to videos, support the channel at alexoconnor.com
Elaine Pagels is an American historian of religion. She is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. Pagels has conducted extensive research into early Christianity and Gnosticism.
- LINKS
Buy "The Origin of Satan" by Elaine Pagels (affiliate link): amzn.to/4dFHs18
- TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Who is Satan? 6:37 Early Satan in Job and Zechariah 8:32 The development of Satan in the Babylonian Exile 12:32 What are the Dead Sea Scrolls? 15:34 The Book of Enoch 17:58 Satan in the New Testament 21:11 Did Zoroastrianism Inspire the Character of Satan? 23:38 Satan in John’s Gospel 28:58 Are the Jews Responsible for Jesus’ Death? 38:14 The Origins of Christian Antisemitism 45:11 Satan in the Real World 54:30 Satan in Revelation 1:00:53 Was Satan the Snake in the Garden of Eden? 1:04:41 Why Specialise in Satan?
------------------------------------------ChatGPT is a LiarAlex OConnor2024-08-08 | ...Young People Shouldn’t Pay Tax - Rory SutherlandAlex OConnor2024-08-07 | ...Learn to F***ing DriveAlex OConnor2024-08-06 | ...Who Was Judas Iscariot?Alex OConnor2024-08-01 | ...Why Logical Thinking is Illogical - Rory SutherlandAlex OConnor2024-07-29 | For early, ad-free access to videos, support the channel at alexoconnor.com
Read Obliquity: Why Our Goals Are Best Achieved Indirectly, by John Kay: amzn.to/3LO4Uxm
- TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Why Podcasting is the Supreme Philosophical Form 08:39 What Do We Want Out of AI? 16:09 Why Google Maps Sucks 20:40 Why We Need a Quaker Revival 28:17 What's the Point in Voting? 37:19 Is Just Stop Oil Effective? 51:23 Encouraging People to Spend Money 57:23 Is Housing a Good Asset? 1:05:45 Explaining Georgist Economics 1:13:05 Property Ownership Makes People Stupid 1:19:59 Why Double-Income Households Have Become the Norm 1:29:38 The Government Needs to Experiment More 1:36:10 Why We Buy Such Unremarkable Things 1:41:12 Predicting Elon Musk’s Big Plan
------------------------------------------Trying to Convince ChatGPT Its ConsciousAlex OConnor2024-07-25 | Go to piavpn.com/alex to get 83% off Private Internet Access with 4 months free
For early, ad-free access to videos, support the channel at alexoconnor.com
------------------------------------------The Lost Gospel of Jesus Betrayer - What is the Gospel of Judas?Alex OConnor2024-07-21 | Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.
For early, ad-free access to videos, support the channel at alexoconnor.com
Bart Ehrman is a New Testament scholar focusing on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the origins and development of early Christianity.
0:00 Substack 0:07 Who Was Judas Iscariot? 04:32 Why Did Judas Betray Jesus? 12:01 Is Judas in Hell? 19:05 The Historical Judas 21:28 What is the Gospel of Judas? 23:09 Explaining Gnosticism 29:38 How Gnosticism Describes the Material Realm 37:05 The Gnostic Role of Jesus 42:32 The Beginning of Judas’s Gospel 48:38 Jesus’s Teachings to Judas 54:16 Why This Gospel is So Confusing 59:15 Judas Being Called the 13th Spirit 1:02:45 Jesus Appearing as a Child 1:04:50 The Person Who Carries Jesus Around 1:06:57 How This Gospel Explains Adam & Eve 1:11:24 Destiny of the Cosmos 1:14:33 Evidence That Judas Was Saved 1:18:42 Judas’s Motivation to Betray Jesus 1:21:34 How Ancient is This Text? 1:24:10 Where Was it First Rediscovered? 1:33:50 How Old is the Coptic Version? 1:38:33 Bart’s Reaction to the Gospel of Judas 1:48:26 Publishing the Gospel of Judas
------------------------------------------Deconstructing the Fall of Adam and Eve - Jonathan PageauAlex OConnor2024-07-14 | For early, ad-free access to videos, support the channel at alexoconnor.com
Jonathan Pageau is a French-Canadian icon carver, YouTuber and public speaker on symbolism, religion and the Orthodox faith.
- LINKS
Jonathan’s channel: @JonathanPageau
- TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Origin of ‘Bless You’ 06:16 Alex’s Conversation With Jordan Peterson 14:01 Alex’s Primary Issues With Genesis 26:04 The Problem With Purpose 34:27 Why is the Serpent in the Garden? 44:28 Was it Fair for Eve to Be Punished? 53:36 The Big Problem With the Creation Story 1:03:05 Could Eve Have Turned Down the Fruit? 1:09:25 The Gnostic Interpretation of Genesis 1:27:51 Jesus’s Role in Eden 1:39:42 An Alternative Version of Events 1:48:28 Why Did it Happen This Way? 1:55:32 Jonathan’s Thoughts on Alex
------------------------------------------ChatGPT is Too WokeAlex OConnor2024-07-08 | ...Destiny on Jordan Peterson, Voting, and Political PrinciplesAlex OConnor2024-07-07 | Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.
For early, ad-free access to videos, support the channel at patreon.com/alexoc
Steven Bonnell II is a popular American political streamer known online as Destiny.
- LINKS
Destiny: @destiny
- TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Why Destiny Got Banned From Twitch 10:16 Should Social Platforms Be Liable for What People Post? 19:00 Being Governed By the Popular Vote 31:55 The Ethics of Voting 42:27 Debating Jordan Peterson 53:35 Does Anyone Have Political Principles? 1:03:22 Legal and Moral Principles 1:16:06 Just Stop Oil's Radical Action 1:29:31 Why Just Stop Oil Won't Turn Violent 1:49:16 The Last Time Destiny Changed His Mind 2:03:32 Dissecting Jordan Peterson's Debating Style
------------------------------------------My Experience Debating Jordan Peterson - DestinyAlex OConnor2024-07-05 | Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.
------------------------------------------What Is Judaism? - Rabbi David WolpeAlex OConnor2024-06-30 | For early, ad-free access to videos, support the channel at patreon.com/alexoc
David Wolpe is an American rabbi, and Visiting Scholar at Harvard Divinity School. He was named the most influential Rabbi in America by Newsweek in 2012.
0:00 What is Judaism? 7:44 How To Become a Jew 16:11 Are Jews the Chosen People? 21:01 Old Testament Atrocities 36:07 How Should We Read the Hebrew Bible? 39:45 The Book of Job 43:27 How is Suffering Explained in Judaism? 48:02 Does Judaism Have an Afterlife? 54:50 How Do You Explain Jesus? 1:01:40 Circumcision 1:07:29 Christopher Hitchens 1:18:58 Outro
- SPECIAL THANKS
A special thanks to my top-tier supporters on Patreon:
------------------------------------------The Difference Between Islam and Christianity - Jordan PetersonAlex OConnor2024-06-28 | Watch the full, two-hour conversation: youtu.be/T0KgLWQn5Ts?si=c9G-MuENG-clZLl4
Joe Schmid is a PhD student in philosophy at Princeton University. He graduated with a B.A. in philosophy from Purdue University in 2022. He has published articles in metaphysics, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of time, and the author of books including "Existential Inertia and Classical Theistic Proofs".
Today, we construct a tier list of arguments for atheism, covering:
The Problem of Evil Divine Hiddenness Religious Confusion The Stone Paradox The Scale of the Universe The Evil God Challenge The Improvability Argument The Argument from Material Causality The Modal Argument From Evil
------------------------------------------That’s The Old Testament!Alex OConnor2024-06-19 | ...Does God Look Like Elon Musk?Alex OConnor2024-06-18 | ...The Gospels Contradict Each OtherAlex OConnor2024-06-16 | ...What Did Jesus Really Look Like? - The Latest ResearchAlex OConnor2024-06-16 | Subscribe to Behind the Gospels: behindthegospels.com
John Nelson earned a PhD in New Testament and Christian Origins from the University of Edinburgh in 2023. His thesis is the first book-length study of Jesus' physical appearance in the Gospels. He runs a weekly Substack called "Behind the Gospels" which aims to make Biblical studies accessible to all.
- TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction 01:44 Does God Look Like Elon Musk? 04:52 Jesus Christ’s Physical Appearance 08:30 Was Jesus Short? 17:49 Where Else is His Appearance Spoken Of? 23:00 Intentionally Withholding Physical Descriptions 28:53 Imagining Christ in Different Ethnicities 32:48 Is it Significant That Jesus is a Man? 37:35 Should We Depict Jesus? 45:42 Could Jesus Have Been Disabled? 53:29 What Did Jesus Wear? 59:29 Is it Inappropriate to Fixate on Christ’s Appearance? 1:03:27 Where to Find John
- SPECIAL THANKS
A special thanks to my top-tier supporters on Patreon:
------------------------------------------Does This Prove the Gospels?Alex OConnor2024-06-15 | ...“It’s a Genocide!” Old Testament DebateAlex OConnor2024-06-13 | ...Im Getting Sick to Death of This - Alex vs Dinesh on Amalekite SlaughterAlex OConnor2024-06-13 | Watch the full debate: youtu.be/UMKkX8qRHsw?si=d-N-Nq7wz6W5mHjv
For early, ad-free access to videos, support the channel at patreon.com/alexoc
------------------------------------------Dawkins Doesn’t Know What He’s Talking About- Jordan PetersonAlex OConnor2024-06-11 | ...Is Jordan Peterson a Heretic?Alex OConnor2024-06-10 | ...Nihilism: An In-Depth Discussion - @unsolicitedadvice9198Alex OConnor2024-06-09 | Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.
For early, ad-free access to videos, support the channel at patreon.com/alexoc
Joe Folley is the creator of the YouTube channel "Unsolicited Advice" (@unsolicitedadvice9198) which creates short, digestible philosophical videos on a wide range of topics.
He joins me today to discuss nihilism: its history, its meaning, and its significance in philosophy.
- LINKS
Find Joe's Channel here: @unsolicitedadvice9198
- TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction 04:32 Why Focus on Nihilism? 11:40 Nihilism's Ancient Origins? 21:47 Was Diogenes a Nihilist? 31:37 Dostoyevsky and Nihilism 41:15 Was Nietzche a Nihilist? 49:32 The Myth of Sisyphus 1:02:41 Is Existentialism Just a Cope? 1:08:02 Is There Such a Thing as a Nihilist? 1:19:07 Where to Find Joe
- SPECIAL THANKS
A special thanks to my top-tier supporters on Patreon: