Today I decided on a whim to bring up some classical source text I think more people should be aware of and mindful of on the subject of weapons, gun-control (and knife-control, for you dangerous Brits), and disarmament more generally.

It is often assumed that our position today is fundamentally different, due to differences in technology and arguments that were foreign even 100 years ago, before the horrifically deadly ASSAULT RIFLE. Yet when we look back to Machiavelli, to Plato, and to Homer, we find a striking similarity in the nature of the arguments and in the motivations for making them.

As always, I encourage everyone to read the source texts directly, for their own edification as well as for understanding the true nature of often misused quotations. The Odyssey, the Republic, and the Prince are all works in the public domain, and can be read (or listened to) online.

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• Find more Caffeine and Philosophy content online: https://caffeineandphilosophy.com/
• On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caffeineandphilosophy/
• On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChristopherRobertson

Today I'm joined by Coach Josh Wood of Strong for Life to explore some of the psychology behind health and fitness.

Does good health preceed confidence and a healthy mind? Or is it the other way around? What exactly is the relationship between physicality and problem solving? Is it something you just have or don't, or are physicality and confidence things you can build up over time? And are there any philosophical implications to any of this?

These are some of the questions Josh and I attempt to answer in our conversation, which fits within a broader, somewhat Nietzschean understanding of the importance of the body to philosophy, especially when it comes to resilience and the endurance of pain.

You can follow Josh Wood on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/coachjoshwood/
or on his website https://strongforlife.online/

Leave a rating and review, it really helps others to find the podcast.

• Find more Caffeine and Philosophy content online: https://caffeineandphilosophy.com/
• On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caffeineandphilosophy/
• On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChristopherRobertson

Why are there so many Holocaust museums scattered around the world?

Today I'm joined by Daniel Clancy -- aka 03OG -- to discuss political power, the difference between "power" and "influence," and the strange role of Israel in our political landscape. Starting from what got us both into the military as teenagers, we wind up in the domain of political philosophy more broadly, from Plato and Nietzsche to Machiavelli and Mosca to Herzel and Biden; from Dante's de Monarchia to the Balfour Declaration and the October 7th attack.

Our conclusion to the general question of power is a hopeful (but far from optimistic) kind of message for other young men who may be considering something like joining the military... but the takeaways go far beyond (perhaps begin far beyond) teenagers, and might be useful -- or, at the very least, entertaining -- to people of all ages over 30.

You can follow Daniel on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/03_og/

Leave a rating and review, it really helps others to find the podcast.

• Find more Caffeine and Philosophy content online: https://caffeineandphilosophy.com/
• On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caffeineandphilosophy/
• On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChristopherRobertson

Today I'm joined by Sierra to discuss the extraordinary explosion of autism diagnoses, and the social mechanisms by which autism appears to have been increasing... but might not be. Is it Marxism? Pharmaceutical financial interests? Chinese subversive influence through TikTok? Perhaps a little bit of all? And perhaps more importantly, how are people persuaded that they might have autism when they are, in fact, normal and functional human beings?

Leave a rating and review, it really helps others to find the podcast.

• Find more Caffeine and Philosophy content online: https://caffeineandphilosophy.com/
• On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caffeineandphilosophy/
• On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChristopherRobertson

I have RETVRNED! Today we dive into flat earth theory... beginning with an appreciation for the value of the debate, which is often dismissed as annoying or irrelevant. Looking at one argument for flat earth and one argument against flat earth, we go over how such a debate might at least start. We also go over some of the history of the flat earth movement, which is less philosophical though still relevant in thinking about how to approach claims.

Referenced links:

"Can we see too far?" (the water test):
https://postcardsfromtheageofreason.com/2023/09/06/can-we-see-too-far/

The Coriolois effect:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX7dcl_ERNs

Who started Flat Earth conspiracy theories? (Ryan Reeves):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yfyWSs3wRI

Leave a rating and review, it really helps others to find the podcast.

• Find more Caffeine and Philosophy content online: https://caffeineandphilosophy.com/
• On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caffeineandphilosophy/
• On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChristopherRobertson

Today I'm joined by Kyle Brickell from Sol Anahata who joins me on an informal, exploratory dive into grail myth. What is the grail? Is it a cup? A stone? A woman? A cave? By what mechanism does it bestow immortality? Bouncing back and forth between Julius Evola, Christianity, and Homer, we don't exactly resolve any mysteries, but manage to come up with a few intersting ideas.

Follow Kyle's work with Sol Anahata at:

https://sol-anahata.bandcamp.com/

Follow Kyle on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/solarus_cascadia/

Leave a rating and review, it really helps others to find the podcast.

• Find more Caffeine and Philosophy content online: https://caffeineandphilosophy.com/
• On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caffeineandphilosophy/
• On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChristopherRobertson

Today we turn biographical and attempt to answer a common question from Instagram: how did you become the way you are?

From philosophy courses and walks with friends to religion and the military, we dig through my life to try to find clues and ideas to help others who aspire to philosophize... as well as ask (but perhaps not answer) the question: "is it desirable to become a philosopher?"

Leave a rating and review, it really helps others to find the podcast.

• Find more Caffeine and Philosophy content online: https://caffeineandphilosophy.com/
• On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caffeineandphilosophy/
• On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChristopherRobertson

Today I'm joined by Dylan Bain, who guides us through the wild and sometimes counterintuitive world of systems, from education and standardized tests to business and economic infrastructure. We look at the epistemological strengths and limitations of systems-based thinking, as well as the value in a systems-based understanding of the world in terms of understanding it and in terms of changing your own life.

Follow Dylan Bain on

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedylanbain/
• Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6dMcYA1aPjtrFffoPD6xUl
• Finance: https://dylanbain.com/

Leave a rating and review, it really helps others to find the podcast.

• Find more Caffeine and Philosophy content online: https://caffeineandphilosophy.com/
• On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caffeineandphilosophy/
• On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChristopherRobertson