Jonathan and Jeff are finally back with a conversation that picks up the threads that were left in the previous episode's topics of Daoist philosophy and technology. Jeff asks Jon if he's seen Spirited Away and tries to make a connection withou

Cosmotechnics, Yuk Hui, and the Possibility of Changing Your Story

Aug 19th, 2021 1h 15m

Jonathan and Jeff continue their discussion of technology and the dilemma of how technology makes things easier, which simultaneously undermines the activities that lead to meaning (e.g., habit-building, etc.). Building off of Alan Jacobs's ess

Technology and the Web of Meaning

Aug 4th, 2021 59m 56s

Jeff and Jonathan open this next episode in their miniseries on technology by talking about an article by Alan Jacobs that recently appeared in The New Atlantis. The subtitle of this article is: "Neil Postman was right. So what?" Is there a way

Question(s) Concerning Technology

Jul 22nd, 2021 1h 28m

Jeff and Jonathan are back with season two of Subjects in Process. Starting off with a series on technology, in this first half of the episode, Jeff and Jonathan attempt to summarize what they think they know, their sources and where they are c

15: This is Not the End

Jun 11th, 2021 1h 14m

In this final episode of Season 01, Jonathan and Jeff wrap things up by establishing their definitive positions on all of the topics discussed over the previous 14 episodes. Just kidding! Instead, they reflect on what they discussed, what were

14: What's in a Name - Pt 2

Jun 2nd, 2021 1h 36m

Jonathan and Jeff continue their discussion about the name of this very podcast by talking about the idea of the Subject, but not before trying to discern their apostolic succession to famous philosophers of the past. (It is a bit of a stretch,

13: What's in a Name - Pt 1

May 26th, 2021 1h 6m

Jeff and Jonathan switch gears in this episode to talk a bit about the context of the name of the podcast. Reflecting on the experience of being an English student and a Philosophy student, they talk through what they remember about literary an

12: Bricks, Elephants, and More

May 19th, 2021 1h 35m

In this final episode discussing Derek DelGaudio's In and Of Itself, Jonathan and Jeff talk about the difference between living to achieve something and living to be consistent, what it might mean to find deep satisfaction in life, and if livin

11. Chicken or Cockatrice?

May 12th, 2021 1h 1m

In this episode, Jeff and Jonathan continue their conversation about Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself to talk about the power of being recognized, the generosity of inclusion, and how a new context can open us up to significant experiences. Thi

10: To Be Told Who You Are

May 5th, 2021 1h 14m

Jonathan and Jeff continue their conversation on the philosophical magic show, Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself -- and this time they spend more than five minutes talking about it! While this episode doesn't contain spoilers from the show, we w

09: In & Of Itself

Apr 28th, 2021 1h 7m

After several episodes discussing more-or-less one subject, Jonathan and Jeff are moving on to something else! Maybe this really is subjects-in-progress after all!Using Derek DelGaudio's philosophical magic show, In and Of Itself, as a springb

08: Everything's a Barrier!

Apr 22nd, 2021 1h 22m

In today’s episode, Jeff and Jonathan discuss if the economic concept of "barriers to entry" might be useful for articulating concerns beyond the market. The conversation considers if upbringing, access to capital, supportive relationships and

07: Barriers to Entry

Apr 14th, 2021 1h 18m

Jonathan and Jeff continue looking at some of the ground-level issues that relate to the experience of capitalism: this week they look at "barriers to entry". Barriers to entry is a term that economists use to talk about obstacles that new firm

06: Alienation and Work

Apr 7th, 2021 1h 17m

Jeff and Jonathan discuss Marx's idea of alienation, and try to better understand it by sidestepping theory to talk more about Dairy Queen. They explore questions like: What kind of work is meaningful? What deprives us of pride in our work? Doe

05: Capitalism and/or Beyond?

Mar 31st, 2021 1h 7m

Jeff and Jonathan continue their long-winded/long-winding discussion on capitalism. They explore a number of questions, including: How do we get from where we are to what's next? Do we have to address all the ills of the past or can we start fr

04: Mistakes or Conflict?

Mar 24th, 2021 1h 34m

We discuss Scott Alexander's 2018 post comparing "mistake theorists" and "conflict theorists" in order to try to understand what contributes to polarization (like those surrounding the question of capitalism). Is this typology useful? Maybe we

03: The Roots of Capitalism

Mar 17th, 2021 56m 52s

Continuing our conversation on capitalism, Jonathan kicks off this episode with a discussion of one of the fathers of capitalism, Adam Smith. Both Jon and Jeff reveal their Hegelian leanings. From there, we talk about some of the differences be

02: What Does Capitalism Mean?

Mar 10th, 2021 1h 3m

In this episode, Jonathan and Jeff continue their rambling and insufficiently informed discussion of capitalism by talking about language — and also two Jacqueses (Derrida and Lacan), Benoit Mandelbrot, the bullsh*t asymmetry principle, quantum

01: The Enchantments of Mammon

Feb 27th, 2021 1h 7m

In this episode, Jeff talks to Jonathan about what he's gleaned so far from reading the first half of historian Eugene McCarraher’s book, "The Enchantments of Mammon: How Capitalism Became the Religion of Modernity." The book critiques capitali

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