Hemant Mehta is an author, a YouTuber, and an atheist activist. During our conversation, Hemant talks about his journey to atheism, the threat of Christian nationalism to secular society, and the atheist and secular movements. He also addresses the loss of community felt by those who leave religion, and the life and legacy of Daniel Dennett, including his work with The Clergy Project. ------------ Keep Talking Substack Rate on Spotify Rate on Apple Podcasts Social media and all episodes ------------ Support via Venmo Support on Substack Support on Patreon ------------ 00:00 Intro 00:37 Hemant's personal and religious background 06:58 Hemant's experience losing his religious belief 08:40 Has Hemant's atheism changed him? 11:30 What persuaded Hemant to become an atheist? 14:49 Modern instances of religious overreach into secular society 20:37 Hemant's definition of atheism 22:57 What motivates Hemant's work 30:50 Christian nationalism in America 36:25 Reasons for optimism 42:19 The loss of community as people leave religion 46:58 Does Hemant have doubts about his atheist convictions? 49:22 Who does Hemant go to for information? 55:49 Dan Dennett and The Clergy Project
D.J. Taylor is a novelist, a literary critic, and the author of two biographies of George Orwell: Orwell: The Life, and Orwell: The New Life. During our conversation, D.J. talks about Orwell's life, why Orwell's books, particularly his two on totalitarianism, Animal Farm and 1984, have endured so many years after his death, and the relevance of his ideas and insights to modern times. ------------ Keep Talking Substack Rate on Spotify Rate on Apple Podcasts Social media and all episodes ------------ Support via Venmo Support on Substack Support on Patreon ------------ 00:00 Intro 00:49 Who was George Orwell? 03:03 Why is Orwell so intriguing to D.J. Taylor? 05:01 Orwell's relevance over the past 20 years 08:21 How did Orwell capture totalitarianism so clearly? 13:30 The totalitarian impulse in Orwell 18:06 Orwell's commitment to his beliefs 21:59 A power of facing unpleasant facts 26:47 The void filled by the decline of religion 30:15 What was Orwell for? 34:58 Orwell's final years on Jura 38:48 Criticisms of Orwell 45:19 How would Orwell view modern times? 52:07 Euphemism and Newspeak today 54:43 Famous quotes from Orwell 55:45 Why does Orwell endure?
Camilla Kring is an author, a global speaker, and is the founder of B-Society, an organization fighting for "chronotype equality." During our conversation, Camilla talks about night owls and morning birds, why humans have a wide spectrum of sleep cycles, our cultural bias towards early birds, the damage done to night owls who are asked to fit into a morning bird society, and how we might be able to provide greater time autonomy to people to live in accordance with their own rhythms. ------------ Camilla's org, B-Society Keep Talking Substack Rate on Spotify Rate on Apple Podcasts Social media and all episodes ------------ Support via Venmo Support on Substack Support on Patreon ------------ 00:00 Intro 00:41 An "A person" vs "B person" 02:42 Social jet lag of night owls 04:17 Evolutionary reasons for night owls 11:17 How society became biased against night owls 15:32 Are night owls lazy? 21:02 The range of preferred sleeping cycles in humans 26:29 The guilt of and bias against night owls 32:14 Advice for night owls who can't control their schedule 36:12 How AM sunlight and light exposure helps people 37:22 The importance of sleep 43:18 Chronotypes and a quote from "Why We Sleep" 48:46 Can night owls turn into morning birds? 54:32 Is our society chronically sleep-deprived? 58:25 How does a sane society approach sleep?
Sarah Everts is a science journalist, an associate professor at Carleton University, and the author of "The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration." During our conversation, Sarah talks about how sweating was an evolutionary superpower for humans, what sweat is, why some people sweat more than others, the history of the antiperspirant industry, and why we receive such psychological benefits from sauna exposure and exercise-induced sweating. ------------ Keep Talking Substack Rate on Spotify Rate on Apple Podcasts Social media and all episodes ------------ Support via Venmo Support on Substack Support on Patreon ------------ 00:00 Intro 00:50 Sarah's interest in sweat 02:20 Sweating as an evolutionary advantage 13:08 Why do some people sweat more than others? 19:29 Is being able to easily sweat a sign of health? 24:30 Ethnic differences in sweating 29:05 How advertising created the antiperspirant industry 39:35 The benefits of heat and sweating 51:45 Forcing your heart to exercise
Sherry Ning is an author and an essayist, whose Substack, "Pluripotent," has some of the best writing I've come across on human nature, purpose, and how to live. During our conversation, Shelly talks about creating one's own path, success, open-mindedness, beauty, nostalgia, spirituality, and religion. ------------ Keep Talking Substack Rate on Spotify Rate on Apple Podcasts Social media and all episodes ------------ Support via Venmo Support on Substack Support on Patreon ------------ 00:00 Intro 00:36 A purpose to write 2:37 Trait openness 6:12 Real diversity is found in human personality 8:37 Fame 10:29 WEIRD people 12:45 For happiness, ask: what will make me miserable? 15:47 Success and going your own way 26:36 Open-mindedness and particularity of taste 34:06 Wildflowers: beauty and toughness 39:52 The death of Sherry's father 43:27 Nostalgia and good times 49:49 What modern writer does Sherry enjoy? 52:26 Sherry's religious and spiritual beliefs