We respond to questions from listeners about therapy, whether shame fuels eroticism, why neither of us wants to have kids (or dogs), and whether we are in an “age inappropriate” relationship.

Greetings from the lagoon in the oasis town of San Ignacio, Baja Sur, Mexico. We talk about our (maybe) upcoming retreat this summer in Montana, answer a few listener questions (Chomsky/Pinker and Epstein), talk about the wind at our backs, and driving in Baja.

I tell my Peter Attia story and we explore the nature of evil on Epstein Island. Are we all evil? How can we know? Are there justifications for the worst crimes? How can we minimize the harm we cause when we live in a world in which harm is unavoidable?

One of the best things about Crestone is that it attracts people like Goldie. She came here to build an Earthship with her partner, Matt, and everyone agrees that it’s a richer place with them in it. She’s a big part of the annual Crestone Energy Fair and works with the Crestone End of Life Project as a death doula, helping people on their way to whatever comes next.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about James’ journey from ministry to technology, the importance of critical thinking and humility, the role of ideology in political discourse, and the philosophical roots of Unitarianism. We even get into the nature of belief and behavior, and the implications of animal consciousness. Are critters dreaming all the time? We discuss the importance of detribalization in modern society and the role of love in ethical decision-making. Hope you enjoy it.

James’ Substack is here.

I had this conversation with an interesting guy named Piero San Giorgio recently.

Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Temazcal,” by Monsters of Folk. Outro: “Rock Bottom,” by Colby Kent.

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Looking for silver linings of very dark clouds. Muss es sein? Es muss sein. Beethoven. Lessons learned from hopping a coal train in the Finger Lakes. Why do I ban listeners? Lee Atwater. Reagan. Carter. Is our current crisis the bitter fruit of what was planted in 1980? Answ…

What is the connection (if any) between football, musicals, dancing, and prostitution Some thoughts on Tears for Fears. A bunch of other random nonsense.

This one gets dark at the beginning. Could this Epstein/Trump stuff be worse, much worse than even a cynical old bastard like me could have imagined? Stuff that’s been bending for decades all feels like it’s breaking now. What does Occam’s Razor have to say about ICE raids in Minneapolis? Or Trump’s obsession with Greenland? Tariffs? Putin?