Realist Reels: Content for Your Consideration

Getting Good at Letting Things Go, The Great Gurwinder, and Jordan Peterson Goes Woke

Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

Here are some of my video highlights from this week, starting with my soundtrack for the week:

1. Letting Things Go | Vulfmon & Evangeline

This new song from Vulfmon, solo spin-off from Vulfpeck by producer Jack Stratton, has been the soundtrack of my week. A friend and I discussed how “letting things go” in the realm of theology, work, and so much else is the key to our new vibe. Give it a listen, or listen to my rendition on Instagram as “The Casual Groovist.”

2. The Fitness Scientist: "Even A Little Alcohol Is Hurting Your Health!" Kristen Holmes

This video mostly focused on the value of sleep, and apparently, it’s more important to wake up at a consistent time than to get more sleep. On the topic of the title, I’ve sometimes felt that I should learn to drink more to be a good Presbyterian, but learning the effects of alcohol on sleep and thereby on health relieves me of that pressure.

3. Gurwinder Bhogal: Hubris, Heuristics, and Human Error

This interview provided much of the inspiration for my Wednesday post on avoiding ideology. I especially appreciated his description of the empirical, non-ideological mindset as starting from the Socratic recognition, “I am wrong.” (The video above is time-stamped there.) Some say that believing in the possibility of empirical knowledge of the real world is naïve or dogmatic. On the contrary, Gurwinder proves that it is humble. I think it would also be a source of greater civility in our discourse, hence, civilized empiricism.

Also, in a way characteristic of the secular anti-woke discourse, they talk about how gay and trans are not analogous. Yet, in evangelical discourse, Side Y continues to insist that they are, in common with the ideology of the cultural left. This is why I have argued that sexual orientation is a real thing in the world and not a social construct; it is a product of empirical knowledge. Christians should join secular empiricists in a philosophy and science that recognizes the empirical reality of both biological sex and sexual orientation.

4. Theistic Evolution with Joel Carini

In case you missed this interview I did with independent philosopher Samuel Barnes, check it out! It’s based on my series, “Why Not Theistic Evolution?” which begins here. I also recorded a podcast yesterday on my article “Berating the Godfearers” with Matthew Stanley, proprietor of Samsara Diagnostics. “Samsara” is Japanese for “suffering,” so Matthew is, like me, trying to diagnose the nature of the misery of our condition. I’ll be sharing that podcast when it comes out.

5. Is Social Status Determined By Your Genetics? - Gregory Clark

This video discussed the relative biological determinism of social status. Predominantly, the social status of a child is determined by the social status of the parent. This insight relieves parents of the pressure to help their child climb the meritocratic ladder. It also punctures the impression that social mobility is as common as we Americans like to think. It concludes with the insight that “parenting,” a rather modern invention, could be replaced by just enjoying life with one’s children and the wife of one’s youth.

6. 15 Mental Models To Understand Psychology - Gurwinder Bhogal

This video was Gurwinder Bhogal’s first interview with Chris Williamson of several that followed. I featured Bhogal’s insights in my post this week and owe several new subscribers to a “Restack” on Substack Notes by Bhogal.

7. Captain Sully's Minute-by-Minute Description of The Miracle On The Hudson

I began reading N. T. Wright’s After You Believe this week, and I was struck by the example of Captain Sully’s landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, delivering all 155 passengers to safety after both engines were lost to a “bird strike.” The Captain’s description is moving, and the portrayal in the film was also well worth watching.

8. How To Make It On YouTube In 2023 - Colin And Samir

I have time-stamped this video to a wonderful story Samir Chaudry tells about climbing a job-hierarchy compared to creating a job based on one’s goals and life-mission.

9. Jordan Peterson teaches Woke Master Class | Official Trailer

Some of the comedians who have hopped on the anti-woke bandwagon seem to be more adept at political commentary than comedy. Not so Tyler Fischer. Fischer is a real talent (who was canceled for being white), and this video speaks for itself!