#36 – Can You Separate Art from the Artist?

08/23/19 • 118 min

In this episode, Virgil and his friends, Awkward Hermit, Matt, and Auguste discuss the concept of separating art from the artist. Is it ever possible for us to be able to separate a talented individual and their pieces of art from their harmful, immoral, and at times, criminal behavior? Should we banish all artwork created by individuals that may be talented but are evil people? Should we try to find nuance and look at the concept and issues case by case following the facts and victim testimony before canceling the artist's work entirely?

This discussion will cover everything from musicians, actors, directors, athletes, etc. We attempt to take a rational approach to the separation of art and the artists that create the artwork. We discuss the deification of artists and other public figures and how that might skew our perception of how good or bad these people might be. Just because these individuals may be talented, impactful, or famous, that doesn't mean they are good people and treat others with respect. The Me Too movement has been a catalyst for people that consume art to reevaluate the artists that they admire. The Me Too movement has driven people to investigate whether or not these public figures might be immoral and criminal people. We hope we can bring clarity to such a problematic, nuanced, and emotional topic.

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#35 – What is the Left and Right: A Conversation About the Right

In this episode, Virgil continues the discussion about the left and right with his guests D and Matt. In this podcast, we go into more detail of what the term “right” is, particularly in respects to the cultural, moral, social, economic, psychological aspects of the various groups on the right and how they might or might not have something in common with the left. This episode includes a discussion on the Moral Foundations Theory and what the moral psychology of people traditionally on the right is. When then contrast the rights morals foundations to liberals and libertarians to better understand one another and the basis to our moral foundations. We then discuss the social and cultural aspects of the right in respects to movements and government action. Finally, we discuss what various groups on the right believes is right in terms of economics and how that translates to public policy.

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#37 – Building Self-Confidence in Times of Self-Doubt

In this episode, Virgil goes over the tools and strategies that we need to build self-confidence in times of self-doubt. Self-confident individuals build trust in their abilities, have a sense of control of their lives. Self-confident people believe they will be able to do what they wish, plan, and expect. Self-confident individuals have realistic expectations, and even if those are not met, they continue to be positive. Individuals who lack self-confidence find it challenging to be successful and ultimately happy. When self-esteem is the norm for an individual, their talents and skills have the chance to shine and be noticed by their peers and community. We all live with self-doubt and second-guessing, but with these tools and strategies, we hope to be able to build up our confidence and remain positive in the face of our successes and failures.