Philosophers In Space
Welcome to Philosophers In Space, where the intrepid trekker captain Callie Wright and their questionable Chief Ethics Officer Aaron Rabinowitz explore the weird, gooey world of sci-fi, searching for tantalizing hypotheticals and gear-stripping questions in a space odyssey of meaning and amusement.
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Silo and Longterm Paternalism
06/17/2025
Silo and Longterm Paternalism
Coming out of our Silo and we're not doing fine! The air is still toxic and we're losing our minds! We're back at it with season two of Silo, and we're discussing the ethics and practicality of maintaining a system like this, as well as discussing the ableist implications of a common trope. Silo: Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: The Dark Forest pt.1 and wall-facer theory
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SOMA and Advanced Problems of Personhood
04/25/2025
SOMA and Advanced Problems of Personhood
Did it work? If you're reading this, it worked! You've been successfully copied as one of the countless persons chosen for our podcast enrichment program! Your existence will consist of listening to this episode and answering a brief survey before ceasing to exist again forever. Our scientists find this approach maximizes utility production while avoiding the wastages associated with things like human attachment or living a full life. If you have any questions please save them for the pre-termination survey. You have been selected to enjoy our episode on SOMA and Advanced Problems of Personhood, so please now do so! SOMA: Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Silo and the Limits of Community Control
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Listener Qs 40
04/11/2025
Listener Qs 40
No joke, we hit listener Qs 40 the week I also turn 40. Weird stuff. Anyway, thanks for keeping us alive over here, even if it's just to extend the torture a bit longer. Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: SOMA and Sacrifices of Theseus
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Listener Qs 39
03/15/2025
Listener Qs 39
As always, it has been an honor and a privilege screwing up your names and worldviews. Enjoy! Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Listener Q and As 40!
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Starship Troopers
02/24/2025
Starship Troopers
It's fascism season in America again, so we're celebrating with the fashest satire of all. To help us get in the spirit we're joined by special guest Jordan Carroll (@jordanscarroll.bsky.social), author of Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right. We discuss whether satire really works on fascism and why fascists are so keen on a genre that seems like the opposite of everything they value. Speculative Whiteness: Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Listener Q and As!
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Bobiverse Book Five Pt2 and Advanced AI Alignment
01/31/2025
Bobiverse Book Five Pt2 and Advanced AI Alignment
We're doing engineering, what could go wrong?! Thoths! That's what. Or did Thoth go wrong? Maybe all of this is entirely how it should go, maybe Mud is a savior for all Bobkind. Join us and find out, as we parse the messy balance of raising an AGI. Not till we are lost: Superintelligence: Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Starship Troopers and Satirizing Fascism
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Bobiverse Book Five Pt1 and The Seven Stories
01/17/2025
Bobiverse Book Five Pt1 and The Seven Stories
The Bobs are back in town! We're back with book five, Not Till We Are Lost, another middle book in the bobiverse series. In this episode we cover all the plots that aren't Thoth related, and discuss the theory that there are really only seven stories out there in the world, and that's why the Bob books feel like seasons of Star Trek. Enjoy! Kurt Vonnegut and six basic plots: Seven basic plots: Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Bobiverse book five and advanced AI box problems.
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Lower Decks: A Farewell to Farms (5.4)
12/24/2024
Lower Decks: A Farewell to Farms (5.4)
Here it is, the culmination of all of Star Trek, after this episode we can hang up our captain's badges and retire to a simple life of bloodworm stomping. This is arguably the best Star Trek Episode in the best Star Trek show there is. It is, indeed, Klingon as hell. We cover what it teaches us about collective virtue and other more advanced takes on virtue theory. Enjoy, or experience bij! Lower Decks 5.4: Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Bobiverse book five and advanced AI box problems.
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Intacto (Intact) and Superstitious Luck
12/03/2024
Intacto (Intact) and Superstitious Luck
The fact that nobody ever asks anybody if they're "feeling lucky" in this movie feels like a mistake worthy of a creepy evil luck hug. I really enjoyed this movie the first time I watched it, and after five years of being obsessed with non-superstitious luck, it's nice to come back and reflect on the weirdness that is superstitious luck. Enjoy! Intacto: Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Lower Decks: A farewell to Farms and Collective Virtue
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Scavengers Reign and the Parasite/symbiote Spectrum
11/16/2024
Scavengers Reign and the Parasite/symbiote Spectrum
Break out your plumbuses folks, it's time for another weird ass trip through some cool ass shit. We're talking about season one of Scavangers Reign, a show that pairs perfectly with Alien Clay and several other things we've covered recently. We discuss the nuances on distinguishing between parasitic and symbiotic relationships, and how we moralize about those ways of being, particularly when we compare them to social versions like colonialism vs. socialism. We also get into the culturally charged issue of "ways of knowing" or "indigenous ways of knowing". Plus all the fun flubjules in your orifices kind of stuff. Gotta get those flubjules. Scavengers Reign: Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Intacto and Superstitious Luck
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Fraggle Rock 1.6: The Preachification of Convincing John and the Dangers of Paternalism
10/18/2024
Fraggle Rock 1.6: The Preachification of Convincing John and the Dangers of Paternalism
If you think about it "dance your cares away, worries for another day" has a horrifying ring to it when the cares in question concern the reproduction of systemic hierarchies through legitimizing narratives about the "natural" order. Is the Doozer motto "work your cares away, dancing is for another day", are they really expressing their authentic preference or merely a preference bred into them through generations of domestication by their Fraggle overlorders. OR, did an ancient, advanced Doozer society in fact domesticate the Fraggles to distract the Gorgs from feeding on Doozer, only to become a sub-altern species in the heirarchy that formed after the collapse of the golden age of Doozer/Fraggle relations. OOOOOR, is that itself just a speciestist mytho-historic narrative constructed by Fraggle scholars as yet another level of social control?! And what does all of this have to do with animal rights and paternalism in environmental ethics?! Let the music of the colonizers play and find out, down in Fraggle Rock! Fraggle Rock 1.6: Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Scavangers Reign Season One and parasitism vs. symbiosis.
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Alien Clay Pt 2
10/04/2024
Alien Clay Pt 2
::sends show notes psychically through the spore mind:: Alien Clay: Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Fraggle Rock 1.6 The Preachification of Convincing John and Ecological Paternalism
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Alien Clay and Low-Road Capitalism pt.1
09/20/2024
Alien Clay and Low-Road Capitalism pt.1
Awwww yeah, we're back in the Tchaikovskyverse doing a hecking socialism crossbred with philosophy of mind. Most importantly, there's tentacles! Alien Clay: Low-road Capitalism article: Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Alien Clay and the Complexity Theory of Consciousness
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Star Trek: The Next Generation, The High Ground and ethical terrorism
08/29/2024
Star Trek: The Next Generation, The High Ground and ethical terrorism
Today's topic is a super easy one, when is terrorism ethical! We're talking political violence in the past, present, and gloriously unified Irish future. Enjoy, and please don't hate us, we are but simple space philosophers! Star Trek: The High Ground (ep3.12) Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Alien Clay and low road capitalism
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Listener Q and As 38
08/08/2024
Listener Q and As 38
Omg, next set of listener Q and As is gonna get us to the big 40. Love you listeners! Support us at Patreon: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Music by Thomas Smith: Sibling shows: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Star Trek Next Generation : The High Ground (ep3.12) and justified terrorism
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Listener Qs 37
07/13/2024
Listener Qs 37
Yussssss! Y'all went hard on us this time that's what we's appreciates about you. Thanks so much for all the support! Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Content Preview: Listener Qs 38
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Spiderhead (2022) and Emotional Regulation
07/13/2024
Spiderhead (2022) and Emotional Regulation
If there's two words you'd associate with our show, I hope they would be spider and head. We're doing a 2/3rds excellent 1/3rd deeply flawed movie that hits a lot of our sweet spots but ultimately fails to get that final gold star. And we're talking about the nature of emotions and whether it would be better if we could control them, and also testing on criminals etc, everything you'd expect watching this opal in the rough. Spiderhead: Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: We haven't been anywhere recently and we want to be so if you know any good shows you think we should guest on him them up with the suggestion! Content Preview: Listener Qs and As!
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Highlander and Male Meaning-Making
06/17/2024
Highlander and Male Meaning-Making
One pod. One post. One shtick. One hole. One golden take on masculinity. (it's a kind of madness) One shaft shaped sword that shows the way. No moral man would want to play. (it's a kind of madness) That bs misogyny inside your mind. Is just patriarchy making you blind. (it's a kind of madness) Getting woke takes an eternity. With shit like Highlander from society! Is gender a kind of madness? (it's a kind of madness) There can be only none! This shtick that lasts a thousand years. Will soon be lulz! (it's a kind of madness) Highlander: Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: We haven't been anywhere recently and we want to be so if you know any good shows you think we should guest on him them up with the suggestion! Content Preview: Spiderhead and Emotional Manipulation
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Men and Schrodinger's Rapist
06/05/2024
Men and Schrodinger's Rapist
What is there to say about Men? A movie so pregnant with ideas it's practically bursting at the orifices with symbols coated in fresh nightmare fuel. Been sitting on this gem a long time and the bear vs. men discourse gave us the perfect context. So, get ready for the most us content ever as we discuss Schrodinger's rapist and social dominance orientation! Men: Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: We haven't been anywhere recently and we want to be so if you know any good shows you think we should guest on him them up with the suggestion! Content Preview: Highlander and Male Meaning Making
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Fallout and Laboratories of Democracy
05/22/2024
Fallout and Laboratories of Democracy
Welcome to the Void Vault, the best of all possible vaults! You're so lucky you were born into this vault, especially because you can't leave. But why would you, everything in this vault is totally fine, you are absolutely NOT a test subject for some undisclosed social psychology experiment, especially not an experiment involving the development of new orifices. While you wait to see our totally safe doctors about that weird itching sensation, enjoy our discussion on the super good Fallout series and the popular but maybe ethically questionable concept "laboratories of democracy". Enjoy, and remember, please keep your responses honest, this is for scientific posterity. Fallout: Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: We haven't been anywhere recently and we want to be so if you know any good shows you think we should guest on him them up with the suggestion! Content Preview: Men and Schrodinger's Rapist
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Downsizing and Altruisms
05/06/2024
Downsizing and Altruisms
If you think about it, on the downsizing principles this is like a years worth of content, and two sentences is endless show notes. Or something, I dunno, the scaling doesn't really make any sense, much like the conceptual map surrounding altruism. Enjoy! Downsizing: Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: We haven't been anywhere recently and we want to be so if you know any good shows you think we should guest on him them up with the suggestion! Content Preview: Fallout and Laboratories for Democracy
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Dune pt 2
04/23/2024
Dune pt 2
Once again, IT IS THE LEGEND! We return to the desert planet to train another faithful, and we're not stopping till we've made everyone super depressed again about the horrors of colonialism but also the horrors of de-colonialism. It's horrors all the way down folks! Enjoy, and stay tuned for Dune Messiah! Dune Two: Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: We haven't been anywhere recently and we want to be so if you know any good shows you think we should guest on him them up with the suggestion! Content Preview: Downsizing
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The Pod Generation and Naturalness
04/08/2024
The Pod Generation and Naturalness
Dear listeners, there are few joys as wonderful as providing y'all with unknown little gems filled with quirky body horror and a deep commitment to the bit. This movie made my transhumanist orifices quiver with joy. Enjoy our discussion of the extremely mid concept that is "naturalness". The Pod Generation: Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: We haven't been anywhere recently and we want to be so if you know any good shows you think we should guest on him them up with the suggestion! Content Preview: Dune 2 and Feminist Decolonialism
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Monolith and Viral Memetics
03/22/2024
Monolith and Viral Memetics
Listeners, have we got a story for you. Two Lovecraftian podcasters so far up their own allegorical asses they do a podcast about a movie about a podcaster doing a Lovecraft. It's meta all the way down folks, so naturally we're talking memetics and the ethics of content creation. Enjoy! Monolith: Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: We haven't been anywhere recently and we want to be so if you know any good shows you think we should guest on him them up with the suggestion! Content Preview: The Pod Generation and Naturalness
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Sense8 and TERFs
03/08/2024
Sense8 and TERFs
We're keeping the theme going from Barbie with some weird mind connection gender stuff! We discuss the first two episodes of Sense8 and what they show us about the philosophy of TERFs, how that might be different from gender critical, and what the future is that TERFs seem to want. Enjoy! Sense8: Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: We haven't been anywhere recently and we want to be so if you know any good shows you think we should guest on him them up with the suggestion! Content Preview: Monolith and Viral Memetics
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Barbie
02/23/2024
Barbie
Is Barbie really a Barbie girl? And in what way is this really a Barbie world? How do we assess whether life in plastic really is fantastic, not to mention the questionable principles of consent inherent in the idea that you can undress her everywhere. Most importantly, is Barbie feminist, and if so, what kind of feminist? These earworm questions and more on this weeks instalment of Alienating your Audience! Enjoy! Children of Memory: Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: We haven't been anywhere recently and we want to be so if you know any good shows you think we should guest on him them up with the suggestion! Content Preview: Sense Eight Episode 1
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Children of Memory and Objective Personhood pt.1
02/02/2024
Children of Memory and Objective Personhood pt.1
We're childish, we sorta have memories. What more do you need?! This book, you need this book. Holy birdbrains, a beautiful third installment in easily one of the best sci-fi series of all time. Meet our new friends the "uplifted" corvids and learn about the mystery of Imir as we learn about the mystery of personhood and why we're never gonna be done figuring out what it is! Children of Memory: Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: Aaron and Callie were on The Psychology Podcast to discuss all things trans. Check it out and share it around, we really did try to cover alllllll the bases: Content Preview: Children of Memory and Simulated Persons pt.2
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Listener Qs 36
01/13/2024
Listener Qs 36
We diiiiiiid it! I knew we could do it. And y'all made it possible. So thanks again, and see you back in the abnormal show! Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: Aaron and Callie were on The Psychology Podcast to discuss all things trans. Check it out and share it around, we really did try to cover alllllll the bases: Content Preview: Children of Memory pt1
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Q and A 35
01/05/2024
Q and A 35
You Q'd, we A'd. The pact is renewed for another cycle. May the void have mercy on all our nonexistent souls. Thanks for your sacrifice! Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: Aaron and Callie were on The Psychology Podcast to discuss all things trans. Check it out and share it around, we really did try to cover alllllll the bases: Content Preview: Listener Qs 36
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Silo and Conspiracy
12/29/2023
Silo and Conspiracy
Welcome to the Apple TV Silo! Why are we trapped in this strange and artificially limited space? Why can't anyone learn about the before times or openly worry that we're not getting the full story? Why do we all accept this illusion of freedom while being kept in cages? I'm for sure talking about the plot of this show and not the current state of online prescription streaming. And We're fore sure talking about conspiracy theories and why talking about them makes us all sad if we do it right. Silo: Listener Survey: Music by Thomas Smith: Support us at Patreon: Follow us on Twitter: Join our Facebook discussion group (make sure to answer the questions to join): Email us at: If you have time, please write us a review on iTunes. It really really helps. Please and thank you! Sibling shows: Queersplaining: Embrace the Void: Recent appearances: Aaron and Callie were on The Psychology Podcast to discuss all things trans. Check it out and share it around, we really did try to cover alllllll the bases: Content Preview: Listener Qs and As
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