Why is there a Parthenon… in Nashville? Jean Baudrillard might have the answer. In Episode 112 of Overthink, Ellie and David pick apart hyperreality: the provocative suggestion that our reality today is so inundated by signs that the gap between reality and simulation has all but broken down. Your hosts talk through the history and experience of hyperreality ... Show More
Jan 2022
Are we living in a simulation?
Sean Illing talks with philosopher David Chalmers about virtual worlds and the nature of reality, and other topics that stem from Chalmers's new book Reality+. In this far-reaching discussion, Sean and Prof. Chalmers get into the makeup of human consciousness, the question of whe ... Show More
1h 6m
Jul 2022
Is the Universe a Simulation?
What if everything around you, the people, the places, even your own thoughts, was coded into existence?The simulation theory isn't just science fiction anymore. Some of the greatest minds in physics, philosophy, and technology believe there is a real probability that our entire ... Show More
14m 10s
Jun 2024
The Observer Effect and the Double Slit Experiment: Ben and Matt vs. Reality
Reality is philosophically terrifying. What is it, exactly? Where does it come from? Why are we, humans and everyone else, stuck within this thing no one seems to understand? In this special episode, Matt and the one they call Ben wrestle with the nature of existence in the face ... Show More
1h 11m
May 2018
Rethinking Virtual Reality
"Virtual reality" might seem like a new concept, but are we already living inside a virtual world? How do we balance spending time in these technological worlds versus the "real" world? Plus, we explore questioning the nature of our own reality, and riff on the idea of creating a ... Show More
14m 42s
Mar 2017
#68 — Reality and the Imagination
Sam Harris speaks with Yuval Noah Harari about meditation, the need for stories, the power of technology to erase the boundary between fact and fiction, wealth inequality, the problem of finding meaning in a world without work, religion as a virtual reality game, the difference b ... Show More
38m 30s