Pros & Concepts
The podcast that introduces and explains concepts that are relevant to our world
About the show
Phil and Steve introduce and discuss ideas that are relevant to the modern world, focusing on topics that primarily deal with society, psychology, philosophy, and technology.
Episodes
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Episode 61: Awesomeness – A How-To Guide
August 22nd, 2024 | 1 hr 15 secs
belonging, community, friendship, making friends, networking, psychology, sociology, tips, tricks
Phil introduces concepts from the book "On Being Awesome" by Nick Riggle, which goes in-depth on how to avoid being a sucky person and embrace one's own inner awesomeness.
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Episode 60: Adult Friendship (Pt.2) – Punching the Loneliness Epidemic in the Face
May 12th, 2024 | 1 hr 12 mins
belonging, community, friendship, making friends, networking, psychology, sociology, tips, tricks
In this episode, Phil leads the charge in discussing tips and tricks for making friends as adults.
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Episode 59: Adult Friendship (Pt.1) – Curing the Loneliness Epidemic through Tips & Tricks
April 22nd, 2024 | 48 mins 50 secs
belonging, community, friendship, making friends, networking, psychology, sociology, tips, tricks
In this episode, Phil leads the charge in discussing tips and tricks for making friends as adults.
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Episode 58: Limbic Capitalism - Make Everything Addictive!
March 7th, 2024 | 54 mins 10 secs
addiction, dependence, dependency, gambling, philosophy, politics, psychology, sociology
In this episode, Steve and Phil discuss how corporations make us addicted so they can extract as much as profit possible.
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Episode 57: Behavioral Addiction - When Behaviors Are Like Drugs
February 20th, 2024 | 1 hr 21 mins
addiction, dependence, dependency, gambling, philosophy, politics, psychology, sociology
In this episode, Steve explains the difference between Addiction and Dependency, and that it means to be addicted to something that isn't a psychoactive substance. We talk about the meteoric rise of online gambling, specifically sports gambling, in recent years.
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Episode 56: Freedom - The Misled Right-Wing Rallying Cry w/That Dang Dad
December 6th, 2023 | 1 hr 8 mins
belonging, community, philosophy, policing, political science, politics, psychology, sociology
In this episode, Phil and Steve welcome "That Dang Dad" (aka Phil) to join us in discussing Freedom. Phil is a former police officer who has since become a police abolitionist. We discuss the concepts of positive and negative freedom, among many other perspectives informed by his time as an office of the law.
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Episode 55: The Big 5 - Use This Instead of Trash (AKA Myers-Briggs)
August 18th, 2023 | 50 mins 1 sec
careers, mbti, myers-briggs, people, philosophy, psychology
Phil and Steve explain the most credible personality test that exists today, and give plenty of examples.
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Episode 54: Boots Theory – Being Poor Costs More
June 1st, 2023 | 40 mins 29 secs
belonging, careers, community, philosophy, political science, politics, psychology, sociology, urban planning
You're shivering, huddled under your thin, discount-store jacket as the winter wind slices through it. Meanwhile, a woman walks by, snug and warm in her expensive, high-quality coat that will last her for years. It dawns on you: she pays more upfront, yet less in the long run. Your bargain coat, replaced each year, costs you more over time. A vivid reminder of economic disparity, articulated through contrasting experiences of the same cold wind. This is the Boots Theory of Economics.
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Episode 53: Third Places – Where Everybody Knows Your Name
May 8th, 2023 | 52 mins 43 secs
belonging, careers, community, philosophy, political science, politics, psychology, sociology, urban planning
You step out of the daily grind, leaving behind the familiar walls of home and office. Eager for connection and a breath of fresh air, you wander into a local "third place" – those magical spaces where community thrives. From cozy cafes to bustling parks, these vibrant havens offer a sanctuary for your soul, a chance to ignite your curiosity, and an opportunity to forge unforgettable connections.
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Episode 52: Quiet Quitting – Corpo Propaganda in the Remote Age
April 16th, 2023 | 36 mins 52 secs
careers, philosophy, political science, politics, psychology
In this episode, we discuss Quiet Quitting, which can be defined as: "a specific, often spontaneous or grassroots application of work-to-rule tactics. Despite the name, the philosophy of quiet quitting is not connected to quitting a job outright, but rather, employees avoid going above and beyond at work by doing the bare minimum required and engage in work-related activities solely within defined work hours."
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Episode 51: Sanctuary Trauma – When Support Isn't Supportive
November 15th, 2022 | 44 mins 20 secs
personal development, philosophy, political science, politics, psychology
In this episode, Steve leads the charge to discuss the concept of Sanctuary Trauma which “occurs when an individual who suffered a severe stressor next encounters what was expected to be a supportive and protective environment’ and discovers only more trauma.”
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Episode 50: Pain w/Zoe Bee — How Do Politics Paint our Perspective on Pain?
November 1st, 2022 | 1 hr 1 min
personal development, philosophy, political science, politics, psychology
In this episode, we have the amazing Zoe Bee on to discuss the idea of Pain, focusing on how political stances view and address it. We concisely define pain as: Physical and mental suffering.
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Episode 49: Ghosting – Vanishing with a Digital Trace
October 17th, 2022 | 49 mins 41 secs
dating, online dating, personal development, philosophy, psychology, relationships, romance
In this episode, Steve leads the charge on the concept of Ghosting. Steve did the academic research, Phil did the field research, we could say. They talk about who is likely to ghost, who is likely to experience ghosting, and what the effects and strategies could be for avoiding them.
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Episode 48: Ressentiment – Is it Good to be Weak and Poor?
September 27th, 2022 | 41 mins 55 secs
nietzsche, personal development, philosophy, psychology
Steve takes the charge on dipping into Nietzsche’s concept of Ressentiment, which we’ll define simply as “a sense of hostility directed toward an object that is identified as the source of one's frustration. The sense of weakness or inferiority complex (possible jealousy) in the face of this source generates a rejecting/justifying value system, which attacks the source. This value system is then used to justify one's own weaknesses.”
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Episode 47: Need for Cognition - Is Thinking a Pleasure or a Pain?
September 12th, 2022 | 45 mins 28 secs
personal development, philosophy, psychology, science
In this episode, Phil explains what Need for Cognition is, most easily defined as a scale ranging from enjoying thinking and finding it as something internally motivated, down to something that is a reluctant chore that requires external motivation. Most notably, someone can be highly intelligent but low need for cognition.
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Episode 46: Paradoxical Outcomes - Causing the Exact Thing You Didn't Want
August 30th, 2022 | 50 mins 46 secs
paradoxes, personal development, philosophy, psychology
In this episode, Phil introduces a homebrewed concept that he defines as "Any action taken to stop a particular outcome results in causing that outcome."