Episode Summary
In this episode, I reflect on the loneliness of living in nuance in a world of scripts. From MAGA truisms to the Sermon on the Mount, I explore how authoritarian movements thrive on simple answers while Jesus called his followers to a radically different way of life—humility, mercy, and love of enemies. Along the way, I share personal updates, how busyness can numb our critical thought, and why deconstruction often feels like wilderness. This is a conversation about resisting the easy scripts, asking better questions, and finding a more merciful, holistic way forward.

As a on again/off again live sound engineer, we are always thinking about signal to noise ratio. Or, why is that speaker humming? It's keeping me from hearing the vocals clearly!

In daily life we are bombarded with influencers and newscasts designed to promote outrage and/or to generally obscure facts and data that don't look good.

Here's how to maximize "signal" (the good) while minimizing "noise" (the extraneous).

The cancer community that I am part of lost a friend last weekend. This podcast is an essay that I wrote about his memory and the loss. The topic is what healthy manhood looks like, and how that is different for different people. In this we contemplate Plato's theory of the forms, and how this theory affects how we see ourselves.

Much love Zach. See you on the other side.

An ability to hyperfocus has long been one of my defining characteristics.

In this episode I explore why we hyperfocus, the neurochemicals involved, when it becomes a special interest, and if this is a Golden Age of hyperfocus.

Has rigid denominationalism left you out in the cold?

Is the God you are being asked to worship a monster?

Is asking questions forbidden where you are?

Then this episode is for you.

A friend accused me of having “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

From immigration to healthcare, foreign aid to the erosion of empathy, I break down why I speak out against Trumpism—not because I’m obsessed, but because I believe the Gospel compels us to. We’ll talk about the politics of grievance, the cost of silence, and why loving your neighbor might mean challenging the systems that harm them.

This isn’t about left vs. right. It’s about decency, truth, and whether Christianity in America can still look like Jesus.

Topics Covered:

• What is Trump Derangement Syndrome?
• Faith vs. grievance politics
• Immigration and the sin of empathy
• The Big Beautiful Bill and healthcare
• USAID, DEI, and foreign policy fallout
• Can a divisive tone ever be holy?
• Is MAGA a Christian movement—or just claiming to be?

📬 Email: heyfnp@gmail.com
📰 Substack: [Friendly Neighborhood Philosopher]
💡 If this episode helped you think differently, consider sharing or supporting the podcast.

Three autistic girls were "disinvited" from playing on a homseschool coop volleyball team recently.

In this episode we look at:

How you can argue anything from the Bible

How to balance the needs of the many vs the needs of the few

What our aspirational goals might be (inclusion) vs. what we can do.

Enjoy and please like and share! As an independent philosophy podcast we need your help to grow.

This last two week period has been one of the craziest of my life.

In this episode I take a philospical look at how we survive and thrive through chaos, uncertainty, and health challenges. For me that's included funerals, hospitalizations, political protests, guests, assassinations, business uncertainty, selling cars, and the rumblings of war.

Also the state of diplomacy now? It's decidely less great. Make Diplomacy Great Again!