Can't Unread

by Rosie Pasqualini

Each week, Rosie Pasqualini— sometimes with a guest— unpacks a particularly jarring article or piece of short fiction, discussing its personal and cultural relevance. Get ready for fresh ideas, a dollop of politics, and a healthy dose of emotional vivisection. You are invited to read along! Articles and stories available at www.cantunread.com.

Episodes

"...America Lost Its Religion. Why?"

26m · Published 16 Aug 00:29

Episode Notes

Ron Watson and Rosie Pasqualini discuss the factors that led to the increasing popularity of atheism in the US, and the complex relationship between faith and social justice. Our discussion references and expands upon this 2019 Atlantic article by Derek Thompson. There are occasional construction sounds in the background and Ron is wearing a cool jacket.

Fun fact: This episode was also filmed! You can watch it here, courtesy of BeloitTV.

"What Will Future Generations Condemn Us For?"

19m · Published 15 Aug 23:56

Episode Notes

In 2010, Kwame Anthony Appiah tried to guess which common practices would be deemed reprehensible in the future. With almost a generation between then and now, Sarah Rose Ezelle and Rosie Pasqualini revisit his predictions.

View full article on The Washington Post

S1:E4 – The Politics of Information

42m · Published 21 Aug 05:00

Can an algorithm replace a market system? In this episode, I’ll talk to my friend Aidan Paradis about economics, politics, and the role that information technology plays in mediating the two. We’ll discuss lightbulbs, grocery stores, and communism (sort of). There will be exactly one pun in the episode.

My interview with Aidan is centered on Sophie Roell’s interview with economist Henry Farrell, which can be found here.

Full show notes at cantunread.com!

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S1:E3 – "Indifference Is a Power"

21m · Published 06 Jul 14:00

- cantunread.com -

Episode Notes

The thoughtful detachment of Stoicism is, as philosophical theories go, fairly popular among denizens of the Internet. Why? This week we’ll examine Lary Wallace’s “Indifference Is a Power” alongside OG Stoic Epictetus’s Enchiridion. We’ll discuss how this school of thought has evolved and/or devolved across the years and what makes it so appealing today.

LINKS:

Indifference Is a Power: Why Stoicism Is One of the Best Mind Hacks Ever Devised - Lary Wallace
The Enchiridion - Epictetus - PDF available at cantunread.com
The Stoicism subreddit
Encyclopedia Britannica (good write-up that I disagree with in parts; but the 'divine fire' quote is from here)
Definitions of Cognitive Distortions from Atlanta Psychiatry

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S1:E2 – "The Chinese Room Thought Experiment"

33m · Published 16 Jun 03:21

Episode Notes

cantunread.com

Chinese room argument – John Searle (and others?), Scholarpedia “#MeToo and John Searle, a Year Later” – Claire Newfeld, Medium

“Our shared condition — consciousness” – John Searle @ TEDxCERN
“UC Berkeley Was Warned About Its Star Professor Years Before Sexual Harassment Lawsuit” – Katie J.M. Baker for Buzzfeed News
“…John Searle accused…” – Malaika Fraley for the East Bay Times
Searle Found to Have Violated Sexual Harassment Policies – Justin Weinberg for DailyNous

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S1:E1 – "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

21m · Published 26 May 23:01

cantunread.com

What makes this iconically soul-destroying short story so iconically soul-destroying?

"A Good Man is Hard to Find" - pdf

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Can't Unread has 6 episodes in total of non- explicit content. Total playtime is 2:45:11. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on July 29th 2022. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on April 22nd, 2024 01:41.