Choice Conversations

The co-hosts of the popular Zen Parenting Radio Podcast join Chris and I for a hearty discussion on Parenting. Cathy and Todd Adams discuss their particular way of being self-aware parents and how they overcome the daily challenges of being responsible parents. Some takeaway points from this podcast are: -Parenting is "simple... but not easy" -Steve provides a really bad sports analogy -How to handle not becoming "offended" when a child yells back at you or disrespects the parent -We spend a good bit of time talking about the partnership of parents and how important that is, and also how to manage that relationship in a healthy way Steve's Aftershow Deep Thoughts: Oddly (but not so oddly), I walked away from this interview noticing a parallel between 'Parenting Podcasts' and 'Business Management Podcasts' because they both share the same language and structure. Both topics are about empowering the individual who is being managed to be free and creative but yet there is always a need for safe boundaries. Both

Stefan Molyneux joins my co-host and I for a discussion about injecting philosophical morals and ethics into our parenting. Stefan introduces and describes what it means to be a 'Philosohical Parent' and reminds us that the relationship between the parent and child is unique in it's structure and therefore we must recognize this disparity of power and respect it.  After a short introduction to the topic I quiz Stefan on how he would handle this situation and that situation in which Stefan responds with several tools that he uses. After a few short discussions of 'how-to's' Stefan realizes that not all tools are fool-proof and universal and will require preparation on the part of the parent, thus requiring a parent to be vigilant and aware. Stefan then brings the discussion back to the morals and ethics of these examples. We end this episode strangely enough, gushing and fawning over the work of Stefan Molyneux. He is afterall the 'King of All Content' and has recorded thousands of hours of media, which could

Cronyism + Capitalism = Crapitalism. Chris and I recap the election briefly and talk about the future of the Republican Party.

Once every four years I became fully engaged in the "political super-cycle" and this time around is no different. In this episode I focus my energy on the topic of debating. After my interest was picqued through the Presidential Debates I went searching for other debates and found this debate "Stefan Molyneux vs. Sam Seder" and decided to record a podcast on the material brought up in the debate. In this debate Molyneux and Seder debate Libertarinism and in my opinion Seder is the victor, though his victory was purely a victory of debating "style" rather than "substance". Seder was able to disarm Molyneux from some of his more effective arguments before he had the chance to fully engage them.  For this reason of losing on style rather than substance I decided to discuss the common pitfalls of defending Libertairinism and how to counter the arguments.

How could we not talk about the debates? The political season is upon us and which war-monger shall we choose? You'll hear my synopsis of the past two debates and why none of it really matters. Also, should I vote or should I not vote? Beyond our discussion about the debates we also talk about my book recommendation Albions Seed and why I chose this particular novel to read. The discussion surrounding the book brings us to a larger discussion about the founding of this country.

After an extended break I (think I) will be back on a semi-regular basis putting out shows. I've reformatted the show down to 30 minutes (or so) in an effort to get me back in the podcast-o-sphere. This episode is a meandering conversation with Chris Stefanick on various topics. As you might imagine I am a bit rusty on podcasting but I will get back into the swing of things before long. Steve

A while has passed since our last podcast but after a long break I'm back with a podcast about Bit Coin. Bit Coin is a digital currency that is not affiliated with any person, country, or nation. It is an independently operating currency that is very much still in it's infancy after almost four years of being circulated. But in this interview Brian Nugent explains that Bit Coin is not just some passing fancy, it is actually an emergent technology that has the momentum to upend the current monetary system... or to out it more bluntly, the current monetary regime.  This interview is an eye-opening look into what could very well be the future of money. Please don't miss this informative podcast.  

Why is it that I've focused the last two podcasts on the Trivium (and soon to be three podcasts)? The reason is that I think it is vitally important to understand this ancient form of understanding so that we may better interpret the world around us. The Trivium teaches a systematic and methodical approach to learning. Whenever we come upon new information our minds intuitively begin dissecting it, but can our intuition (or gut feeling) be trusted? Are we wired correctly? Where did we receive our intuition? These are questions I cannot answer completely. Is it our culture? Is it our education? Is it genetic? The Trivium is a conscious thought based approach to overcome our built-in programming. We can consciously make a choice to re-wire our intuition so that we categorize information and then dissect it from a more methodical standpoint.  This is mind-altering stuff, yet it seems so simple and basic. I know that many listeners feel the same way because after the last show with Jan I received more thank-you's

Jan Irvin, host of the popular Gnostic Media podcast stops by to talk about the Trivium education. This podcast covers a general overview of what the Trivium is and how a knowledge of the Trivium can help you discern what is 'true' from what is fallacious.  The Trivium is an ancient method of critical thinking that has three components; grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These three components make up the only three of the seven Liberal Arts. The other four concepts are covered in the Quadrivium (but we did not cover that in this episode). Jan explains how the sophisticated class (the elites, the sophists, the powerful) has employed the Trivium to use mind control over the lower classes of society. Due to the fact that the educated class has access to better critical thinking skills they employ techniques to manipulate the minds of the less educated. Think of advertisements, campaign slogans, and government propaganda. With a knowledge of the Trivium (which can be self-taught and is easily accesible) anyone can qu

An introspective podcast into the results of what happens when I tell myself the story of 'how bad things could get'. Is this a dangerous activity? Will I follow the path of the Unabomber? Can I be a functional member of society?

This week I interview Aaron Hawkins of the website Waiting For The Storm.  I don't know how I came upon Aarons videos and website but I am glad that I did. Aaron does what few revolutionaries are capable of doing; condensing their complex message down to a 3 minute video that is Facebook-able (ie. pasting the video into Facebook and having people actually watch it).  Where this interview was intended to go is not where it ended up and I'm glad we discussed what we did... but... there is still plenty to talk about with Aaron (am I hearing a part two?). We eventually settled upon the topic of awakening people to Aarons message and whereas I am sceptical of claims of internet videos making a difference, Aaron defended his position that it is possible and desperately needs to be done, albiet it needs to be done correctly. The book 'The Crowd' by Gustave Le Bon is available for free download on Amazon for your Kindle or E-Book reader.

Chris and I once again analyze the book Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlett. We don't complete the entire book but after three episodes we felt the need to move on to more current topics. Besides, I finished this book weeks ago and I want to discuss other things (selfish, I know).

Chris and I once again dig into Chapters 4 & 5 of Hazletts book 'Economics in One Lesson'.  This episodes voice quality was lower than usual but it will be repaired for our third installment of this book review. I apologize for the long lag between episodes but I am currently very busy with many different projects and have little time for accomplishing everything that is on my to-do lists.  Please email all comments and suggestions to twobeerswithsteve at hotmail.com Steve

I am trying something new here by examining the book 'Economics in One Lesson' by Henry Hazlett. My guest, Chris Stefanick, and I dissect this book chapter by chapter and make commentary on the One Lesson presented by Henry Hazlett. This podcast is meant to be educational while also keeping in the tradition of Two Beers of Steve, which means I have to be entertained as well.  You can either listen along without having read the book or you can pick up a copy and join in the conversation by writing into the show... we'd love to hear from you. {I'm writing my email this way to avoid an insane amount of spam} twobeerswithsteve (at) hotmail dotcom I hope you can decode my email. Steve  

EAT TO LIVE by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. That book and that doctors name have been uttered around this house so many countless times. That book changed the way we eat, the way that we view food, and the way that we view our bodies. Now is he the Guru of Health and Diet? I would argue that he is not and decades (maybe even generations of study) are needed to determine why he is right and why he is wrong. In this short vignette I open up about the way that I eat and the reasons we do so. I also admit the possibility that the way we eat may not be the optimal diet... but... I argue that we are headed in the right direction. Take care, have a happy new year, and if you have questions about the Eat To Live diet, my wife and I would be glad to respond.

I discovered Lee Camp on the aggregator site, Knowledge is Asking the Right Questions, and for a few months I caught his videos when they were posted. His videos were aptly titled 'A Moment of Clarity' because of the fact that he shreds apart the Logical Fallacies so evident in politics and the media nowadays. Comedians like Lee Camp (and to an even greater extent, Jon Stewart) are rightly raising their eyebrows at the rhetoric being pumped out of the Big Brother speakers. Lee Camps Moment of Clarity Videos and Podcasts Lee Camp on Fox News 'A Festival of Ignorance'

Another vignette that was recorded as I was driving down the road. I announce that I will be interviewing comedian Lee Camp who is morally responsible for the excellent YouTube video series 'The Moment of Clarity'. I discovered his work through some postings on the aggregator site. Knowledge is Asking the Right Questions. 

Just me and my Iphone App, recording a vignette as I sit in my office. The argument I am making, "The Tea Party is Based on False Premise", is one that I make often to people who associate themselves with the Tea Party. Needless to say, I don't get invited back to Tea Party parties.  The song I chose for close out the show is 'The Debtor' by Miles Benjamin Anthony. His entire album is great but this song in particular stands out above the rest.

Dr. Michael Labossiere joins me in a discussion concerning Logical Fallacies. For the unintiated Logical Fallacies are, roughly speaking, an error in reasoning. My interest in this topic came from a passing comment made by a guest on another podcast I was listening to, he mentioned that logical fallacies are ever-present in commercials. This piqued my curiosity and I explored the topic further including Richard Gula's excellent book 'Nonsense: A Handbook for Logical Fallacies'.  I then sought after a guest that could come onto my show and illustrate the logical fallacies that we most commonly come across; ad hominum, appeal to emotion, appeal to the crowd, the fallacy of confidence, etc.. My search led me to Dr. Michael Labossiere, professor of Philosophy at Florida A & M and also author of two book on logical fallacies; '42 Logical Fallacies' and '30 More Fallacies'.

In this episode I wander over to Occupy Chicago and talk to a few individuals about the Occupy Movement. It was a great time and I recorded an interview with a flag waving veteran. I also spoke with some young gentleman which were a few of the folks that I had hoped to see at the Occupy movement; young, vigilant, curious, capable of listening and learning. That conversation was not recorded.