Meta-Cosmos

Episodes

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  202: Favortism Exclusion Homogony [Tao Te Ching Ch.43] 08.11.2026 36m

  In a retrospective episode reassessing how canceling DEI initiatives has served us, it turns out the ironic use of the term is its own form of cancellation. With some reverse rhetoric, Bartleby offers a new term to describe the problem. Along the way, it's never too late for a little shadow work on another humbling episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  201: The Line Between Order & Chaos [Tao Te Chinbg Ch.42] 01.11.2026 58m

  Besides the usual talk about the Tao, this week the socks examine the lines we draw that hold society together. After humanity has crossed the line into AI use, when can we say we have crossed back over to our humanity? It won't be easy, but saving our own ability to connect with other humans will be worth it in another best episode yet of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  200: Thoughtfully Thoughtless Q&A [Tao Te Ching Ch.41] 25.10.2026 1h 6m

  Ask, and you shall receive the opinions of socks. In this Q&A session, Bartleby and Artemus examine knowledge as an emotion, explore what a verb would do if it had a body, and explain why everything effing sucks. Making up one-fifth of a grand occasion, it's the two hundredth of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  199: New Mind, New Cosmos [Tao Te Ching Ch.40] 18.10.2026 39m

  Starting a whole new era for Meta-Cosmos, Bartleby presents Meta-Cosmos 3. We begin with a how-to guide to reducing negative thinking. Reset your mind, and you will reset your world in this best episode yet of the best era yet of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  198: The Tao of a Happy Economy [Tao Te Ching Ch.39] 11.10.2026 23m

  A good economy is like the Tao, if everyone isn't happy, it's not a good economy. For those taking advantage of a broken economy, suffering is a feature, not a bug. It turns out that Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations is just as subject to interpretation as any of important text in another thought churning episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  197: Unverifiable Virtue [Tao Te Ching Ch.38] 04.10.2026 32m

  Beginning the second part of the Tao Te Ching, our favorite pair of socks examine the virtue of hierarchy, or at the least they look at the illusions of virtue. Slowly but gradually, Bartleby is questioning one translation of the Tao Te Ching altogether. Calling out all ego everywhere, it's another exposing episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  196: To-Do List Without Doing [Tao Te Ching Ch.37] 27.09.2026 20m

  Life is a proverbial scavenger hunt! It is happening whether we choose to participate or not, but through the Tao, we accomplish all of our tasks without doing anything at all! While checking off their to-do list, Bartleby and Artemus discover the joy of multitasking with silliness in a very productive episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  195: Shrink and Grow and Shrink and Grow [Tao Te Ching Ch.36] 20.09.2026 15m

  It turns out, life seeks to shrink as much as it seeks to grow, but it would never admit to it. Bartleby and Artemus dip their little sock toes into the subject, but only just get started in a very short episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  194: Tastes Like Nothing At All [Tao Te Ching Ch.35] 13.09.2026 19m

  Giving in to the Tao and moving with it is nothing to brag about. In practice, it might appear boring, like the kind of boring that leads Bartleby to finally keep an episode short for once. It's a refreshing draught of wisdom in another best episode yet of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  193: Empathy Crisis {Tao Te Ching Ch.34] 06.09.2026 28m

  What happens when a nation cuts its food supply chain to spite its face? Unfortunately, we might just find out. Thankfully, the Tao Te Ching offers some basic self-awareness principles to help us cope in another concise episode of Meta-Cosmos…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  192: When the Center Is Not the Middle [Tao Te Ching Ch.33] 30.08.2026 27m

  What is the difference between the center and the middle, and how do centrists enable fascism? Maintaining the status quo to keep us on the precipice of disaster, centrists are far from walking the Buddha's Middle Path. Flowing with the Tao, it's another inspiring episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  191: Provisional Reality [Tao Te Ching Ch.32] 23.08.2026 29m

  Talking about the Tao, Bartleby and Artemus touch on the transitory nature of reality. By stepping back and reading between the lines, they realize that all the institutions and the words used to describe them are all temporary. With an extra bit of Doylist Dread and Watsonian Desire, they pull together another episode of ever-dawning lucidity on Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  190: The Boobiest of Boobytraps [Tao Te Ching Ch.31] 16.08.2026 32m

  Banned from his usual hijinks, Bartleby brings their RPG adventure to new heights, allowing Artemus to showcase how motion pictures desensitize us to violence. The whole adventure makes a perfect example of Lao Tzu's 31st chapter. It's two parts wisdom and one part nonsense in another mystifying episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  189: The Wayside of the Way [Tao Te Ching Ch.30] 09.08.2026 29m

  Are we a part of the Tao or aren't we? Bartleby and Artemus try to figure out where the line is between what is in flow with the universe and whether it's even possible for something to go against the flow. The answer isn't so clear, but the way to get there is worth taking in another thoughtful episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  188: The People's Ice Cream [Tao Te Ching Ch.29] 02.08.2026 40m

  Talking about the definition of weaksauce, we examine moderate politics and its penchant against progressive ideals. It's all about the chocolate, in this false dichotomy with vanilla, where we learn that not all allegories are created equal. Bartleby gives us the ice cream the people crave, in another metaphorical episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  187: Where Did the Magic Go? [Tao Te Ching Ch.28] 26.07.2026 48m

  From Middle-Earth to Avalon, access to magic is ever on decline, but what are the alternatives? Examining fantasy literature and humanity's relationship to magic, our favorite pair of socks look for answers in science fiction, but find there's something magical about realism. It's another best episode with minor spoilers yet of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  186: The Billionaires Won't Save Us [Tao Te Ching Ch.27] 19.07.2026 36m

  Not counting on any saviors, we recommend you save yourself. Also, save anyone else you can uplift along the way. In a world full of teachers, teachers everywhere, and not a drop to learn, we open our minds and drink in another inspiring episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  185: The Open Source Truth Shall Set you Free 12.07.2026 28m

  Solving wealth inequality will take more than just welfare. Considering that knowledge is power, Artemus envisions the role that education and open-source data play in humanity's future. Lifting the bar on intelligence might just be our only hope in another perspective-expanding episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  184: Adaptably Inappropriate [Tao Te Ching Ch.25] 05.07.2026 57m

  Examining what makes an adaptation appropriate or not, we examine the retelling of stories in different media. Ranging from Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Orchid Thief, and True Grit, to Dracula and Supergirl, Bartleby and Artemus offer insight into what makes an adaptation sink or sing and how all this relates to AI and corporations. By analyzing Nicholas Cage's interpretation of Charlie Kaufman, through a haze of spoiler-warnings, we get the longest yet episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.
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  183: You People: Divided & Conquered [Tao Te Ching Ch.24] 28.06.2026 42m

  Even when nuance is right in front of us, it is hard to see when we view any group as a monolith. How we avoid the pitfall might come down to how well we vibe with what is. It might be easier than you think in another Tao-tastic episode of Meta-Cosmos!…Hosted by Bartleby and Artemus Neehi.…Produced by Isaac Bluefoot.…Theme Music by Royal Jelly.