#808: Stephen West — From High School Dropout to Hit Podcast, and from Stocking Groceries to Reading Philosophy for a Living

Stephen West is a father, husband, and host of the Philosophize This! podcast.

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Timestamps:

[00:00:00] So it begins.

[00:06:11] Stephen’s challenging childhood — from San Diego to Child Protective Services.

[00:07:55] How Stephen supported himself after dropping out of school at 16.

[00:09:37] The physical wear and tear of warehouse work (and unexpected upsides of the job).

[00:11:48] How Stephen discovered philosophy through googling “wisest person in history.”

[00:14:07] Defining philosophy as a “disruption of common sense” and “gym for rethinking.”

[00:16:06] The 4-Hour Workweek as a philosophical text.

[00:19:27] A philosophical shift around Ralph Waldo Emerson.

[00:22:18] The transition from warehouse work to starting Philosophize This! with friendly encouragement.

[00:27:47] Authenticity as the secret sauce to Philosophize This!

[00:32:24] The discomfort of comparing old episodes with new.

[00:34:15] The current state of Philosophize This!: 225 episodes, Patreon, ads, upcoming book deal.

[00:37:18] The value of focusing on content quality before monetization.

[00:38:44] Most popular Philosophize This! episodes thus far.

[00:40:00] Philosophize This! episodes I’d like to hear.

[00:41:20] Thinking of philosophy as a verb, not a noun.

[00:46:44] The concept of amor fati (love of fate) and its practical application.

[00:48:41] Wittgenstein’s ladder as a metaphor for philosophical growth.

[00:51:36] Stephen’s perspective on philosophy as a process rather than a set of protocols.

[00:54:43] Philosophies that have personal meaning to Stephen: Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Simone Weil.

[00:56:40] Simone Weil’s concept of attention and self-emptying.

[00:59:26] Stephen’s approach to simplicity and sacrificing efficiency for meaning.

[01:04:07] Valuing time and playing the long game.

[01:06:01] How philosophy lives “in the shadow” of what we give credit to (science, psychology).

[01:08:31] The value of philosophy in generating better questions.

[01:10:06] Stephen’s future plans: possibly writing philosophical fiction.

[01:19:05] Stephen’s billboard.

[01:21:41] Recommendations for getting started with philosophy.

[01:24:29] Gilles Deleuze and concepts as machines.

[01:26:55] Why do we believe what we believe?

[01:30:40] Stephen’s evolving relationship with religion after starting as a New Atheist.

[01:32:33] Exploring mysticism and religious phenomenology.

[01:37:51] Parting thoughts.

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