In this show, Jessica Dang and Anirudh Pai discover the thinkers, seekers and creators in their intellectual sphere and delve into their guests’ thoughts on philosophy, technology, culture and the future.
Executive Producer
Justus Eapen
How do we find what is good and just? What does the intersection of tech and the counter-enlightenment look like? What does the future look like for a NEET?
Conservative Curious explores these questions and more.
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ALL EPISODES
SEASON 2
S2E8: Into Africa
feat. Sean Pawley
In this episode, we talk to Sean Pawley, a young American who founded a bank in Rwanda called Seshat Bank. We talk about Rwanda’s long-term vision of being the “Singapore of Africa,” China’s influence on the African continent, and why he thinks there are big opportunities for fellow American investors.
S2E7: The State of Legitimacy
feat. Byrne Hobart
In this episode, we talk to Byrne Hobart, the mind behind The Diff, a Substack newsletter that covers inflections in finance and tech. We discuss the state of legitimacy and the 2020 election, how our perceptions of legitimacy is changing, and whether we are poised for a legitimacy reset.
S2E6: Luck, Time and Greatness
feat. John Fiorentino
In this episode, we talk to John Fiorentino, a serial entrepreneur who created wildly popular consumer products for sleep, stress and anxiety: Gravity Blanket, Moon Pods, and Moon Pals. He’s also the creator of personalized astrology candles called Birthdate Candles. John shares with us the philosophical insights he found on his journey to success. We discuss the two questions you should ask yourself before starting a company, the one path to greatness, what money actually represents, why we should love America again, and the existential war on fun.
S2E5: City of Minds
feat. Anna Gát
In this episode, we talk to Anna Gat, founder of the InterIntellect (otherwise known as I.I.), a global online community of public intellectuals. Anna has created what she calls a “city of minds,” where seekers of thoughts and ideas are connected through their mental energy. The community hosts online salons that spur some of the most interesting conversations on the internet. We talk to Anna about how to solve the supply problem of public thinkers, how hosting salons can change social behavior, whether you should talk about money, sex and politics at a dinner party and much much more.
S2E4: The Scapegoating Machine
feat. Geoff Shullenberger
In this episode, we talk to Geoff Shullenberger, writer and lecturer at New York University. He is also the creator of Outsider Theory, a blog that explores academic theories, conspiracy theories and the concept of the outsider. We discuss the two-fold scapegoating dynamic embodied in Donald Trump, the digital version of sacrificial rituals and how we can forgive and forget in the online world.
S2E3: Strange Truths
feat. Mike Solana
In this episode we talk to Mike Solana, Vice President of Founders Fund, a venture capital firm investing in companies that build revolutionary technology. He's also the creator and host of two podcasts: Anatomy of Next and Problematic. Not only that, he writes a newsletter called Pirate Wires on Substack. Our conversation here revolves around an essay he wrote titled “Fire in the Sky: UFOs, Government Conspiracy and Conquering the Barrier Belief.” We discuss the mental blocks that appear when it comes to strange truths, why no one cares about UFOs and how he used self-radicalization as a way to learn about different worldviews…We may have also talked about Pizzagate, Jeffrey Epstein and the flat earth theory.
S2E2: Silicon Valley Dropouts
feat. Andrew So
In this episode we talk to Andrew So, whose latest project is a documentary film called Silicon Valley Dropouts, which details the stories of ambitious young techies who came out to the Bay Area in the early 2010s with the hopes of building their empires. We delve into strange living situations, the distinction between achievements and adventures, how cold emails are underrated and why Silicon Valley has never been successfully recreated elsewhere.
S2E1: Jagged Red Pill
feat. Josh Lekach
In this episode, we talk to Josh Lekach, host of Wrong Opinion about his red pill moment, why he’s Gen Z’s favorite internet dad, who would get his vote between Trump and Kanye, what makes him feel the presence of God, and why men should never wear flip flops.
SEASON 1
S1E6: It’s Time to Tinker
feat. Anton Howes
In this episode, we talk to Anton Howes, historian-in-residence at The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and author of "Arts and Minds: How the Royal Society of Arts Changed a Nation." He is also the head of innovation research at The Entrepreneurs Network, a UK-based think tank. We discuss the improving mentality, what we can learn from Britain's 300-year period of technological advancement, why innovators should also be cultural entrepreneurs and how paranoia can spark innovation.
S1E5: The Rise of Regionalism
feat. Anthony Hennen
In this episode, we talk to Anthony Hennen, Cofounder of Expatalachians, an Appalachia-focused journalism project. He is also the Managing Editor at The James G. Martin Center for Academic renewal, a higher ed think tank. With his upbringing in Appalachia and time spent living in the Czech Republic, Anthony has interesting insights about the rise of regionalism. We discuss how the pandemic has spurred regional consortiums in the U.S., the cultural impacts of a nation and his case for the E.U.
S1E4: Cities of the Future
feat. Dryden Brown
In this episode, we talk to Dryden Brown, the CEO of Bluebook Cities, a company that builds new cities in frontier markets. Listen as he shares his thoughts on the function of cities, the zero-to-one problem he’s trying to solve, and why we should let a thousand Americas bloom.
S1E3: Seeing Like a NEET
feat. Ryan Peterson
In this episode, we talk to Ryan Peterson, better known by his Twitter handle @ResonantPyre. Ryan is a 19-year old freshman at the University of Chicago, currently on leave from his studies due the coronavirus pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped him from learning. Ryan continues to read on his own and brilliantly marries the fields of philosophy and politics in his insightful and eloquently composed tweets. We talk to him the tragedy of modern life, creating public digital goods, conceptualizing a decentralized internet, and his advice for young intellectuals.
S1E2: Finding the Lost Elons
feat. Michael Gibson
In this episode, we talk to Michael Gibson, General Partner of 1517 Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in the earliest stages of a startup. Previously, he ran the Thiel Fellowship where he oversaw the selection of the world’s youngest and brightest minds. Listen as he shares his thoughts on finding the lost Elons, what the alpha-gamma quality is, why he’s thinking of the Counter-Enlightenment now, and the importance of inspiring future generations.
S1E1: The Good, The Just & The Beautiful
feat. Bradley Davis
Conservative Curious is thrilled to launch our first podcast episode with Bradley Davis, the founder and editor-in-chief of his newly launched online magazine Athwart. We discussed his journey from the most liberal college in America to his time in Morocco, where he uncovered his faith and was inspired to revive the wisdom captured in Ancient Greek thought while engineering a new dialogue in modern conservatism.