Mystrikast

Duncan McDonald
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Discover Mystrikism: a rational, sensible, naturalistic alternative to religion. Each episode explores core principles, non-theism, and our reverence for the infinite unknown, while savouring secular moments of awe, our naturalised "spirituality". Learn to think like a scientist, live justly, and marvel at reality.

  1. 20 JAN

    Mystrikast — Our Foundational Epistemic Standards

    This episode is a guided tour of the Foundational Epistemic Standards of Mystrikism — the core methodological commitments Mystriks treat as non-negotiable if we want to call something “knowledge” at all. We break down R.O.V.R.R.T.E.L.F — reliability, objectivity, verification, reproducibility, relevance, transparency, empiricism, logical coherence, and falsifiability — not as abstract philosophy homework, but as practical tools for reducing error and self-deception. These are rational commitments: chosen rules of inquiry that keep our beliefs provisional, accountable, and corrigible. Along the way we use everyday analogies (recipes, detectives, open-kitchen trust, internet rumours) and classic cautionary tales (like cold fusion and unfalsifiable “dragon in the garage” claims) to show why each standard exists and what goes wrong when we ignore it. The deeper Mystrikal point is that these standards aren’t just technical. They’re ethical. They support honesty, humility, and justice in how we treat claims — no special pleading, no dark corners, no “trust me bro.” And weirdly, they also protect awe: the universe that survives this level of scrutiny is more wondrous than any comfortable fantasy. Reality is enough. The unknown stays “sacred” precisely because it’s unknown — not because we rush to invent answers.

    34 min

  2. 13 JAN

    Mystrikast — Mindset Not Membership

    The Union of Mystriks has been rethinking belonging — and the conclusion is surprisingly simple: Mystrikism works better as a mindset than a membership. This episode walks through the shift away from formal enrolments and toward an “open source” alternative to religion: no initiation, no obligation, no conversion performance. If you want to identify as a Mystrik, you can. If you don’t, you can still use the tools, borrow the principles, and walk alongside for a while — or forever. Engagement is customisable, voluntary, and pressure-free. We explore Mystrikism as a practical, naturalistic life philosophy: reason + compassion + curiosity + justice, grounded in evidence, and still rich in “spirituality” through awe (stars, storms, forests, music, the whole goosebump catalogue) — without any supernatural claims to defend. Then we get concrete: everyday kindness that isn’t performative, learning from mistakes without shame, intentional “awe pauses,” and using science to steer moral action by outcomes. It’s head and heart working together, without pretending they’re enemies. Finally, a necessary caveat: openness doesn’t mean moral mush. Mystrikism stays voluntary and non-coercive, but it doesn’t shrug at cruelty. When someone persistently causes harm or pushes deliberate deception, justice comes first — and that’s where Principled Disgust lives: firm, evidence-based moral opposition without dehumanising hatred.

    20 min

  3. 5 JAN

    Mystrikast — The Beginnings of the Union

    This is the messy beginnings of Mystrikism and the first sparks of what later became the Union of Mystriks. I grew up with religion as background noise: Bible stories in school, weddings and funerals, and the occasional childhood bargain-prayer (“help me now and I’ll be good forever”… yeah, nah). Then, almost by accident, books cracked my head open — I read The Lord of the Rings to impress a girl, the girl disappeared, but the curiosity stuck. From there, it zig-zags: teenage atheism as rebellion, a later plunge into serious New Age “woo” (including some painfully cringe moments), then the hard swing into militant anti-theism, then finally a calmer landing in secular humanism… which still didn’t quite feel like a complete framework for living. Because atheism and agnosticism are about one question — gods and knowability — but they don’t automatically hand you meaning, ethics, identity, or that natural, goosebump-y sense of awe people often call “spirituality.” So I tried to build something: a syncretic, naturalistic worldview grounded in the self-correcting methods of science and the power of compassion. Truth as provisional (best current approximation, always updateable). Ethics that care about reducing suffering across life and ecosystems. Awe that’s fully naturalised, no supernatural add-ons. And then the Union idea clicked: sceptics and non-believers are often scattered, while superstitious ideologies tend to be cohesive and organised. The Union of Mystriks is the attempt to change that dynamic — shared principles, shared growth, shared momentum — aiming for a rational, ethical, awe-filled future that stays anchored in reality. https://www.mystrikism.org https://www.facebook.com/groups/1782830925522213/ https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/mystrikast/id1848253540 mystrikism@pm.me

    8 min

  4. 1 JAN

    Mystrikast — Meta-Dogma

    This episode is a walk through a Mystrikal paradox: we don’t do frozen certainty, but we do have a core practice that we treat seriously, ongoing inquiry as a kind of meta-dogma. I’m using “dogma” in the broad sense (shared doctrine / settled view), not the rigid “don’t question this” version. The rigid version is exactly what Mystrikism rejects. Instead, we treat doubt as a co-pilot: question authority, including the sermon; put evidence on a pedestal, but don’t worship the pedestal; keep even your best beliefs pencilled in. Then we flip the emotional vibe: this isn’t cold cynicism. In Mystrikism, mystery is treated as something almost, but not quite, “holy”, the birthplace of wonder, humility, and a natural, rational “spirituality” that doesn’t rely on anything supernatural. From there, we land in the practical payoff: holding beliefs lightly makes it easier to grow, easier to empathise, and easier to update your “map of reality” without turning it into an identity crisis. It’s basically a love letter to the sentence: “I don’t know”… said with a straight back and a curious grin. https://www.mystrikism.org https://www.facebook.com/groups/1782830925522213/ mystrikism@pm.me

    11 min

  5. 24/12/2025

    Mystrikast — Science & Certainty

    Sometimes the most scientific sentence in the room is still: “I don’t know yet.” This episode is a narrated run through my 4-part essay Science and Certainty — a Mystrikal call for intellectual humility, especially when we’re talking about the beginning of the universe. The hot Big Bang model has strong evidence behind it… but the closer we push toward “the earliest moment,” the more we’re leaning on extrapolation, and the easier it becomes for confident language to outrun the data. We take a quick tour through scientific history’s greatest reality-check moments (ulcers, “junk DNA,” brain plasticity, the microbiome), not to shame experts, but to remember a simple pattern: nature is weirder than our first draft. Then we talk communication — how to be clear, compelling, and still honest about uncertainty — and we finish with the Mystrikal posture: respect the evidence, respect the unknown, and keep wonder intact without making stuff up. If you like science and you like your certainty slightly less inflated, this one’s for you. https://www.mystrikism.org https://www.facebook.com/groups/1782830925522213/ mystrikism@pm.me

    13 min

  6. 15/12/2025

    Mystrikast — Agnosticism: A Mystrikal Perspective

    Certainty is comforting… and also kind of a liar. This episode is a guided walk through agnosticism — not as a bland fence-sit, but as a whole landscape of distinct stances with different standards, attitudes, and “burdens of proof.” We touch the classics, the modern variants, and why the same label can mean wildly different things depending on the person using it. From there, we zoom in on Mystrikism’s agnostic ethos: non-theistic, naturalistic, and evidence-first. The basic move is simple — when a claim as huge as “a god exists” keeps failing scientific scrutiny, the rational default is provisional non-belief (while staying open to revision if high-quality evidence ever shows up). We finish by grounding it in method: ROVRRTELF-style evidential standards, Popper-ish falsifiability instincts, and the Mystrikal use of “spirituality” as natural awe rather than supernatural metaphysics — meaning you still get wonder, just without the intellectual fake ID. https://www.mystrikism.org https://www.facebook.com/groups/1782830925522213/ mystrikism@pm.me

    1h 13m

  7. 11/12/2025

    Mystrikast — Our Mantra

    This episode walks through Mystrikism’s Mantra as a full journey: from reality, to nature, to life, to kindness, to justice, to freedom, to curiosity, to science, to truth, to awe, to mystery, and finally to purpose. Each link is treated as a real-world step, not a slogan. We talk about: Why Mystrikism starts with naturalism: one reality, no hidden supernatural backstage, just matter, energy, fields, information, and cause and effect. How a brutally honest view of the cosmos still lets life feel astonishing, rare, and worth protecting. How “Life compels kindness” isn’t Hallmark-card fluff, but an evolutionary and social fact: cooperation keeps complex life alive. How kindness grows teeth and becomes justice, and why justice is what makes genuine freedom possible rather than just a buzzword. How freedom turns loose our curiosity, how curiosity becomes science, and how science is our best shot at honest truth. How real truths about DNA, black holes, quantum weirdness, and our “star-stuff” bodies don’t kill wonder — they supercharge it. How awe naturally reveals the huge unknown still ahead of us, and how that mystery gives us a sense of shared purpose: uniting knowledge and kindness to improve the world. By the end, the mantra isn’t just a poetic chain; it’s a way of living: see reality clearly, feel awe deeply, act kindly and justly, and keep pushing the boundary of what we understand — together. https://www.mystrikism.org https://www.facebook.com/groups/1782830925522213/ mystrikism@pm.me

    44 min

  8. 10/12/2025

    Mystrikast — Overpopulation: A Mystrikal Perspective

    To be born today is to arrive onstage late, in a crowded theatre where the exits are already filling with smoke. This episode, Overpopulation – A Mystrikal Perspective, is a long-form dive into what it means to bring new life into a world already in ecological and ethical crisis. We begin on Kiribati, a Pacific nation literally losing land to the sea, and use that as a lens on the bigger, uncomfortable truth: human overpopulation quietly amplifies almost every other serious problem we face. From there, we explore Mystrikism’s expanded moral circle: sapient beings, sentient life, and ecosystems, each with their own claim on justice and care. We unpack why parenthood is no longer a morally “neutral” act, how rights like reproduction are always bounded by consequences, and why the mantra “2-or-fewer for a future” is offered as a concrete ethical guideline rather than a slogan. Across this seven-part journey, we’ll talk about: The emotional tension of loving your kids while being honest about population ethics. How small families, voluntary childlessness, adoption, and mentorship can all be forms of generational justice. Why lifestyle tweaks (recycling, solar panels, EVs) are dwarfed by the footprint of adding a new human. The addiction to perpetual economic growth, pronatalist policies, and “baby bonuses”. A counter-vision of a rewilded, human-scaled world where restraint is an act of hope. This isn’t about guilt for past choices. It’s about what we do after we understand the stakes. Reproduction is framed here not just as a family matter, but as a planetary decision with cascading consequences for centuries to come. If you’re wrestling with questions about whether or how many children to have, or you just want a brutally honest, evidence-grounded take on overpopulation that doesn’t collapse into despair, this episode is for you. https://www.mystrikism.org https://www.facebook.com/groups/1782830925522213/ mystrikism@pm.me

    32 min
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About

Discover Mystrikism: a rational, sensible, naturalistic alternative to religion. Each episode explores core principles, non-theism, and our reverence for the infinite unknown, while savouring secular moments of awe, our naturalised "spirituality". Learn to think like a scientist, live justly, and marvel at reality.

Information

  • Creator
    Duncan McDonald
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Duncan McDonald
  • Show Website
    Mystrikast