PLADO Prahlad Iyengar

Been a while, but we're back at it! In this episode, we tackle a pretty vague subject - art. Specifically our judgements of art - aesthetics. Why is it that we judge art, and how has the judgement of art affected our development as a species? We'll check out some of the basics of aesthetic philosophy and then turn to some real-life artists who have helped define and challenge the status quo of the "artworld". Get ready for a deep look at how we create as we continue our quest to Mess with the Madness!

Back after a brief hiatus! In this episode, we'll take a critical view of comedy, delving into what makes us laugh and, more importantly, whether we're laughing for the right reasons. We'll listen to a variety of comics at their finest, and learn what distinguishes comedy as a form of entertainment from comedy as an art. I hope you all get a few good laughs out of this one while we continue to Mess with the Madness!

In this episode, we take a hard look at the realities of Democracy and why it's gone so wrong in America. We'll take a look at Portland, Afghanistan, and, strangely enough, wind turbines, to begin to challenge the power structure Democracy lays out and the unrealistic expectations it has of its citizens. Added some background and transition sound effects, so hopefully this episode is more digestible than the last one. And as always, thank for Messing with the Madness.

In this episode, we take a dive into media bias from a different perspective than the usual, looking at the unconscious forms of selection bias that influence what facts we hear through the media. From turmeric in your tea to the Iran nuclear deal, we look at ways the media can change definitions and direction by just showing us more of what we expect to see. By the end, though, we'll see that bias is as fundamental to facts as the slope of the green in lawn bowling is to playing the game, and may actually be beneficial to our understanding if we catch it in the act and keep ourselves honest. Thanks for Messing with the Madness!

In this episode, we take a look at problem solving and why it might not be as great as it sounds. We start with some linguistics and then head over to Socrates and Francis Bacon, two of the pioneers of problem solving techniques. Finally, we take a look at some interesting counterpoints from Isaiah Berlin and look to the real world to reveal why problem solving is just glorified pattern matching that might dig us deeper into our own oblivion. Thanks for Messing with the Madness!

Still working on the website, but for now I'm hoping to get this up on Spotify soon and make it more widely available. Looking forward to your feedback as we challenge ourselves together!