Meaning Making Machines

Simone Leon
  • 5.0 (4)
  • PHILOSOPHY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Meaning Making Machines connects the deep past with the imminent future through the search for the eternal, enduring, and essential. Join host Simone Leon as she discusses how we find and define meaning through art, religion, and technology. She'll be speaking to artists, technologists, technophobes, religious thinkers, and philosophers. Exploring the deep questions with a curious mind, and questioning everything. simoneleon.substack.com

  1. 12/12/2025

    Composing with Soul in the Age of AI | JoAnne Harris | Episode 7

    Welcome to my conversation with composer JoAnne Harris. JoAnne has conducted and recorded film scores at Abbey Road, East West, The Village, and Avatar with artists such as grammy winning Kurt Elling and members of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Her television work includes score for: Mal de Ojo (HBO), 20/20, Primetime, and Dateline. She teaches media scoring at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema (CUNY Brooklyn College), orchestration at Catholic University of America, and is a student of the organ and spends her free time working through the Orgelbüchlein. In this episode we speak about JoAnne's life story, and unexpected path into composition, the meaning of art and the value of art in the age of AI, JoAnne's religious background and explorations of faith, and the primal relationship humans have to music whether it is in worship, community, or the pursuit of excellence. 00:00 – Teaser & Theme01:16 – Intro02:42 – Joanne's musical biography and path to composition04:02 – Growing up in Lutheran choral tradition and discovering composition06:10 – Moving to New York City08:02 – Backpacking Southeast Asia and becoming a film composer's apprentice10:10 – Artistic Purpose15:10 – Hollywood's risk aversion and the remake epidemic21:02 – The church's historical relationship to music32:00 – Technology's impact on composing42:36 – What AI forces us to ask56:40 – Worship music: high church hymns vs. contemporary praise01:04:36 – Growing up Lutheran and navigating theological schisms01:30:09 – The non-linear path back to faith01:34:40 – Future plans: music, ministry, and being a 21st century Hildegard von Bingen01:36:58 – OutroShow Links:Substack: http://simoneleon.substack.comJoanne's Links:Website: https://www.joanneharriscomposer.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3hVn60X9XS53Nwq3QYkZYcSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/joanneharrisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/joannecomposer/Music and editing by Simon Linsteadt: www.simonvictorlinsteadt.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simoneleon.substack.com

    1h 37m

  2. 12/06/2025

    An Autobiography by the Trees

    I knew things as a child that are hidden to me now. I knew them, but I didn’t have the intellectual skills to speak of them. I simply lived them. Read full essay here: https://simoneleon.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simoneleon.substack.com

    12 min

  3. 10/18/2025

    The Hypocrisy of Political Certainty

    Cultures and people trade one type of conformity for another and rarely think for themselves without being told what to think. An essay on how we can learn to free ourselves from hypocrisy. Read full essay here: https://simoneleon.substack.com/p/9536ae12-3d49-4b51-8203-458cefcf822d?postPreview=paid&updated=2025-10-17T23%3A48%3A06.730Z&audience=everyone&free_preview=false&freemail=true This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simoneleon.substack.com

    12 min

  4. 06/28/2025

    The Cross, the Womb, and the Crown: The Paradoxes of Medieval Christianity | Grace Hamman | Episode 6

    Welcome to my episode with medieval scholar, writer, and speaker Dr. Grace Hamman. She is the author of the book Jesus through Medieval Eyes, a fascinating and accessible introduction to the bizarre, profound, and contradictory spirituality and culture of medieval people. In this episode we speak about Christianity during medieval times, their complex views of women, sex, birth, and death, the spiritual relationship to fear and suffering, and the corruption of the church during its most powerful era. We compare modern cultural hypocrisies to those of the medieval age and speak about what wisdom we can gain from studying medieval culture. We talk about female hermits, and compare the complex views of womanhood in that time to ours. We also speak about the medieval relationship to art, the anonymity of artists, and the medieval veneration of beauty in comparison to modern utilitarianism. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. Show Links: Substack: http://simoneleon.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simone.leon/ Grace’s Links: Website: gracehamman.com Substack: gracehamman.substack.com Podcast: oldbookswithgrace.wordpress.com/podcast Instagram: instagram.com/oldbookswithgrace Jesus Through Medieval Eyes (book): https://bookshop.org/a/15851/9780310169123 Ask of Old Paths (book available for preorder): https://bookshop.org/a/15851/9780310167204 Mentioned in this episode: New York Times Trends for 2025 (gift link): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/29/style/trends-predictions-2025.html?unlocked_article_code=1.QU8._hpi.lUgnVZ_0f3Gp&smid=url-share Music and editing by Simon Linsteadt: www.simonvictorlinsteadt.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simoneleon.substack.com

    1h 7m

  5. 04/16/2025

    Digital Spirituality

    It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that the role of the unseen in our lives is undeniable and essential. These “things” that are nonmaterial – things like God, love, courage, morality, truth, justice, joy, fulfillment – define the value and meaning of a human life. Read full essay here: https://simoneleon.substack.com/p/c6f1e05b-202e-4467-8ee2-2c41eb58e7b3 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simoneleon.substack.com

    12 min

  6. 04/10/2025

    The Meaning of Where You Live | Alissa Hessler of Urban Exodus | Episode 5

    Alissa Hessler is a writer and photographer, most well-known for her now decade old project, Urban Exodus. Through countless podcasts, stunning atmospheric photography, and candid interviews, Alissa has documented the lives and transitions of hundreds of former urbanites who decided to move to the country. These stories share the triumphs and difficulties they've experienced since leaving the conveniences of city life. Her book Ditch the City and Go Country, was hugely helpful and inspirational to me during my own move to the country. In 2020, I helped Alissa launch the Urban Exodus podcast, with which I worked with her as a producer on. In our conversation we speak about Alissa’s personal journey in following love to the countryside, the creation of Urban Exodus, the history of urbanization and the hollowing out of rural communities, accepting ideological differences, preparing for the AI future, and retaining our humanity. Show Links: Substack: http://simoneleon.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simone.leon/ Alissa’s Links: Urban Exodus website: urbanexodus.com Urban Exodus Podcast: urbanexodus.com/podcast Alissa’s website: alissahessler.com Book: Ditch the City and Go Country: https://bookshop.org/a/15851/9781624143915 Mentioned in this Episode: WSJ: Parents in Tech Want Their Kids to Go Into the Arts Instead: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/parents-in-tech-want-their-kids-to-go-into-the-arts-instead-6966b658 Music and editing by Simon Linsteadt: www.simonvictorlinsteadt.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simoneleon.substack.com

    1h 28m

  7. 03/14/2025

    Womanhood and Reproductive Technologies | Sylvia Linsteadt | Episode 4

    Welcome to part 2 of my conversation with Sylvia Linsteadt! If you haven’t seen part 1 of our conversation, you can do so HERE. If you don’t know her work already, Sylvia is an author, a scholar of ancient history and myth, and a certified wildlife tracker. Her work - both fiction & non-fiction is rooted in myth, ecology, feminism, and bioregionalism. I highly recommend exploring her wonderful substack The Pollen Basket. This week, we continue our discussion of the feminine, diving deeper into the psychological and spiritual implications of things like birth control, egg freezing, and the concept of artificial womb technology. We speak about the wisdom of the female experience as being rooted in the body, and what that means for us as we navigate life in disembodied modernity. Show Links: Substack: http://simoneleon.substack.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@simone123621 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simone.leon/ Sylvia’s Links: Website: https://www.sylviavictorlinsteadt.com Substack: https://sylviavlinsteadt.substack.com When Women Were the Land Course: https://advaya.life/courses/when-women-were-the-land Mentioned in this episode: Brit Marling NYT Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/opinion/sunday/brit-marling-women-movies.html Kyle XY: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0756509/ The Chalice and the Blade: https://bookshop.org/a/15851/9780062502896 Music and editing by Simon Linsteadt: www.simonvictorlinsteadt.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simoneleon.substack.com

    1h 2m

  8. 03/02/2025

    How to be Human in the Age of AI | Kyle T. | Episode 3

    Kyle is a crypto millionaire and a futurist. As a young adult, he was a part of the punk/anarchist scene in New Orleans. He squatted in a communal house, dumpster-dived, and made his best efforts to reject capitalism. After becoming disillusioned with the lifestyle, he left the south and began studying futurism. Shortly thereafter, he got into the world of NFTs. His most successful project reached a trading value of $1.5 million. More recently, he launched an alt-coin or a “shitcoin” that reached a market cap of $8 million. On this episode, he shares his perspective on AI, the future, and the human experience post-singularity. He’s a deep thinker has some bold predictions about the next few decades. Will people treat AI like gods? In a future without jobs, in what new ways will humans create identity? Should we try to “solve” death? Will people en masse implant chips in their brains? How will we create meaning in a post-labor future? All things we dive into in this episode... Show Links: Substack: http://simoneleon.substack.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@simone123621 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simone.leon/ Mentioned in this episode: Ancient Greek Computer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism Her (2013): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Her_(2013_film) The Singularity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity Fully Automated Luxury Communism: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/06/give-us-fully-automated-luxury-communism/592099/ Music and editing by Simon Linsteadt: https://www.simonvictorlinsteadt.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simoneleon.substack.com

    1h 38m
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About

Meaning Making Machines connects the deep past with the imminent future through the search for the eternal, enduring, and essential. Join host Simone Leon as she discusses how we find and define meaning through art, religion, and technology. She'll be speaking to artists, technologists, technophobes, religious thinkers, and philosophers. Exploring the deep questions with a curious mind, and questioning everything. simoneleon.substack.com

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