web02.fireside.fm Sat, 02 May 2026 14:51:42 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Weird Studies - Episodes Tagged with “Parallel Universes” https://www.weirdstudies.com/tags/parallel%20universes Wed, 18 Apr 2018 10:00:00 -0400 Professor Phil Ford and writer J. F. Martel host a series of conversations on art and philosophy, dwelling on ideas that are hard to think and art that opens up rifts in what we are pleased to call "reality." en-us episodic Art and philosophy at the limits of the thinkable Phil Ford and J. F. Martel Professor Phil Ford and writer J. F. Martel host a series of conversations on art and philosophy, dwelling on ideas that are hard to think and art that opens up rifts in what we are pleased to call "reality." yes weird, art, philosophy Phil Ford and J. F. Martel admin@weirdstudies.com Episode 10: Philip K. Dick: Adrift in the Multiverse https://www.weirdstudies.com/10 0436d49e-538d-4f8d-bd0e-10e5c4ce8791 Wed, 18 Apr 2018 10:00:00 -0400 Phil Ford and J. F. Martel 10 Philip K. Dick: Adrift in the Multiverse full Phil Ford and J. F. Martel JF and Phil discuss Philip K. Dick's seminal essay, "If You Find this World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others." 1:23:43 yes In 1977, Philip K. Dick read an essay in France entitled, "If You Find this World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others." In it, he laid out one of the dominant tropes of his fictional oeuvre, the idea of parallel universes. It became clear in the course of the lecture that Dick didn't intend this to be a talk about science fiction, but about real life - indeed, about his life. In this episode, Phil and JF seriously consider the speculations which, depending on whom you ask, make PKD either a genius or a madman. This distinction may not matter in the end. As Dick himself wrote in his 8,000-page Exegesis: "The madman speaks the moral of the piece." REFERENCES Philip K. Dick, excerpts from “If You Find This World Bad You Should See Some Of The Others” (https://empslocal.ex.ac.uk/people/staff/mrwatkin/PKDick.htm) R. Crumb, The Religious Experience of Philip K. Dick (http://philipdick.com/resources/miscellaneous/the-religious-experience-of-philip-k-dick-by-r-crumb-from-weirdo-17/) Emmanuel Carrère, [I Am Alive and You Are Dead: A Journey into the Mind of Philip K. Dick](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0763S614F/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?encoding=UTF8&btkr=1)_ “20 Examples of the Mandela Effect That’ll Make You Believe You’re In A Parallel Universe” (https://www.buzzfeed.com/christopherhudspeth/crazy-examples-of-the-mandela-effect-that-will-make-you-ques?utm_term=.gdLGp2ddN#.pp9DaNAA1) Philip K. Dick, [The Man in the High Castle](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216363.TheManintheHighCastle)_ Weird Studies, "Episode 9: On Aleister Crowley and the Idea of Magick" (http://www.weirdstudies.com/9) Weird Studies, "Episode 4: Exploring the Weird with Erik Davis" (http://www.weirdstudies.com/4) William Shakespeare, The Tempest (https://www.folger.edu/tempest) Sun Ra, Space is the Place (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s8VZz-ERO0) Zebrapedia (http://zebrapedia.psu.edu/) (crowdsourced online transcribing/editing of the Exegesis) Ramsey Dukes (Lionel Snell), Words Made Flesh (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/253790.Words_Made_Flesh) Daniel Dennett, [Consciousness Explained](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2069.ConsciousnessExplained)_ Bernado Kastrup, Why Materialism is Baloney (https://www.bernardokastrup.com/2013/04/why-materialism-is-baloney-overview.html) Gordon White, Star.Ships: A Prehistory of the Spirits (https://runesoup.com/books/) Nick Bostrom, “Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?” (https://www.simulation-argument.com/simulation.html) In 1977, Philip K. Dick read an essay in France entitled, "If You Find this World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others." In it, he laid out one of the dominant tropes of his fictional oeuvre, the idea of parallel universes. It became clear in the course of the lecture that Dick didn't intend this to be a talk about science fiction, but about real life - indeed, about his life. In this episode, Phil and JF seriously consider the speculations which, depending on whom you ask, make PKD either a genius or a madman. This distinction may not matter in the end. As Dick himself wrote in his 8,000-page Exegesis: "The madman speaks the moral of the piece."

REFERENCES

Philip K. Dick, excerpts from “If You Find This World Bad You Should See Some Of The Others”
R. Crumb, The Religious Experience of Philip K. Dick
Emmanuel Carrère, I Am Alive and You Are Dead: A Journey into the Mind of Philip K. Dick
“20 Examples of the Mandela Effect That’ll Make You Believe You’re In A Parallel Universe”
Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
Weird Studies, "Episode 9: On Aleister Crowley and the Idea of Magick"
Weird Studies, "Episode 4: Exploring the Weird with Erik Davis"
William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Sun Ra, Space is the Place
Zebrapedia (crowdsourced online transcribing/editing of the Exegesis)
Ramsey Dukes (Lionel Snell), Words Made Flesh
Daniel Dennett, Consciousness Explained
Bernado Kastrup, Why Materialism is Baloney
Gordon White, Star.Ships: A Prehistory of the Spirits
Nick Bostrom, “Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?”

]]> In 1977, Philip K. Dick read an essay in France entitled, "If You Find this World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others." In it, he laid out one of the dominant tropes of his fictional oeuvre, the idea of parallel universes. It became clear in the course of the lecture that Dick didn't intend this to be a talk about science fiction, but about real life - indeed, about his life. In this episode, Phil and JF seriously consider the speculations which, depending on whom you ask, make PKD either a genius or a madman. This distinction may not matter in the end. As Dick himself wrote in his 8,000-page Exegesis: "The madman speaks the moral of the piece."

REFERENCES

Philip K. Dick, excerpts from “If You Find This World Bad You Should See Some Of The Others”
R. Crumb, The Religious Experience of Philip K. Dick
Emmanuel Carrère, I Am Alive and You Are Dead: A Journey into the Mind of Philip K. Dick
“20 Examples of the Mandela Effect That’ll Make You Believe You’re In A Parallel Universe”
Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
Weird Studies, "Episode 9: On Aleister Crowley and the Idea of Magick"
Weird Studies, "Episode 4: Exploring the Weird with Erik Davis"
William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Sun Ra, Space is the Place
Zebrapedia (crowdsourced online transcribing/editing of the Exegesis)
Ramsey Dukes (Lionel Snell), Words Made Flesh
Daniel Dennett, Consciousness Explained
Bernado Kastrup, Why Materialism is Baloney
Gordon White, Star.Ships: A Prehistory of the Spirits
Nick Bostrom, “Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?”

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