Episode 120: On Radical Mystery

Though it is seldom acknowledged in the weirdosphere, there is a difference between weirdness and mystery. Most of the time, the Weird confronts us with a problem, an impersonal epistemic obstacle which we can always believe would go away if we just closed our eyes and whistled past it with our hands in our pockets. Mystery, however, is always personal. It envelops us; it addresses us as persons. Mystery is as present within us as it is out there. It is there when you open your eyes, and even more so when you shut them tight. Maybe it had us in its grip before we were even born. In this episode, JF and Phil make radical mystery the focus of a discussion ranging over everything from unique kinds of tea and spelunking mishaps to antisonic demon pipes and malevolent radiators. Support us on Patreon Find us on Discord Get the new T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau! Get your Weird Studies merchandise (t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.) Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop Buy the Weird Studies soundtrack REFERENCES For information on JF's new course, Groundwork for a Philosophy of Magic, go to [Nura Learning](www.nuralearning.com). Phil Ford, “Radical Mystery: A Preliminary Account” J.F. Martel, “Reality is analog” John Keel, The Mothman Prophecies Gabriel Marcel, Being and Having Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason Eugene Paul Wigner, “The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics” Louis Sass, Madness and Modernism Peter Kingsley, Catafalque Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy Steven Spielberg (dir.), Raiders of the Lost Ark Dogen, “Instructions for the Cook” Alan Watts, The Way of Zen Weird Studies, Episode 56 with Jeremy Johnson