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Chasing LeviathanWho thinks that they can subdue Leviathan. Author: CG Productions
Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud. These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop. Every episode is a dialogue, a journey into the depths of a meaningful question explored through the lens of personal experience or professional expertise. Language: en Genres: Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Connection: How Technology Can Make Us Better Humans | Dr. Dan Turello
Episode 237
Tuesday, 7 April, 2026
Are we powerless against the march of modern technology, or can we reclaim our agency to foster true human connection? Writer, cultural historian, and photographer Dr. Dan Turello joins host PJ Wehry to rethink our relationship with technology and explore its potential to improve the human condition. Turello, a technology and humanity fellow at the Center for Future of Mind, AI, and Society at Florida Atlantic University, unpacks his book, Connection: How Technology Can Make Us Better Humans. Together they discuss moving past tech-pessimism and determinism to understand how our tools and social structures shape our lives.In this conversation they explore: Why we need to view technology not just as screens and algorithms, but as the fundamental ways humans relate, negotiate, and build communityThe surprising lessons on counterculture, wealth, and institutional bureaucracy we can learn from 13th-century Franciscan monks like St. Francis and Jacopone da TodiHow an autonomic nervous system crisis forced a shift from a purely intellectual "neck-up" mindset to a deeply embodied way of livingReclaiming our agency over our devices—like choosing a flip phone—to dictate how and when we connect with the worldWhy portrait photography acts as an unpredictable, embodied dance of trust and authentic expression rather than a cerebral pursuitAcknowledging the cognitive impact of social media by giving readers permission to consume books in a non-linear, "choose your own adventure" styleThis is a conversation for anyone exhausted by tech-anxiety who wants to build healthier, more intentional relationships with their devices and their own bodies.Make sure to check out Dr. Turello's book: Connection: How Technology Can Make Us Better Humans 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXNQQX17Check out our website at chasingleviathan.com Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. When it rises up, the mighty are terrified. Nothing on earth is its equal. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud. These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop.Timestamps0:00 Introducing Dan Trello1:36 Three Origin Stories Behind the Book3:43 Franciscans, Battlestar Galactica, and Fear of Tech5:37 When the Body Revolts and Embodiment Practices10:01 Climbing, Poetry, and Non-Logical Knowing11:33 Emotions, History, and the Wolf Story13:43 What Franciscans Teach About Technology17:44 Medieval Finance and Franciscan Resistance19:33 Jacopone’s Radical Poverty and Paradox24:36 Asceticism, Institutions, and Technology26:52 Bodies, Nature, and Harmonious Tech Use28:03 The Mammoth Fable and Relational Technology32:35 Facebook, Phalanx, and Social Arrangements35:10 Flip Phones, Smartphones, and Agency35:54 Embodiment Practices and Photography38:47 Can We Still Read Long Books Deeply43:33 How Academics Read and Partial Reading47:13 Living Embodied in an Overconsuming Culture49:11 Concluding Thoughts
