Month: August 2025

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review a local IPA, then continue their “Shortcut to the classics” series with a review of “Daisy Miller” by Henry James.

What makes Daisy so fascinating — and so frustrating? We discuss her headstrong independence, the social rules she challenges, and how her choices lead to tragedy. Along the way, we explore themes of innocence vs. experience, cultural clashes between Americans and Europeans, and James’s subtle commentary on class, gender, and reputation.

We also share our takes on whether Daisy is a victim of society or the author of her own downfall — and why Daisy Miller still sparks debate more than a century later.

So pour yourself a drink, settle in, and join us for literary analysis with a conversational twist.

P&C drink and review a single-hop beer from Brookeville Beer Farm, then Crowhill quizzes Pigweed on the most important characters in English literature.

Crowhill combined replies from both ChatGPT and Grok to create a test for Pigweed.

The prompt read as follow:

“Please give me a list of the 30 most important characters in English literature. By important I mean they have made a lasting impression on the culture, they’re cited, they’re imitated or referenced in other works, and so on. Please exclude the Bible. Please give no more than two characters from any given author. Please list the character, the author, the book in which the character appears, and a brief description of the character.”

Pigweed does a great job guessing characters from Shakespeare, Austen, Bronte, Conan Doyle, Orwell, Dickens, Twain, Orwell, and others.

The boys also give an update to their “have we reached the end of woke” show.

The boys drink and review 13 Eye Witness Brews then head back into the topic of transhumanism. (See episode 535.)

One of the problems the transhumanist agenda needs to address is the connection between the body and the mind. Is “the mind” something that can — even in principle — be uploaded to a computer? Or does it have to have a body.

Does the mind = the brain, or is there a non-material component. And even if the mind is entirely physical, does that mean we can upload it?

The Star Trek transporter problem becomes relevant here.

If the transhumanists have their way and some people are “upgraded,” what will happen to the people who remain “natural”? Will they be able to participate in society, or will they be relegated to second-class status?

There are other questions, like how a Republic can function as AI and transhumans take over. How will the economy work in this situation?

There are also religious problems. If humans become linked to some hive mind, isn’t that a little like trying to become God? It sounds reminiscent of the Garden of Eden, the Tower of Babel, and even Frankenstein’s monster.