I jumped on the livestream for the first time in a while. I discuss the Montaigne chapter in The Independent Scholar, the current debate around IVF & Embryo Selection, and take some questions.

I wrote about IVF and Embryo Selection here: https://justinmurphy.studio/ivf/

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• (00:00) - Introduction and Welcome Back
• (02:18) - Life Updates and Current Work
• (06:44) - On Independent Scholarship
• (08:10) - Montaigne as an Independent Scholar
• (19:26) - On Embryo Selection and IVF
• (24:58) - Why Do Shrimp Matter More Than Embryos?
• (25:59) - Why Do Video Game Characters Matter More Than Embryos?
• (35:37) - Long-Term Consequences of Embryo Selection
• (43:58) - In-Utero Gene Editing is Approved by the Church
• (45:41) - Final Thoughts and Q&A

I can't deny it, so let's explore what it means, how it happens, what it feels like, and why it might be... great?

In this episode, I share my struggle over the past few years, after having kids and experiencing significant creative and professional challenges. I reflect on the challenges of consistent creative work, the mental and emotional toll having it derailed, and the blessed but weird fabric of life as a father and husband. Despite feeling despondent and losing momentum in my projects, I discuss how this period has given me a valuable reset, akin to a kind of 'ego death.' I explore the liberating and ultimately beneficial aspects of falling off, the importance of accepting defeat to start anew, and how this crisis clarified my true goals and motivations.

• (00:00) - Opening Up: I Fell Off
• (00:53) - The Pain of Falling Off
• (02:39) - Ego Death
• (05:59) - Parenthood
• (11:35) - Liberation Through Accepting Defeat
• (17:55) - Mental and Financial Issues
• (18:53) - What Writing the Book Has Taught me
• (20:06) - The Challenges of Restarting
• (22:59) - Confirmation of the True Calling
• (24:42) - The Indie Scholar Vocation
• (33:58) - The Importance of Quality Work
• (36:02) - Final Reflections

In this episode, I review the state of Urbit and my history with this ambitious project to rebuild the internet. I explain why I stepped back, detailing what's happened with the network in the past few years, including the challenges faced by startups attempting to build on the platform and the surprising return of founder Curtis Yarvin. I take an honest look at how my initial timeline expectations were off, and other mistakes I made.

This period taught me a lot about technology, market sentiment, and cognition. I share how the experience has shaped my current thinking, as well as my current work with Zorp, a startup from the Urbit ecosystem now building Nockchain. I discuss the attraction of zero-knowledge proofs and why I've adopted a more patient attitude in my relationship with radical technology projects, now preferring to work behind the scenes if I really believe in something.

This is my first update on what I've been doing with Nockchain over the past year, helping to build their audience.

01:21 Discovering Urbit
02:44 Involvement with Urbit
04:44 Challenges and Reflections
05:38 The Independent Scholar
06:57 Urbit's Market Dynamics
15:31 Urbit Startups and Setbacks
22:49 The Rise and Fall of Urbit
23:38 Orbit's Struggles and My Realizations
24:54 Current State and Future Potential of Urbit
31:42 The Promise of Zero Knowledge Proofs
35:18 Introducing Nock Chain
38:31 Reflections and Lessons Learned
45:05 The Launch of Nock Chain

Other Life
✦ The coolest free newsletter in the world: https://otherlife.co
✦ The monthly PRINT edition: https://otherlife.co/upgrade
✦ My new book, The Independent Scholar: https://otherlife.co/scholar