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Beer and Conversation Podcast

122: Does God exist? P&C review some of the more common arguments

Crowhill Crowhill
April 8, 2021
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P&C drink and review another Pastry Archy offering: Oatmeal Cream Pie, an imperial honey wheat ale.

With their minds sufficiently lubricated by delicious beer, they review arguments for the existence of God, starting with Anselm’s ontological argument.

They move on to several of Aquinas’ arguments, which mostly revolve around the concept of an infinite regress.

Some of the arguments involve the old “can you get something from nothing” question, and the idea of gradation. When we compare things, are we assuming an ultimate standard? What about morals, and miracles, and ….

They can’t cover it all, but P&C review some of the more well-known arguments and add their commentary.

120: Food fads: Organic and GMO

Crowhill Crowhill
April 2, 2021
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P&C drink and review an abbey ale, then discuss food fads, and worries some people have about new agricultural innovations. 

Organic food. GMO. “All-natural.” Does it really matter? Or is this just a big marketing ploy? What does “organic” really mean? And aren’t all of our foods genetically modified?

The boys weigh the costs and benefits of scientifically modified food. 

121: Korea

Crowhill Crowhill
April 2, 2021
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Captain Crunch made a surprise trip the Mid-Atlantic region, bringing a very strange Korean rice beer, and regaling Pigweed and Crowhill with tales of her travels in Korea.

What’s different over there as far as shopping, weather, living arrangements, technology, driving, trash? What’s it like having a wacko neighbor to the north? And what kinds of snack foods do they eat?

Listen in and hear all about it.

119: Jordan Peterson as Martin Luther version 2

Crowhill Crowhill
March 26, 2021
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P&C drink and review the latest Pastry Archy offering from DuClaw, then discuss the similarities between Martin Luther and Jordan Peterson.

Crowhill is convinced Dr. Peterson is on the edge of a major transformation, and can see similarities between Dr. Peterson and Dr. Luther — especially in how they deal with the righteousness of God.

Peterson seems unable to deal with the moral weight of God’s existence in a healthy way. It crushes him. It terrifies him. As it did Luther.

JP will have to solve this. And soon.

There are also parallels between the social and cultural environments in 1517 and 2021.

And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out Dr. Peterson’s interview with Bishop Barron.

118: Milo Yiannopoulos

Crowhill Crowhill
March 21, 2021
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P&C drink and review Shiner’s Candied Pecan ale, then discuss the recent shenanigans of Milo Yiannopoulos.

Milo used to be the flamboyant gay darling of the far right, until he seemed to advocate pedophilia, and then he dropped off the radar. We haven’t heard much of Milo until he recently decided to come out as ex-gay! He’s relegated his husband to the status of housemate, he’s leading an online devotion to St. Joseph, and he’s starting a new center for the much-despised “conversion therapy.”

Is this just another attention-getting prank? What are we to make of Milo?

And why is “conversion therapy” such a unique problem? You can get goof-ball therapy to change any aspect of your personality that you like, except this? Why?

117: Monarchies, plus Meghan Markle

Crowhill Crowhill
March 19, 2021
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P&C drink and review St. Michael’s Amber Ale, then discuss monarchies.

They ask the obligatory question — is Meghan Markle oppressed? — then discuss Piers Morgan, and the royal clown show in general. They move on to an overview of the idea of monarchy, and whether such a thing is a good idea in the modern world.

It turns out that countries with constitutional monarchies do pretty well. P&C offer some ideas why that might be.

116: “Conspiracy” with Kenneth Branagh

Crowhill Crowhill
March 18, 2021
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P&C drink and review Pigweed’s Cocoa / Peanut Butter Porter, then, with special guest Longinus, review the movie Conspiracy.

The movie covers the Wannsee Conference of 1942, where Reinhart Heydrich gathers German leaders to discuss the “evacuation” of Jews from German-occupied territory. Heydrich (played by Kenneth Branagh) puts an exclamation point on “German efficiency.”

At first there is a lot of squabbling about the right approach from a legal / procedural point of view, but Heydrich leads them inexorably to a predetermined solution.

The horrifying story calls to mind a quote from C.S. Lewis: “The greatest evil is … now done … in clean, carpeted, warmed and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices.”

115: Elie Wiesel’s “Night”

Crowhill Crowhill
March 16, 2021
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P&C review Glutenberg, a gluten-free IPA, then, along with special guest Longinus, discuss Elie Wiesel’s Night.

The boys have covered some hard topics, but this was the most difficult. The book chronicles Wiesel’s experiences leading up to and then during his confinement in Auschwitz. The story takes you through all the small steps on his journey from being a boy who wants nothing more than to study Kabbalah to an innocent who is sentenced to a living Hell.

114: March 545: five topics in five minutes each

Crowhill Crowhill
March 9, 2021
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P&C Review Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ from Lagunitas, then do five topics in five minutes each.

  • What are the actual numbers on police murders, vs. what people believe.
  • Thoughts on fat shaming.
  • LSD therapy for depression and death anxiety?
  • Meta humans, created by AI. What are the consequences?
  • Is there a health benefit to looking at breasts?

113: Equity vs Equality

Crowhill Crowhill
March 5, 2021
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P&C drink and review Crowhill’s anise-flavored porter, then discuss the differences between equality and equity.

The words are often confused and misused. Generally speaking, equality focuses on equal treatment while equity focuses on equal outcomes.

Equity is the right choice in some situations, but not in others. But “equity” has become the modern rallying cry, as if it’s a cure-all. Equity is particularly misplaced when it’s applied to groups rather than to individuals, so the combination of equity and identity politics creates a particularly bad outcome.

112: UFOs and alien visitation

Crowhill Crowhill
March 2, 2021
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P&C drink and review O’Hara’s Irish stout, then talk about unidentified flying objects.

Is there some great conspiracy to hide evidence that aliens have come to earth, or is it just a big nothing-burger?

P&C discuss the Fermi paradox and the Drake equation, and review some of the arguments that aliens have visited earth — and find them wanting.

111: Erasing the Past

Crowhill Crowhill
February 27, 2021
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P&C drink and review a double IPA from Bell’s, then discuss the 3-headed hydra of cancel culture: canceling the present, erasing the past, and banning people for the future.

We’re starting to see examples of the media editing old stories to change the past to fit the modern “narrative.” It’s literally Orwellian.

There are new initiatives to erase literal crimes to give someone a fresh start, but at the same time, thought crimes from decades ago still ruin lives.

It’s a bizarre world.

110: Plastics

Crowhill Crowhill
February 22, 2021
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P&C drink and review 51 Rye by Monument City Brewing, then discuss plastic bans, and the pros and cons of plastic.

Plastics reduce food waste. They make cars lighter, and therefore more fuel efficient. Plastics reduce the costs of many products.

But there’s a negative side, some of which is real, and some has been exaggerated out of context.

P&C try to sort it all.

109: Signs you don’t want to work at a company

Crowhill Crowhill
February 18, 2021
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P&C drink and review Madura Brown Ale from Cigar City Brewing, then discuss indications that a company might not be a good fit.

  • They have an equity, diversion and inclusion office, or require such classes.
  • They want to review your social media.
  • The boss can’t remember the last time he praised an employee.
  • They speak badly of former employees.
  • They expect you to work long hours.
  • They’ve canceled people, or gone along with it.
  • Plus lots more.

108: What is “Gaslighting”?

Crowhill Crowhill
February 14, 2021
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P&C drink and review some hot and cold sake, then discuss gaslighting.

They start with a review of the 1940 film with Ingrid Bergman to get the original meaning of the term, then, along with special guest Longinus, go through a list of modern issues that might or might not be gaslighting.

The goal of gaslighting is to get the person being gaslighted (gaslit?) to accept as true something the gaslighter knows is false, to the benefit of the gaslighter. But as you go through things that have been held up as examples, it can get complicated.

  • Does it have to be a single deceiver on a single victim?
  • Does there have to be an intent to deceive?
  • Does it have to be sustained — not a one-off?
  • Does there need to be malice involved?
  • Is a sign of gaslighting that “the argument is over”?
  • Can there be unintentional gaslighting?
  • What if you’re lying in service of a greater good?

By the end of this show you might not have a perfect answer, but you’ll have a better sense of the concept.