{"podcast":{"title":"The Wes Cecil Podcast","slug":"the-wes-cecil-podcast-7118191","podcast_index_feed_id":7118191,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/66fb968b13b87f41275ee4bd","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/wes-cecil","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/66fb968b13b87f41275ee4bd/1732904692261-a1850073-9f1c-48a4-b2d5-8cb824de87f5.jpeg","author":"Wes Cecil","episode_count":235,"summary":"My lectures are dedicated to making Philosophy in particular and the world of ideas in general available to everyone. My exploration of topics and thinkers is designed to provide a foundation for listeners to engage in further reading and thought and develop their own conceptions of the topics I introduce. I have PhD in Literature and Philosophy and was a college professor for over 20 years. I am working to remove the barriers that prevent many from experiencing and understanding the lives and thoughts of some of the world's greatest thinkers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-31T20:19:35.855779+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-wes-cecil-podcast-7118191"},"episode":{"title":"An Invitation to Being Human: Ep. 6 - Life is Not a Competition","slug":"an-invitation-to-being-human-ep-6-life-is-not-a-competition","published_at":"2026-07-13T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-wes-cecil-podcast-7118191/an-invitation-to-being-human-ep-6-life-is-not-a-competition","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-wes-cecil-podcast-7118191","url":"https://shows.acast.com/wes-cecil/episodes/an-invitation-to-being-human-ep-6-life-is-not-a-competition","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/66fb968b13b87f41275ee4bd/e/6a54217873fcc6a8a738c9a0/media.mp3","summary":"Perhaps one of the most pernicious concepts in modern society is the concept that we are all in competition for scarce resources. In this zero sum conception of the world, each human must, by necessity, compete with others for survival and self-expression. By reflecting on the writings of Primo Levi - particularly his “If This is a Man” - I try to underline how this deeply flawed and dangerous vision of the human condition actually destroys the possibility of simply being a human being at all. Join Wes on Patreon for a deeper dive into the ideas we explore on the podcast. It’s a space for lifelong learners — with bonus lectures, course materials, peer discussion, and audio diaries from France. Wes is active in the community and often engages directly with listener questions. Starting at $2/month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Perhaps one of the most pernicious concepts in modern society is the concept that we are all in competition for scarce resources. In this zero sum concept…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2966,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-wes-cecil-podcast-7118191/episodes/an-invitation-to-being-human-ep-6-life-is-not-a-competition/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-wes-cecil-podcast-7118191/an-invitation-to-being-human-ep-6-life-is-not-a-competition.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}