# Alex O'Connor An agnostic with interests in philosophy, religion, the Bible, and ethics. Subscribe for early access to the Within Reason Podcast. Page: Feed: --- ## [North America Tour Tickets Out Now!](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/general-sale-us-tour-tickets-out) _2026-08-07 · Alex O'Connor_ Tickets for my North America tour are now available for anyone to purchase! ## ["The Chosen" Creator: How to do Jesus for TV](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/the-chosen-creator-how-to-do-jesus) _2026-08-06_ Hi everyone, ## [Tickets: North America Tour 2026](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/tickets-north-america-tour-2026) _2026-08-05 · Alex O'Connor_ I’m doing a small tour of six shows across North America in November 2026! ## [North America Tour - Ticket Access Tomorrow](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/north-america-tour-ticket-access) _2026-08-04 · Alex O'Connor_ I’m going on a tour of North America in November, and I want Substack supporters to have the first access to tickets! ## [NYT Columnist: Religion is an Obligation](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/nyt-columnist-religion-is-an-obligation) _2026-07-30 · Alex O'Connor_ Ross Douthat, until yesterday, was a columnist at the New York Times. Prior to this he served as a senior editor at The Atlantic, and a film critic for National Review. He is now a correspondent for 60 Minutes. ## [2 Million Subscriber QnA](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/2-million-subscriber-qna) _2026-07-26 · Alex O'Connor_ Hi everyone, ## [What’s the Point of Space Travel? - Chris Hadfield](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/whats-the-point-of-space-travel-chris) _2026-07-12 · Alex O'Connor_ Oftentimes in philosophy, the goal is to zoom out and a grasp of the bigger picture. ## [A Guide to 444 Theories of Consciousness - Robert Kuhn](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/a-guide-to-444-theories-of-consciousness) _2026-07-02 · Alex O'Connor_ Hi everyone, ## [Introduction to Aristotle](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/introduction-to-aristotle) _2026-06-24 · Alex O'Connor_ Aristotle is, perhaps, the most celebrated and influential philosopher of all time. Student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great, Aristotle also provided a foundation for much of western philosophical thinking, particularly the scholastic tradition spearheaded by Thomas Aquinas. ## [Could Consciousness be an Illusion? - Keith Frankish](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/could-consciousness-be-an-illusion) _2026-06-15 · Alex O'Connor_ In all my discussions about consciousness, the position I have always most intuitively dismissed is illusionism. This is a view of consciousness defended by the late Daniel Dennett, and more recently by today’s guest, Keith Frankish. ## [Transcript-Driven Stock Discovery (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/8jgCcB60sIFC) _2026-06-15 · **Sponsored**_ Ranked, evidence-backed watchlists from indexed executive transcripts for 1–2 quarter horizons ## [How a Blind Man Sees the World - Tommy Edison](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/how-a-blind-man-sees-the-world-tommy) _2026-05-30 · Alex O'Connor_ Hi everyone, ## [The Heretics Who Got Too Close to God - On Mysticism](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/the-heretics-who-got-too-close-to) _2026-05-21 · Alex O'Connor_ I have long since been convinced that the true heart of religion is experience. ## [Suno, AI Music Generation and the Ego - Adam Neely](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/suno-ai-music-generation-and-the) _2026-05-11 · Alex O'Connor_ Hi everyone! ## [An Ancient Guide to Happiness - Epicurus on How to Live Well](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/an-ancient-guide-to-happiness-epicurus) _2026-05-02 · Alex O'Connor_ Happiness is something people typically desire, but in many ethical systems it is one of the things which can get in the way of the good. ## [If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies. Nate Soares on Artificial General Intelligence](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/if-anyone-builds-it-everyone-dies) _2026-04-24 · Alex O'Connor_ Last week I hosted Anil Seth to discuss whether AI will ever become conscious. ## [Why AI Will Never Be Conscious - Anil Seth](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/why-ai-will-never-be-conscious-anil) _2026-04-18 · Alex O'Connor_ There is a lot of talk in both philosophical and technological communities about the possibility of artificial intelligence one day becoming conscious. ## ["I Should be Dead" - John Lennox on Suffering, God, and the Evils of Religion](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/i-should-be-dead-john-lennox-on-suffering) _2026-04-11 · Alex O'Connor_ Hi everyone, ## [How To Be a Materialist AND a Panpsychist - Galen Strawson](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/how-to-be-a-materialist-and-a-panpsychist) _2026-04-06 · Alex O'Connor_ Hi everyone, ## [Philip Pullman on C.S. Lewis' Flaws, Improving Jesus' Story, and Philosophy in Fiction](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/philip-pullman-on-cs-lewis-flaws) _2026-03-29 · Alex O'Connor_ Philip Pullman is one of England’s most cherished and celebrated writers. ## [Refer a Friend, Earn Rewards (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/uyzWS4FwaPP4) _2026-03-29 · **Sponsored**_ Earn rewards when friends get the Graphite Business Card through your referral. ## [Blaise Pascal: Philosopher, Mathematician, Genius.](https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/blaise-pascal-philosopher-mathematician) _2026-03-22 · Alex O'Connor_ If you have even a passing interest in philosophy or theology, you will likely have at least heard of Blaise Pascal.