I’ve recently become fascinated by 17th century genius Blaise Pascal, so I was delighted to speak to Graham Tomlin, the author of ‘Blaise Pascal – The Man Who Made the Modern World’ (a book which I loved!)

Graham Tomlin taught theology at Oxford University for many years and served as Bishop of Kensington from 2015 until 2022. He is Director of the Centre for Cultural Witness, the author of many books and articles, and the founder of Seen & Unseen.

Subscribe to my Substack to send in questions for upcoming guests! https://elliotbewick.substack.com/

Get the book! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blaise-Pascal-Made-Modern-World/dp/1399807641/

Graham on X: https://x.com/gtomlin

CHAPTERS

00:00 What’s the biggest impact Blaise Pascal has had on the world?

01:10 Pascal’s early years

07:20 The religious makeup of Pascal’s family

10:21 Pascal’s health struggles

14:55 Pascal clashes with Descartes

16:14 “I think, therefore I am”

19:32 Pascal’s criticism of Descartes’ position

21:58 How these ideas still affect us today

25:49 The Infinite Pleasure Machine experiment

28:26 Do we value human life for evolutionary reasons?

32:22 Is it wrong to prioritise happiness?

38:44 Is ‘being yourself’ a good idea?

41:44 What even is ‘The Self’?

44:32 Pascal’s intellectual life in Paris

48:40 Pascal invents the Pascaline

51:58 The ‘Night of Fire’ and the Provincial Letters

59:59 How Pascal changed after his religious experience

1:03:08 What is Pascal’s Wager?

1:10:52 What is Pascal’s most important idea?

1:13:13 How can a God who hides Himself be benevolent?

1:16:37 How can young people learn from Pascal?

1:20:31 Find more from Graham

My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliotbewick/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliotbewick

X: https://x.com/elliotbewick

ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION:

In a world saturated by social media and marked by skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and ADHD among Gen Z, young people are growing up in a landscape of chaos and contradiction. While protests swell in city streets and activists hurl soup at famous artworks to demand climate action, a quieter crisis unfolds within - the mental and emotional battles faced by a generation trying to make sense of it all.

The Next Generation is hosted by 20-year-old Elliot Bewick, offering a raw and honest look at the world through the eyes of those living in it. Bringing together insight from professionals and young people on the ground, this podcast isn’t here to complain or chase clout. It’s here to bend the arc of the modern world towards solutions, truth and a love for the beautiful adventure of life itself.

I had such a good time talking with Meghan Daum in LA! She is the author of seven books including My Misspent Youth, The Problem With Everything, and the award-winning The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects Of Discussion. She’s also the host of The Unspeakeasy Podcast and founder of The Unspeakeasy, a forum devoted to viewpoint diversity and free expression.This production was made possible by DFI Rentals - book gear for your next shoot here: https://www.dfirentals.com/Subscribe to my Substack to send in questions for upcoming guests! https://elliotbewick.substack.com/Check out Meghan’s Substack: https://www.theunspeakablepodcast.com/Find more from Meghan: https://www.meghandaum.com/CHAPTERS:00:00 “Culture is being held hostage by its own hyperbole”08:39 Why don’t Gen Z want normal jobs?15:03 Seductive half truths18:57 Amusing ourselves to death24:17 Where the Gen Z pursuit of happiness goes wrong32:20 “Hysteria is monetisable” and the flaws of feminism45:37 How feminism negatively affects both sexes49:07 How do we move forward from this?52:42 The Gen Z shift towards Christianity56:55 Charlie Kirk’s assassination59:20 Is it irresponsible to sit on the fence?1:13:14 New media pushes us into echo chambers1:22:10 Are Gen Z growing up in a uniquely difficult time?1:27:45 Are too many people going to university?1:32:34 Why are you so vocal in the trans debate?1:39:36 Should we use preferred pronouns?1:45:30 Attitudes around transgenderism are changing1:53:12 Is there such a thing as ‘true trans’?1:55:56 What’s the way forward for Gen Z?1:58:48 Final thoughtsMy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliotbewick/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliotbewickX: https://x.com/elliotbewickABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION: In a world saturated by social media and marked by skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and ADHD among Gen Z, young people are growing up in a landscape of chaos and contradiction. While protests swell in city streets and activists hurl soup at famous artworks to demand climate action, a quieter crisis unfolds within - the mental and emotional battles faced by a generation trying to make sense of it all.The Next Generation is hosted by 20-year-old Elliot Bewick, offering a raw and honest look at the world through the eyes of those living in it. Bringing together insight from professionals and young people on the ground, this podcast isn’t here to complain or chase clout. It’s here to bend the arc of the modern world towards solutions, truth and a love for the beautiful adventure of life itself.

Putting his life on the line, author Cillian Dunne journeyed to Central America to live with Carlos Wittgreen, the right-hand man of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. Granted access to hundreds of Noriega’s long-hidden files, and with the first hand testimony of the enforcer himself, Cillian wrote ‘The Right Hand Man’, available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FZMHHKQC/

It was so cool hearing what it was like spending time with such a dangerous man, the various assassination attempts, and the nefarious dealings that took place between the CIA and this revolutionary socialist regime. Check it out!

This production was made possible by DFI Rentals - book gear for your next shoot here: https://www.dfirentals.com/

Subscribe to my Substack to see the bonus questions and send in your own for upcoming guests! https://elliotbewick.substack.com/

Cillian's website: http://therighthandmanbook.com/

Follow Cillian: https://www.instagram.com/dunne.cillian/

CHAPTERS

00:00 What is the Panama Canal and how is it relevant to the rest of the world?

04:26 How did America seize control of the Panama Canal?

09:03 Revolutions and socialism in Panama

17:40 How Noriega got into bed with the USA

23:56 The Iran-Contra Affair

25:42 Assassination attempts on Noriega

28:50 What I uncovered about CIA, DEA & DOJ intervention

35:07 What was the most shocking thing going on at that time?

40:39 The drug trade across borders

45:45 Further unpacking the Iran-Contra Affair

48:54 What was it like spending time with Noriega’s right hand man?

54:58 The power dynamics between global leaders

57:38 What do you want to achieve with your book?

59:43 What do you make of conspiracy theories?

1:04:42 More about Cillian

My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliotbewick/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliotbewick

X: https://x.com/elliotbewick

ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION:

In a world saturated by social media and marked by skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and ADHD among Gen Z, young people are growing up in a landscape of chaos and contradiction. While protests swell in city streets and activists hurl soup at famous artworks to demand climate action, a quieter crisis unfolds within - the mental and emotional battles faced by a generation trying to make sense of it all.

The Next Generation is hosted by 20-year-old Elliot Bewick, offering a raw and honest look at the world through the eyes of those living in it. Bringing together insight from professionals and young people on the ground, this podcast isn’t here to complain or chase clout. It’s here to bend the arc of the modern world towards solutions, truth and a love for the beautiful adventure of life itself.

Chris Griffin is the 23 year old host of The Pocket Podcast. He talks all things self improvement, mindset and gives people the key to building a fulfilled life. Chris has interviewed some of the most successful, extraordinary individuals in the world and is a remarkable friend of the show. We sat down at the end of our podcast tour in Los Angeles to reflect on the trip and broader lessons about life.Subscribe to Chris: https://www.youtube.com/@UCyNGHHdgK17AW7cYToya_pg Follow Chris on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepocketpodcast/Subscribe to my Substack to see bonus questions and send in your own for future guests! https://elliotbewick.substack.com/My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliotbewick/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliotbewickX: https://x.com/elliotbewickABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION: In a world saturated by social media and marked by skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and ADHD among Gen Z, young people are growing up in a landscape of chaos and contradiction. While protests swell in city streets and activists hurl soup at famous artworks to demand climate action, a quieter crisis unfolds within - the mental and emotional battles faced by a generation trying to make sense of it all.The Next Generation is hosted by 20-year-old Elliot Bewick, offering a raw and honest look at the world through the eyes of those living in it. Bringing together insight from professionals and young people on the ground, this podcast isn’t here to complain or chase clout. It’s here to bend the arc of the modern world towards solutions, truth and a love for the beautiful adventure of life itself.

Benny Forer is a veteran criminal prosecutor with experience prosecuting cases ranging from narcotics offences to gang m*rders to complex white collar crime. Currently, as a member of the prestigious Cyber Crime Unit, his job focuses on complex technologically based crimes and s*x crimes, including ch*ld p*rnography, solicitations of min*rs and other cyber-s*x crimes.This production was made possible by DFI Rentals - book gear for your next shoot here: https://www.dfirentals.com/Subscribe to my Substack to see bonus questions and send in your own for future guests! https://elliotbewick.substack.com/CHAPTERS:00:00 How does AI affect justice?04:58 Can surveillance footage be manipulated by AI?06:43 Should AI child s*xual ab*se material be illegal?15:57 Why should humans and robots be given different rights?18:01 What new crimes will AI bring about?20:44 What do you think of vigilante groups like Anonymous?26:14 Is law downstream from morality, or morality downstream from law?29:26 Should we have a Digital Death Penalty?37:48 Do people have a right to be anonymous online?51:17 Could AI be used to predict future criminals?55:06 How does facial recognition on devices change the game?01:01:29 Would constant surveillance lead to safety or dystopia?01:12:58 Debating the importance of privacy01:26:17 Are you concerned about government overreach?01:29:48 Wrapping upMy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliotbewick/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliotbewickX: https://x.com/elliotbewickABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION: In a world saturated by social media and marked by skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and ADHD among Gen Z, young people are growing up in a landscape of chaos and contradiction. While protests swell in city streets and activists hurl soup at famous artworks to demand climate action, a quieter crisis unfolds within - the mental and emotional battles faced by a generation trying to make sense of it all.The Next Generation is hosted by 20-year-old Elliot Bewick, offering a raw and honest look at the world through the eyes of those living in it. Bringing together insight from professionals and young people on the ground, this podcast isn’t here to complain or chase clout. It’s here to bend the arc of the modern world towards solutions, truth and a love for the beautiful adventure of life itself.

Renaldo Gouws is a YouTuber, Industrial Psychologist and former politician - he served as a member of the national assembly in South Africa and is one of the most established cultural commentators in the country, with his YouTube channel boasting over 200K subscribers, posting topical updates on South African current affairs. After being accused of racism due to comments he made in a video back in 2010, he was expelled from the Democratic Alliance and resigned from Parliament.Literally TODAY I was fortunate enough to sit down with Renaldo to discuss the Gender Based Violence protests hitting the country, the upcoming G20 summit as well as go back to his cancellation last year and what actually happened... Enjoy! Subscribe to Renaldo: https://www.youtube.com/@RenaldoGFollow him on X: https://x.com/RenaldoGouwsSubscribe to my Substack to see bonus questions and send in your own for future guests! https://elliotbewick.substack.com/CHAPTERS:00:00 What Is Happening With Gender Based Violence in South Africa?05:22 Why Is This So Prevalent in South Africa?09:23 Is There an Incompatibility of Cultures? 15:38 Black Economic Empowerment vs Dei 19:07 Is There a Justification for Bee Policies? 27:47 Will the US Actually Be at the G20?34:28 the Rise of Political Bots Online 36:43 Social Media Is Now Shaping Reality 41:38 How Do I Know I Can Trust Renaldo’s Takes on Media Bias? 45:28 the Rise of ‘Truth Seekers’ Online55:52 Is Renaldo a Free Speech Absolutist? 57:03 Renaldo’s Resignation From Government Last Year01:09:40 the Fallout of Renaldo Stepping Down 01:15:45 Takeaways From the Current State of South AfricaMy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliotbewick/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliotbewickX: https://x.com/elliotbewickABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION: In a world saturated by social media and marked by skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and ADHD among Gen Z, young people are growing up in a landscape of chaos and contradiction. While protests swell in city streets and activists hurl soup at famous artworks to demand climate action, a quieter crisis unfolds within - the mental and emotional battles faced by a generation trying to make sense of it all.The Next Generation is hosted by 20-year-old Elliot Bewick, offering a raw and honest look at the world through the eyes of those living in it. Bringing together insight from professionals and young people on the ground, this podcast isn’t here to complain or chase clout. It’s here to bend the arc of the modern world towards solutions, truth and a love for the beautiful adventure of life itself.

I’m often tempted to go lone wolf mode, but friendship expert Jaimie Krems came along to tell me why I’m dumb.

An Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the UCLA Center for Friendship Research, Jaimie is one of the world authorities on friendship; what it is and why we desperately need it. She brought the stats about the material benefits of friendship, as well as the differing ways friendship functions among men, women, and between the sexes. I learnt so much!

This production was made possible by DFI Rentals - book gear for your next shoot here: https://www.dfirentals.com/

Subscribe to my Substack to see the bonus questions and send in your own for upcoming guests! https://elliotbewick.substack.com/

Check out more of Jaimie's research at: https://www.kremslab.com/ or https://www.center-for-friendship.com/

Follow Jaimie on X: https://x.com/JaimieKrems

CHAPTERS

00:00 Can men and women just be friends?

04:22 What is friendship for?

08:32 What does Gen Z get wrong about friendship?

13:14 What are the best signifiers that someone wants to be friends?

16:50 The material benefits of friendship

21:26 The problem with ‘lone wolf’ mode

23:24 How do you seek out new friends without seeming needy?

26:15 What’s your advice for those struggling to make friends?

28:10 How do male and female friendships differ?

33:24 The function of venting

36:53 How we compete for friends

42:50 How social media impacts our relationships

48:04 What are our preferences for age-gaps in friendships?

50:38 How do you manage the power balance of a friendship?

55:55 What Game Theory teaches us about friendship

1:01:02 Tips for the viewer

1:03:10 The benefits of older mentors

1:05:47 Elliot: “Why am I so attracted to older women?”

1:07:21 What sex dolls tell us about preferences

1:09:52 How do sexual and platonic relationships interlink?

1:13:15 Do we optimise for kind friends?

1:15:38 How can Gen Z stop being so isolated?

My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliotbewick/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliotbewick

X: https://x.com/elliotbewick

ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION:

In a world saturated by social media and marked by skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and ADHD among Gen Z, young people are growing up in a landscape of chaos and contradiction. While protests swell in city streets and activists hurl soup at famous artworks to demand climate action, a quieter crisis unfolds within - the mental and emotional battles faced by a generation trying to make sense of it all.

The Next Generation is hosted by 20-year-old Elliot Bewick, offering a raw and honest look at the world through the eyes of those living in it. Bringing together insight from professionals and young people on the ground, this podcast isn’t here to complain or chase clout. It’s here to bend the arc of the modern world towards solutions, truth and a love for the beautiful adventure of life itself.

I was so excited to speak to psychotherapist Stella O'Malley, who I’ve followed for years now. She believes trans-identification is a mental health issue, and provides psychological support to many with gender dysphoria, as well as detransitioners. Some of what she told me was shocking, and some of it made so much sense once explained. Check out the chapters below to see the kind of wild stuff we covered!

As well as her extensive work in private practice, Stella is a best-selling author, having written five books on parenting, mental health and gender dysphoria. She is also the founder of ‘Genspect’, an international organisation that advocates for a healthy approach to sex and gender.

Subscribe to my Substack to see the bonus questions and send in your own for future guests! https://elliotbewick.substack.com/

Stella’s website: https://www.stellaomalley.com/

Genspect: https://genspect.org/

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why transitioning is evidence of mental illness

06:58 How medical transition harms the body

13:40 Suicidality increases after medical transition

15:00 Why are so many trans-identifying people autistic?

19:23 ‘If I’m not happy all the time, something is wrong’

28:57 Stella’s personal experience of gender dysphoria

35:11 “My Sexual awakening released me from gender dysphoria”

42:01 What would have happened to you if you’d grown up in this era?

45:18 Where did the therapy industry go wrong?

55:57 Online therapy is a sh*t show

59:11 The concept of ‘professional deformation’

1:00:49 Technology is robbing Gen Z and future generations

1:10:22 The huge rise in autism diagnoses

My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliotbewick/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliotbewick

X: https://x.com/elliotbewick

ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION:

In a world saturated by social media and marked by skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and ADHD among Gen Z, young people are growing up in a landscape of chaos and contradiction. While protests swell in city streets and activists hurl soup at famous artworks to demand climate action, a quieter crisis unfolds within - the mental and emotional battles faced by a generation trying to make sense of it all.

The Next Generation is hosted by 20-year-old Elliot Bewick, offering a raw and honest look at the world through the eyes of those living in it. Bringing together insight from professionals and young people on the ground, this podcast isn’t here to complain or chase clout. It’s here to bend the arc of the modern world towards solutions, truth and a love for the beautiful adventure of life itself.