In this conversation, podcaster and YouTube interviewer André Duqum interviews Sam on his show, Know Thyself.

They discuss pivotal events in Sam’s life, including his first MDMA trip; the default feeling of selfhood, and how it leads to suffering; peak and flow experiences; the illusion of free will, and its practical implications; the limited utility of negative emotions; distinctions among various non-dual traditions; the perpetual instability of non-dual recognition; the fundamental difficulty of the hard problem of consciousness; the substrate-independence of intelligence; the power of gratitude; reason as the basis for human cooperation and progress; and other topics.

André Duqum is a content creator, video storyteller, and the founder of Meraki Media. He runs the Know Thyself podcast and YouTube channel, where he interviews leading thinkers and teachers on topics including consciousness, philosophy, health optimization, and personal growth. His website is knowthyself.one.