Cosmic Intelligence
Welcome to Cosmic Intelligence (formerly Spiritual But Not Ridiculous), a podcast that explores philosophy (Western and Vedic), consciousness, cosmology, spirituality, and technologies in the broadest sense—technologies of the sacred, of transformation, and of the mundane. As we enter this age of artificial intelligence (AI), we focus in particular on AI and its implications for humanity, questions of consciousness, AI safety and alignment, and what it means to be human in the 21st century, as well as its impact on our shared worldview. Since worldviews create worlds we will always keep one eye on our shifting worldview, hoping to encourage it along from materialism to idealism.
In terms of consciousness and spirituality, we also explore spiritual practices and other ways to expand consciousness, the importance of feeling our feelings, how to cultivate compassion and empathy, find balance, and lean into fear as a practice. Sometimes we have guests.
We approach all subjects from a grounded and discerning perspective.
Your host is Chad Jayadev Woodford, a philosopher, cosmologist, master yoga teacher, Vedic astrologer, lawyer, and technologist.
Episodes
22 episodes
The Better AI Gets, the Further We Seem from AGI
Let's take a grounded look at the state of the AI industry in early 2026 and ask whether we’re actually any closer to artificial general intelligence (AGI) or superintelligence than we were a few years ago. Despite massive valuations for compan...
AI Empires and the Soul Sickness of Silicon Valley
Why is Mark Zuckerberg so obsessed with the Roman Empire?Why is Peter Thiel so obsessed with the Antichrist?Why does Sam Altman want $7 trillion dollars for an uncharted course to an unknown destination? And how can be...
AI, Magical Thinking, and the Machine Metaphor with Matt Segall
In this conversation, philosopher Matt Segall and I address the role of philosophy in contemporary culture, emphasizing the need for discernment amidst ideological ferment. We critique transhumanist Silicon Valley ideologies, highlighting their...
Apollonian Intelligence: Why Do Tech Bros Have the Worst Ideas?
Peter Thiel is speaking this month in San Francisco about the antichrist. Nicole Shanahan, ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin and former vice-presidential running mate of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., called the annual Burning Man festival "demo...
Will Artificial Intelligence Make Us More or Less Wise?
In this episode I explore the complex relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and wisdom, particularly focusing on discernment. I argue that while AI can hinder discernment by perpetuating biases and misinformation, it also holds some...
Zombies, Transhumanists, and the Worldview Crisis
Continuing our deep dive into what it means to be human in the age of AI, and inspired by the physicalist yet transcendent worldviews of the transhumanists, in this episode I start to explore the concept of worldviews, focusing first on physica...
What Psychedelic States of Consciousness Tell Us about AI
The irony of the application of the word “hallucination” to LLMs making mistakes is that they are completely incapable of having psychedelic experiences. Why does that matter?In this mind-bending exploration, we dive into the fascinatin...
Impediments to Creating Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
Artificial general intelligence, or superintelligence, is not right around the corner like AI companies want you to believe, and that's because intelligence is really hard. Major AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic (as well as Ilya S...
Looking Through the AI Hype into a More Human Future
Long time no talk! I just finished my masters in philosophy, cosmology and consciousness, which didn’t leave me much time for producing this podcast in the past nine months. But I’m back with a short episode that offers a preview of a thesis I ...
Hit of Happines: The Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence with Brian Dubow
This week we're sharing an episode of a podcast called Hit of Happiness, where Chad spoke to Brian Dubow about artificial intelligence a...
Unraveling the Mysteries of Quantum Consciousness and AI
In this episode, Chad explores a scientific theory of consciousness first put forth by Nobel Laureate Roger Penrose and Dr. Stuart Hameroff in the 1990s called quantum consciousness. This unorthodox, yet-scientific theory proposes that consciou...
What It Means To Be Human In The Age of AI: A New Beginning
Chad is relaunching his podcast with a new name and a broader focus! Starting this week on this same feed, the show will be called Cosmic Intelligence and explore fundamental questions about philosophy, artificial intelligence, conscio...
Resting Deeply In the Divine with Hilary Jackendoff
This week I talk to Hilary Jackendoff, a yoga nidra and meditation teacher and trainer, and Human Design coach. She’s also a powerful, heart-centered woman. To me, Hilary is the ideal teacher: wise...
How To Be Spiritual But Not Ridiculous
This week I discuss discernment: What it is, why it’s important, how it can prevent ridiculousness, why that matters, and how to increase our discernment. As part of this discussion, I explore the Yog-Vedantic theory of mind and specific practi...
Transforming Wellness with Kerri Kelly
This week I talked to Kerri Kelly, the founder of CTZNWELL, a movement that is democratizing wellbeing for all. A descendant of generations of firemen and first responders, Kerri has dedicated her life to kicking down doors and fighting for jus...
Embodiment, Wildness & Magic with Schuyler Brown
In this episode I talk to Schuyler Brown, a futurist, facilitator, coach, teacher of embodiment and meditation, and a writer. You can find her at artofemergence.com and her essays/poems are on Medium @
Sacred Plants & Yoga: A Love Story
In this episode, we approach plant medicine from a yogic perspective. And we explore how yoga and sacred plant medicine are complementary practices with a long-standing symbiotic tradition; how yoga can be a powerful preparatory and integrative...
Stop Playing It Safe with Adam Schomer
My guest this week is Adam Schomer, a documentary film and television director, writer, and producer, and the president of i2i Productions. Adam is probably most known for the
On Becoming More Impactful With Spirituality
Inspired by friends, family, and people like Daniel Pinchbeck, who have been so critical of spirituality, I mount a full-throated defense of spirituality, first acknowledging the pitfalls and shortcomings. Spirituality for me is a holistic worl...
Holistic Yoga, Ashrams & Gurus with Meghan Kemp
My podcast guest this week is Meghan Kemp, a dedicated student and teacher of yoga, who is integrating eastern practices into western culture (which is why I was so excited to talk to her). She has been prac...
Astrology Isn't What You Think It Is
What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving? Away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there still any up o...
