The concept of hobbies is perhaps anachronistic and even ambivalent. Many hobbies are shadows of more respected pursuits such as the creation of art, music, or literature, and thus tinged with the idea of failure. Their primary function seems to be to pass the time. Every hobby risks being seen as not just an idiosyncratic activity, but a kind of failure as if that time and energy was better spent on something else, something more useful or productive. Hobbies are often seen as antisocial, as something undertaken by a person who does not have friends, or family members, but at the same time they are the basis of many people’s social existence. Is there something to redeem hobbies in an age in which ceaseless productivity is the norm and standard?

In this episode, we discuss the following ideas/thinkers/texts/etc.:

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+ series, 2023)
• Astrud Gilberto
• Special When Lit: A Pinball Documentary (Documentary, 2009)
• The bad politics of Hobby Lobby 
• Jason’s Pictures of his Dog.
• Leigh Johnson’s podcast dedicated to the television series Black Mirror called Black Mirror Reflections (podcast available on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Podcasts and wherever else you listen to podcasts)
• the martial art Akido and Jason’s hobby of training and practicing aikido.
• Journal of the Philosophy of Sport
• Leigh Johnson’s American Values Project
• Leigh Johnson’s documentary film, Working in Memphis.
• Adult coloring pages
• Theodore Adorno, “On Free Time” (PDF)
• Theodore Adorno, Philosophy of Modern Music (1949)
• paint by numbers
• Guitar Hero (video game)
• Theodore Adorno, “The Culture Industry” (PDF)
• Karl Marx, “Estranged Labor” (1844)
• Jason Read, “The Jargon of Inauthenticity” 

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