Finneran’s Wake – where the ART OF CONVERSATION lives.
Here, no topic is untouchable, no idea inadmissible, and no one too heretical to be heard.
As the great French essayist Montaigne once said, “To my taste, the most fruitful and natural exercise of our minds is CONVERSATION. I find the practice of it the most delightful activity in our lives”.
It certainly is the most delightful activity in my life. I want it to be so in yours as well.
To that end, I humbly welcome you to my channel.
Here, we'll exercise our minds together. Here, we'll practice this delightful activity as friends. We'll engage, now and forever, in the art--the highest and most human art--of conversation!
With affection,
Daniel
To Photograph is to Learn How to Live | Ulrich Baer
Ulrich Baer is an author, editor, and a professor of photography at NYU.
I wanted to chat with someone about photography in the “iPhone” age (along with a bunch of other things!), and Uli was kind enough to indulge me.
I was dazzled by his breadth of learning and the expertise he has in so many different fields (poetry, philosophy, and literature, to name just a few).
In this wide-ranging conversation, Uli and I discuss:
Photography; Art; Nostalgia for Film; The iPhone Age; Mary Shelley; Frankenstein; Oscar Wilde; Being a “Perpetual Beginner”; How to approach the “Great Works”; Reading; Laughing; Loving; Connecting with our fellow humans; Kung Fu; And much more!
Links to Uli’s stuff:
Website:
https://www.ulrichbaer.com/
Podcasts:
https://www.ulrichbaer.com/podcasts
Think About It
The Proust Questionnaire
Books:
https://www.ulrichbaer.com/books-by-ulrich-baer (https://www.ulrichbaer.com/books-by-ulrich-baer)
Links to my stuff:
Instagram, on which I post shorts from this and prior episodes: @danielethanfinneran https://www.instagram.com/danielethanfinneran/ (https://www.instagram.com/danielethanfinneran/)
X: @DanielEFinneran
Message me on X, or send me an email at daniel.ethan.finneran@gmail.com (mailto:daniel.ethan.finneran@gmail.com) (especially if you have in mind someone whom I can interview!)
My sister project, PNEUMA, on which I put out sleep stories, meditations, and mindfulness content. Search “Pneuma meditations” on any podcast streaming platform.
If you enjoy these conversations, please share them with family and friends!
Thank you.
20 Mar 2025
Art, Wonder, and Oscar Wilde | Joseph Pearce
Joseph Pearce is an educator, essayist, and author of over two dozen books.
I reached out to Joseph because I wanted to learn more about the great Irish playwright and wit, Oscar Wilde, about whom he has written extensively.
Joseph’s excellent biography of Wilde, “Unmasking Oscar Wilde” is linked below.
Using Wilde as a springboard, Joseph and I leapt into a variety of topics, including:
The different forms of Tragedy: Pagan v. Christian; Oedipus; Macbeth; Shakespeare’s religion; Catholicism; GK Chesterton; Oscar Wilde; How one develops a sense of wonder; Art for whose sake?; Self-destructive spirals; God; Transcendentalism; Walking; Henry David Thoreau;
And much more!
I hope that you enjoy this episode.
A link to Joseph’s website, on which you’ll find an abundance of beautifully-composed, thoughtful essays:
https://jpearce.co/ (https://jpearce.co/)
Do consider joining his “Inner Sanctum” membership bloc, through which you’ll be given access to even more content.
Book: “Unmasking Oscar Wilde” - https://ignatius.com/the-unmasking-of-oscar-wilde-uowp/
Links to my stuff:
My Instagram page, on which I post shorts from this and prior episodes:
Instagram: @danielethanfinneran https://www.instagram.com/danielethanfinneran/ (https://www.instagram.com/danielethanfinneran/)
X: @DanielEFinneran
Message me on X, or send an email to daniel.ethan.finneran@gmail.com (mailto:daniel.ethan.finneran@gmail.com) (especially if you have someone I can interview in mind!)
My sister project, PNEUMA, on which I put out sleep stories, meditations, and mindfulness content. Search “Pneuma meditations” on any podcast streaming platform.
If you enjoy these conversations, please share them with family and friends!
Thank you.
5 Feb 2025
Keju: The Ancient Test of China’s Strength | Yasheng Huang
Yasheng Huang is a professor at MIT and the author of many books, including his most recent work, “The Rise and Fall of the EAST”.
I reached out to Professor Huang because, after reading his book, I wanted to learn more about Chinese history.
In this episode, Yasheng and I discuss:
Imperial China v. The Roman Empire; Keju; The origin of Civil Service Exams; Purges: Hard and Soft; Meritocracy v Aristocracy; Enlightenment Thinkers; The American Founding; Stalin and Mao; Xi Jinping; Autocratic “Stickiness”; Liberal Democracy; Global Economics; Anthony Fauci; Robert F. Kennedy; Public Health; COVID; Planning for Future Pandemics; Tiananmen Square; Taiwan; Donald Trump; Student Protests;
And much more!
I hope that you enjoy this chat.
Links to Professor Huang’s content:
X: @YashengHuang
Book: The Rise and Fall of the EAST - https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300281934/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-east/
Links to my content:
Instagram, on which I post shorts from this and prior episodes: @danielethanfinneran https://www.instagram.com/danielethanfinneran/ (https://www.instagram.com/danielethanfinneran/)
X: @DanielEFinneran
Message me on X, or send me an email at daniel.ethan.finneran@gmail.com (mailto:daniel.ethan.finneran@gmail.com) (especially if you have in mind someone whom I can interview!)
My sister project, PNEUMA, on which I put out sleep stories, meditations, and mindfulness content. Search “Pneuma meditations” on any podcast streaming platform.
If you enjoy these conversations, please share them with family and friends!
Thank you.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
3.7 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 58 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
86
Social presence
91
YouTube
0
Engagement
31
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