Meaningless Problems

Governments are always promising to make things better. What would happen if they actively tried to make things worse? 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Have you ever noticed that trying to force something to happen can make it less likely? 

Come and see my new play - While We Wait - on at Arches Lane Theatre 3rd-7th March 2026. Tickets here: https://buytickets.at/waitwithme/1962304 

You might enjoy this episo...

Kenny finds church to be a mystical experience - but not for the reasons you might expect. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Is there a single truth that connects religions, psychedelic experiences, and near enough every story ever told? 

Come and see my new play - While We Wait - on at Arches Lane Theatre 3rd-7th March 2026. Tickets here: https://buytickets.at/waitwithme/1962304 

You might enjoy this episode ...

A new technology makes it possible for a mother and father to forgive their son’s killer. Should they use it? 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Given the possibility to let it go, can it ever be right to hold on to hatred? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Happiness

Politic...

For ten years, Eric has cared for his vegetative state brother with no hope he’ll ever recover. A scientific breakthrough changes everything. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Would you accept a blissful inner life if it meant no interaction with the outside world? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fict...

Sylvia’s understanding of reality is shaken by an encounter with her dressing gown cord, a padlock and a snake. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Can evolutionary psychology fully explain human behaviour or is there something deeper at play? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction...

A new technology turns every human being into a super genius, ushering in heaven on earth. There’s just one problem: it doesn’t work in Liverpool. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

If it’s possible to use technology to increase our intellectual and emotional intelligence, does this destroy the idea that certain people are ‘good’ and others are ‘bad’?  

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales...

What happens when every married woman on earth wakes up with the desire to divorce her husband? 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Where do your desires come from? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

John Wyndham 

Spur of the moment decisions

Marriages

Divorces 

Talking about ...

He’s given his daughter an imaginary friend and she’s become quite attached. Does this make him a bad dad?

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Do you think there’s any harm in kids having an imaginary friend? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Imaginary friends

Kids

Swings

Roun...

Jerry’s new boyfriend appears to be perfect in every way. But he has a dark secret at the bottom of his garden. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Can an argument be logically correct but still ultimately wrong? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Carl Jung 

Cows

Sheds 

Vegani...

This is a story about two people called Brian. One is spiritually enlightened. The other is depressed. But do they have more in common than they realise? 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

What are the two different versions of you? And do they ever have differing interpretations of the same event? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Fiction that ma...

Some theories about the existence of god are silly. This one is literally… silly. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

What other qualities would a maximally great god have? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

God

Atheism

Stephen Fry

Christopher Hitchens 

Alan Watts

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Jokes

Skin c...

In the near future, it is widely agreed that children would be better off if they never learnt how to speak. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Would you sacrifice your ability to speak if it meant never having another negative or stressful thought? 

Written and performed by Doe Wilmann

Thanks to Katie Empett and Ross Hindle for reading early versions of this episode and providing notes. 

Artwork by Katie Emp...

If life is a game, Harvey Rain is determined to win. But what does winning actually look like? And what does this mean for the other players?

Something to consider when reading/listening:

Is it true that the only thing worse than not getting what you want is getting it?

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum:...

When Poppy announces she wants to kill herself, her playwright husband employs a peculiar coping technique. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

To what extent does negative visualisation make you grateful for what you have? 

Comedy - Philosophy - Stoicism  

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/ 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: F...

Having spent a year writing short stories for a podcast, the writer wonders what was the point. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

What was the point of this short story podcast? 

Comedy - Philosophy - Plumbing 

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/ 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagle...

Lost in thought at a funeral, our narrator sets out a compelling case for why we should never ask anyone what they do for a living. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

To what extent does your job define who you are? 

What Do You Do is an original short story by Doe Wilmann 

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/ 

For information about upcoming s...

Businessman Nathan Norrie calls upon a spiritual guide to help improve the atmosphere among his work colleagues. The guide offers three peals of wisdom. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

If a message is true, does it matter if the messenger is dishonest? 

It Might as Well Be is an original short story by Doe Wilmann 

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe...

The prime minister is facing the biggest strike in British history. But the strikers are the last people she’d expect to strike. And their reason for striking is even more surprising. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Can you truly be rich if your life lacks meaning? 

The Meaning of Work is an original short story by Doe Wilmann 

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.c...

Tony’s tried everything to make himself more employable, more dateable, more popular. He’s tried life coaches, elocution coaches, therapists, personal trainers but he’s looking in the wrong place. He’s not the problem. I am. I am Tony’s vibe. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

To what extent can a person be aware of their own vibe? 

Comedy - Philosophy - Politics 

If you’d like to read the script of this episod...