Meaningless Problems

A short story about a man who gets toothache whenever he experiences happiness. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

What would you do if you got toothache whenever you experienced happiness? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Toothache

Happiness

Contemplating the meaning of life&n...

What happens when a well known comedian accidentally discovers the secret of the universe? 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

How would your life change if you knew that you literally were everyone who has ever lived? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

The Egg by Andy Weir

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Reinca...

Alan lands a job at the world’s happiest company. What could possibly go wrong? 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

How does monitoring emotions affect our emotions? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Happiness

Companies

Invasions of privacy 

Contemplating the meaning o...

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 ...

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 enj...

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 

Specul...

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 thi...

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 f...

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 mi...

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 decision...

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 fict...

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 fictio...

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 

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&n...

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. 

Artwo...

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: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eag...

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 epi...

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 ...

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 in...