The Burning Man phenomenon involves a lot of good intentions and a lot of wonderful experiences—aesthetic, gastronomic, social, and even spiritual. It emerges from, and thus expresses, the incongruencies and general confusion of the pattern of insanity, even as it stands in defiance of that pattern of insanity. In some sense, it gives us an image of conquest consciousness wrestling with itself.

Lia Helena Rubinoff, a friend and fellow philosopher, went to Burning Man this year. She joins us for some reflective dialogue about the wonders and the dangers of the Burning Man phenomenon. We try to honor the good while getting as honest as possible about the not-so-good.