ABOUT BOB PODOLSKY
About Bob Podolsky
- My life is primarily driven by curiosity. At the age of five I got hold of my parents’ alarm clock and took it apart because I wanted to see how it worked. (Oooops!) My folks weren’t happy about this, but my father, a famous physicist (Boris Podolsky), understood my urge to know how the world works and encouraged me in this ever after.
- My father Boris, also taught me, at an early age, the basic principles of science and the scientific method which exist only to distinguish true information from false information so I became a devotee of truth, and remain so to this day.
- As a student I followed in my father’s footsteps by studying math and physics in high school, Williams College, the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, the University of Hawaii (where I received a National Science Foundation Fellowship for research in quantum electrodynamics), and Harvard. I have a Master’s degree in theoretical physics,In 1962, then a graduate student, I had the honor of meeting some of the world’s top physicists at the conference depicted below. Can you spot me in the picture?
Top Row: Jack Rivers, Harold Glaser, Eugen Merzbacher, John B. Hart, Jack A. Soules, Eugene Guth, Abner Shimony, Robert Podolsky, Austin Towle Middle row: Willian Band, Gideon Carmi, Solomon L Schwebel, Dieter Brill, O.von Roos, Michael M. Yanasee, S.J. Bottom Row: Eugene P. Wigner, Nathan Rosen, Paul A. M. Dirac, Boris Podolsky, Yakir Aharonov, Wendell H. Furry. Not Pictured : Fredrick G. Werner and Kaiser S. Kunz
Physics / Systems Analysis Career
After receiving a masters degree in physics from Xavier university, I attended the University of Hawaii, and Harvard. I spent ten years doing mathematical physics and systems analysis in industry and government. I came up with all kinds of solutions for this and that and the other thing. As a result of my experience in Systems Analysis I enjoyed looking at the big picture. I got bored with working for know-nothings in bureaucratic environments.
I worked in industry (Avco, GE, Bendix) and in the Civil Service (USAF Avionics Lab and Coast Guard HQ) performing mathematical modeling of complex physical systems, such as atomic reactors, guided missiles, electron microscope lenses, external combustion engines, and the like.
After ten years of this work, I tired of the “Dilbert” lifestyle and its bureaucratic environment; so I got trained in various methods and techniques of psychotherapy and operated a private practice in this field for some twenty-five years.
Psychotherapy Career
I got involved with therapy as a therapist because therapy had personally made great improvements in my own life. I received thousands of hours of training in Gestalt Therapy, Bioenergetic Therapy, Strategic Therapy, Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) and Ericksonian Hypnosis. My trainers were some of the best in the world in these fields – especially, Jim Cox, Ilana Rubinfeld, John Grinder, and Jeff Zeig.
I then spent twenty-five years doing psychotherapy in private practice – during which time I taught myself to apply these methods simultaneously. When I worked for the VA Vet Center in Oregon, my case load was comprised of the toughest cases. One client came to me with a gun in his belt and said, “I’m going to kill someone today – maybe you – maybe myself – maybe both”. He never did and I was the only therapist at the center who never lost a patient to suicide. I have extensive training in PTSD.
Not only did I have the pleasure, for the first time in my life, of seeing other people’s lives improve dramatically through my personal efforts; but I also managed to do this without supporting the cartels that have since dominated the psychiatric, psychological, social work, and counseling fields – so I was able to practice the most effective methods of doing therapy without yielding to the prohibitions imposed upon members of these self-serving cartels – whose members don’t know these methods, can’t apply them, and don’t control them financially.
Author Career
By 1992 I had begun writing articles, and subsequently books, about ethics, law, and government. My research in the intervening years showed me unequivocally that the institutions that we usually look to, to solve societal problems, were actually the cause of all the major problems that our species faces. After the work I had done analyzing physical systems, the analysis of societal systems turned out to be a very simple matter. The three big offenders in this respect turn out to be Big Business (especially Big Banking Business), Organized Religion, and Government. Borrowing an idea from Star Trek, I have coined the phrase B.O.R.G when referencing these three institutions collectively. To date I’ve written seven books about the B.O.R.G. problem and what can be done about it. Two of these (self-published) books are in print, and two more are ready for publication at any time.
My Mentors:
Boris Podolsky
My father was Boris Podolsky, the physicist who achieved considerable notice for the work he did with Albert Einstein in 1935 for his work on the EPR Paradox. But Einstein didn’t like the idea that the momentum of a particle, if its position was known, was completely unknowable – random. In 1935 he got together with two other physicists, Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen, and wrote a famous paper entitled Can Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical Reality be Considered Complete? We now refer to it as simply the EPR Paradox. It was the first paper to predict what has come to be called “quantum entanglement”.
Of Boris, Einstein once said, “Podolsky goes directly to the heart of the problem”. Boris was also a brilliant teacher. So I was very early-on introduced to the scientific method, logic, and the operational point of view, the philosophical cornerstones of science.
John Grinder
One of the most profound learning experiences in my background was the six month training I did with John Grinder, the co-inventor of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP). At the time, I had already been using NLP for about a year – so I was well prepared to integrate into my therapeutic repertoire many of the fine points of Grinder’s technology. As a result my entire understanding of the human condition acquired a powerful new perspective that serves me well today.
John David Garcia
In 1984 I met John David Garcia, the brilliant author of “Creative Transformation” and remained friends with him until his death in 2001. Under John David’s tutelage I came to understand and value the field of ethics that I had scorned as a young man. I have since seen it as the most important field that anyone can master; because, through the lens of ethics, one can make vastly better decisions than one can by any other means.
At the time I met John David, he was performing frequent experiments to increase the creativity of people working in groups. I participated in a number of these experiments and was able to make some substantive contributions to the methodology that resulted.
As a direct result of my work with John David, I am the Founding member of Titania, a non hierarchical society dedicated to peace, love and truth; through ethics and creativity and utilizing the organizational principles that I learned from him. This methodology is the only one I have found that has the potential to provide a fundamentally “grass roots” driven ethical society. Humanity must make this fundamental change to an ethical society, else humanity will find itself extinct, no matter what political leaders are “elected” or -isms are followed. The Titanians.org website and our Creativity Enhancement Mastermind Group, located in Mesa Arizona, is the cutting edge in spreading the word. I am looking forward to connecting with you in the real world (five-six-one-five-four-two-fifty-eight-hundred) or online b-o-r-i-s-h-e-i-r-at-y-a-h-o-o.com
Sir –
had your *grandfather* (& family, i presume) ever resided in Harbin,
presently of the P.R. of China?
[i understand that the last jewish family to depart from Harbin, in 1962, had the family
name: Podolsky (Russian).]
please advise, ekim zralos
msolarz@LBL.gov
Not that I’m aware of – but there is much of my family history that I don’t know. Is there a deeper statement behind your question?
Hi Bob, I saw you speak at Libertopia last year with Foster Gamble. I couldn’t make it to the seminar you did that immediately followed Libertopia but I was wondering how I can contact you to talk about it please?
Hello Bob,
I heard about your concept of octologues on the SovereignBTC podcast, and i feel that it could fit quite well with what i’m working to build – an ecovillage for artists.
I would very much like to learn more (the podcast was quite short), and perhaps hear your thoughts on how i might implement octologues into my community model.
Just to give you a rough idea of what i’m building…
This ecovillage, named Creature Conduit Sanctuary, will… feature extremely disaster-resistant, energy-efficient dome-shaped structures; produce clean food by way of aquaponics, hugelkultur, and a food forest; use clean energy; support every type of art (as opposed to just one or a few), including those that fall into the grey area between art and science; have a private village cryptocurrency, in addition to accepting bitcoin, safecoin, etc; and the only cost to resident artists will essentially be about six hours of work each week to keep the village operational (once it’s fully operational that is… the early days will probably be quite busy). More details on the website, CreatureConduitSanctuary.net
Thank you,
Adairia
I was just listening to you on the Liberty Radio Network LRN.FM just by accident, I was half asleep and something in the program roused me and I got the last 10 minutes of the interview and it was amazing. I have been non political my entire life as \politics to me is a rigged game or mirage\ but the conversation about Octologue’s struck me and so I have followed up and will read your book Flourish and go from there. Brilliant stuff and I thought you should meet another brilliant mind whom I greatly admire. Michael Tsarion
http://www.michaeltsarion.com/ I think you should both connect. It was in one of his Youtube videos he mentioned something about getting involved with Libertarian activity, that I did and then via LRN.FM I discovered you and Titania. Interesting thread of events.I look forward to learning more and more! thanks-Conrad
Bob: Did we go to Walnut Hills High School together? Sincerely, Michael Pichel classs of 1956
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Dear Bob,
Listened to you speak recently on Secrets of Saturn podcast and found many of your ideas captivating, but you lost me with that statement about feeling all happy and safe in places and cities where lots people walk around with of guns. What is it with Americans and their guns?
Thought it a bit precious also to be poo pooing the Constitution one moment, and using it the next minute to justify/ legitimize the rights of American citizens to freely bear arms etc.
Me detects somewhat of a contradiction in your basic argument.
You’d be interested in the EPR Debates 2020 teleconference and videos of lectures.